Roche Business Analyst Interview Questions + Guide in 2024

Roche, a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, is widely recognized for its innovative contributions to healthcare. As one of the world’s leading healthcare companies, Roche strives to improve patients’ lives through groundbreaking research and dedicated service.

If you’re considering joining Roche as a Business Analyst, it’s essential to understand the role and what to expect. The position typically involves working with cross-functional teams, leveraging data analytics, and contributing to business solutions that align with Roche’s mission. Strong communication skills, problem-solving, technical proficiency, and a keen understanding of industry-specific methodologies like Agile are critical for success.

At Interview Query, we provide insights into the process, commonly asked Roche business analyst interview questions, and valuable preparation tips. This guide is designed to help you navigate your interview journey with confidence. Let’s get started!

The interview process usually depends on the role and seniority; however, you can expect the following on a Roche business analyst interview:

Recruiter/Hiring Manager Call Screening

If your CV lands you on the shortlist, a recruiter from Roche’s Talent Acquisition Team will contact you for an initial 5-minute interview. During this brief call, you’ll be asked about your knowledge of Roche, your reasons for applying, and the tools you use for automation.

The recruiter will also confirm key details about your experience and skill set and may ask behavioral questions. The interview is usually very concise and respectful, often serving as an opportunity for you to ask any surface-level questions about the company and the role.

Technical Virtual Interview

You will be invited for a technical virtual interview after clearing the recruiter round. This stage typically spans 1 hour and may consist of questions regarding Roche’s data systems, tools you’ve used to manage solutions, and how you determine a product’s roadmap.

You might also receive a take-home assignment involving case studies, product metrics, data analysis, or visualizations. The technical interview aims to delve into your practical knowledge, problem-solving capabilities, and comprehension of business analysis tools and methodologies, including agile methodology.

Onsite Interview Rounds

Should you advance past the technical interview, you will be invited to Roche’s onsite interview rounds. These rounds can include multiple interviews with HR specialists, managers, directors, and, potentially, subject matter experts from various departments.

The onsite portion assesses your communication skills, experience, and cultural fit through behavioral questions and scenario-based discussions. You might also have a group assessment session involving a personal presentation, group discussions, and business case exercises. The aim is to evaluate how well you collaborate and communicate in a team setting.

Depending on the seniority of the position, the onsite process might include presenting the take-home assignment you worked on. This round can serve as an additional opportunity to showcase your analytical and problem-solving abilities in a practical context.

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

1. Create a function max_substring to find the maximal substring shared by two strings.

Given two strings, string1 and string2, write a function max_substring to return the maximal substring shared by both strings. If there are multiple max substrings with the same length, return any one of them.

2. Write a function moving_window to find the moving window average of a list of numbers.

Given a list of numbers nums and an integer window_size, write a function moving_window to find the moving window average.

3. Create a function to determine if a string is a palindrome.

Given a string, write a function to determine if it is a palindrome. A palindrome reads the same forwards and backward.

4. Write a query to find users currently “Excited” and never “Bored” with a campaign.

You have a table of users’ impressions of ad campaigns over time. Each impression_id consists of user engagement values specified by Excited, OK, and Bored. Write a query to find all users currently “Excited” and have never been “Bored” with a campaign.

5. Develop a function search_list to check if a target value is in a linked list.

Write a function, search_list, that returns a boolean indicating if the target value is in the linked_list or not. The linked list is a dictionary with value and next keys. If the list is empty, you’ll receive None.

6. Would you think there was anything fishy about the results of an A/B test with 20 variants?

Your manager ran an A/B test with 20 different variants and found one significant result. Would you suspect any issues with these results?

7. What considerations should be made when testing hundreds of hypotheses with many t-tests?

You are testing numerous hypotheses using multiple t-tests. What factors should you consider to ensure the validity of your results?

8. How would you generate a daily report and evaluate campaign performance for the first 7 days?

Given a schema representing advertiser campaigns and impressions, generate a daily report for the first 7 days. Evaluate campaign performance and identify which promos need attention using a specific heuristic.

9. How would you investigate if a redesigned email campaign increased conversion rates?

A new marketing manager redesigned the new-user email journey, and conversion rates increased from 40% to 43%. However, the rate was previously 45% before dropping to 40%. How would you determine if the redesign caused the increase or if other factors were involved?

10. What kind of analysis would you conduct to recommend UI changes for a community forum app?

You can access tables summarizing user event data for a community forum app. What analysis would you perform to recommend improvements to the user interface?

11. How do we handle missing square footage data to predict housing prices in Seattle?

You have 100K sold listings over the past three years, but 20% are missing square footage data. How would you address this missing data to construct an accurate model for predicting housing prices?

12. What is the downside of only using the R-Squared (R^2) value to determine a relationship between two variables?

You are analyzing how well a model fits the data and want to determine a relationship between two variables. What are the limitations of relying solely on the R-squared value?

13. Is a coin that comes up tails 8 times and heads twice in 10 flips fair?

You flip a coin 10 times, resulting in 8 tails and 2 heads. Is this coin fair?

14. How would you explain a p-value to someone who is not technical?

Describe a p-value in simple terms for someone without a technical background.

15. What’s the probability that 2X > Y given two independent standard normal random variables X and Y?

Given two independent standard normal random variables X and Y, calculate the probability that 2X > Y.

To help you succeed in your Roche business analyst interviews, consider these tips based on interview experiences:

1. Prepare Thoroughly for Behavioral Questions: Roche values the technical and behavioral aspects of the interview. Brush up on your past projects and experiences, and be ready to discuss them in detail.

2. Showcase Your Analytical Skills: Roche is looking for candidates who can provide actionable insights based on data. Strengthen your analytical skills, especially in product metrics, data visualization, and business analysis tools.

3. Cultural Fit Matters: Demonstrate alignment with Roche’s values and culture. Research the company’s mission, values, and recent initiatives, and be prepared to discuss how your personal and professional values align with theirs.

What is the average salary for a Business Analyst at Roche?

According to Glassdoor, business analysts at Roche earn between $88K to $131K per year, with an average of $107K per year.

What are the key traits Roche looks for in a Business Analyst?

Roche values strong communication skills, the ability to work well in a team, and a good understanding of business processes. They also look for adaptable candidates who are capable of handling multiple stakeholders and have a solid grasp of automation tools and agile methodology.

What is the company culture like at Roche?

Roche fosters a collaborative and supportive work environment. The culture emphasizes respect, knowledge sharing, and continuous development. Employees are encouraged to innovate and support the company’s mission of advancing healthcare and solving complex medical challenges.

Interviewing for a Business Analyst position at Roche is an insightful and engaging process that allows candidates to understand the company’s culture and expectations truly.

If you want more insights about the company, check out our main Roche Interview Guide, where we have covered many interview questions that could be asked. We’ve also created interview guides for other roles, such as software engineer and data analyst, where you can learn more about Roche’s interview process for different positions.

You can also check out all our company interview guides for better preparation, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Good luck with your interview!