Cracking Meta’s New “Analytical Thinking” PM Interview: Insights and Tips

I got my hands on how Meta evaluates PMs in its new “Analytical Thinking” interview.

It is a rebrand of the old ‘Product Execution’ interview.

The giveaway is the question examples:

“We’ve recognized a 10% drop in newly registered users, what data and/or results would you need to look at to understand fix the problem?”

“If you’re the product manager for X product, define the goals and metrics.”

There are 4 key rubric areas you will be evaluated on:

1. Articulating a Product’s Rationale

A mistake a lot of people make in this phase is over-emphasizing this section.

It’s really important to understand the goal of a product, and how it fits in within Meta, but it shouldn’t be 25% of your interview.

2. Setting Reasonable, Measurable and Prioritized Goals

As the description says, “it’s important to show your ability to prioritize.” The key in this section is to reason through the user and business needs with clarity.

A mistake many people make is to go into detail on every potential goal. It’s better to list the most important one’s in detail, and just briefly mention less important ones.

3. Measuring Impact and Identifying Metrics

This is probably the place to spend the most time on. It’s the name of the interview, after all.

A great PM at Meta understands north-stars, counter metrics, and secondary metrics like the back of their hand. They want to make sure you can win trust from your analyst partners, which most Meta product teams have.

4. Evaluating Trade-Offs

This is an area that comes at the end of the interview, so people often lose time for it. It’s important not to. You don’t want to get out a 0/5 on this rubric area due to time.

In Meta, every product decision has a trade-off somehow. The more thoughtful you can be of these situations, the more prepared you will be for the actual job.

Other Tips To Know

It’s a classic case, and my sources tell me that you are extremely likely to encounter:

• A twist in the case, or
• A second case in the same interview

It’s about simulating the real world analytical skills you need as a PM.

But knowing the rubric helps make success much more likely.

To learn more about what I learned interviewing 12 current and former Meta folks, check out the deep dive.