MSD Specialist Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 13 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Candidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at MSD.
MSD
Specialist
Entry Average Positive experience No offer 2 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Panel
Interview formats
Technical Coding Behavioral
I applied via referral and the overall interview experience was quite good. It was a 2-panel interview, and the HR was very helpful with scheduling. The interviewers were friendly. I'd suggest preparing for intermediate SQL questions like group by, order by, etc. They also allow answering in Python, so preparing for pandas and basic problem-solving is recommended. I'm still waiting to hear back about the next round.
Confirmed questions7 questions
- Can you walk me through your best project from its inception to its production?
- Calculate and store the cumulative sum of sales for each month, given 12 months of sales data.
- What assumptions need to be met for linear regression?
MSD
Specialist
Mid Easy Positive experience Accept offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Background check Offer
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical
The interview process was very professional and had three parts. First, I spoke with the India Team about culture, expectations, roles, and responsibilities, and my core experience. Then, the Global team asked me purely technical questions related to my expertise. They even asked about topics I wasn't familiar with, which I managed to answer well. Overall, it was an excellent and professional interview experience.
Confirmed questions5 questions
- Tell me about your expectations for this role and its responsibilities.
- Can you share details about your core experience?
- How do you think you'd fit into our team's culture?
MSD
Senior Specialist
Senior Average Negative experience No offer 2 rounds
Interview process
Technical screen Recruiter call
Interview formats
Technical Behavioral
I interviewed for a Senior Specialist role. It involved questions on Transformer Architecture, RPA, Intelligent Automation, Design Principles, and how LLMs work internally. They also asked about my recent projects, challenges, and outcomes, as well as organizational questions and Python programming technical questions. I completed 2 rounds and cleared them all. The HR initially told me I was selected but didn't give me an offer. After a lot of follow-ups, the HR mentioned I was selected for a different role that would be available in 3 months. It's now been 7-8 months with no word, which is quite discouraging, waiting for so long without any result. I hope they can improve their recruitment process.
Confirmed questions1 question
- Can you detail the Transformer architecture?
MSD Specialist Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from MSD interview reports.
“Explain the difference between a residual and an error term.”
Read reports →“What assumptions need to be met for linear regression?”
Read reports →“Can you detail the Transformer architecture?”
Read reports →“Given a dataset where 95% of the data is category 1 and 5% is category 2, how would you approach building an ML model?”
Read reports →“Imagine we're launching a new drug; how would you, with data science/analysis, assist the marketing team?”
Read report →“What makes you want to join MSD?”
Read report →“What would you do if faced with a topic you're unfamiliar with?”
Read report →“Tell me about your experience with privacy.”
Read report →“What motivated you to pursue a role at MSD?”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 13 MSD interview reports.