Calculate variance for A/B test results
Last updated: August 21, 2025
Quick Overview
Given the following scenario about user conversion, calculate the the p-value.
HRT
August 21, 20259
5
3,896 solved
Given the following scenario about user conversion, calculate the the p-value.
This analytics question from HRT's Technical Screen tests your ability to think critically about data. The interviewer expects you to consider confounding variables, selection bias, and the difference between correlation and causation.
What the Interviewer Expects
- Define clear success metrics aligned with business goals
- Propose a basic experimental design with control and treatment groups
- Interpret results correctly and draw reasonable conclusions
- Identify obvious confounding variables
Key Topics to Cover
How to Approach This
- Define success metrics carefully. A good metric is measurable, actionable, and aligned with business goals.
- Run experiments long enough to account for novelty effects and weekly seasonality.
- Use funnel analysis to identify where users drop off for maximum optimization impact.
- Segment results by key dimensions (platform, country, user cohort) to catch hidden patterns.
- Consider network effects and interference between treatment and control groups.
Possible Follow-up Questions
- What would you do if a stakeholder wants to end the experiment early because initial results look good?
- What if the experiment shows a positive short-term effect but you suspect a negative long-term impact?
- How would you handle interference between treatment and control?
- What if you discover a bug in the logging during the experiment?
Sharpen Your Skills on Codemia
Practice similar problems with our interactive workspace, get AI feedback, and track your progress.
Browse Analytics QuestionsSample Answer
Problem Setup
The analytical question here is to determine whether the conversion rates of users in both the control and treatment groups of an A/B test are significantly different. For this, we need to collect dat...
Methodology
To calculate the p-value for the A/B test results, we will use a two-proportion z-test. This statistical test compares the conversion rates of two independent groups:
- Calculate the conversion rates...
Submit Your Answer
