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TikTok SQL Interview Questions

Two sources three years apart agree on a live SQL screen on HackerRank — joins and window functions, activation and engagement questions, ties broken the way the prompt says.

Start the TikTok set — free Check my readiness

16 practice challenges · 4 Easy / 5 Medium / 7 Hard · 9 play free · runs in the browser

How the interview runs

The TikTok SQL interview, as candidates report it

TikTok does not publish the format. Each row is what candidates and prep guides have described publicly, with its source; where sources disagree, the row says so. Formats change — treat every specific as reported, not official.

RolesData Scientist, Data Analyst and Data Engineer.[2]
Data science stagesRecruiter screen, a hiring-manager screen, a technical loop of three or four rounds of about 45 minutes each plus behavioural rounds, then a final manager conversation; all virtual.[1]
Technical screenA 45–60 minute screen on HackerRank covering SQL alongside statistics and probability.[2]
Data analyst screenA 2022 candidate report describes a 30-minute live HackerRank screen: standard joins and window functions plus a short case.[4]
  1. [1] Exponent — TikTok Data Scientist interview guide (updated mid-2026)
  2. [2] DataLemur — TikTok SQL interview questions and data science guide (5 Jan 2025)
  3. [3] DataLemur — second-day confirmation question (undated)
  4. [4] Blind — TikTok data analyst screen report (6 Feb 2022)

Sources: Exponent — TikTok Data Scientist interview guide (updated mid-2026); DataLemur — TikTok SQL interview questions and data science guide (5 Jan 2025); DataLemur — second-day confirmation question (undated); Blind — TikTok data analyst screen report (6 Feb 2022). Accessed 13 Sep 2026.

The SQL that comes up

What TikTok SQL questions test

Reported most often, in order

  • 1Joins across users, videos and events
  • 2Window functions (top video per user per day)
  • 3Aggregation with filtering
  • 4Date logic (confirmed on day 2, per-day grouping)
  • 5Ranking and top-N
  • 6Rates (activation, engagement)
  • 7Tie-breaking rules

Difficulty: Reported as medium, with some reports of medium-to-hard. The data is videos (uploads, likes, dates), user interactions, sign-up and confirmation events, and creator cohorts.

Our TikTok practice set, by skill

The 16 SQL Quest challenges tagged TikTok, resolved onto the nine Skillmap skills. A challenge exercises several skills, so shares do not sum to 100%. This is the composition of the practice set on this page, not a measurement of TikTok’s interview.

Sample questions

TikTok SQL question shapes, and where to practise them

Shapes candidates and guides report (paraphrased)

Practise now — SQL Quest challenges matched to those patterns

Our challenges, chosen because their SQL matches the shapes above; not questions TikTok has asked. Each card opens the challenge in the browser — no signup.

Open all 16 TikTok practice challenges →

Skillmap

How ready are you for the TikTok SQL round?

Ten questions, no signup. You get a readiness score weighted to the SQL this page covers, your Skillmap across joins, window functions, aggregation and the rest, and the weakest skill to practise first.

Check my TikTok readiness Start the TikTok set

Frequently asked

Drill the skills the TikTok set leans on, one at a time: GROUP BY exercises · Window function practice · CTE practice · Date function practice · JOIN practice — or browse every SQL practice question.

Every question in the TikTok set, one page each with the schema and a hint: Monthly Order Count · How Many Genres Do We Cover? (DISTINCT) · LEFT JOIN: Watch the NULLs Appear · Counting Across a JOIN · Inactive Customers by Tier · Month-over-Month Customer Growth · RANK vs DENSE_RANK Side-by-Side · Most Recent Order Per Customer (ROW_NUMBER) · The Previous Order's Total (LAG) · Order Sessionization by Customer · Rank Movies by Rating · Daily Active Customers · RANK vs DENSE_RANK: Rating Gaps · Order Funnel Conversion · Month-over-Month Revenue Growth · Customer Retention Cohort.

Ready for the TikTok SQL round?

No signup, no card. Start with the free challenges in the set; the Skillmap shows what to fix before the interview.

Start the TikTok set — free