PracHub
QuestionsPremiumCoachesLearningGuidesInterview Prep
|Home/Statistics & Math/Gusto

Compute Parking Clustering Probability and P-Value

Last updated: Jun 8, 2026

Quick Overview

This question evaluates competence in combinatorial probability and statistical hypothesis testing, including exact probability calculation, p-value definition, and criteria for defining outcomes as "as extreme.

  • medium
  • Gusto
  • Statistics & Math
  • Data Scientist

Compute Parking Clustering Probability and P-Value

Company: Gusto

Role: Data Scientist

Category: Statistics & Math

Difficulty: medium

Interview Round: Technical Screen

There are 20 parking spaces numbered 1 through 20. Four cars park uniformly at random in four distinct spaces, so every subset of 4 spaces is equally likely. You observe that the four occupied spaces are exactly 1, 2, 3, and 4. 1. What is the probability of observing exactly this set of occupied spaces under the uniform-random null model? 2. How would you compute a p-value for this observation? Clearly define the null hypothesis, the alternative hypothesis, and what it means for another outcome to be "as extreme as or more extreme than" the observed outcome. Discuss how the answer changes under different reasonable definitions of extremeness, such as parking at one edge versus forming any consecutive block.

Quick Answer: This question evaluates competence in combinatorial probability and statistical hypothesis testing, including exact probability calculation, p-value definition, and criteria for defining outcomes as "as extreme.

Gusto logo
Gusto
May 27, 2026, 12:00 AM
Data Scientist
Technical Screen
Statistics & Math
0
0

There are 20 parking spaces numbered 1 through 20. Four cars park uniformly at random in four distinct spaces, so every subset of 4 spaces is equally likely.

You observe that the four occupied spaces are exactly 1, 2, 3, and 4.

  1. What is the probability of observing exactly this set of occupied spaces under the uniform-random null model?
  2. How would you compute a p-value for this observation? Clearly define the null hypothesis, the alternative hypothesis, and what it means for another outcome to be "as extreme as or more extreme than" the observed outcome.

Discuss how the answer changes under different reasonable definitions of extremeness, such as parking at one edge versus forming any consecutive block.

Solution

Show

Submit Your Answer

Sign in to leave a comment

Loading comments...

Browse More Questions

More Statistics & Math•More Gusto•More Data Scientist•Gusto Data Scientist•Gusto Statistics & Math•Data Scientist Statistics & Math
PracHub

Master your tech interviews with 8,500+ real questions from top companies.

Product

  • Questions
  • Learning Tracks
  • Interview Guides
  • Resources
  • Premium
  • For Universities
  • Student Access

Browse

  • By Company
  • By Role
  • By Category
  • Topic Hubs
  • SQL Questions
  • Compare Platforms
  • Discord Community

Support

  • support@prachub.com
  • (916) 541-4762

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • About Us

© 2026 PracHub. All rights reserved.