I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Upstart (San Mateo, CA) in Jan 2020
Interview
After applying online, there were three interview stages: an online coding and multiple-choice stats/data science test, a technical Skype interview, and an on-site interview with four one-hour interviews, of which three were mostly whiteboard problem-solving. The process was quite transparent and moved relatively quickly, and the interviewers (including a co-founder) were friendly and engaged, so my experience was quite positive.
My background is in academic research, and my experience with data science/machine learning was limited to informal self-study. However Upstart seemed to value fundamental stats/ML/coding/problem-solving/communication skills as demonstrated in interviews over specific technical experience, so I think this is a great opportunity for those looking to transition to a data science role from a different background.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Typical data science/ML questions, but also fundamental probability questions such as the expected return from coin-flipping games.
The process took 3 months. I interviewed at Upstart (San Diego, CA) in Feb 2025
Interview
3 rounds, first is lead, then some peers, then hr. Totally very difficulty, since they hope candicator can work for them, no need to train. So if you are a graduate, that's not good place for you, and also very hard to get offer or their company.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why you chose the major of business analytics instead of some majors of quant
I applied online. I interviewed at Upstart in Apr 2024
Interview
Got ghosted after I was told I'd be a good fit for the position . Recruiter didn't seem like they really wanted to fill the roll its been posted for months.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Upstart (New York, NY) in June 2022
Interview
HR phone interview, where the HR rep was super nice and dug relatively deep into my experience and previous work.
1st round interview with Sr. Research Scientist was just alright. Interviewer showed up 5 mins late (sure if happens, no biggie) and gave a very speedy intro of the company. I gave an intro of my experience. Just 1 question on my experience and moved into coding. While coding it was a bit odd the interviewer kept wanting me to change x or y about the code or how I was solving it before I could finish completely. This threw me off a bit, as every other place I've interviewed they let you finish and then follow up if you could do x or y to improve performance, etc. Fairly straight forward stats and A/B to finish.