Data Analyst interview with SPSS

1. General SPSS Questions

Q1: What are the key features of SPSS?

A: SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) offers features such as:

Data management (sorting, filtering, merging datasets)
Descriptive and inferential statistics
Hypothesis testing (t-tests, ANOVA, regression, etc.)
Data visualization (charts, histograms, scatter plots)
Syntax-based automation

Q2: How do you import data into SPSS?

A: You can import data into SPSS by:

File > Open > Data and selecting formats like Excel, CSV, or databases
Using Syntax Editor for automated data import
Data > Import Data for external sources like SQL

Q3: What types of variables are available in SPSS?

A: SPSS supports the following types of variables:

Numeric: Continuous data (e.g., age, income)
String: Text-based data (e.g., names, addresses)
Date/Time: Used for time-series analysis
Categorical: Nominal (no order) or Ordinal (ranked data)

Q4: How do you handle missing values in SPSS?

A: You can handle missing values by:

Using Missing Values Analysis (MVA)
Replacing missing values with mean, median, or mode
Excluding missing data using Listwise or Pairwise deletion

Q5: Explain the difference between Data View and Variable View in SPSS.

Data View: Shows actual data in tabular format (rows = cases, columns = variables).
Variable View: Defines variable properties (name, type, measurement scale, missing values).

2. Data Manipulation & Cleaning

Q6: How do you merge datasets in SPSS?

Use Data > Merge Files to combine data based on common variables (cases or variables).
Ensure both datasets have the same structure (matching variable names and types).

Q7: How do you recode variables in SPSS?

Use Transform > Recode into Same/Different Variables to convert values (e.g., changing “Male/Female” to 1/0).
Use Syntax for bulk recoding:

RECODE gender ('Male' = 1) ('Female' = 0) INTO gender_code.

Q8: What is the difference between Compute Variable and Recode into Different Variables?

Compute Variable: Creates a new variable by applying formulas (e.g., age groups, total score).
Recode Variable: Changes the values of an existing variable or creates a new variable with recoded values.

Q9: How do you identify and remove duplicates in SPSS?

Use Data > Identify Duplicate Cases to detect duplicates.
Use Data > Select Cases to remove duplicates.

3. Statistical Analysis

Q10: How do you perform a t-test in SPSS?

Go to Analyze > Compare Means > Independent-Samples T Test.
Select the dependent variable and the grouping variable.
Click OK to run the test.

Q11: Explain how to conduct an ANOVA test in SPSS.

Go to Analyze > Compare Means > One-Way ANOVA.
Select the dependent variable and factor variable.
Click OK to test if means differ across groups.

Q12: How do you check for normality in SPSS?

Use Analyze > Descriptive Statistics > Explore.
Check Skewness/Kurtosis values.
Run Shapiro-Wilk or Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests.

Q13: What is the difference between linear regression and logistic regression in SPSS?

Linear Regression: Predicts a continuous outcome (e.g., sales revenue).
Logistic Regression: Predicts a categorical outcome (e.g., pass/fail, yes/no).

Q14: How do you conduct a Chi-Square test in SPSS?

Go to Analyze > Descriptive Statistics > Crosstabs.
Check Chi-Square under the Statistics tab.
Click OK to test association between categorical variables.

4. Reporting & Visualization

Q15: How do you create pivot tables in SPSS?

Use Analyze > Reports > Case Summaries.
Select variables and check Summarize by Groups.
Click OK to generate a pivot table.

Q16: How do you generate bar charts and histograms in SPSS?

Use Graphs > Chart Builder.
Select Bar Chart or Histogram, define variables, and click OK.

Q17: How do you export SPSS results to Excel or Word?

Click File > Export and choose Excel, PDF, or Word format.
Alternatively, copy and paste tables/graphs manually.

Q18: What is the purpose of the Syntax Editor in SPSS?

Automates tasks and data processing.
Reduces errors in repetitive analyses.
Example syntax to run a regression:

REGRESSION /DEPENDENT sales /METHOD=ENTER age income.

5. Scenario-Based Questions

Q19: You have survey data with missing responses. How would you handle this in SPSS?

Use Analyze > Multiple Imputation to estimate missing values.
Use Replace Missing Values to fill with mean/median/mode.
Use Listwise deletion if missing cases are few.

Q20: You need to analyze the relationship between two categorical variables. What test would you use in SPSS?

Use the Chi-Square test under Analyze > Descriptive Statistics > Crosstabs.

Q21: How would you identify outliers in SPSS?

Use Boxplots under Graphs > Boxplot.
Compute Z-scores (values outside -3 to +3 are outliers).
Run Explore analysis under Analyze > Descriptive Statistics > Explore.

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