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
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Meta
Medium
Data Scientist

Produce dating profile funnel report by cohort

You work on a dating app. Produce a daily profile-funnel report for 2025-08-25 through 2025-09-01 inclusive, with one row per day, gender, and age_buc...

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

Compute French DAU video-call percentage yesterday

Compute the percentage of daily active users (DAU) from France who were on at least one video call yesterday (2025-08-31 UTC). DAU is defined as users...

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

Compute callers contacting >3 people last 7 days

Using the schema below, write a single SQL query to return the number of unique callers who started calls with more than 3 distinct other users during...

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

Write SQL for 7-day WhatsApp call metrics

Today is fixed as 2025-09-01. Using PostgreSQL, write a single query that returns one row per UTC calendar date for the last 7 days inclusive of today...

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

Write SQL for revenue and advertiser analyses

Use the schema below and ANSI SQL. Treat “today” as 2025-09-01. Schema: - active_ads(date DATE, ad_id INT, advertiser_id INT, creation_source VARCHAR,...

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

Write SQL to analyze Group Calls adoption

Write SQL (assume PostgreSQL) to analyze Group Calls adoption and cannibalization. Use this schema and sample data. Schema: - users(user_id INT PRIMAR...

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

Write SQL for initiators and French DAU%

You are given the following PostgreSQL tables. Assume all timestamps are UTC and "today" is 2025-09-01. For any reference to "last 7 days," use the in...

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

Write SQL for comment analytics

You are given the following schema and tiny sample data. Schema: - users(user_id INT PRIMARY KEY, country VARCHAR, created_at DATE) - posts(post_id IN...

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

Write advanced SQL for sales support analytics

Write SQL for the following schema and tasks. Assume ANSI SQL with DATE_TRUNC and INTERVAL supported. Sample tables (minimal rows shown). accounts +--...

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

Compute shop visibility and intent metrics in SQL

Schema (PostgreSQL). Tables: users(user_id) shops(shop_id, shop_name, merchant_type) posts(post_id, shop_id, is_shoppable BOOLEAN, created_at TIMESTAM...

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

Write SQL to infer group-call demand

You are given only 1:1 call logs and a user table. Use SQL to estimate latent demand for a 'Group Call' feature by detecting 10-minute 'call loops' wh...

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

Write SQL to flag coordinated fake accounts

Assume today is 2025-09-01. Schema and tiny samples: users(user_id, created_at, country) 1 | 2025-07-01 | US 2 | 2025-08-10 | IN 3 | 2025-08-15 | US 4...

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

Compute 7-day views and reactions by relationship

Use the schemas and sample data below to answer two tasks. Assume dates are strings in 'YYYY-MM-DD'. Treat "today" as 2025-09-01; "last/past 7 days" m...

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

Join datasets and compute conversion by assignment

You are given two CSVs. Create tables and write SQL to produce both visit-level and visitor-level conversion datasets, then aggregate conversion by as...

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

Compute reservation diff for largest member

Given copies(copy_id, reserved_by_member_id) and members(member_id, referred_by_member_id), find the member with the largest member_id. Return a singl...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
1
0
4 people solved
Sep 6, 2025
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Meta
Medium
Data Engineer

Find top 3 books by total borrowed time

Using copies(copy_id, book_id) and checkouts(copy_id, checkout_date, return_date), compute for each book_id the total borrowed duration as the sum ove...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
0
0
7 people solved
Sep 6, 2025
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Meta
Medium
Data Engineer

Return count and renewal percentage of unreturned good copies

Tables: copies(copy_id, condition), checkouts(copy_id, checkout_date, return_date, renewal_count). Write a single SQL query that returns one row with ...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
0
0
4 people solved
Sep 6, 2025
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Meta
Medium
Data Engineer

Solve library SQL and Python tasks

You are given a library domain. Assume these tables: - books(book_id, author_id, title) - authors(author_id, name) - copies(copy_id, book_id, conditio...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
0
2
3 people solved
Sep 6, 2025
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Meta
Medium
Data Engineer

Optimize SQL to minimize scans

Given a large analytics query, refactor it to minimize table scans. 1) Replace unnecessary CTEs that cause multiple scans with inline aggregations or ...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
3
0
6 people solved
Sep 6, 2025
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Meta
Medium
Data Engineer

Solve Python and SQL data tasks

Complete both tasks: 1) Python: Implement a function flatten(nested) that takes a list whose elements are integers or arbitrarily nested lists of inte...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
0
0
5 people solved
Sep 6, 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.

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