Fresher interview prep
Data Analyst interview questions for freshers.
Fresher data analyst interviews focus on SQL, Excel, basic statistics and how clearly you explain what a dataset is telling you.
1. What is the difference between WHERE and HAVING in SQL?
How to answer: WHERE filters rows before grouping; HAVING filters groups after GROUP BY, so it can use aggregates like COUNT or SUM.
2. How do you handle missing values in a dataset?
How to answer: First find out why they are missing. Then remove, fill (mean, median, a default) or flag them, and explain the trade-off you chose.
3. Explain mean, median and mode. When is median better than mean?
How to answer: Median is better for skewed data or outliers, such as salaries, because a few extreme values pull the mean.
4. What is a VLOOKUP, and what are its limitations?
How to answer: It finds a value in the first column of a range and returns a value from another column. It can't look left; XLOOKUP or INDEX-MATCH can.
5. How would you find the second-highest salary in a table?
How to answer: One option: SELECT MAX(salary) FROM employees WHERE salary < (SELECT MAX(salary) FROM employees). Mention window functions as an alternative.
6. What is the difference between correlation and causation?
How to answer: Correlation means two values move together; causation means one changes the other. Give an everyday example.
7. Tell me about a dashboard or analysis you built.
How to answer: Describe the question it answered, the data source, the tool (Excel, Power BI, Tableau, Python) and one insight it revealed.
8. How would you explain a finding to a non-technical manager?
How to answer: Lead with the conclusion and its business impact, show one simple chart, then offer the detail if they ask.
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