Katkat
Back

How would you answer a DS video interview?

TransunionData Scientist · Technical Screen
EasyData ScientistTechnical ScreenBehavioral & Leadership

Last updated

TransUnion's Data Scientist Intern technical screen is an asynchronous video interview with five ~2-minute prompts covering Python/R problem solving, SQL usage, working under ambiguity, explaining technical work to non-technical stakeholders, and keeping a team aligned. This guide gives a per-prompt structure, the evaluator rubric, strong sample outlines, and the common mistakes to avoid.

Question

You are interviewing for a Data Scientist Intern role at TransUnion. The technical screen is an asynchronous (one-way) video interview: you are shown several prompts and must record a ~2-minute response for each, often with limited retries. There is no live interviewer, so structure and clarity carry the answer.

Prepare strong, structured answers for the following five prompts:

  1. Python/R problem solving: Describe a problem you solved using Python or R. What was the problem, why did you choose the tool, what analysis or modeling did you do, and what was the outcome?
  2. SQL usage: Describe a situation where you used SQL. What data were you working with, what queries or techniques did you use, what data-quality checks did you run, and what business question did the work answer?
  3. Ambiguous / low-context project: Tell me about a project where you started with very little context or unclear requirements. How did you define the problem, gather missing information, choose success metrics, and make progress despite uncertainty?
  4. Explaining to a non-technical audience: How would you explain one of your technical projects to a stakeholder with no technical background? Focus on the problem, the recommendation, and the impact rather than jargon.
  5. Keeping a team aligned: In a team project, how do you keep everyone aligned (goal-setting, scope, ownership, communication cadence, decision-making) and how do you handle misalignment or changing priorities? Give a concrete example.

Constraints / format

  • ~2 minutes per prompt (roughly 250-320 words spoken; aim for 110-130 seconds).
  • Clear structure, concrete personal actions, and measurable impact.
  • The interviewer is evaluating analytical thinking, communication (including to non-technical audiences), comfort with ambiguity, and collaboration.