Deloitte Data Analyst Interview Questions + Guide in 2024

Deloitte’s services are sought after by the largest entities in the world, including governments, multinationals, and sprawling NGOs. They rely on a team of over 450,000 professionals, and data analyst are a key component of their operations.

This company has no shortage of candidates for its data analyst positions, but good preparation can set you apart from the rest.

Our interview guide offers some insight into the interview process you’ll be facing when you apply for a data analyst position at Deloitte. We have also compiled a series of Deloitte data analyst interview questions to give you a head start, plus tips on how you can impress when interviewing for this role.

The interview process at Deloitte is very flexible. Some candidates secured a position after five interviews, while others only had three. Some candidates had all their interviews in one day, but others saw the process be spread out over several weeks.

Application

Many candidates for this position are recruited through colleges or apply online. A few are contacted directly by recruiters, and others are referred by existing Deloitte employees.

Online Assessment/Aptitude Test

Many candidates undergo an online aptitude test early in the interview process. Verbal and logic-based reasoning skills are tested during this session, and some candidates are also asked to interpret provided data.

Technical Interview

The technical interview round contains coding questions, but also questions on data analytics fundamentals. You may also be asked technical questions based on your specific educational background and experience.

HR/Manager Interview

Although behavioral and culture-fit questions will be asked during this round, don’t be surprised if you’re asked a few technical questions as well.

Take Home Assignment

A few candidates have been given take-home assignments to complete within a few days. This hasn’t been a common part of the interview process for this position, but it may be the case for you.

Partner Round

This is a short interview conducted by a Deloitte partner in a relevant field. Partners may revisit questions you struggled with during previous rounds, or ask about the take-home assignment. You may also be asked culture-fit and resume-based questions.

Deloitte’s data analyst interviews are designed to assess technical skills in addition to interpersonal skills and candidate behavior. The topics covered can include data analytics fundamentals, coding, and machine learning. For a clearer picture, take a look at some possible interview questions below.

1. How did you handle a very difficult situation at work?

The job of a Deloitte Data Analyst comes with many challenges. This question is used to assess if you can respond with the appropriate speed and make good decisions in difficult times.

How to Answer

The STAR approach should work well when responding to this question. STAR stands for: Specific situation you were challenged with, the Task you decided on, the Action you took, and the Result of your efforts.

Choose a situation where your actions were key to resolving the problem. Give specifics to demonstrate your problem-solving skills, keep the narrative positive, and finish with what you learned from the experience.

Example

“A colleague went missing on the day of a major client presentation and the other presenters lacked the expertise to cover his part. I remained calm and recalled he’d been working closely with an intern so I asked the intern if they could cover the part. She was eager to seize the opportunity so I coached them on how to approach the presentation and they did a great job. The experience taught me that the team can be larger than we realize.”

2. Why do you want to work in consulting?

Consulting is a central part of Deloitte’s work. This question is used to assess your motivations for seeking a role in the consultancy industry, and also to identify the aspects of the job you enjoy most.

How to Answer

Ensure you’ve studied up on both the company and the industry before the interview, and identify your core values to the interviewer. Talk about how the work that is done in consulting aligns with these values.

Example

“Consulting aims to help companies, industries, and even governments run more efficiently. Efficiency is a concept I value because it helps to improve outcomes in challenging situations, and maximize the hard work being done within these organizations. The entities that need Deloitte’s services impact the lives of billions, and I believe these people would be better served by data-backed solutions courtesy of data analysts such as myself.”

3. Why do you want to work with Deloitte?

This question can be asked to determine what drove you to apply for the Data Analyst position at Deloitte and not another company. It helps if you have a deep knowledge of Deloitte itself.

How to Answer

Talk about how the company and the role align with your career goals and core values. Do a deep dive into the company and job description before the interview. You also need to identify what you value most from a job and an employer so that you can give a coherent answer.

Example

“Deloitte’s stated purpose is to make an impact that matters and that has been an important consideration in my career and every job I’ve taken. Working with Deloitte would be an opportunity to contribute to decisions that impact millions of people. The company also champions diversity and inclusion, and I like its policy of hiring locally in the countries it operates in.”

4. What would you do when teammates are not meeting expectations on a project?

Whether it’s other data analysts or perhaps different professionals, working in teams is often part of the job. Your response to this question can offer insights into your interpersonal and management skills.

How to Answer

Focus on yourself and the role you can play in solving this problem using your interpersonal skills. Offer an actionable strategy and give an example from experience if possible. Remember to be respectful and avoid naming individuals in your examples.

Example

“My first step would be to approach the teammate and try to identify why they are underperforming. This means looking into any existing challenges or issues that are making it harder for them to deliver. Depending on the challenge, I could help them come up with a better work strategy, or share my own experience and what worked for me.”

5. Talk about a time you collected a massive amount of data and used it.

Big data has become a key part of data analytics and the interviewers at Deloitte may specifically want candidates with big data experience. That is what this type of question is testing.

How to Answer

Use the STAR technique to talk about a big data project you were involved in. Ideally, it should be one where your contributions were significant and resulted in a meaningful impact.

Example

“The conversion rate of our video advertising campaign was very poor. To get to the bottom of this, I collected data on millions of ad impressions over a month and analyzed it. From the analytics, it was apparent that many viewers were seeing our ads during their breaks at work and were in a hurry to skip past them. We decided to shorten the ad length, and also began to choose time slots when viewers were less inclined to quickly skip the ad. We saw a 7% increase in sign-ups afterward.”

6. Explain linear regression.

Linear regression models are commonly used by data analysts to describe relationships between variables and make predictions. The interviewers will want to assess your knowledge of these concepts.

How to Answer

Define linear regression and explain how it is used in data analysis.

Example

“Linear regression is a statistical model that estimates the relationship between two variables using a straight line. The goal of linear regression is to find one line that minimizes the error between the predicted and actual values. The basic straight-line equation is defined as y=a+bx. Where a strong linear relationship can be established, this simple model can be useful in making predictions.“*

7. Why is multicollinearity a problem in linear regression?

The models used by data analysts can be influenced by factors that lead to incorrect predictions. The predictions made at Deloitte are critical to companies’ futures, and interviewers want to know if can come up with reliable models that lack problems like multicollinearity.

How to Answer

To answer the question, explain what multicollinearity is, its significance, and how it can be identified in linear regression.

Example

“Multicollinearity refers to a situation where two independent variables have a strong degree of correlation. This is a problem because it results in a higher variance in coefficient estimates as the coefficients become very sensitive to small changes. It also weakens the statistical power of the model. Multicollinearity can be tested using the variance inflation factor or VIF.”

8. What are 4 types of SQL commands?

Working with databases is a given for data analysts and this type of question tests your knowledge of the fundamentals of database query languages like SQL.

How to Answer

To answer this question, list 4 types of SQL commands and give examples of commands for each type.

Example

“We have data definition language e.g., CREATE, data manipulation language, e.g., UPDATE, transaction control language, e.g., COMMIT, and data query language, e.g., SELECT.”

9. What is a Class in OOP?

Object-Oriented Programming is one of the main tools used by data analysts. The interviewers at Deloitte may test your understanding of key OOP concepts with this type of question.

How to Answer

You can answer this question by explaining what a class is in the context of OOP. This also means defining related terms such as objects.

Example

“A class is a blueprint or template for an object. It contains definitions of the functions (methods) and variables (attributes) of any object in that class. Objects are specific instances of a class. For example, if t-shirt was a class, a blue t-shirt and a red t-shirt would be separate instances of the t-shirt class.”

10. Explain the K-Means Algorithm

Interviewers can ask this to test if you’re familiar with unsupervised machine learning methods such as clustering. This is a basic requirement for all data analysts.

How to Answer

Answer this question by explaining how the K-Means clustering algorithm works. Use a simple example to support your answer.

Example

“K-Means is an algorithm used in unsupervised learning. It groups objects with similar attributes into groups or clusters. The number of clusters is user-defined, referenced by the letter K. For example, if data on goals scored vs successful tackles by soccer players in a season was fed into the algorithm, goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and strikers would likely end up in different clusters.”

The prospect of undertaking a data analyst interview at Deloitte can be intimidating. However, there are steps you can take to make you more at ease in the interview room.

Revisit Your Basics

The interviewers at Deloitte will ask questions on both data analytics and your field of study/experience if it is relevant to the role. For example, if your degree in economics is relevant to the data analyst role, expect to be asked a few questions on economics.

To help you tackle these questions, you should review the basics of your area of expertise. You can also check out the learning paths section on Interview Query to go over the basics of data analytics.

Practice Answering Behavioral Interview Questions

According to Deloitte, personality is a big part of what they look for when hiring. Much of this will be reflected in how you respond to behavioral questions. Practice answering these questions in a manner that is professional but also displays excitement about the role.

Interview Query’s mock interviews offer ideal opportunities to practice answering behavioral interview questions. You can sharpen your answers and work on details such as body language.

Practice Test Questions

Recruiters at Deloitte have also mentioned that they expect candidates to ‘know their stuff’. The questions asked are designed to test if you’ve embellished the skills and experience in your resume. Taking on practice questions is a great way to sharpen your skills in technical areas.

Interview Query has a large collection of relevant practice questions and solutions you can use. The solutions also explain why such questions are asked and the best way to present answers.

Learn How to Look the Part

According to the company, Deloitte employees are expected to dress and carry themselves a certain way as this helps to instill confidence in clients. During your interview, your assessment will start before the questions so learn how to look and behave like a Deloitte employee.

You can get coaching services from Interview Query to help you with these aspects of the interview. The coaches can help you understand the culture at such companies and how you can present what they want to see.

If you’re thinking about applying for other positions within Deloitte, take a look at our main Deloitte interview guide. You can go through questions that have been recently asked at interviews and compare salaries at the company for different positions.

Our Deloitte data analyst interview guide is just one way we can help you excel in your next interview. We offer a large collection of preparation material including questions and take-home assignments. We also have interview guides for business analysts and data engineers at Deloitte.

Working as a data analyst at Deloitte is a unique opportunity and we hope our resources here at Interview Query will help you secure this career move.