Norfolk Southern Research Analyst Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 8 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Candidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at Norfolk Southern.
Norfolk Southern
Operations Research Analyst
Mid Difficult Positive experience No offer 1 round
Interview process
Phone screen
Interview formats
Technical
It was a phone interview with the operations team, and 6 people interviewed me over the phone. It went smoothly and everyone was nice. They asked detailed professional questions about operations research models and algorithms. I didn't get the job, but the interview was helpful for future preparation.
Confirmed questions1 question
- Can you explain the backpack model?
Norfolk Southern
Operations Research Analyst
Entry Average Positive experience Accept offer 4 rounds
Interview process
Take home Technical screen Onsite Background check Offer
Interview formats
Technical Behavioral
I applied online about a month ago and then got asked to do two online questionnaires, one with GRE-like questions and another with personal questions. A couple of weeks later, they invited me for an onsite interview. During the onsite, I had to take two exams: one for OR and another for CS. After the exams, I interviewed with two managers. The vibe was pretty chill and friendly. About a week after that, HR called me to let me know I got the job.
Confirmed questions2 questions
- The interview questions were all derived from my CV; ensure you don't misrepresent your skills or experience as they might probe deeply into specifics you've listed.
- Be truthful on your CV, as they may ask very detailed questions about anything you've stated you know.
Norfolk Southern
Operations Research Analyst
Entry Average Positive experience No offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Take home Technical screen Phone screen
Interview formats
Technical Coding Behavioral
So, I had this test with some technical questions, covering stuff like optimization modeling, SQL, and how complex algorithms are. After that, I had two separate one-on-one interviews. The first one dove deep into technical OR and SQL topics. The second interviewer was more interested in my general background, like the usual 'tell me about yourself' stuff.
Confirmed questions4 questions
- How would you go about designing a network optimization problem?
- Could you define what an outer join is?
- Can you tell me about yourself and your background?
Norfolk Southern Research Analyst Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from Norfolk Southern interview reports.
“There's a line of people, ordered by height, each with a hat from one of two colors. Those at the back can see the hats in front. Given the hat color guesses of the previous four people in line, how does the fifth person know their own hat color for sure?”
Read reports →“What are algorithm complexities?”
Read reports →“Could you define what an outer join is?”
Read reports →“Can you write a SQL query?”
Read reports →“Can you explain the backpack model?”
Read report →“How would you go about designing a network optimization problem?”
Read report →“Do you have any technical questions?”
Read report →“Could you share a technical weakness you have and describe how you addressed it?”
Read report →“Can you describe how you've applied optimization in your past work?”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 8 Norfolk Southern interview reports.