Application Form | Y-Data Advanced Data Science Program

How does the application process work?

The application process consists of three steps. First, candidates apply online through our website. Second, candidates take an online test. The test assesses analytical and basic programming skills and contains undergraduate level statistics and probability questions, data analysis questions, and short coding challenges (candidates can select from a few popular programming languages that our platform supports). The test must be completed within three and a half hours.

Y-DATA will offer two separate 4-day time windows to take the online test during July-August. Candidates who pass the online test will be invited to an in-person interview with Y-DATA team members. The interview is an opportunity for our team to learn more about candidates' background, experiences, and interests.

What level of math knowledge is expected from the candidates?

We assume our students have at least a bachelor's STEM degree or its equivalent.

We, therefore, expect all the candidates to have full knowledge of the first-year university-level material in math. In order to ensure a suitable level of pre-existing knowledge, we require all candidates to complete the Mathematics for Machine Learning specialization on Coursera prior to the beginning of their studies.

Candidates who are accepted to the program will have the cost of the course deducted from their tuition fee.

What level of statistics and probability knowledge is expected from the candidates?

We assume our students have at least a bachelor's STEM degree or its equivalent.

We, therefore, expect all the candidates to have full knowledge of the first-year university-level material in probability and statistics. You may want to review basic topics in those subjects before taking our online test.

During the program, we won’t teach these topics from scratch, but we will provide a quick recap before diving into the more advanced topics required for later ML courses.

What level of coding skills is required to enter the program? Do you require knowledge of specific languages?

We require some experience in at least one of the common programming languages and an understanding of common data structures. Programming tasks are a large portion of the online test and assume existing programming background. During the program itself, the courses and home assignments will be in Python.

Candidates should have a basic knowledge of Python before taking the test. Some potential resources for people with no prior Python knowledge to get started include:

Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python)
Python Data Structures
Python Essential Training

Can I apply with zero coding experience?

Candidates without any coding experience won’t be able to take part in our program. If you have no coding experience but are looking to get yourself started in this domain, you can start by taking online coding courses and establishing some baseline capability in Python before applying to Y-DATA.

Can you provide more details about the online test? What should I do to prepare?

The test takes place in several time-windows over July and August - the exact dates will be announced about a month ahead of time. Full details regarding the exam's format, schedule and platform will be provided to applicants shortly before the test.
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We publish past years' exams to candidates which you can use for practice and to better understand what kind of questions to expect - this year’s exam will be similar in style and structure. The sample test has no limit on time or number of attempts (while the real exam has a limit of 3.5 hours and can only be taken once).
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Beside the sample test, if you don't write code daily, we recommend brushing up on your coding skills. If you'd like to sharpen your Python skills, some good sources are:

Python for Data Analysis by Wes McKinney
From Python to Numpy
PyData channel on YouTube
Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python)
Python Data Structures
Python Essential Training

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