Real, anonymous reports from people who interviewed for Data Scientist at Oscar Health, newest first and distilled into what to expect across the loop.
I went through a pretty long, drawn-out sequence that felt exhausting more than it felt educational. It started with a recruiter phone screen, then a hiring manager call. After that, I was pulled into a cluster of five additional rounds with different interviewers covering different topics. Even while I was doing the remaining scheduled conversations, it started to feel clear that what they wanted for the role didn’t match my background, and I still had to keep going through the whole set anyway.
After an initial call with the recruiter and then a call with the hiring manager, I moved into a take-home DS case study. They told me not to spend more than about four hours, but the work ended up taking longer, which made the whole stage feel heavier than promised. Once I turned that in, the rest of the process became five interviews that could happen in any order, spanning a review/discussion of the case study, a debate-style topic, a leadership-focused conversation, and a collaboration-style round, plus a technical interview.
The interview process typically starts with a recruiter call, followed by a hiring manager conversation, a take-home case study, and then a series of five interviews covering various topics including technical skills, leadership, and collaboration. Candidates should be prepared for a lengthy and multi-faceted evaluation.
Candidates often face a take-home assignment framed as a four-hour task, but many report it requiring significantly more time and effort, leading to frustration. It's crucial to manage expectations regarding the time commitment and complexity of this assignment.
Interviews cover a mix of behavioral, technical, and leadership-focused questions, with some candidates noting debate-style discussions that can feel intense. It's important to be ready for a variety of question types and to demonstrate both technical knowledge and interpersonal skills.
Candidates frequently express dissatisfaction with communication throughout the process, particularly regarding updates after interviews and decisions. Proactive follow-up may be necessary to obtain feedback or status updates.
Many candidates describe the interview process as lengthy and at times disorganized, which can lead to a negative impression of the company culture. It's advisable to assess the overall candidate experience and communication style during the process.
Candidates often leave the process feeling that the outcome was predetermined or that their efforts were not matched by the company's engagement, especially if they were not offered a position. It's important to maintain realistic expectations about the likelihood of an offer based on early interactions.