Interpret a statistically significant lift of 2% from an experiment

Last updated: January 27, 2026

Quick Overview

An experiment shows a 3% lift with p=0.08. What conclusions can you draw? What are the caveats?

Goldman Sachs
Analytics & Experimentation
Product Manager
Goldman Sachs
January 27, 2026
Product Manager
Onsite
Analytics & Experimentation
Medium

16

3

621 solved


An experiment shows a 3% lift with p=0.08. What conclusions can you draw? What are the caveats?

Analytics questions at Goldman Sachs evaluate your ability to define metrics, design experiments, and derive actionable insights from data. This Onsite question tests your end-to-end analytical thinking.

What the Interviewer Expects
  • Design a rigorous experiment with proper randomization and sample size calculation
  • Define primary and guardrail metrics with clear rationale
  • Address novelty effects, network effects, and interference
  • Segment results appropriately and identify heterogeneous treatment effects
  • Propose follow-up analyses when results are ambiguous
Key Topics to Cover
Novelty and primacy effects
Segmentation and heterogeneous effects
Funnel analysis and cohort analysis
Network effects and interference
Simpson's paradox and ecological fallacy
Guardrail metrics
How to Approach This
  1. Define success metrics carefully. A good metric is measurable, actionable, and aligned with business goals.
  2. Run experiments long enough to account for novelty effects and weekly seasonality.
  3. Use funnel analysis to identify where users drop off for maximum optimization impact.
  4. Segment results by key dimensions (platform, country, user cohort) to catch hidden patterns.
  5. Consider network effects and interference between treatment and control groups.
Possible Follow-up Questions
  • What if the experiment shows a positive short-term effect but you suspect a negative long-term impact?
  • What if you discover a bug in the logging during the experiment?
  • How would you handle seasonality in your experiment?
Sharpen Your Skills on Codemia

Practice similar problems with our interactive workspace, get AI feedback, and track your progress.

Browse Analytics Questions
Sample Answer
Defining the Analysis Framework

Start by framing the problem clearly: 1. **What question are we answering?** Be specific about the hypothesis or business question. 2. **What data d...

Analysis Approach

**Exploratory Analysis**: Start with aggregate trends, then segment by key dimensions (platform, country, user cohort, channel). Look for heterogeneou...


Submit Your Answer
Markdown supported

Related Questions