Google · Statistics & Data Analysis
Derive MLEs and conditional Normal distributions
TrueInterview
October 7, 2026 · 1 min read
Assume are i.i.d. , and that is an independent single draw from a bivariate Normal distribution with means , variances , and correlation . Answer all parts below, showing the algebra at each step:
(a) Give the probability density function and cumulative distribution function of . Use them to express in terms of the standard Normal cdf .
(b) Derive the MLEs of and : (i) when is known; (ii) when both and are unknown; (iii) when is constrained by (give the closed-form MLE for and explain what happens when the unconstrained MLE is negative).
(c) For the bivariate Normal pair , derive the conditional distribution of : give its mean and variance and write the conditional pdf and cdf; then compute in terms of .
(d) Is the usual MLE of unbiased? If not, provide an unbiased estimator for and relate it to the MLE.
Overview: This problem assesses skill in parametric inference and probability, including maximum likelihood estimation, estimator bias, and conditioning in univariate and bivariate Normal distributions, as well as constrained parameter estimation.