PSR Associates, Inc. is an IT consulting firm specializing in Staffing and Recruiting Services, with a commitment to delivering the right talent to help leading companies excel. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Atlanta, GA, with additional offices across the U.S., PSR Associates prides itself on being trusted, connected, and experienced.

We are looking for a Data Scientist to join our team. This role requires initial onsite work in Indianapolis, IN, transitioning to a hybrid schedule. You will be responsible for generating and interpreting data to create actionable insights, designing reports, and identifying process improvements. This role demands strong analytical skills, proficiency in statistical tools, and the ability to communicate effectively across teams.

In this guide, we will walk you through the interview process, common questions, and provide valuable tips tailored specifically for the Data Scientist role at PSR Associates, Inc. Let’s dive in!

Submitting Your Application

The first step is to submit a compelling application that reflects your technical skills and interest in joining PSR Associates, Inc. as a Data Scientist. Whether you were contacted by a PSR recruiter or have taken the initiative yourself, carefully review the job description and tailor your CV according to the prerequisites.

Tailoring your CV may include identifying specific keywords that the hiring manager might use to filter resumes and crafting a targeted cover letter. Furthermore, don’t forget to highlight relevant skills and mention your work experiences.

Recruiter/Hiring Manager Call Screening

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

In some cases, the PSR data scientist hiring manager will stay 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.

Technical Virtual Interview

Successfully navigating the recruiter round will present you with an invitation for the technical screening round. Technical screening for the PSR data scientist role usually is conducted through virtual means, including video conference and screen sharing. Questions in this 1-hour long interview stage may revolve around PSR’s data systems, ETL pipelines, and SQL queries.

In the case of data scientist roles, take-home assignments regarding product metrics, analytics, and data visualization are incorporated. Apart from these, your proficiency against hypothesis testing, probability distributions, and machine learning fundamentals may also be assessed during the round.

Depending on the seniority of the position, case studies and similar real-scenario problems may also be assigned.

Onsite Interview Rounds

Followed by a second recruiter call outlining the next stage, you’ll be invited to attend the onsite interview loop. Multiple interview rounds, varying with the role, will be conducted during your day at the PSR Associates' office. Your technical prowess, including programming and ML modeling capabilities, will be evaluated against the finalized candidates throughout these interviews.

If you were assigned take-home exercises, a presentation round may also await you during the onsite interview for the data scientist role at PSR Associates.

Quick Tips For PSR Associates Data Scientist Interviews

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

• Know Your Tools: PSR Associates places significant emphasis on using approved analytical tools like PeopleSoft Financials. Familiarity with these tools and how they are used in data reporting will be advantageous.
• Be Analytical: PSR’s data science interviews will assess your logical analysis and statistical modeling capabilities. Brush up on your statistics, probability, and data modeling concepts.
• Effective Communication: Given the importance of data-driven solutions in this role, ensure your communication skills are top-notch. Be ready to discuss how you can turn complex data insights into understandable and actionable reports.

Typically, interviews at Psr Associates, Inc. vary by role and team, but commonly Data Scientist interviews follow a fairly standardized process across these question topics.

• Write a SQL query to select the 2nd highest salary in the engineering department. Write a SQL query to select the 2nd highest salary in the engineering department. If more than one person shares the highest salary, the query should select the next highest salary.

• Create a function to find the maximum number in a list of integers. Given a list of integers, write a function that returns the maximum number in the list. If the list is empty, return None.

• Create a function convert_to_bst to convert a sorted list into a balanced binary tree. Given a sorted list, create a function convert_to_bst that converts the list into a balanced binary tree. The output binary tree should have a height difference of at most one between the left and right subtrees of all nodes.

• Write a function to simulate drawing balls from a jar. Write a function to simulate drawing balls from a jar. The colors of the balls are stored in a list named jar, with corresponding counts of the balls stored in a list called n_balls.

• Develop a function can_shift to determine if one string can be shifted to become another. Given two strings A and B, write a function can_shift to return whether or not A can be shifted some number of places to get B.

• What are the drawbacks of having student test scores organized in the given layouts? Assume you have data on student test scores in two different layouts. Identify the drawbacks of these layouts and suggest formatting changes to make the data more useful for analysis. Additionally, describe common problems seen in "messy" datasets.

• How would you locate a mouse in a 4x4 grid using the fewest scans? You have a 4x4 grid with a mouse trapped in one of the cells. You can scan subsets of cells to know if the mouse is within that subset. Describe a strategy to find the mouse using the fewest number of scans.

• How would you select Dashers for Doordash deliveries in NYC and Charlotte? Doordash is launching delivery services in New York City and Charlotte. Describe the process for selecting Dashers (delivery drivers) and discuss whether the criteria for selection should be the same for both cities.

• What factors could bias Jetco's study on boarding times? Jetco, a new airline, has the fastest average boarding times according to a study. Identify potential factors that could have biased this result and explain what you would investigate further.

• How would you design an A/B test to evaluate a pricing increase for a B2B SAAS company? A B2B SAAS company wants to test different subscription pricing levels. Design a two-week-long A/B test to evaluate a pricing increase and determine whether it is a good business decision.

• How much should we budget for a $5 coupon initiative in a ride-sharing app? A ride-sharing app has a probability (p) of dispensing a $5 coupon to a rider and services (N) riders. Calculate the total budget needed for the coupon initiative.

• What is the probability of both or only one rider getting a coupon? A driver using the app picks up two passengers. Determine the probability of both riders getting the coupon and the probability that only one of them will get the coupon.

• What is a confidence interval for a statistic and why is it useful? Explain what a confidence interval is, why it is useful to know the confidence interval for a statistic, and how to calculate it.

• What is the probability that item X is found on Amazon's website? Given that item X has a probability of 0.6 of being available at warehouse A and 0.8 at warehouse B, calculate the probability that item X would be found on Amazon's website.

• Is a coin fair if it comes up tails 8 times out of 10 flips? You flip a coin 10 times, and it comes up tails 8 times and heads twice. Determine if this coin is fair.

• What are time series models and why are they needed? Describe what time series models are and explain why they are necessary when less complicated regression models are available.

• How would you explain linear regression to a child, a first-year college student, and a seasoned mathematician? Explain the concept of linear regression to three different audiences: a child, a first-year college student, and a seasoned mathematician, tailoring your explanations to their understanding levels.

• How would you evaluate the suitability and performance of a decision tree model for predicting loan repayment? As a data scientist at a bank, you need to build a decision tree model to predict if a borrower will repay a personal loan. Evaluate whether a decision tree is the correct model and how you would assess its performance before and after deployment.

• How would you justify using a neural network model and explain its predictions to non-technical stakeholders? Your manager asks you to build a neural network model to solve a business problem. Justify the complexity of the model and explain its predictions to non-technical stakeholders.

• How does random forest generate the forest, and why use it over logistic regression? Explain how random forest generates its forest and discuss why it might be preferred over other algorithms like logistic regression.

• What are the key differences between classification models and regression models? Describe the main differences between classification models and regression models.

What is the average salary for a Data Scientist at Psr Associates, Inc.?

Q: What is the primary focus of PSR Associates, Inc.? PSR Associates, Inc. is an IT consulting firm specializing in Staffing and Recruiting Services. Founded in 2003, the company delivers the right talent to help leading companies perform at their best.

Q: Where are PSR Associates, Inc.'s offices located? PSR Associates, Inc. is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, with additional offices in Tampa, FL; Washington, D.C.; Charlotte, NC; Austin, TX; and Irvine, CA.

Q: What are the main responsibilities for the Data Scientist position? The Data Scientist is responsible for analyzing and interpreting data sets, generating reports, and creating management reporting using the PeopleSoft Financials system. The role includes tasks like designing reports, conducting data analysis, and providing actionable insights to improve financial transaction processes and overall agency programs.

Q: What qualifications are required for the Data Scientist role? Candidates should minimally hold a bachelor's degree in statistics, math, computer science, informatics, or economics. Advanced degrees or certifications in these areas are preferred. Proficiency in statistical techniques, machine learning, and computer languages (R, Python, SQL) is also important, along with strong problem-solving and communication skills.

Q: What is the work schedule for the Data Scientist position? The selected candidate will be required to work onsite in Indianapolis, Indiana for the first 30 days. After this period, the position has the potential to move to a hybrid work schedule with 3 days onsite and 2 days remote.

If you're ready to take your career to the next level with PSR Associates, Inc., don’t miss out on valuable insights from our comprehensive PSR Associates, Inc. Interview Guide, detailing frequently asked questions and strategic tips. At Interview Query, we are committed to empowering you with the knowledge, confidence, and strategic tools needed to excel in your interview for the Data Scientist role at PSR Associates. Explore our company interview guides for additional preparation strategies. Best of luck with your interview!