How do you check that the data you're analysing actually means what you think it means?

What the interviewer is looking for

• This question tests data wrangling & sql. Describes concrete steps to profile, clean and join messy data, and validates that fields mean what they appear to mean.
• Strong answers: Reads documentation and source logic, talks to data owners, sanity checks totals against known figures and looks at sample records.
• Likely follow-up: Tell me about a time a field turned out to mean something different.

Another way it may be asked: You find a column called active users. How would you confirm it's measuring what you assume before using it?

A structure to follow: Answer, explain, example, limits

1. Step 1

   Answer

   Give your direct answer in the first sentence so the interviewer knows where you are going.

2. Step 2

   Explain

   Say how it works or why you would do it that way, in plain words before jargon.

3. Step 3

   Example

   Anchor it in something you have actually done or seen, with the detail that shows hands-on experience.

4. Step 4

   Limits

   Say when your approach would not be the right one. It shows judgement.

This is guidance on shape, not a script. Use your own real experience and facts; never invent details to fill a gap. See the STAR guide and answer frameworks.

Common slips

• Reciting a definition without showing you have applied it.
• Using terms you cannot explain if asked a level deeper.
• Claiming experience beyond what you can discuss in detail.

How to practise it

Say the answer in 90 seconds, then answer the follow-up as if it were a new question.

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