Assessment Criteria

When assessing our candidates (both for UCU and KSE scholarships), we apply several criteria to differentiate them. The process is not linear, and there is no silver bullet, as one cannot just put a score next to someone's name and claim that it is an objective way to assess a person. Yet, we do our best to be fair and ensure the quality of our intake.

Please remember that the most common mistake made by candidates is a lack of belief in themselves. Even among our scholarship recipients, the majority had doubts that they had any chances to win. Yet, the only guaranteed way to fail the process is to give up without even trying.

Most of our procedures are borrowed from top-tier companies and universities where our members worked or studied at. Therefore, to make an informed decision, we apply two rounds of assessment – screening and interviews.

Screening

During this stage, we mainly assess candidates' CVs and essays. We receive applications from candidates of various age groups and, of course, we don't expect 20-year-olds to have as much relevant experience as 25-year-olds. There are no formalised criteria, yet we pay close attention to the following things (the list is not exhaustive and consists of things we typically consider a plus, yet we don't expect candidates to check all or even 50% of the boxes):

1. CV is well-structured and written in accordance to best practices (we provide our recommendations which might be a good proxy).
2. Essays are coherent, easy to follow and written in good English.
3. Essays are honest and genuine, provide us with details about personality.
4. All data points indicate that the candidate is proactive, capable of taking ownership of their choices, making reasonable due diligence, and understanding why they need this education.
5. Academic background: relevance, fields of studies (STEM is always a plus), top-tier universities and schools
6. Professional background: internships, work experience, etc
7. Certifications (CFA, IELTS, TOEFL, Coursera, EdX, SAT, GMAT, GRE, etc)
8. Competitions (participation doesn't count), publications in top-tier journals (local university journals don't count, really)
9. Contribution to society, volunteering experience
10. Leadership and/or teaching experience
11. International experience (exchange semester, FLEX, ERASMUS, Work & Travel – anything counts)

Typically, around 30% of candidates are invited to interview after the screening stage.

Interviews

Depending on whether you're applying to UCU or KSE, you might either have a technical and a fit interview or two fit interviews, respectively. They are independent and graded separately.

Technical Interviews (UCU DS program)

The technical interview includes a small algorithmic task and a discussion about the data science/machine learning experience candidate may (or may not) have. The interview is mainly conducted in English and is written in a shared Google Doc. During the technical interview, we look for the following:

1. The algorithmic problem was structured well, and the suggested solution is explained clearly before being implemented in code.
2. Multiple approaches are discussed and offered (from the naive to more effective/efficient ones).
3. Code is structured well and easy to follow – no major bugs are present when tested manually.
4. Time/complexity is estimated and compared accurately.
5. The pros and cons of different approaches are defined and communicated clearly.
6. Answers to open questions are easy to follow and are well-structured.

Valuable resources:

• LeetCode
• Towards Data Science
• IBM Data Science Professional Certificate
• Python for Data Science and Machine Learning Bootcamp
• Machine Learning, Data Science and Deep Learning with Python

Сase Interviews (KSE EA&BFE 2nd year program)

1. Consulting/Finance track interview will include a business case (Profitability/Market entry/New product development). Each candidate will have a 40-50 minutes long interviewee- or interviewer-led case with Ampersand community representatives (KSE alumni currently employed in top strategy consulting firms worldwide). This part includes problem structuring, calculations, and creativity questions in which the candidate will be assessed by the following criteria:

• Logical reasoning of the problem structuring
• Quality top-down communication of the issue tree
• Critical thinking
• Developing and testing specific hypotheses
• Calculations rationale and speed
• Synthesis and interpreting results

Valuable resources:

• Case interview guidebook
• Business case library
• Consulting interview general recommendations

2. Data Analytics / Product Management track interview will consist of a case interview which will last approximately 50 minutes. It will include a business-oriented question (e.g., a market size question) and a question on the data analysis (no coding required). This interview aims to discover crucial skills that are needed to work in the data analysis field. Each candidate will be assessed by the following criteria:

• Logical reasoning of the problem structuring
• Critical thinking
• Basic knowledge of statistics
• Identification of business insights
• Synthesis and interpreting results

Valuable resources:

• "How Many Windows Are in NYC?" + Any Interview Brainsteaser
• Fundamentals Of Statistics For Data Scientists and Analysts
• A/B Testing: A Complete Guide to Statistical Testing
• Marketing Analytics Case Study Guide for 2022

Fit Interviews

During the fit interview, we look for the following things:

1. General cognitive ability.
2. Maturity. High degree of responsibility and decision-making capacity, ability to explain and prove own views and preferences (we don't have to agree with them).
3. Grit. Ability to stick to and accomplish things that are hard and require a lot of dedication and resources. Willpower.
4. Eloquence. Ability to communicate in a clear, structured manner, charisma and self-presentation skills.

Red Flags

Things that we consider to be red flags:

• Any form of lie or lack of integrity.
• Lack of a proper sense of responsibility.

Recommendations

We do not expect candidates to meet 100% of all of the above criteria (or even half of them). We are all people. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, backgrounds, preferences and traits. That is why we do not pay much attention to minor details and formal indicators but rather to an overall portrait of a person. Do not stress. Please do everything you can (to avoid regretting things you could have done better) and be yourself. The mere fact that you have applied puts you in the top 1% of your peers. You are a much better candidate than you possibly think you are, and we are sincerely looking forward to meeting you.