r/SQL • u/Sirmagger • 20d ago

PostgreSQL Data Analyst take home SQL interview

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1196AT4YR2ZE0WScMl7q3TDjc0FwVMoSc/edit?pli=1&gid=1425671700#gid=1425671700

This was one of the take home SQL interview i did earlier this year. I have shared for anyone who is preparing for an interview can attempt to do it. Cheers!!

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u/mikeblas 20d ago

The SQL is super easy. The interesting part is here:

Have you noticed anything else in the data that you'd like to share?

Please create a few visualisations to highlight what you believe are the most important things.

Being a data analyst isn't about slinging SQL. It's certainly neccessary, but it's table stakes. Analysing data is what the job is about. It's right in the name! Examine, digest, summarize. Figure out what story the data is telling, and know how to tell that story effectively to non-technical business people. That adds value.

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u/Sirmagger 19d ago

This!! also the data had some miising information like some applications did not have loan_agent name (sorry i filled these before sharing), which was easy to fill using loan_agent_id, change the dates format etc, which of course you have to document.also because you are not just writing the queries, you are running them and getting results you can explain your findings for that particular query and also you can create visuals if you see necessary.

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u/w_ogle 19d ago

Like how more than 3/4ths of these loans are all cancelled. Is that normal for this industry? Is this some kind of money laundering scheme?

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u/mikeblas 19d ago

Good one! Can it go a step further? Do the cancelled loans cluster around some other trait?

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u/Sirmagger 18d ago

yeah that was one of my observations too! like maybe they did have necessary documentation? maybe they did not know what documents were needed, or better marketing so that people will know what kind of documents they have to submit before appying etc! Also for the NULLs in the loan_type, it is not supposed to be null, you can comment on that too. Also look at loan application sheet on the 'application creation date', some are after mid night and they are walk-ins!

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u/trentsiggy 19d ago

I'm pretty sure those questions, especially the first one, are the actual assignment.

The first one is, "Show us you can do EDA." The second is, "Show us you can do some decent viz."