Data Analyst & SQL Interview Prep (Including Amazon Loops)

Data analyst interview prep is half SQL drills, half case-study reasoning, and at Amazon — half Leadership Principles. Train all three.

What analyst loops look like

Typical analyst onsite: 1 SQL round (45 min, 4–6 problems), 1 analytics case study, 1 product/metrics round, 1–2 behavioural rounds (LP-heavy at Amazon).

SQL prep

• Joins: inner, left, anti-joins, self-joins.
• Window functions: ROW_NUMBER, RANK, LAG/LEAD, running totals, partitioned aggregates.
• CTEs vs subqueries: when each is faster/clearer.
• Conditional aggregation: SUM(CASE WHEN…), pivot tables.
• Date math: cohort analysis, retention, MoM/YoY.

Drill 80 problems on StrataScratch or DataLemur. For Amazon-specific: focus on cohort, funnel and retention SQL.

Analytics case studies

Use a 4-step structure: clarify the metric → segment hypotheses → name the queries you'd write → state the decision criterion. Practice 10 of these out loud.

Amazon-specific (LP-driven)

• Map 6 STAR stories to 6 LPs (Customer Obsession, Ownership, Dive Deep, Bias for Action, Earn Trust, Deliver Results).
• Every story needs a measurable result.
• Expect "Tell me about a time you used data to change a stakeholder's mind."

Behavioural prep

Standard 6 STAR stories work for non-Amazon. Add a "data influenced a decision" story — analyst panels love it. See the STAR method guide.

Pair with the big tech interview prep guide.