Unpopular opinion: live coding interviews for data analyst roles are a waste of everyone's time.
I have held dozens of interviews over the years and been through plenty myself. I have never once done a live coding test. Here is why.
When I am stuck on a SQL function at work, I Google it. When I need to check syntax, I ask AI. When I am completely stuck, I ask a colleague. That is not a weakness. That is the job.
A live coding test measures how well someone performs under artificial pressure with no access to the tools they use every day. It does not measure how good an analyst they actually are.
What I tested instead:
Can you think through a business problem?
Give me a messy scenario and walk me through how you would approach it. No code required. Just thinking out loud.
Do you understand the logic, not just the syntax? I can teach syntax. I cannot teach someone to think analytically.
Can you communicate your findings? Most analyst work ends in a meeting or a slide deck. If you cannot explain what you found, the analysis does not matter.
Are you someone the team can work with? Attitude, curiosity, and honesty matter more than whether you can write a window function from memory on a shared screen.
When I interviewed for my current role I was allowed to use any tools I needed. That told me something about the company before I even started.
The best analysts I have hired were not the ones who aced a syntax test. They were the ones who asked the best questions.
What is your experience β live coding test or no?
I have held dozens of interviews over the years and been through plenty myself. I have never once done a live coding test. Here is why.
When I am stuck on a SQL function at work, I Google it. When I need to check syntax, I ask AI. When I am completely stuck, I ask a colleague. That is not a weakness. That is the job.
A live coding test measures how well someone performs under artificial pressure with no access to the tools they use every day. It does not measure how good an analyst they actually are.
What I tested instead:
Can you think through a business problem?
Give me a messy scenario and walk me through how you would approach it. No code required. Just thinking out loud.
Do you understand the logic, not just the syntax? I can teach syntax. I cannot teach someone to think analytically.
Can you communicate your findings? Most analyst work ends in a meeting or a slide deck. If you cannot explain what you found, the analysis does not matter.
Are you someone the team can work with? Attitude, curiosity, and honesty matter more than whether you can write a window function from memory on a shared screen.
When I interviewed for my current role I was allowed to use any tools I needed. That told me something about the company before I even started.
The best analysts I have hired were not the ones who aced a syntax test. They were the ones who asked the best questions.
What is your experience β live coding test or no?