Meta Data Manipulation (SQL/Python) Interview Questions

Meta Data Manipulation (SQL/Python) interview questions are a central part of Meta’s hiring for data scientist, data engineer, and analytics roles and usually emphasize practical, product-focused problem solving over abstract algorithm puzzles. What’s distinctive is the scale and product context: interview problems mirror real-world analytics tasks with messy data, session/event tables, and metrics design. Interviewers evaluate accuracy, clarity, and maintainability of your SQL or pandas code, your handling of edge cases (NULLs, deduplication, sampling), and your ability to explain trade-offs between readability and performance using CTEs, window functions, joins, and vectorized Python operations. For interview preparation, expect a timed technical screen (often using a shared editor) with SQL and Python data-manipulation tasks, followed by deeper loop rounds combining coding, product-metrics reasoning, and behavioral questions. Practice end-to-end problems: translate a product question into concrete metrics, write and optimize queries or pandas pipelines, narrate assumptions, and validate results. Work timed problems in CoderPad-like environments, rehearse clarifying questions, and review common pitfalls such as filter vs HAVING, NULL behavior, and inefficient joins. Regular mock interviews and focused drills on window functions, groupings, merges, and missing-data strategies will give the confidence and fluency Meta typically looks for.

175 Questions 1 Company07.06.2026
Showing 20 results
Role
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Scientist

Write SQL for retention, conversion, and churn

Assume today is 2025-09-01 (use the user's local day boundaries based on users.tz). Given the following schema and sample data, write SQL to: (a) Comp...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
12
0
127 people solved
Oct 13, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Scientist

Define and analyze new-vs-existing activity

Ambiguous product question: Are existing users more active than new users over the last 28 days (ending today = 2025-09-01)? 1) Propose two reasonable...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
3
0
55 people solved
Oct 13, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Scientist

Write SQL for social feed metrics and ties

You are given the following schema (PostgreSQL) and sample rows. Assume UTC timestamps and that friendships are static over the sample window. users(u...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
1
0
14 people solved
Oct 13, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Scientist

Compute multi-account activity and unread percentages in SQL

You are given two tables. Use them as the source of truth and do not assume any other data. Table: notifications +--------+------------+------------+-...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
2
0
25 people solved
Oct 13, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Scientist

Compute feed ad frequency and retention in SQL

Assume today is 2025-09-01. Schema and tiny samples: feed_impressions(impression_id, user_id, impression_time, content_type, feed_position, session_id...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
7
0
58 people solved
Oct 13, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Engineer

Find customer with max rentals in consecutive weeks

You are given a table purchases(customer_id INT, purchase_date DATE, rented_copies INT). Consider only dates in calendar year 2024. Define a full week...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
0
2
5 people solved
Sep 6, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Scientist

Compute SHOP spend share and model performance

You work on ads measurement. Advertisers can drive users to either Facebook Shop ('SHOP') or their own website ('WEBSITE'). After an ad is shown, you ...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
7
0
62 people solved
Aug 21, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Engineer

Aggregate Netflix metrics in SQL

Question Netflix video-streaming analytics SQL: Write a simple aggregation (e.g., total watch-time per day). Build a cumulative metric: today’s metric...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
1
1
7 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Scientist

Calculate Response Rate and Compare New vs. Existing User Scores

survey_events +---------+------------+-----------+--------------+---------------------+ | user_id | is_new_user| responded | survey_score | event_time...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
1
0
5 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Scientist

Identify 3-Person Call Cycles in Video-Calling App

Calls callerid | recipientid | ds | call_id | duration 1001 | 2001 | 2023-02-20| 555 | 180 2001 | 3001 | 2023-02-20| ...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
0
0
6 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Scientist

Analyze Recent User Activity from Video Call Logs

video_calls caller | recipient | ds | call_id | duration 123 | 456 | 2019-01-01 | 4325 | 864.4 032 | 789 | 2019-01-01 | 9395 | 263.7 456 | 032 | 2019-...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
0
0
6 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Scientist

Rank Ads by Conversion Rate for Top 10 Performers

ad id | advertiser_id | created_at 1 | 101 | 2023-07-01 2 | 102 | 2023-07-05 3 | 101 | 2023-07-10 ​ impression id | a...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
1
0
5 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Scientist

Generate Daily Unique User Views for Each Shop

shop_views +---------+---------+---------------------+ | user_id | shop_id | view_time | +---------+---------+---------------------+ | 101 ...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
69
0
253 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Scientist

Improve YoY Revenue Analysis with Complementary Metrics

ads_revenue +------------+-----------+ | date | revenue | +------------+-----------+ | 2023-01-01 | 120000 | | 2023-02-01 | 125500 | | 2...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
101
0
241 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Scientist

Analyze Oculus App Engagement with SQL Queries

AppUsage +---------+--------+-----------+--------------+------------+ | user_id | app_id | category | minutes_spent| usage_date | +---------+--------...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
62
0
162 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Scientist

Identify Top Three Active Users by Event Date

event_log +------------+---------+-----------+---------------------+ | event_date | user_id | event_type| event_timestamp | +------------+--------...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
137
1
356 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Engineer

Write SQL for active follow connections

Table: follow_events(requester_id INT, target_id INT, event STRING CHECK (event IN ('request_follow','follow_success','follow_reject','unfollow')), ev...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
2
2
29 people solved
Aug 1, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Scientist

Calculate Weekly Thread Engagement with Reactions in SQL

messages +------------+--------+----------+--------------+---------------------+ | message_id | sender | receiver | has_reaction | timestamp ...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
79
0
192 people solved
Jul 12, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Scientist

Calculate Engagement Metrics for Info-Stream Content Analysis

info_stream_views +----------+-----------+--------------+----------+------------+ | post_id | viewer_id | relationship | duration | ds | +---...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
107
1
243 people solved
Jul 12, 2025
Meta logo
Meta
Medium
Data Scientist

Calculate Video Call Usage Metrics by Country and Date

video_calls +---------+-----------+------------+---------+----------+ | caller | recipient | ds | call_id | duration | +---------+-----------...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
83
0
150 people solved
Jul 12, 2025

Frequently Asked Questions

How difficult are Meta Data Manipulation (SQL/Python) interview questions?
Meta Data Manipulation (SQL/Python) questions are typically medium-to-hard in difficulty and reward clarity under time pressure. Interviewers expect correct, efficient solutions that handle real-world data quirks such as NULLs, duplicates, and timezone or type issues. SQL problems often require joins, window functions, aggregations, and readable CTE structure rather than clever one-liners. Python tasks evaluate clean data transformations, appropriate use of lists/dictionaries or pandas, and algorithmic thinking for performance-sensitive steps. Strong candidates write defensible, testable code, explain tradeoffs, and can optimize a correct solution when prompted.
Where in the Meta interview process does Data Manipulation (SQL/Python) appear and what is the format?
Data manipulation shows up across screening and on-site (or virtual loop) stages, often during the technical screen and again in role-specific interviews for analytics, data engineering, or data scientist positions. Early screens commonly include a short set of timed problems split between SQL and Python executed in a shared editor. Later loop interviews expand scope with longer, end-to-end tasks that mix data modeling, metric definition, and manipulation tasks, and interviewers may probe for performance, edge cases, and how the candidate would productionize the transformation pipeline.
What is a realistic prep timeline for Meta Data Manipulation (SQL/Python) interviews?
A realistic prep timeline is four to eight weeks for focused preparation, although experienced practitioners may need less. Begin by refreshing SQL fundamentals and Python data structures, then practice common transformation problems and windowing scenarios. Midway through, introduce timed practice sessions mirroring the screening format to build speed and articulation. In the final weeks, do full mock interviews that combine SQL and Python work, review feedback, and polish explanations and test cases. Consistent, deliberate practice with real schema examples and post-solution optimizations produces the best results.
What key subtopics should I study for Data Manipulation (SQL/Python) at Meta?
Key SQL subtopics include joins (inner, left, semi/anti), aggregations, GROUP BY versus HAVING semantics, window functions, CTEs and subqueries, NULL handling, and basic performance considerations such as limiting data scanned and understanding indexes or partitioning. For Python, focus on core data structures, complexity reasoning, defensive coding for edge cases, idiomatic data transformations, and familiarity with pandas or equivalent libraries if appropriate. Also practice writing concise tests, handling date/time and string parsing, and explaining tradeoffs between readability and micro-optimizations.
What standout tips and common pitfalls should I keep in mind when preparing?
Standout tips include always clarifying assumptions up front, sketching the approach before coding, and using readable CTEs or helper functions to break complex logic into verifiable steps. Demonstrate awareness of edge cases, write simple test examples, and explain time/space complexity and production implications. Common pitfalls are ignoring NULL semantics, failing to deduplicate when required, overcomplicating queries instead of prioritizing clarity, and not defending performance tradeoffs. Finally, don’t forget to communicate continuously during the interview; interviewers evaluate reasoning and decision-making as much as the final result.

Explore more Meta Data Manipulation (SQL/Python) interview questions

Real questions from candidate reports, grouped by role, topic and company.

By role
Other categories at Meta
Data Manipulation (SQL/Python) questions at other companies
Browse all