What do you check first in a new dataset?
PICTURE THIS: HOW TO EXPLAIN IT
Simple meaning
Shape, dtypes, missingness, obvious outliers, and a few value counts.
WHY — EDA instead of guessing?
Why interviewers care about EDA:
who only read docs from people who shipped.
and tied to Data Science work.
Name the idea, why it exists, then one short example.
End with when you use it and one common pitfall.
STEPS — What happens step by step?
Before you speak the answer, walk the interviewer through these steps:
- 1Shape, dtypes, missingness, obvious
outliers, and a few value counts.
- 2Plots come after a
sanity pass.
- 3I write down questions
the data must answer.
- 4Give an example
One tiny concrete case you can say aloud.
- 5Common mistake
What juniors usually get wrong.
- 6Close
When you pick this over the alternative.
EXAMPLE — See it in action
Here's a short line you can speak, broken into clear beats:
Note: Adapt this scaffold to your own project — keep it under 60–90 seconds.
Key takeaway
Shape, dtypes, missingness, obvious outliers, and a few value counts. Plots come after a sanity pass.