Samsung Electronics Data Scientist Interview Questions + Guide in 2024

Samsung Electronics is a global leader in technology, renowned for its innovative consumer electronics, semiconductors, and telecommunications products. With a commitment to pushing technological boundaries, Samsung continuously strives to deliver top-tier products and services that enhance people’s lives.

As a Data Scientist at Samsung, you’ll be part of an elite team responsible for deploying state-of-the-art machine learning and AI solutions to support the company’s marketing and business channels. This dynamic role involves leveraging expansive datasets to create scalable models, optimize customer journeys, and drive strategic business decisions.

This guide will navigate you through the essential aspects of the interview process, providing valuable insights into the commonly asked Samsung Electronics data scientist interview questions and preparation tips. Let’s get started!

The interview process usually depends on the role and seniority; however, you can expect the following on a Samsung Electronics data scientist interview:

Recruiter/Hiring Manager Call Screening

If your CV is among the shortlisted few, a recruiter from the Samsung 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.

The Samsung Electronics hiring manager sometimes 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.

Technical Virtual Interview

Successfully navigating the recruiter round will invite you to the technical screening round. Technical screening for the Samsung Electronics Data Scientist role is usually conducted virtually, including video conference and screen sharing. Questions in this 1-hour long interview stage may revolve around Samsung’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. In addition, your proficiency in hypothesis testing, probability distributions, and machine learning fundamentals may also be assessed during the round.

Case studies and similar real-scenario problems may also be assigned depending on the position’s seniority.

Onsite Interview Rounds

After a second recruiter call outlining the next stage, you’ll be invited to attend the on-site interview loop. During your day at the Samsung office, multiple interview rounds, varying with the role, will be conducted. 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 Samsung Electronics.

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

1. How would you build a model to predict which merchants DoorDash should acquire in a new market?

As a data scientist at DoorDash, describe the steps and features you would use to build a predictive model for identifying potential merchants for acquisition when entering a new market.

2. How would you determine customer service quality through the chat box for small businesses on Facebook Marketplace?

Your team at Facebook focuses on helping small businesses increase sales through the Marketplace app. Explain how you would assess the quality of customer service interactions via the chat box for these businesses.

3. What business health metrics would you track on a dashboard for an e-commerce D2C sock business?

As the person in charge of an e-commerce D2C business selling socks, list and explain the key business health metrics you would monitor on a company dashboard.

4. Write a query to determine if user interactions (likes, comments) lead to higher purchasing volumes.

Given three tables (users, transactions, and events), write a SQL query to analyze whether users who interact on the website (e.g., likes, comments) have a higher purchasing volume than those who do not interact.

5. Write a query to get the average order value by gender.

Given three tables representing customer transactions and customer attributes, write a query to get the average order value by gender. We’re looking at the average order value of users who have ever placed an order. Round your answer to two decimal places.

6. Write a function missing_number to find the missing number in an array.

You have an array of integers, nums of length n spanning 0 to n with one missing. Write a function missing_number that returns the missing number in the array. The complexity should be (O(n)).

7. Write a function to find the index where the sum of the left half equals the right half.

Given a list of integers, find the index at which the sum of the left half of the list is equal to the right half. If no index exists where this condition is satisfied, return -1.

8. Write a function sorting to sort a list of strings in ascending order from scratch.

Given a list of strings, write a function, sorting to sort the list in ascending alphabetical order. Do not use the built-in sorted function. Return the new sorted list rather than modify the list in place. Aim for a solution with (O(n \log n)) complexity.

9. Write a query to extract the earliest date each user played their third unique song.

Given a table of song_plays and a table of users, write a query to extract the earliest date each user played their third unique song. If a user has listened to less than three unique songs, display their name with a NULL date and song name.

10. How many more samples are needed to decrease the margin of error from 3 to 0.3?

Given a sample size n with a margin of error of 3, calculate the additional samples required to reduce the margin of error to 0.3.

11. What is the mean and variance of the distribution of 2X - Y?

Given X and Y are independent random variables with normal distributions, determine the mean and variance of 2X - Y.

12. How do you calculate the sample size and power for an AB test?

For an AB test with a test group and a control group: 1. How do you calculate the necessary sample size for accurate measurement? 2. If the sample size is sufficient, should the power increase or decrease to measure very small differences between the groups?

13. How does random forest generate the forest and why use it over logistic regression?

Explain how a random forest creates multiple decision trees and combines their results. Discuss the advantages of random forest over logistic regression, such as handling non-linear data and reducing overfitting.

14. How do we deal with missing square footage data to construct a housing price model?

You have 100K sold listings in Seattle, but 20% are missing square footage data. Describe methods to handle missing data, such as imputation, using algorithms that can handle missing values, or excluding incomplete records.

15. How do you detect and handle correlation between variables in linear regression?

Explain methods to identify correlated variables, such as correlation matrices or VIF. Describe techniques to handle correlation, like removing variables or using regularization. Discuss the impact of ignoring correlation on the regression model.

16. How would you design a model to detect potential bombs at a border crossing?

Describe the inputs and outputs for a bomb detection model at a border crossing. Explain how to measure accuracy and test the model, including data collection, feature engineering, and evaluation metrics.

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 Samsung Electronics interview include:

1. Analyze Case Studies: Samsung’s questions might delve into your capability to analyze and derive insights from large datasets. Be prepared to tackle data-specific problems and present your solutions.

2. Understand Recommender Systems: Familiarity with machine learning algorithms, especially recommender systems, can be crucial. Review your work on similar projects and be ready to discuss them.

3. Stay Updated on Industry Trends: Samsung values innovation. Be aware of the latest trends in data science and how they can apply to marketing strategies or product optimization.

What is the average salary for a Data Scientist at Samsung Electronics?

According to Glassdoor, data scientists at Samsung Electronics earn between $114K to $160K per year, with an average of $135K per year.

What is the role of a Data Scientist at Samsung Electronics?

The role of a Data Scientist at Samsung Electronics involves designing and implementing machine learning solutions, analyzing vast datasets, developing predictive models, and providing actionable insights to support marketing and business channels. You will work with massive structured and unstructured data, deploy models in Big Data environments, and communicate findings clearly to various stakeholders.

What qualifications are required for the Data Scientist position at Samsung Electronics?

Candidates should have a Master’s or Ph.D. in Mathematics, Computer Science, Engineering, or Economics. They must have experience building and deploying recommender systems, be adept in machine learning solutions, and have 3-6 years of experience with Big Data environments like Hive and Spark. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills are essential in SQL, Python, Spark, or R.

What is the work culture like at Samsung Electronics?

Samsung’s dynamic and collaborative culture values innovation, inclusivity, and continuous learning. You will be part of a team that supports each other and works on pioneering products. The company also encourages a “Think and Jump right in” attitude, meaning you should be proactive, detail-oriented, and adaptive to new challenges.

How does Samsung support the personal and professional growth of its employees?

Samsung provides numerous benefits, such as medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k), tuition assistance, paid time off, and student loan programs. Employees have access to resources like JIRA and Confluence for agile project planning and are encouraged to suggest new procedures and systems. Samsung’s inclusive culture and diverse workforce drive innovation and offer equal opportunities for all employees.

If you’re eager to work among the industry’s brightest minds and be part of a team that pushes the boundaries of Machine Learning and AI, this is the place to be. Samsung’s collaborative and inclusive culture ensures that every individual’s contributions are valued, making it an excellent environment for professional growth.

Planning to ace your interview? For more insights about the company, check out our main Samsung 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 Samsung’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!