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
Exclude free subscribers via anti-join
Compute monthly new subscribers and YoY deltas
Compute 7-day views and reactions by relationship
Assess SQL cleaning, mapping, joins, keys, and DDL/DML
Write SQL to Join Merchants and Triple Restaurant Points
Debug a Hive query
Debug a Hive Query for DAU
Analyze Bookstore Data to Identify Top Payment Methods
Calculate Second-Degree Followers for Each YouTuber
Calculate Average Rate and Cumulative Jobs by State
Identify Key Metrics for Monitoring Shipment Defects
Calculate Top Countries' Gmail Usage and MoM Change
Calculate Net Pay Change for Q1 2023 Decreases
Derive Key Business Metrics Using SQL or Python
Calculate and Find Average Contacts and Sync Percentage
Calculate and Compare Survey Response Rates for User Tenure
Calculate Conversion Rate from Ad Clicks to Page Visits
Identify Repeat Advertisers from Consecutive Weeks
Analyze Cross-Country Call Data for Recent Trends
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.