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Derive no-click probability and sketch implications

Last updated: Mar 29, 2026

Quick Overview

This question evaluates proficiency in probability and statistical modeling—covering Bernoulli trial aggregation, geometric waiting-time expectations, Beta–Binomial marginalization for heterogeneous click propensities, and time-varying (exponential decay) click probabilities—relevant for Data Scientist roles in the Statistics & Math category.

  • hard
  • Meta
  • Statistics & Math
  • Data Scientist

Derive no-click probability and sketch implications

Company: Meta

Role: Data Scientist

Category: Statistics & Math

Difficulty: hard

Interview Round: Technical Screen

Each impression is independently clicked with probability p. 1) For A impressions, derive P(no clicks) as a function of A and p, and explain why (for p=0.3) it is (1−0.3)^A rather than 0.3^A when the y-axis is P(no clicks). Describe qualitatively how the curve behaves as A increases. 2) Generalize to arbitrary p and compute the expected number of impressions until the first click (geometric distribution). 3) If user-level click propensities vary with a Beta(α,β) prior (heterogeneity), derive the marginal probability of no clicks after A impressions and express it using Beta functions (Beta–Binomial), then interpret how heterogeneity changes the tail vs. the i.i.d. case. 4) Suppose p decays with impression index due to fatigue, e.g., p_k = p_0·e^{−λ(k−1)}. Provide an expression (or tight bound) for P(no clicks after A impressions) and discuss how you would estimate λ from data.

Quick Answer: This question evaluates proficiency in probability and statistical modeling—covering Bernoulli trial aggregation, geometric waiting-time expectations, Beta–Binomial marginalization for heterogeneous click propensities, and time-varying (exponential decay) click probabilities—relevant for Data Scientist roles in the Statistics & Math category.

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Meta
Oct 13, 2025, 9:49 PM
Data Scientist
Technical Screen
Statistics & Math
1
0

Click Probability Across Repeated Impressions

Context: We show A impressions of the same item to a user. Unless otherwise stated, each impression is an independent Bernoulli trial with click probability p.

  1. Constant p
  • Derive P(no clicks after A impressions) as a function of A and p.
  • For p = 0.3, explain why the correct expression for the y-axis labeled P(no clicks) is (1 − 0.3)^A rather than 0.3^A.
  • Describe qualitatively how this curve behaves as A increases.
  1. Time-to-first-click (Geometric)
  • Generalize to arbitrary p and compute the expected number of impressions until the first click (i.e., the geometric distribution result).
  1. Heterogeneous propensities (Beta prior)
  • Suppose the user-level click propensity p varies by user with prior p ~ Beta(α, β). Derive the marginal probability of no clicks after A impressions and express it using Beta functions (i.e., the Beta–Binomial model).
  • Interpret how heterogeneity changes the tail behavior versus the i.i.d. fixed-p case.
  1. Fatigue: decaying click probability
  • Suppose p decays with impression index due to fatigue: p_k = p_0 · e^{−λ(k−1)} for k = 1, 2, ..., A.
  • Provide an expression (or tight bounds) for P(no clicks after A impressions).
  • Briefly discuss how you would estimate λ from data.

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