Xelay Acumen Business Analyst Interview Questions + Guide in 2024

Xelay Acumen, Inc., is a well-regarded consulting firm that offers distinctively analytical and strategic solutions to complex business problems. Focusing on delivering exceptional value and insights, Xelay Acumen has carved out a dynamic and influential presence in the consulting industry.

To help you navigate this competitive process, this guide will provide insights into the interview stages, commonly asked Xelay Acumen business analyst interview questions, and expert tips. Let’s get started!

The interview process usually depends on the role and seniority. However, you can expect the following on a Xelay Acumen business analyst interview:

Initial Screening and Assessments

Once your CV is shortlisted, you’ll be required to undergo an initial screening round, including a grammar test. This is the first assessment to evaluate your comprehension skills.

Practical Demonstration: Excel and PowerPoint Assessments

If you pass the initial screening, you will be asked to complete a practical demonstration that consists of two parts:

Excel Assessment: This is a challenging exercise that requires you to use advanced Excel functions and formulas to achieve the desired outcomes. It must be completed within 5-7 days. - PowerPoint Assessment: This requires you to create a detailed PowerPoint presentation that tests your ability to convey complex information creatively and clearly.

These tasks are crucial for demonstrating your analytical abilities and proficiency with these tools. Once completed, you should receive feedback after a few days.

Virtual Interview Rounds

Successfully navigating the practical demonstration round will invite you to virtual interview rounds. This stage may consist of:

• Technical Virtual Interview: This round often includes a rigorous Excel practical demonstration and case study exercises.
• Behavioral Interview: This focuses on your storytelling skills and ability to handle random situation-based questions.

Onsite Interview Rounds

After passing the virtual interview rounds, you’ll be invited to an onsite interview. This typically includes multiple rounds such as:

• Case Study Round: You’ll be asked to solve real-world business problems, like estimating how many cupcakes are sold in a year in the U.S.
• Panel Interview: This may consist of back-to-back interviews where you will meet various stakeholders, including potentially the CEO. The interviewers may evaluate your technical and analytical skills, creativity, and ability to work under high expectations.

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

1. How would you set up an A/B test for button color and position changes?

A team wants to A/B test changes in a sign-up funnel, such as changing a button from red to blue and/or moving it from the top to the bottom of the page. How would you set up this test?

2. How would you forecast Facebook’s revenue for the next year?

You work on the revenue forecasting team at a company like Facebook. An executive asks you to forecast the company’s revenue for the coming year. How would you approach this task?

3. How would you determine if an email campaign redesign led to increased conversion rates?

An E-commerce store’s new marketing manager redesigned the new-user email journey, and conversion rates increased from 40% to 43%. However, the rate was 45% a few months prior. How would you investigate if the redesign caused the increase?

4. How would you ensure data quality across multiple ETL platforms for PayPal’s market research?

PayPal partnered with a local survey platform for market research in Southern Africa. The data includes pre-quantified and text data in different languages. How would you ensure data quality across ETL pipelines connecting PayPal’s data marts with the survey platform’s data warehouses?

5. How would you conduct an experiment to test Uber’s ETA range feature?

A PM at Uber is considering a new feature that displays an ETA range (e.g., 3-7 minutes) instead of a direct estimate (e.g., 5 minutes). How would you conduct this experiment and determine if the results are significant?

6. What kind of model did the co-worker develop for loan approval?

Your co-worker developed a model that takes in customer inputs and returns if a loan should be given or not. What type of model is this?

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

Compare two machine learning algorithms. In which scenarios would you use a bagging algorithm versus a boosting algorithm? Provide examples of the tradeoffs between the two.

8. How would you create a system to detect firearm listings on a marketplace?

Design a system to automatically detect if a listing on your website’s marketplace is selling a gun, considering that selling firearms is prohibited by your Terms of Service Agreement.

9. How would you tackle multicollinearity in multiple linear regression?

Explain the methods you would use to address multicollinearity in a multiple linear regression model.

10. Write a function min_distance to find the minimum absolute distance between elements in an array and return all pairs with that distance.

Given an array of integers, write a function min_distance to calculate the minimum absolute distance between two elements and return all pairs having that absolute difference. Ensure the pairs are in ascending order.

11. Write a query to select the top five most expensive projects by budget to employee count ratio, accounting for duplicate rows.

Given two tables, projects and employee_projects, write a query to select the five most expensive projects by budget to employee count ratio. Ensure to account for duplicate rows in the employee_projects table.

12. Write a function to simulate drawing balls from a jar.

Given a list jar with ball colors and a list n_balls with corresponding counts, write a function to simulate drawing a ball from the jar.

13. Design three classes: text_editor, moving_text_editor, and smart_text_editor with specific functionalities.

Design three classes: text_editor, moving_text_editor, and smart_text_editor. Each class should have specific methods and functionalities as defined.

14. Write a query to determine the top 5 actions performed during Thanksgiving week and rank them.

Given an events table, write a query to determine the top 5 actions performed during the week of Thanksgiving (11/22/2020 - 11/28/2020) and rank them based on the number of times performed. Include the action and their rank in ascending order.

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

Explain the concept of a p-value in simple terms to a non-technical person.

16. What is the probability that it’s actually raining in Seattle given your friends’ responses?

You called 3 friends in Seattle to ask if it’s raining. Each has a ²⁄₃ chance of telling the truth and a ¹⁄₃ chance of lying. All 3 said “Yes.” Calculate the probability that it is actually raining.

17. What is the probability of drawing three cards in increasing order from a shuffled deck of 500 cards?

If you pick three cards one at a time from a shuffled deck of 500 cards, what is the probability that each subsequent card will be larger than the previous one?

18. How would you test if survey responses were filled at random by certain individuals?

You have survey data from multiple-choice questions. How would you determine if some individuals filled out the survey randomly rather than truthfully?

19. What is the probability of a biased coin landing heads exactly 5 times out of 6 tosses?

Given a biased coin that lands heads 30% of the time, what is the probability of it landing heads exactly 5 times in 6 tosses?

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 Xelay Acumen business analyst interview include:

• Excel Proficiency: Given the heavy reliance on Excel, make sure you are comfortable with advanced functions and formulas. The assessment is notably difficult, so practice extensively.
• Time Management: The assessments are time-bound (usually 5-7 days), so manage your time effectively between the Excel and PowerPoint tasks.
• Creativity in Presentation: Your PowerPoint presentation is a chance to showcase your ability to convey complex insights in a clear and engaging manner. Focus on developing a logical flow with compelling visuals.

What is the average salary for a Business Analyst at Xelay acumen, inc.?

According to Glassdoor, Business Analyst at Xelay Acumen earn between $78K to $116K per year, with an average of $95K per year.

Do I need to be proficient in PowerPoint for the Business Analyst interview?

Yes, proficiency in PowerPoint is essential. The PowerPoint assessment involves detailed questions designed to test your ability to communicate complex information clearly and creatively. While it might be less demanding than the Excel assessment, it is still crucial for showcasing your presentation and organizational skills.

What is the company culture like at Xelay Acumen, Inc.?

A: The culture at Xelay Acumen can feel intense and demanding. Interviewers and the overall process may come across as rigid and somewhat unfriendly. The company sets high expectations, often asking if candidates are comfortable working over 60 hours per week. Creativity might be limited due to the structured nature of the work environment.

Navigating the interview process for a Business Analyst position at Xelay Acumen, Inc. is undoubtedly challenging. From the initial grammar test to the rigorous Excel and PowerPoint assessments, candidates are tested on their analytical prowess and creativity. The take-home Excel problem set is known to be particularly tough, requiring a deep understanding of various formulas and functions. Furthermore, the multi-round interviews, including a case study and behavioral round, demand both sharp technical skills and exceptional situational judgment.

For more insights about the company, check out our main Xelay Acumen 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 the interview process for different positions.

Good luck with your interview!