Write a query to find retention rate from impressions

Last updated: March 10, 2026

Quick Overview

Write a SQL query to calculate retention rate from the impressions table, considering nulls and duplicates.

Two Sigma
Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
Data Scientist
Two Sigma
March 10, 2026
Data Scientist
Take-home Project
Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
Medium

20

9

1,461 solved


Write a SQL query to calculate retention rate from the impressions table, considering nulls and duplicates.

Data manipulation questions at Two Sigma test your ability to work with real-world datasets. This Take-home Project question evaluates your SQL proficiency, understanding of data modeling, and ability to derive insights from raw data.

What the Interviewer Expects
  • Use advanced SQL features: window functions, CTEs, subqueries
  • Write efficient queries that avoid common performance pitfalls
  • Handle complex data transformations with multiple joins and aggregations
  • Discuss indexing strategy and query optimization
  • Address data quality issues: duplicates, missing values, outliers
Key Topics to Cover
JOIN types and when to use each
Data cleaning and transformation
Common Table Expressions (CTEs)
Date/time manipulation
NULL handling and COALESCE
How to Approach This
  1. Clarify the schema and expected output format before writing queries.
  2. Use CTEs (WITH clauses) to break complex queries into readable steps.
  3. Consider window functions (ROW_NUMBER, RANK, LAG, LEAD) for ranking and sequential analysis.
  4. Watch for NULLs, duplicates, and edge cases in JOINs and GROUP BY.
  5. For pandas, prefer vectorized operations over row-by-row iteration.
Possible Follow-up Questions
  • What indexes would you create to support this query?
  • Can you rewrite this without using subqueries?
  • How would you validate the correctness of your query results?
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