Meta (Facebook) Data Scientist Interview Questions

Review this list of 34 Meta (Facebook) data scientist interview questions and answers verified by hiring managers and candidates.
  • +8

    "Answer: select fromcaller, count(DISTINCT tocallee) as num_calls from calls group by fromcaller having count(DISTINCT tocallee) >= 3 Setup: CREATE TABLE calls ( from_caller VARCHAR(20), to_callee VARCHAR(20) ); INSERT INTO calls (fromcaller, tocallee) VALUES ('Alice', 'Bob'), ('Charlie', 'Dave'), ('Alice', 'Frank'), ('Charlie', 'Heidi'), ('Charlie', 'Judy'); "

    KAI - "Answer: select fromcaller, count(DISTINCT tocallee) as num_calls from calls group by fromcaller having count(DISTINCT tocallee) >= 3 Setup: CREATE TABLE calls ( from_caller VARCHAR(20), to_callee VARCHAR(20) ); INSERT INTO calls (fromcaller, tocallee) VALUES ('Alice', 'Bob'), ('Charlie', 'Dave'), ('Alice', 'Frank'), ('Charlie', 'Heidi'), ('Charlie', 'Judy'); "See full answer

    Data Scientist
    Coding
    +1 more
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 
    +28

    "Reversing a linked list is a very popular question. We have two approaches to reverse the linked list: Iterative approach and recursion approach. Iterative approach (JavaScript) function reverseLL(head){ if(head === null) return head; let prv = null; let next = null; let cur = head; while(cur){ next = cur.next; //backup cur.next = prv; prv = cur; cur = next; } head = prv; return head; } Recursion Approach (JS) function reverseLLByRecursion("

    Satyam S. - "Reversing a linked list is a very popular question. We have two approaches to reverse the linked list: Iterative approach and recursion approach. Iterative approach (JavaScript) function reverseLL(head){ if(head === null) return head; let prv = null; let next = null; let cur = head; while(cur){ next = cur.next; //backup cur.next = prv; prv = cur; cur = next; } head = prv; return head; } Recursion Approach (JS) function reverseLLByRecursion("See full answer

    Data Scientist
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +4 more
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 
    +27

    "Why do we have FB dating? How does it fit within FB's mission of connecting people and building community? Research shows that lonely people have worse health outcomes, get sick more easily, die faster, etc. There are many ways to solve for loneliness. FB already has Groups which connect people based on shared interests/hobbies. FB also has Messengers and other apps that help you connect with people you already know. Dating is an important way FB can help people form more intimate connections a"

    Patrick B. - "Why do we have FB dating? How does it fit within FB's mission of connecting people and building community? Research shows that lonely people have worse health outcomes, get sick more easily, die faster, etc. There are many ways to solve for loneliness. FB already has Groups which connect people based on shared interests/hobbies. FB also has Messengers and other apps that help you connect with people you already know. Dating is an important way FB can help people form more intimate connections a"See full answer

    Data Scientist
    Execution
    +1 more
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 

    "For any project based questions, it is important to structure your response clearly, showcasing your thought process, technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and how your work added value. Besides the STAR method, you can also use this kind of framework: 1. Start by selecting a relevant project (related to the role) Give the project background and what specific problem it solved. 2. Align the project's objective and your role Be specific about your role: were you the le"

    Malay K. - "For any project based questions, it is important to structure your response clearly, showcasing your thought process, technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and how your work added value. Besides the STAR method, you can also use this kind of framework: 1. Start by selecting a relevant project (related to the role) Give the project background and what specific problem it solved. 2. Align the project's objective and your role Be specific about your role: were you the le"See full answer

    Data Scientist
    Behavioral
    +5 more
  • "Before proceeding, I just wanted to clarify we wanted to check for the impact of showing content from non-friends in users’ feeds, and here non-friends I would assume could be anyone, but mainly like content creators, and I am not including ads here. But I wanted to ask if there is any current logic as to what posts to show based on users' affinity to those posts, maybe basis the user engagement to Insta feed. now objective of this would be to improve the engagement of the platform, as if users"

    Dhruv S. - "Before proceeding, I just wanted to clarify we wanted to check for the impact of showing content from non-friends in users’ feeds, and here non-friends I would assume could be anyone, but mainly like content creators, and I am not including ads here. But I wanted to ask if there is any current logic as to what posts to show based on users' affinity to those posts, maybe basis the user engagement to Insta feed. now objective of this would be to improve the engagement of the platform, as if users"See full answer

    Data Scientist
    Statistics & Experimentation
  • 🧠 Want an expert answer to a question? Saving questions lets us know what content to make next.

  • +1

    "Define: How is daily post view calculated Isolate Issues: Data issue Time period Geo IOS vs Android vs Web Correlated Metrics in the funnel DAU Time spent/ scrolls Engagement - likes, comments External factors Competitor actions Big events Internal factors Product launch Feature change"

    Steve Y. - "Define: How is daily post view calculated Isolate Issues: Data issue Time period Geo IOS vs Android vs Web Correlated Metrics in the funnel DAU Time spent/ scrolls Engagement - likes, comments External factors Competitor actions Big events Internal factors Product launch Feature change"See full answer

    Data Scientist
    Data Analysis
  • "WITH ActiveUsersYesterday AS ( SELECT DISTINCT user_id FROM user_activity WHERE activity_date = CAST(GETDATE() - 1 AS DATE) ), VideoCallUsersYesterday AS ( SELECT DISTINCT user_id FROM video_calls WHERE call_date = CAST(GETDATE() - 1 AS DATE) ) SELECT (CAST(COUNT(DISTINCT v.userid) AS FLOAT) / NULLIF(COUNT(DISTINCT a.userid), 0)) * 100 AS percentagevideocall_users FROM ActiveUsersYesterday a LEFT JOIN VideoCallUsersYesterday v ON a.userid = v.userid;"

    Bala G. - "WITH ActiveUsersYesterday AS ( SELECT DISTINCT user_id FROM user_activity WHERE activity_date = CAST(GETDATE() - 1 AS DATE) ), VideoCallUsersYesterday AS ( SELECT DISTINCT user_id FROM video_calls WHERE call_date = CAST(GETDATE() - 1 AS DATE) ) SELECT (CAST(COUNT(DISTINCT v.userid) AS FLOAT) / NULLIF(COUNT(DISTINCT a.userid), 0)) * 100 AS percentagevideocall_users FROM ActiveUsersYesterday a LEFT JOIN VideoCallUsersYesterday v ON a.userid = v.userid;"See full answer

    Data Scientist
    Coding
    +2 more
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 
    +2

    "Always assume good intentions on the part of both parties when resolving conflicts. Then proceed with a STAR example."

    Abhinav M. - "Always assume good intentions on the part of both parties when resolving conflicts. Then proceed with a STAR example."See full answer

    Data Scientist
    Behavioral
    +2 more
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 
    +5

    "As a PM i received a feedback from my program manager on my style of verbal communication. It is about me speaking faster when i wanted to get away with a topic that i wasn't confident (may be not backed up with data, or still in process of getting detailed insight of a problem etc.). Whereas when I'm confident I tend to speak slowly or more assertively that made people to follow easily. I welcomed that feedback so from then on when I'm not confident in a topic I became more assertive to let pe"

    Rajesh V. - "As a PM i received a feedback from my program manager on my style of verbal communication. It is about me speaking faster when i wanted to get away with a topic that i wasn't confident (may be not backed up with data, or still in process of getting detailed insight of a problem etc.). Whereas when I'm confident I tend to speak slowly or more assertively that made people to follow easily. I welcomed that feedback so from then on when I'm not confident in a topic I became more assertive to let pe"See full answer

    Data Scientist
    Behavioral
    +6 more
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 

    "Before diving into the Solution, I would ask a few clarifying questions. What is the scope of the fake news What type of fake news are we focusing on - Political, Health-related, etc Are we looking at specific examples or a general category of fake news When you say impact, what do you mean by that? Is it time spent on posts, the nature of the engagement (e.g., likes, shares, comments), and the sentiment of the comments? User Demographics: what is the demographic pr"

    Bhavna S. - "Before diving into the Solution, I would ask a few clarifying questions. What is the scope of the fake news What type of fake news are we focusing on - Political, Health-related, etc Are we looking at specific examples or a general category of fake news When you say impact, what do you mean by that? Is it time spent on posts, the nature of the engagement (e.g., likes, shares, comments), and the sentiment of the comments? User Demographics: what is the demographic pr"See full answer

    Data Scientist
    Analytical
  • "Product Understanding - Ads are what you see from companies as stories, posts, reels. Post are from users (connections). We have to design an experience which produces maximum engagement while generating ad revenue. Clarifying Questions - Is it specific to posts/stories/reels ? Is there an existing post to ads ratio or do we have to start from scratch? Is it specific to a device/OS? Is it specific to a region/user demographic? Assumption - Existing posts to ads ratio"

    Vishal S. - "Product Understanding - Ads are what you see from companies as stories, posts, reels. Post are from users (connections). We have to design an experience which produces maximum engagement while generating ad revenue. Clarifying Questions - Is it specific to posts/stories/reels ? Is there an existing post to ads ratio or do we have to start from scratch? Is it specific to a device/OS? Is it specific to a region/user demographic? Assumption - Existing posts to ads ratio"See full answer

    Data Scientist
    Data Analysis
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 

    "Clarifying Questions and possible responses: both audio and video goals: increase engagement time among groups/communitites and not require another platform to do group call (be one-stop for communication) region-TBD ios/android only available to users in a group to call users within the group who can intitiate these calls?- only admin? or anyone? metrics:NSM: feature engagement (C), number of calls made in a week per user (C). PM: % of people joining the call in a group"

    theproductguy - "Clarifying Questions and possible responses: both audio and video goals: increase engagement time among groups/communitites and not require another platform to do group call (be one-stop for communication) region-TBD ios/android only available to users in a group to call users within the group who can intitiate these calls?- only admin? or anyone? metrics:NSM: feature engagement (C), number of calls made in a week per user (C). PM: % of people joining the call in a group"See full answer

    Data Scientist
    Data Analysis
    +2 more
  • +4

    "Step 1: Define Objectives and Key Metrics Objectives: Understand the demand for group video calling. Assess the potential impact on user engagement. Identify technical and user experience considerations. Key Metrics: Call Frequency: Number of 1:1 calls per user. Call Duration: Average duration of 1:1 calls. Call Participants: Identify users who frequently call multiple individuals. Concurrent Calls: Instances where users are engaged in multiple 1:1 call"

    Bhavna S. - "Step 1: Define Objectives and Key Metrics Objectives: Understand the demand for group video calling. Assess the potential impact on user engagement. Identify technical and user experience considerations. Key Metrics: Call Frequency: Number of 1:1 calls per user. Call Duration: Average duration of 1:1 calls. Call Participants: Identify users who frequently call multiple individuals. Concurrent Calls: Instances where users are engaged in multiple 1:1 call"See full answer

    Data Scientist
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 
    +15

    "function isValid(s) { const stack = []; for (let i=0; i < s.length; i++) { const char = s.charAt(i); if (['(', '{', '['].includes(char)) { stack.push(char); } else { const top = stack.pop(); if ((char === ')' && top !== '(') || (char === '}' && top !== '{') || (char === ']' && top !== '[')) { return false; } } } return stack.length === 0"

    Tiago R. - "function isValid(s) { const stack = []; for (let i=0; i < s.length; i++) { const char = s.charAt(i); if (['(', '{', '['].includes(char)) { stack.push(char); } else { const top = stack.pop(); if ((char === ')' && top !== '(') || (char === '}' && top !== '{') || (char === ']' && top !== '[')) { return false; } } } return stack.length === 0"See full answer

    Data Scientist
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +4 more
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 
    Video answer for 'Move all zeros to the end of an array.'
    +42

    "Initialize left pointer: Set a left pointer left to 0. Iterate through the array: Iterate through the array from left to right. If the current element is not 0, swap it with the element at the left pointer and increment left. Time complexity: O(n). The loop iterates through the entire array once, making it linear time. Space complexity: O(1). The algorithm operates in-place, modifying the input array directly without using additional data structures. "

    Avon T. - "Initialize left pointer: Set a left pointer left to 0. Iterate through the array: Iterate through the array from left to right. If the current element is not 0, swap it with the element at the left pointer and increment left. Time complexity: O(n). The loop iterates through the entire array once, making it linear time. Space complexity: O(1). The algorithm operates in-place, modifying the input array directly without using additional data structures. "See full answer

    Data Scientist
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +4 more
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 

    " A couple of years ago, we were working on a project to integrate a new third-party data feed into our existing data processing pipeline. This data feed was critical for enhancing our trading algorithms with more comprehensive market data. Given the tight timeline and high stakes, I decided to push for a rapid implementation. In my eagerness to meet the deadline, I underestimated the complexity of integrating this new data feed. I did not allocate sufficient time for thorough testing and valida"

    Scott S. - " A couple of years ago, we were working on a project to integrate a new third-party data feed into our existing data processing pipeline. This data feed was critical for enhancing our trading algorithms with more comprehensive market data. Given the tight timeline and high stakes, I decided to push for a rapid implementation. In my eagerness to meet the deadline, I underestimated the complexity of integrating this new data feed. I did not allocate sufficient time for thorough testing and valida"See full answer

    Data Scientist
    Behavioral
    +2 more
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 
    Video answer for 'Explain Bayes' theorem.'

    "Is it bad to get the answer a different way? Will they mark that as not knowing Bayes Theorem or just correct as it is an easier way to get the answer? The way I went is to look at what happens when the factory makes 100 light bulbs. Machine A makes 60 of which 3 are faulty, Machine B makes 40 of which 1.2 are faulty. Therefore the pool of faulty lightbulbs is 3/4.2 = 5/7 from machine A and 1.2/4.2 = 3/7 from Machine B."

    Will I. - "Is it bad to get the answer a different way? Will they mark that as not knowing Bayes Theorem or just correct as it is an easier way to get the answer? The way I went is to look at what happens when the factory makes 100 light bulbs. Machine A makes 60 of which 3 are faulty, Machine B makes 40 of which 1.2 are faulty. Therefore the pool of faulty lightbulbs is 3/4.2 = 5/7 from machine A and 1.2/4.2 = 3/7 from Machine B."See full answer

    Data Scientist
    Concept
    +2 more
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 
    Video answer for 'Implement k-means clustering.'

    "i dont know"

    Dinesh K. - "i dont know"See full answer

    Data Scientist
    Coding
    +5 more
  • Data Scientist
    Statistics & Experimentation
Showing 1-20 of 34