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Mathematics required for data analyst/data scientist

Afternoon everyone,

I'm seeking a bit of advice for just how far behind mathematically I am for a job I've applied for.

I've had a successful first interview for a data analyst role and I've been invited back for a second assessment, where they want to see where I stand with maths.
The job spec did mention they wanted someone with a degree in mathematics/statistics (neither of which I have - I have a degree in audio recording lol), but obviously they know that I don't have that and are still considering me.

What I'm wondering, is if anyone has any pointers for what I should brush up on before my second interview this Friday.
They did mention use of mathematical algorithms, but I wouldn't even know where to look for that kind of stuff! :(

For a bit of background:
I'm currently employed as a data analyst, but most of my maths is done in excel and I wouldn't exactly call it taxing.
I finished school 10 years ago and only just scraped a C then, so it's fair to say I've forgotten almost everything.
Like I said, I do have a BSc in Audio Recording Technology, but any maths I did there was related to physics and electronics, not exactly statistics.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Comments

  • Ambersuccubus
    Ambersuccubus Posts: 132 Forumite
    The "data analyst" label is used for such a wide variety of roles it's impossible to tell. It sounds to me like you would be a bit at sea if you've not really done the statistical bit before, but their algorithms may be semi-automated or otherwise easy for non-stats experts to use; there's no real way of knowing without more information (you can tell this is my field, can't you - not enough quality data to analyse is my bugbear!). Have you at least used packages such as SPSS or similar "off the shelf" analyses so you'd know what a statistical report meant in terms of significance, relevance, correlation etc.?

    Many data analysts these days are expected to do programming too, and a requirement to code basic SQL is common (along with advanced Excel use).

    Good luck!
  • Thanks for your reply.

    Sorry, as a data analyst as well, I ironically didn't provide that much information!

    I've never really used anything like SPSS before, like I said, pretty much all my work has been within excel.
    I do however have a bit of SQL experience, although this is limited to pulling data really.

    I know the company uses R for a lot of their work, so I have been looking into the basics of that and it does seem to be very focused on the statistics side of things!
  • gunsandbanjos
    gunsandbanjos Posts: 12,246 Forumite
    PPI Party Pooper
    I can't see you'd use a huge amount of actual maths as a data analyst unless you're building models?

    Basics like percentage increase/decrease and standard deviation would be useful.

    I'm a senior analyst and have a first class maths degree, how much maths do I use on a daily basis? Sod all! Not proper maths anyway.
    The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.
    Bertrand Russell
  • Sad to see companies still recruiting staff with any degree - possibly to the exclusion of those that probably have oodles of analysis experience and probably a relevant qualification to boot. Good for you.
  • shortcrust
    shortcrust Posts: 2,697 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker Newshound!
    Sad to see companies still recruiting staff with any degree - possibly to the exclusion of those that probably have oodles of analysis experience and probably a relevant qualification to boot. Good for you.

    That seems like a strange take on this to me. I imagine the fact that the OP's currently employed as a data analyst is of far more interest to the employer than the unrelated degree.
  • martinsurrey
    martinsurrey Posts: 3,368 Forumite
    to be honest, anything they require you to do will already be designed in the system they use.

    The maths test in 99.99% of cases is to see how you handle data manipulation, interpretation and critical thinking.

    I use 0% of the actual maths I learnt in my maths degree in my job (and I work with numbers), but I use the mathematical rigor, logic, and way of breaking problems down, all day, every day.
  • paddyrg
    paddyrg Posts: 13,543 Forumite
    You may not need to manually crank standard deviations and p values and that funky stuff, but I'm sure having an understanding of them is going to be very useful - it's always important to understand your data
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