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Chime·Data Scientist·Technical Phone Screen·Senior

Senior
Apr 2026

Summary

Chime data scientist interview with a meaty A/B testing design question that covered basically the whole experimentation lifecycle in one shot. Felt more like a product analytics case than a pure stats exam, which I wasn't fully expecting.

Questions Asked (1)

Q1

Walk through how you would design and run an A/B test end-to-end for a new mobile recommendation algorithm. Include how you'd define success metrics, calculate sample size and test duration, and what pitfalls you'd watch out for.

A/B Testing & ExperimentationProduct Analytics & Metrics
Author's notes

This is a broad question and I kind of froze deciding where to start.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Structure your answer as a clear end-to-end experiment lifecycle: hypothesis, metric selection, power analysis, execution, and analysis. Emphasize Chime-specific considerations like member trust, regulatory constraints, and mobile engagement metrics. Balance statistical rigor with practical product constraints.

Pro tip: Mention that you'd pre-register the analysis plan and guardrail metrics to prevent p-hacking and ensure the test doesn't harm member experience. Also, highlight the importance of checking for novelty effects and segmenting by user tenure, as new users may react differently to recommendations.

1. Define Hypothesis and Success Metrics

State a clear, testable hypothesis (e.g., new algorithm increases click-through rate on recommendations). Define primary metric (e.g., CTR), secondary metrics (e.g., conversion, engagement time), and guardrail metrics (e.g., member satisfaction, complaint rate).

2. Design Experiment and Calculate Sample Size

Choose randomization unit (e.g., user-level), determine minimum detectable effect (MDE) based on business impact, and calculate sample size using power analysis (alpha=0.05, power=0.8). Estimate test duration based on daily traffic and required sample.

3. Implement and Monitor the Test

Set up A/B test with proper logging and QA. Monitor for data quality, sample ratio mismatch (SRM), and early guardrail violations. Ensure no peeking that would inflate false positives.

4. Analyze Results and Make Decision

After test concludes, analyze primary and secondary metrics using appropriate statistical tests (e.g., t-test, bootstrapping). Check for heterogeneity across segments. Decide to ship, iterate, or kill based on statistical and practical significance.

5. Document and Iterate

Document learnings, including pitfalls encountered. If successful, plan for gradual rollout and long-term monitoring. If not, use insights to inform next hypothesis.

Key Points to Mention

  • Randomization unit (user-level vs. session-level) and its implications for independence and analysis.
  • Power analysis: alpha, beta, MDE, and how to estimate variance from historical data.
  • Guardrail metrics to ensure member experience isn't harmed (e.g., complaint rate, churn).
  • Pitfalls: novelty effect, SRM, multiple testing, peeking, and network effects.
  • Segmentation analysis (e.g., new vs. existing users) to uncover heterogeneous treatment effects.
  • Practical significance vs. statistical significance and business impact.

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