Pinterest Data Scientist Interview Questions

Preparing for Pinterest Data Scientist interview questions demands focused interview preparation across coding, product thinking, and experimentation. Pinterest’s DS loop typically blends practical SQL and Python problem-solving with statistical reasoning and product-metric case work, so expect questions that test your ability to extract and manipulate data, design and evaluate experiments, and translate analyses into product recommendations. ([interviewquery.com](https://www.interviewquery.com/interview-guides/Pinterest-Data-Scientist?utm_source=openai)) The process usually starts with a recruiter screen, moves to a technical phone or take-home assessment, and—if advanced—an onsite loop of domain, coding/SQL, statistics, and behavioral interviews; intern/new‑grad tracks sometimes use CodeSignal for initial screening. To prepare, rehearse live SQL and Python problems, review experiment design and key metrics, and craft concise project stories that show impact and tradeoffs. Practicing timed coding on collaborative pads and walking interviewers through your reasoning will be especially valuable. ([pinterestcareers.com](https://www.pinterestcareers.com/interviewing/?utm_source=openai)

67 Questions 1 Company06.14.2026
Showing 20 results
Role
Pinterest logo
Pinterest
Medium
Data Scientist

Write SQL and pandas for shopping events

Use the schema and sample data below to answer SQL and pandas tasks. Treat 'today' as 2025-09-01. Schema users(user_id INT, country STRING) pins(pin_i...

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

Implement scalable prime generator

Write a function first_n_primes(n) that returns the first n prime numbers in ascending order. Constraints: - 1 ≤ n ≤ 100,000. - Aim for O(n log log n)...

Coding & Algorithms
4
0
53 people solved
Oct 13, 2025
Pinterest logo
Pinterest
Medium
Data Scientist

Compute CTR by format for new US users

You are given three tables. Write a single SQL query to compute click-through rate (CTR) by pin_format for NEW users in the US, where NEW users are th...

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

Design Efficient Multi-Level Access Control System

Scenario Multi-level access control lists (country → city) must be queried quickly. Question Design and implement a permission system where each geogr...

Coding & Algorithms
7
0
7 people solved
Jul 12, 2025
Pinterest logo
Pinterest
Medium
Data Scientist

Maximize Non-Overlapping Task Scheduling Efficiency

Scenario Job scheduler on a single machine wants to maximise throughput. Question Given tasks with [start, end) times, return the maximum number of no...

Coding & Algorithms
13
0
9 people solved
Jul 12, 2025
Pinterest logo
Pinterest
Medium
Data Scientist

Implement Data Structure for Top-K Elements in Streams

Scenario Analytics feature that must constantly report the K largest numbers seen so far. Question Implement a data structure that ingests a stream of...

Coding & Algorithms
27
0
79 people solved
Jul 12, 2025
Pinterest logo
Pinterest
Medium
Data Scientist Locked

Implement weighted random choice

This question evaluates understanding of weighted random sampling, probability distributions, input validation, and algorithmic time and space complex...

Coding & Algorithms
11
0
70 people solved
Mar 10, 2026
Pinterest logo
Pinterest
Medium
Data Scientist Locked

Implement Jackknife and Random Choice

This question evaluates understanding of statistical resampling (jackknife), probabilistic sampling algorithms including with- and without-replacement...

Coding & Algorithms
8
0
91 people solved
Jan 11, 2026
Pinterest logo
Pinterest
Medium
Data Scientist

Find top category by video time spent

Pandas required. You are given a DataFrame df with columns: user_id (int), pin_id (int), pin_type (str), category (str or None), time_spent_sec (numer...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
18
0
140 people solved
Oct 13, 2025
Pinterest logo
Pinterest
Medium
Data Scientist

Implement and extend My Calendar III

Design and implement a booking system like LeetCode 732 (My Calendar III). Provide a class with methods: book(start, end) using half-open intervals [s...

Coding & Algorithms
6
0
102 people solved
Oct 13, 2025
Pinterest logo
Pinterest
Medium
Data Scientist

Write SQL to compute max-overlap lists

Invented schema and sample data below. Assume 'today' is 2025-09-01 and 'last 7 days' means 2025-08-26 through 2025-09-01 inclusive. Only consider lis...

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

Find list pair with maximum overlap

You are given N labeled lists of items as a Python dict mapping list_name -> iterable of strings. Example input: {'L1': ['A','B','C'], 'L2': ['A','C',...

Coding & Algorithms
5
0
90 people solved
Oct 13, 2025
Pinterest logo
Pinterest
Medium
Data Scientist

Transform nested dicts with pandas apply/lambda

Given a pandas DataFrame df with columns: user_id (int), ts (datetime64[ns]), events (list of dicts), attrs (dict). Example rows (conceptual): user_id...

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

Write windowed retention and ARPU SQL

You are given three tables. Write one SQL script (CTEs allowed) that answers all parts using window functions and joins (no procedural loops): Schema:...

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

Write SQL to rank categories by impressions

You are given the following schema and sample data. Today is 2025-09-01. Schema: - users(user_id INT, country_id VARCHAR) - countries(country_id VARCH...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
0
0
5 people solved
Oct 13, 2025
Pinterest logo
Pinterest
Easy
Data Scientist

Compute average unique pins per user

Task: Average Unique Pins Per User You are given a mapping from user IDs to their lists of pin IDs. Implement a function that computes the mean number...

Coding & Algorithms
12
0
87 people solved
Oct 13, 2025
Pinterest logo
Pinterest
Medium
Data Scientist

Aggregate video time and unique pins in Python

Part A (category by average time for videos): You receive a list of pin engagement rows and a category map. pins = [ {"pin_id": 10, "category_id": 1,...

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

Calculate 95% Bootstrap Confidence Interval for Order Values

Scenario An e-commerce firm wants a 95% confidence interval for the average order value but only has a single historical sample of order amounts. Ques...

Coding & Algorithms
27
0
45 people solved
Aug 4, 2025
Pinterest logo
Pinterest
Medium
Data Scientist

Find available reservation time slots

Problem You are building an API to show which time slots are available for booking at a restaurant. You are given: - The restaurant’s opening hours (p...

Coding & Algorithms
12
0
101 people solved
Aug 2, 2025
Pinterest logo
Pinterest
Medium
Data Scientist

Implement Binary Search for Policy Violation Logs

violations +--------+---------+---------------+ | pin_id | type | violation_date| +--------+---------+---------------+ | 0 | spam | 2022-01...

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
57
0
5 people solved
Jul 12, 2025

Frequently Asked Questions

How difficult are Pinterest Data Scientist interview questions?
Pinterest Data Scientist interview questions are typically perceived as moderately to highly challenging because interviews evaluate both coding fluency and applied analytical judgement. Expect timed coding or SQL problems that test data structures, algorithmic thinking, and practical data-wrangling, plus an analytics or product case that examines metric framing and experiment logic. Interviewers often probe statistical intuition and modeling trade-offs rather than only textbook theory, so difficulty comes from integrating product sense with technical correctness under time pressure. Candidates who practice end-to-end problem solving and clear communication usually perform best.
What is the typical interview process and where do Data Scientist topics appear in the loop?
The typical process begins with a recruiter screen, followed by a technical phone screen and then an onsite or virtual interview loop. Data science topics appear across multiple stages: coding and algorithmic questions (Python/R) and SQL often appear in the phone or technical screen; a longer analytical or product case appears in the onsite loop to assess metrics, experimentation, and business impact; and a specialty round (statistics, machine learning, or forecasting) probes deeper domain expertise. Behavioral and hiring-manager conversations evaluate collaboration and ownership throughout the process. Variations exist for internships and new-grad roles.
How long should I prepare for Pinterest Data Scientist interviews and what timeline is realistic?
A realistic preparation timeline is four to eight weeks, depending on your starting point and availability. In the first two weeks focus on sharpening Python and SQL fundamentals with timed practice problems. Weeks three and four should target statistics, experiment design, and applied modeling, with case-style practice that ties metrics to business decisions. The last one to two weeks are best for mock interviews, end-to-end analytics problems, and refining behavioral stories that demonstrate impact and learning. If you have less time, prioritize SQL, one coding language, and a few product-case rehearsals to maximize returns.
What are the key subtopics I should master for Pinterest Data Scientist interviews?
Key subtopics include SQL (joins, aggregations, window functions, filtering versus HAVING, and performance considerations), Python data manipulation (pandas, data structures, edge-case handling), statistics and experimental design (hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, power, bias, and causal inference), applied machine learning (model selection, feature engineering, evaluation metrics, and trade-offs), and product analytics (metric definition, funnel and segmentation analysis, diagnosing metric shifts). Additionally, be prepared to explain assumptions, clarify requirements, and connect technical outputs to product impact during case questions.
What standout tips will help me during interviews and what common pitfalls should I avoid?
Standout tips include always clarifying the problem and constraints, narrating your thought process, and tying analyses back to product or business impact. For coding and SQL, write clear, testable solutions and handle edge cases; for cases, frame hypotheses, choose meaningful metrics, and explain trade-offs in model or experiment design. Common pitfalls are rushing to a solution without asking clarifying questions, ignoring practical constraints like data availability, overfitting technical minutiae while missing product impact, and weakly quantified outcomes in behavioral stories. Practicing mock interviews and explicit metric-driven storytelling will reduce these errors.

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