Top 50 Python Interview Questions & Answers for Data Science
Preparation
I see you. The ones who are constantly pushing, learning, and refusing to settle for an
average career. AI is booming, opportunities are everywhere, but let’s be real—only
those who prepare smartly will make it to the top.
I remember the struggles of preparing for AI interviews—going through endless
resources, not knowing which questions matter, and facing rejections because I didn’t
have the right answers. That’s why I’m making it easier for you. If you’ve ever felt lost
in AI interview prep, this is for you.
I’ve compiled 50 Python Interview Questions & Answers—the kind of questions that
top companies ask and the ones that will help you stand out.
1. What is Python, and list some of its key features?
Python is a high-level, interpreted programming language with a design philosophy
emphasizing code readability. Key features include:
• Easy-to-learn syntax
• Dynamic typing
• Automatic memory management
• Extensive standard libraries
• Support for object-oriented, procedural, and functional programming
2. What are Python lists and tuples?
Lists are ordered, mutable collections defined with square brackets [], while tuples are
ordered, immutable collections defined with parentheses (). Lists can be changed,
whereas tuples cannot.
3. Explain the difference between Python arrays and lists.
Arrays (from the array module) require all elements to be of the same type and are more
efficient for numerical operations. Lists can hold different data types and are more
flexible.
4. What is the purpose of the __init__() function in Python?
__init__() is the constructor method used to initialize attributes when an instance of a
class is created.
5. How does Python handle memory management?
Python manages memory through reference counting and garbage collection. It
automatically reclaims unused memory with a built-in garbage collector.
6. What are *args and kwargs in Python functions?
• *args allows a function to accept any number of positional arguments.
• **kwargs allows a function to accept any number of keyword arguments.
7. Explain the difference between deep copy and shallow copy.
• A shallow copy copies references to objects, not the objects themselves.
• A deep copy recursively copies all objects, creating independent copies.
8. What is the difference between mutable and immutable data types?
• Mutable: Objects that can be changed (e.g., list, dict, set).
• Immutable: Objects that cannot be changed (e.g., int, str, tuple).
9. How is exception handling implemented in Python?
Using try, except, else, and finally blocks to handle exceptions and manage code
execution.
10. What are Python’s built-in data types?
Numbers, Strings, Lists, Tuples, Sets, Dictionaries, Booleans, and NoneType.
11. How do you manage missing data in a dataset using Python?
With pandas functions like:
• isnull() to identify
• dropna() to remove
• fillna() to replace missing values
12. Explain the difference between apply() and applymap() in pandas.
• apply() applies a function to rows or columns.
• applymap() applies a function to each element in a DataFrame.
13. What is the difference between map(), filter(), and reduce()?
• map() applies a function to all items in an iterable.
• filter() filters items using a function.
• reduce() applies a function cumulatively to items in an iterable.
14. How do you merge dataframes in pandas?
Using:
• merge() for SQL-style joins
• concat() for axis-based concatenation
• join() for index-based merging
15. Explain the concept of broadcasting in NumPy.
Broadcasting allows NumPy to perform operations on arrays of different shapes
without copying data.
16. What is the purpose of groupby() in pandas?
To split data into groups, apply functions (like sum, mean), and combine results.
17. How do you handle categorical data in Python?
Using:
• LabelEncoder
• OneHotEncoder
• pd.get_dummies()
18. What are lambda functions, and when would you use them?
Anonymous, inline functions used for short, throwaway operations like in map() or
filter().
19. Explain the difference between iloc[] and loc[].
• iloc[]: integer-location based
• loc[]: label-based indexing
20. How do you read and write CSV files using pandas?
• Read: pd.read_csv('file.csv')
• Write: df.to_csv('file.csv')
21. How do you implement binary search in Python?
By dividing a sorted array and comparing the target with the middle element, then
recursively or iteratively searching the left or right half.
22. Explain generators and iterators.
• Generators: Functions using yield to produce items one at a time.
• Iterators: Objects implementing __iter__() and __next__().
23. Difference between @staticmethod and @classmethod?
• @staticmethod does not access class or instance.
• @classmethod takes class (cls) as the first argument.
24. How do you optimize a Python script?
• Use list comprehensions
• Efficient data structures
• NumPy vectorization
• Caching (functools.lru_cache)
• Profiling tools (cProfile)
25. Explain the Global Interpreter Lock (GIL).
A mutex in CPython that allows only one thread to execute at a time, limiting multi-
threaded performance.
26. Multithreading vs multiprocessing?
• Multithreading: Shared memory, better for I/O-bound tasks.
• Multiprocessing: Separate memory, better for CPU-bound tasks.
27. Python’s data serialization methods?
• pickle (Python-specific)
• json (cross-language)
• csv, joblib, etc.
28. How to handle large datasets in pandas?
• Use chunksize
• Use Dask or Vaex
• Optimize data types
29. What is Method Resolution Order (MRO)?
The order in which Python resolves method calls in inheritance hierarchies (C3
linearization).
30. Managing virtual environments in Python?
Use venv or virtualenv to isolate dependencies and packages for each project.
Data Science Specific
31. Calculate Euclidean distance between two series?
numpy.linalg.norm(a - b)
32. Difference between NumPy arrays and pandas DataFrames?
• NumPy arrays: Homogeneous, fast computation
• DataFrames: Heterogeneous, labeled axes
33. How to perform one-hot encoding in pandas?
pd.get_dummies(data)
34. Purpose of pivot_table() in pandas?
Used to summarize, group, and aggregate data in tabular format.
35. Visualizing data distributions?
• sns.histplot()
• plt.hist()
• sns.boxplot()
36. Purpose of describe() in pandas?
Returns summary statistics like count, mean, std, min, and max for numeric columns.
37. Handling time series data?
Use pd.to_datetime(), resample methods, and time-based indexing.
38. Difference between merge() and join()?
• merge(): SQL-style joins on keys
• join(): Index-based joins
39. Standardizing and normalizing data?
• StandardScaler: Mean = 0, std = 1
• MinMaxScaler: Scale between 0 and 1
40. Popular libraries for visualization?
Matplotlib, Seaborn, Plotly, Altair.
41. Find intersection of two arrays.
np.intersect1d(array1, array2) or set(array1) & set(array2)
42. Find duplicates in an array.
Use collections.Counter() or pd.Series.duplicated()
43. Generate and plot N samples from normal distribution.
np.random.normal(loc, scale, size) and plt.hist(samples)
44. Maximum product of any three numbers.
Sort array and compute max of last three or product of two smallest and largest.
45. Maximum sum of contiguous subarray.
Use Kadane’s algorithm.
46. Compute Euclidean distance.
np.linalg.norm(a - b)
47. Generate all combinations of k numbers from 1 to n.
itertools.combinations(range(1, n+1), k)
48. Check if string is palindrome.
string == string[::-1]
49. Implement K-means from scratch.
• Initialize centroids
• Assign clusters
• Update centroids until convergence
50. Matrix multiplication without library.
Use nested loops or list comprehensions
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