3 Interview Prep Platforms That Prepared Me For Data Science Interviews
Resources That Will Help You Ace Your Technical Assessment
In this article, I am going over three platforms that helped me perform well on a technical assessment for a data science position. Many of you are aware of these websites. However, I am still amazed how new graduates are not familiar with the whole interview process for a data science position. Some students I talk to aren’t even aware that data science interviews consist of technical screenings and that you will be asked to solve coding challenges. Hence, I decided to write this article for those that are new to the process and need some guidance on where to start. Given the high competition on landing a data science job, you want to make sure you don’t lose any opportunities once you have the chance to interview with a company. Preparation is key, and you want to make sure you are ready to perform well. When I was preparing for my technical assessments, I tried out different platforms. For me, there wasn’t one single platform that would prepare me fully. Hence, I practiced on three different websites, which is not super-efficient, but it got the job done for me. Consistency is everything when it comes to improving your coding skills. As a result, the more you spend time on these websites, the easier it will get to solve the type of questions you will face during your technical assessment. So make sure you spend a lot of time on these websites and aim to solve at least 3 or 4 questions a week.
1. LeetCode
LeetCode is probably the most used website by programmers to improve their coding skills. Now mostly software engineers use this website. However, many data science technical interviews consist of algorithms and data structure problems. LeetCode’s question library consists of 20,000+ questions, which is pretty high. It was definitely my go-to website for practicing different types of algorithm and data structure problems. You can also work on SQL problems on LeetCode, but I didn’t enjoy the SQL questions as much as on StrataScratch. The SQL questions on StrataScratch are pulled directly from company interviews, which I enjoyed working on more. Now the big question is whether LeetCode premium is worth it or not. In my opinion, if you are a beginner and you are looking for detailed explanations on how to solve the problems, I wouldn’t purchase it. For that, I would go with AlgoExpert. If you are curious to learn more about whether LeedCode premium is worth it, check out the link below or click here for more information.
So why LeetCode, to begin with? Well, in my opinion, if you are an experienced programmer and you have worked in the field for multiple years already, then you find yourself using LeetCode more because of the larger question library. I plan to use this in the future just for data structures & algorithm questions, but not for SQL.
2. AlgoExpert
AlgoExpert is a website that has been created by Clement Mihailescu, who is an Ex-Google and Ex-Facebook Software Engineer. I think the biggest advantage that this platform provides is its organized structure. It has detailed explanations for the problems, plus it provides a quick crash course on data structures. If you are preparing for your first technical interview, I think that this website is the best to start with. If you buy the AlgoExpert package for 1 year ($99), you will get a crash course on data structures plus many more services. One downside, in my opinion, is that its question library has only 160 questions to offer. However, it covers the most important topics you need to master. Click here for more information on their premium package. If you want to get a more detailed review of AlgoExpert, check below.
3. StrataScratch
StrataScratch is a platform that is specifically made for data scientists. I was initially very impressed with the platform but quickly realized that I would mostly use this for SQL problems. StrataScratch was originally founded in 2017 primarily to teach SQL. It provides Python questions as well, but definitely not as much as LeetCode and other websites. Overall its question library consists of 1000+ questions. Some of the problems come with video explanations which help a lot. If you need to work on SQL questions, I would definitely look into StrataScratch. To learn more about what their premium package entails, click on the link below.
Conclusion:
Preparing for technical interviews can be stressful. However, if you stay consistent and disciplined, trust me, these kinds of problems will become easier for you to solve. The above-mentioned platforms worked for me. However, there are also other websites such as HackerRank and Interview Query, which many people use as well. In my opinion, there is not a single platform that prepares you fully. Also, one platform might be more beneficial than the other, depending on the position you are actually applying for. If you are applying for a data science position that focuses more on the analytics side, you should know your SQL and get on StrataScratch. On the other hand, if you are applying for a Data Science position that focuses more on Machine Learning, then make sure you know your data structures & algorithms well. For that, LeetCode and AlgoExpert would be the two platforms to look into. As mentioned above, if you need a refresher on data structures and are preparing for a technical interview for the first time, I would really recommend AlgoExpert. However, if you are more experienced, then go straight to LeetCode.
All in all, you are paying these websites for the structure they provide. It allows you to improve your skillset and give you an idea of what kind of questions you will face in a real interview. You can obviously find interview questions for free on the internet. However, I personally didn’t like to waste time searching for questions. I looked at it as an investment, and for me, it was totally worth it. If you have any questions on this topic, feel free to contact me. I would appreciate it if you would share this article on any social media platforms. Thank you and to those that are actively interviewing good luck!✌
