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Sig·Software Engineer·Technical Phone Screen·Intermediate

Intermediate
Jun 2026

Summary

Probability and Bayes' theorem came up hard in this SIG quant interview. One question, clean setup, but the math needs to be airtight or you're done.

Questions Asked (1)

Q1

30% of posts are fake news. Fake posts have an 80% chance of getting 100+ likes; real posts have an 8% chance. Given a randomly selected post has 100+ likes, what is the probability it's fake news?

Algorithms & Data StructuresProduct Analytics & Metrics
Author's notes

Classic Bayes setup but I fumbled the denominator at first.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Recognize this as a Bayes' theorem problem and define the events clearly: F for fake, L for 100+ likes. Compute the total probability of L using the law of total probability, then apply Bayes' theorem to find P(F|L).

Pro tip: After calculating, sanity-check the result: since fake posts are much more likely to get 100+ likes, the posterior should be significantly higher than the prior (30%). Also, briefly explain the intuition to show you understand the result, not just the math.

1. Define events and given probabilities

Let F be the event that a post is fake, and L be the event that it gets 100+ likes. Write down P(F) = 0.30, P(L|F) = 0.80, and P(L|F^c) = 0.08.

2. Compute total probability of L

Use the law of total probability: P(L) = P(L|F)P(F) + P(L|F^c)P(F^c) = 0.80*0.30 + 0.08*0.70 = 0.24 + 0.056 = 0.296.

3. Apply Bayes' theorem

Compute P(F|L) = P(L|F)P(F) / P(L) = 0.24 / 0.296 ≈ 0.8108, or about 81.1%.

4. Interpret and sanity-check

Note that the probability is much higher than the prior 30%, which makes sense because fake posts are far more likely to get 100+ likes. Verify the calculation and consider if the result is reasonable.

Key Points to Mention

  • Bayes' theorem and its application to conditional probability
  • Law of total probability to compute the denominator
  • Clear definition of events and complement
  • Calculation steps with correct arithmetic
  • Interpretation of the result in context
  • Sanity check comparing posterior to prior

AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.