Are you Ready for Product Estimation Questions?
Estimation questions are a nightmare for product managers…
You know what I’m talking about:
↳ How many customer support tickets might we receive if we launch a new feature to our existing user base?
↳ What’s the expected increase in user engagement if we implement a personalized recommendation system?
↳ If we introduce a freemium model for our SaaS product, what percentage of free users might convert to paid users in the first six months?
These can be stumpers.
𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗔 𝗗𝗘𝗘𝗣 𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗜𝗡 𝗣𝗠
Estimation questions weren’t always part of product management interviews — they actually originated in management consulting.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, as the tech industry exploded during the dot-com boom, companies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook began to adapt these questions to their unique needs.
Initially, these questions were used to test a candidate’s ability to estimate market size or predict product success with limited information.
By the 2010s, they were widely used to evaluate a candidate’s ability to think critically and analytically.
Today, they challenge product managers to navigate AI-driven metrics, personalized user experiences, and ethical considerations in product decisions.
𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗦𝗞𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗣𝗠𝗦
1. Structured thinking
↳ How clearly can you organize and approach problems?
2. Analytical prowess
↳ Your ability to make smart assumptions, work with data, and calculate quickly.
3. Product sense
↳ Intuition about user needs and how product changes will impact behavior.
4. Market understanding
↳ Knowledge of tech trends, landscapes, gaps, and opportunities.
5. Growth mindset
↳ Creative thinking in maximizing user acquisition, engagement, and retention.
6. Business acumen
↳ Ensuring product decisions directly contribute to achieving business goals.
7. Comfort with ambiguity
↳ Can you make sound decisions with incomplete or uncertain data?
8. Communication skills
↳ Can you clearly articulate strategies and insights?
9. Stakeholder management
↳ Defending your estimates and decisions confidently.
10. Cross-functional understanding
↳ Knowing how areas like engineering and marketing shape product outcomes.
𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘’𝗦 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗢 𝗪𝗜𝗡
So if you’d like to master answering these questions…
These are proven techniques that differentiate you — not generic advice.
𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗗𝗢 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗞?
P.S. What estimation questions have you encountered in your interviews?
P.S. 2. How do you like to answer them?
See you in the comments.
