How to review and study for probability and statistics interviews

This guide gives you the big picture: what gets tested in a probability and statistics interview, and how to review it step by step. The tutorials and practice questions live in the six topics on the left — this page is just the map.

What gets tested

Interviewers check two things: can you explain a concept simply, and can you pick the right tool for a problem. They rarely ask you to derive a formula. Expect a mix of:

  • Concept checks — "what does a p-value actually mean?"
  • Quick calculations — a Bayes update, a two-proportion test.
  • Judgment — "which test fits here, and what would change your call?"

How to review, step by step

  1. Go top to bottom. The six topics are ordered so each builds on the last — start with Probability basics.
  2. Read the tutorial, then do the questions. Each topic opens with a short review, then practice questions with worked answers.
  3. Say it out loud in plain English, as if to a non-technical manager — that's the real skill being tested.
  4. Drill weak spots. Any question that makes you pause points to the topic to revisit.

The six topics

#TopicWhat it covers
1Probability basicsProbability rules, counting, conditional probability, Bayes, Bernoulli and Binomial.
2DistributionsNormal, binomial, geometric, Poisson — shapes, when to use each, and z-scores.
3Sampling and the limit theoremsPopulation vs sample, standard error, the Central Limit Theorem and Law of Large Numbers.
4Confidence intervalsWhat a CI means and how to build one for a mean or a proportion.
5Hypothesis testingNull vs alternative, p-values, Type I/II errors and power, choosing a test, multiple testing.
6Relationships and modelsCorrelation vs causation, linear regression, and classification metrics like precision and recall.

Start with Probability basics on the left.