25 important machine learning interview questions along with short answers

By | September 30, 2023

Here are 25 important machine learning interview questions along with short answers:

Question Answer
What is machine learning? AI training for predictions based on data.
Supervised vs. unsupervised learning? Labeled vs. unlabeled data for model training.
Classification vs. regression? Predicting categories vs. continuous values.
What is overfitting? Model fits data closely, fails on new data; prevent.
What is cross-validation? Testing model by splitting data multiple times.
What is a decision tree? Tree-like model for decisions using features.
What is a neural network? Brain-inspired model with layers for data processing.
What is regularization? Prevents overfitting by adding penalty to loss function.
What is gradient descent? Optimizes models by adjusting parameters for minimum loss.
What is deep learning? Trains neural networks with layers for complex patterns.
What is a support vector machine (SVM)? Used for classification and regression.
Parametric vs. non-parametric model? Fixed vs. infinite parameters learned from data.
What is the curse of dimensionality? High-dimensional data sparsity makes pattern finding hard.
What is principal component analysis (PCA)? Reduces dimensions by finding feature combinations.
What is k-fold cross-validation? Splits data into k subsets for testing and training.
Precision vs. recall? Measures accuracy of positive predictions vs. true positives.
What is the F1 score? Balances precision and recall for model evaluation.
Bias-variance tradeoff? Balances model complexity for better generalization.
What is transfer learning? Uses pre-trained models to save time and improve performance.
What is ensemble learning? Combines multiple models for better predictions.
What is deep reinforcement learning? Combines deep learning with reinforcement for decision making.
Batch vs. stochastic gradient descent? Updating model with entire data vs. one data point.
L1 vs. L2 regularization? Absolute value vs. square value penalties for model parameters.
Generative vs. discriminative model? Joint vs. conditional probability distributions for tasks.
CNN vs. RNN? Image recognition vs. sequence data processing in neural networks.


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Author: Mithlesh Upadhyay

I hold an M.Tech degree in Artificial Intelligence (2023) from Delhi Technological University (DTU) and possess over 4 years of experience. I worked at GeeksforGeeks, leading teams and managing content, including GATE CS, Test Series, Placements, C, and C++. I've also contributed technical content to companies like MarsDev, Tutorialspoint, StudyTonight, TutorialCup, and Guru99. My skill set includes coding, Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA), and Object-Oriented Programming (OOPs). I'm proficient in C++, Python, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, React.js, Node.js, MongoDB, Django, and Data Science.