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Machine Learning·Intermediate

Statistics & Probability Foundations

Master the statistical concepts that underpin every data science and ML interview — from distributions and hypothesis testing to A/B testing and causal inference.

90 min read 3 sections 1 interview questions
StatisticsProbabilityHypothesis TestingDistributionsCentral Limit TheoremStatistical InferenceNormal Distributiont-TestChi-Squared TestConfidence Intervalsp-valueBayes Theorem

Why Statistics Matters in ML/DS Interviews

Statistics appears in 60-80% of data science and ML interviews. It's not just academic — it's the foundation of how you validate models, design experiments, interpret results, and communicate findings to stakeholders. Companies like Meta, Google, Airbnb, and Stripe specifically test statistical reasoning as a core competency.

The Six Core Areas

01

Probability Theory

Distributions, conditional probability, Bayes' theorem, expected value, variance

02

Statistical Inference

Hypothesis testing, p-values, confidence intervals, Type I/II errors, power

03

A/B Testing

Experiment design, sample size, randomization, multiple comparisons, stopping rules

04

Bayesian Statistics

Prior/posterior, conjugate models, credible intervals, Bayesian A/B testing

05

Regression & Correlation

Linear regression assumptions, correlation vs causation, OLS, logistic regression

06

Causal Inference

DiD, RDD, IV, PSM — methods for estimating causality from observational data

IMPORTANT

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