SQL JOIN Interview Questions
SQL JOIN questions test whether you can combine data across tables while preserving the right grain and relationships. Expect INNER, LEFT, RIGHT, CROSS, and FULL OUTER JOINs, plus multi-table joins and JOIN + aggregation patterns.
Common SQL JOIN interview patterns
- INNER vs LEFT JOIN logic
- Anti-joins (find missing records)
- Self-joins for comparisons within a table
- JOIN + GROUP BY for aggregated results
- Conditional joins with additional predicates
- Multi-key joins across composite keys
- Deduplication using JOINs
SQL JOIN interview questions
Calculate Weekly Event Sums from Daily Counts
Write left-join queries with tricky filters
Write SQL/Python for ACH fraud analytics
Use pandas to aggregate, pivot, and label
Write SQL for last-7-day metrics without windows
Transform and aggregate messy event data
Aggregate Netflix metrics in SQL
Compute join counts and window ranks
Find top-spend categories per customer with ranking
Calculate posts per DAU by country today
Compare SQL counts, windows, and NULL semantics
Calculate Daily Harmful Content View Percentage
Calculate Distinct High-View Posts and Spam View-Prevalence
Label new vs old users over time in SQL
Compute feed ad frequency and retention in SQL
Calculate Average Session Duration and Performance Metrics
Analyze Mobile Promo Orders with SQL Query and Metrics
Calculate Ad Performance with Click-Through and Conversion Rates
Analyze User Engagement and Spammer Read-Rate in SQL
Common mistakes with SQL JOINs
- JOIN explosion from many-to-many relationships
- Filtering in WHERE instead of ON for LEFT JOINs
- Incorrect NULL handling on optional joins
- COUNT(*) vs COUNT(column) confusion
- Duplicate rows after joins
How JOIN questions are evaluated in interviews
Correctness beats performance; the right result set matters most.
Explain your join keys, assumptions, and how NULLs are treated.
Reasoning and clarity matter more than memorized syntax.
Related SQL concepts
SQL JOIN Interview FAQs
What is the difference between INNER JOIN and LEFT JOIN in interviews?
INNER JOIN returns only matching rows from both tables, while LEFT JOIN keeps all rows from the left table and fills unmatched right rows with NULLs. Interviewers often test whether you choose the correct join for required vs optional relationships.
When should I use a subquery instead of a JOIN?
Use a subquery when you need to filter or aggregate before joining, or when a correlated condition is clearer. JOINs are better for combining row-level data, while subqueries can simplify multi-step logic.