Learning SQL becomes much easier when you practice real questions.

Instead of just reading concepts, solving problems helps you understand how SQL works in real-world scenarios.

In this guide, you’ll find beginner-friendly SQL practice questions with answers to help you build confidence and improve your skills.

Sample Dataset

Assume you have a table called employees:

employee_id	name	department	salary
1	John	Sales	5000
2	Mary	HR	6000
3	Alex	Sales	4500
4	Sarah	IT	7000

1. Select All Records

Question:

Write a query to display all records.

SELECT *
FROM employees;

2. Select Specific Columns

Question:

Display only name and salary.

SELECT name, salary
FROM employees;

3. Filter Data Using WHERE

Question:

Find employees with salary greater than 5000.

SELECT *
FROM employees
WHERE salary > 5000;

4. Use AND Condition

Question:

Find employees in Sales department with salary above 4000.

SELECT *
FROM employees
WHERE department = 'Sales'
AND salary > 4000;

5. Use OR Condition

Question:

Find employees in Sales or HR.

SELECT *
FROM employees
WHERE department = 'Sales'
OR department = 'HR';

6. Use ORDER BY

Question:

Sort employees by salary (highest first).

SELECT *
FROM employees
ORDER BY salary DESC;

7. Count Records

Question:

Count the number of employees.

SELECT COUNT(*) AS total_employees
FROM employees;

8. Use GROUP BY

Question:

Find total salary by department.

SELECT department, SUM(salary) AS total_salary
FROM employees
GROUP BY department;

9. Use HAVING

Question:

Find departments with total salary greater than 9000.

SELECT department, SUM(salary) AS total_salary
FROM employees
GROUP BY department
HAVING SUM(salary) > 9000;

10. Find Maximum Salary

Question:

Get the highest salary.

SELECT MAX(salary) AS highest_salary
FROM employees;

11. Use LIKE

Question:

Find employees whose name starts with ‘S’.

SELECT *
FROM employees
WHERE name LIKE 'S%';

12. Handle NULL Values

Question:

Find employees with missing salary.

SELECT *
FROM employees
WHERE salary IS NULL;

13. Use CASE WHEN

Question:

Categorize employees based on salary.

SELECT name,
       CASE
           WHEN salary > 6000 THEN 'High'
           ELSE 'Low'
       END AS salary_level
FROM employees;

14. Limit Results

Question:

Show top 2 highest-paid employees.

SELECT *
FROM employees
ORDER BY salary DESC
LIMIT 2;

Why Practice SQL This Way?

Practicing these types of questions helps you:

• Understand real-world use cases
• Improve problem-solving skills
• Prepare for interviews
• Build confidence

Instead of memorizing syntax, you learn how to apply SQL.

Tips for Beginners

• Start with simple queries
• Practice daily
• Use real datasets
• Focus on understanding, not memorizing

Consistency is key to mastering SQL.

SQL is one of the most important skills for data analysts, and the best way to learn it is through practice.

By solving beginner-friendly questions like these, you can build a strong foundation and gradually move to more advanced queries.

The more you practice, the more confident you’ll become in using SQL for real-world data analysis.

FAQs