Data analyst interviews and technical tests: what to expect
The SQL, Excel and statistics tests UK employers set for graduate data analyst roles, the interview questions that come up, and how to present your findings.
In this guide
Most graduate data analyst applications follow the usual graduate process of an online application, online tests, an interview and a final assessment, with a technical element added. That might be a coding or SQL test, a technical exercise with a data set, or a short presentation of your findings. Prepare by practising SQL and spreadsheet tasks under time pressure, and by being able to explain one or two of your own projects from the question to the recommendation.
What are the stages?
The exact process varies by employer, but these stages are common:
| Stage | What happens | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Online application | A form or CV, sometimes with short questions about why you want the role | Almost all graduate employers |
| Online tests | Reasoning or strengths tests, and for data roles often a coding test | Aviva uses a strengths test and a coding test |
| Technical assessment | A timed test of SQL, statistics or problem solving | Lloyds uses a 120-minute online assessment covering SQL and statistical reasoning for its data science scheme |
| Video interview | Recorded answers to set questions, or a live call | Aviva includes a video interview |
| Assessment day | Interviews, a group exercise and a technical exercise | Lloyds runs a virtual assessment day with an interview, a group exercise and a technical exercise |
In the public sector, the Office for National Statistics says it may ask technical questions in the application, use a test, and ask for a short presentation. Civil service roles use Success Profiles, which assess behaviours, strengths, ability, experience and technical skills.
What do technical tests cover?
Most technical stages test whether you can do the everyday work of an analyst, quickly and accurately. Prepare for these areas.
SQL. Practise the queries most analyst work relies on:
- selecting, filtering and sorting data
- joining two or more tables, and knowing when to use an inner or left join
- grouping and aggregating, for example total sales by region
- handling missing values and duplicates
- window functions, such as ranking or running totals, for more technical roles
Spreadsheets. If the job mentions Excel, be ready to use pivot tables, lookups such as XLOOKUP, and basic cleaning, and to explain when you would use Excel instead of SQL.
Statistics. Know the difference between a mean and a median, what a distribution tells you, why correlation does not prove causation, and how you would check whether a change is meaningful or just noise.
Problem solving. Some exercises give you a business question and a data set rather than a precise task. The skill being tested is choosing a sensible approach, stating your assumptions and reaching a clear answer in the time available.
How should you present your findings?
A presentation or written summary is often where strong candidates stand out. Use a simple structure:
- The question. What were you asked to find out?
- The answer. Lead with your main finding in one sentence.
- The evidence. Two or three charts, each making one point, with clear titles.
- The recommendation. What should the business do, and what would you check next?
- The limits. Mention any problems with the data. Interviewers like analysts who know what the data cannot tell them.
What interview questions come up?
Expect a mix of motivation, competency and technical questions. For competency or behaviour questions, prepare examples using the STAR method: situation, task, action, result.
Technical questions often ask you to explain your work to a non-technical listener. Practise answers to questions like these:
- Walk me through a project you are proud of. What would you do differently?
- How would you check whether a data set is reliable?
- Explain a join, or a p-value, to a manager who has never used data.
- A key number on a dashboard has suddenly dropped. How would you investigate?
- Which chart would you use to show this trend, and why?
Be ready to explain every line of anything you have submitted. The Institute of Student Employers reports that 15% of employers frequently encountered cheating in 2025, up from 7%, most often undisclosed use of AI in interviews, and its 2026 survey found that 67% of employers worry about graduates using AI to misrepresent their abilities.
How should you prepare?
- Read each employer’s process page and practise the test types it names.
- Practise SQL little and often, with timed exercises, until joins and grouping feel automatic.
- Rebuild one of your projects from scratch in an hour, to practise working under time pressure.
- Prepare a five-minute presentation of one project, using the structure above.
- Prepare five or six STAR examples covering teamwork, problem solving, communication and dealing with a setback.
- Apply early. Prospects says most graduate schemes open in September or October and close by early January, and some close early once they fill.
If you are still building the skills, start with our guide on how to become a graduate data analyst.
Questions
Can I use AI tools or search online during a technical test?
Only if the employer says you can. If the instructions are unclear, ask. The Institute of Student Employers reports that 15% of employers frequently encountered cheating in 2025, up from 7%, most often undisclosed use of AI in interviews, and that two in three employers now worry about graduates using AI to misrepresent their abilities.
What if I get stuck in a live SQL test?
Say what you are trying to do, write a simpler version of the query first, then build it up. Interviewers want to see how you reason, not only whether the final query runs.
Which version of SQL should I learn?
The core of SQL, including SELECT, WHERE, JOIN, GROUP BY and ORDER BY, works in almost every database. Learn that well in one system, such as PostgreSQL or SQL Server, and you will adapt quickly to the others.
Sources
We checked these sources on 26 September 2026. Employers change their processes, so always check their own pages before you apply.
- Data and Analytics graduate pathway, Aviva
- Graduate application process, Lloyds Banking Group
- Our application process, Office for National Statistics
- Success Profiles, GOV.UK
- Role profile, data analyst, Government Analysis Function
- ISE top 10 stats of 2025, Institute of Student Employers
- Entry-level work reshaped, not replaced, Institute of Student Employers
- Graduate schemes, Prospects
We help students and graduates secure graduate jobs in data. Our guides are based on what employers and professional bodies say about their own processes. About us
