Describe Overcoming Obstacles and Taking Calculated Risks
Overview
This question evaluates a candidate's competency in risk assessment, judgment, ownership, resilience, and data-driven decision-making in the context of a Data Scientist role.
Amazon
Jul 12, 2025, 6:59 PM
Data Scientist
Technical Screen
Behavioral & Leadership
9
0
Behavioral: Calculated Risk and Anticipated Obstacle (STAR)
Context
You are interviewing for a Data Scientist role in an Amazon leadership phone screen. The interviewer is assessing risk-taking, judgment, ownership, and resilience under Amazon's leadership principles.
Question
- Tell me about a time you took a calculated risk. What was the outcome?
- Describe a significant and anticipated obstacle you had to overcome. How did you handle it?
Hints
- Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
- Make the risk "calculated": show data-driven reasoning, mitigation, and contingency plans.
- Quantify impact (e.g., customer, revenue, latency, accuracy, cost).
- Highlight what you learned and how you applied it later.
Solution
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