American Express Product Analyst Interview Questions + Guide in 2024

American Express, a leading global financial services company, is known for its commitment to delivering exceptional customer experiences and innovative solutions. As part of Team Amex, employees receive extensive support and opportunities for professional growth, contributing to the company’s longstanding success.

The Product Analyst position in the Enterprise Platform—Digital Banking team requires strong organizational, technical, and problem-solving skills. The role involves developing and deploying features for regulatory compliance, supporting audits, and collaborating with cross-functional teams. Candidates must excel in data analysis and understand American Express’s business and regulatory landscapes.

If you’re aiming to join a dynamic and growth-oriented team, this Interview Query guide will walk you through the interview process for the role, offering insights, commonly asked American Express product analyst interview questions, and valuable tips. Let’s get started!

The interview process usually depends on the role and seniority; however, you can expect the following on an American Express product analyst interview:

Recruiter/Hiring Manager Call Screening

If your CV is among the shortlisted few, a recruiter from the American Express Talent Acquisition Team will contact you and verify key details like your experiences and skill level. Behavioral questions may also be part of the screening process.

Sometimes, the Product Analyst hiring manager stays present during the screening round to answer your queries about the role and the company itself. They may also indulge in surface-level technical and behavioral discussions.

The whole recruiter call should take about 30 minutes.

First Virtual Interview

Successfully navigating the recruiter round will invite you to the first virtual interview. This round is generally held via video conference and includes interviews with two product team members. Questions in this 1-hour long interview stage may revolve around your previous experience, your track record in product management, and specific scenarios related to product analysis at American Express.

Candidates can expect to respond to questions like “Explain a previous product and how you approached it” or “How do you prioritize features for a product?” The interview might also explore case studies and require candidates to discuss how they have handled past projects.

Final Virtual Interview

The second stage usually involves more senior team members, such as a Product Manager or VP of Digital Products. This stage will delve deeper into your technical expertise and understanding of AMEX’s business and operating models. Questions may cover the following:

• Provide a detailed analysis of your approach to product management.
• Your understanding of key risk and regulatory areas.
• Your experiences with collaborative, cross-functional team efforts.

Typically, interviews at American Express vary by role and team, but commonly, Product Analyst interviews follow a fairly standardized process across these question topics.

1. How would you determine what our next partner card should be?

You have access to all customer spending data. How would you analyze this data to decide on the best partner for a new partner card, similar to a Starbucks or Whole Foods Chase credit card?

2. What are the Z and t-tests, and when should you use each?

Explain Z-tests and t-tests, their uses, their differences, and the scenarios in which one should be used over the other.

3. How would you build a strategy to find the best businesses to reach out to?

As a credit card company looking to partner with more merchants, you have 100K small businesses to choose from but can only contact 1,000. How would you develop a strategy to identify the best businesses to contact?

4. Write a SQL query to select the 2nd highest salary in the engineering department.

Write an SQL query to select the second-highest salary in the engineering department. If more than one person shares the highest salary, the query should select the next highest salary.

5. What’s the difference between Lasso and Ridge Regression?

Explain the key differences between Lasso and Ridge Regression, focusing on their regularization techniques and how they handle feature selection.

6. When would you use a bagging algorithm versus a boosting algorithm?

Compare two machine learning algorithms and discuss scenarios where you would prefer a bagging algorithm over a boosting algorithm. Provide examples of the tradeoffs between the two.

7. Is a logistic model valid if a key variable has data quality issues?

Assume a logistic model relies heavily on one variable with data quality issues (e.g., decimal points removed). Discuss whether the model remains valid and how you would fix it.

8. What is the difference between XGBoost and random forest algorithms?

Explain the differences between XGBoost and random forest algorithms. Provide an example of a situation where you would choose one.

9. Does increasing the number of trees in a random forest always improve accuracy?

Discuss whether the accuracy of a random forest model continues to increase as the number of trees is sequentially increased.

You should plan to brush up on your technical skills and try as many practice interview questions and mock interviews as possible. A few tips for acing your American Express interview include:

1. Understand Regulatory Compliance: Emphasized regulatory compliance in the job description, make sure you have a firm understanding of how to manage regulatory requirements within product management and audits.

2. Showcase Analytical Skills: American Express values strong organizational and analytical skills. Be prepared to discuss your ability to absorb and process information from various sources to inform logical business solutions.

3. Highlight Collaborative Experience: Mention your experience working in diverse, cross-functional teams. Showcase your ability to communicate effectively and manage multiple stakeholders to achieve a common goal.

What is the average salary for a Product Analyst at American Express?

According to Glassdoor, product analysts at American Express earn between $93K to $131K per year, with an average of $110K per year.

What skills and qualifications are needed for the Product Analyst role at American Express?

Key skills include strong organizational, technical, and problem-solving abilities, experience in product management, proficiency in SQL queries, a good balance of technical knowledge and business acumen, and excellent communication skills. A BS or equivalent degree in Business, Computer Science, or a related field is required, with a strong preference for understanding financial services and regulatory compliance.

What values are important to American Express and why?

American Express values integrity, customer commitment, teamwork, respect for people, and good citizenship. These values help ensure that the company provides excellent customer service, fosters a supportive work environment, and contributes positively to communities.

Can you describe the typical responsibilities of a Product Analyst at American Express?

Responsibilities include supporting the development and deployment of features for regulatory compliance, coordinating engineering teams’ efforts, managing multiple processes, identifying risks and opportunities, ensuring documentation for regulatory compliance, and collaborating with cross-functional teams.

What benefits and programs does American Express offer to its employees?

Benefits include competitive base salaries, bonus incentives, a 6% company match on retirement savings plans, comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability benefits, flexible work arrangements, and extensive career development and training opportunities. Additionally, employees receive support for physical, financial, and mental well-being through various programs.

American Express offers a dynamic and growth-oriented environment for Product Analysts, promising a stimulating mix of opportunities and challenges. If you’re enthusiastic about driving innovation, fostering customer relationships, and leveraging data to deliver compelling digital experiences, this could be your chance to make a significant impact.

To gain deeper insights and prepare effectively for your interview, check out our comprehensive American Express Interview Guide.

Don’t forget to also explore our other company interview guides for further preparation. Best of luck with your interview journey!