Interview Experience - 156 - Amazon | SDE2 | L5
Summary :
📌 Job Role: Software Development Engineer
🔢 Number of Rounds: 5
📜 Offer Status: Offer
📍 Location: Bangalore
👤 Candidate Name: Not disclosing due to signed NDA
Interview Process
Online Assessment – 1.5 hours coding + LP questions.
Virtual On-site Interviews (4 rounds)
Round 1: Problem Solving & DSA
Round 2: LLD & Problem Solving
Round 3: Hiring Manager (LP Focus + HLD)
Round 4: Bar Raiser (All LP)
Result – Offer
Preparation Guide
I have always been on the lazier side when it comes to practising DSA, mainly because I do not enjoy solving puzzles for the sake of it. My focus is more on leveraging concepts in real-world problems. For this interview, I deliberately pushed myself into problem-solving mode. I picked up LeetCode medium to hard-level questions, covering arrays, strings, stacks & queues, trees, dynamic programming, graphs, and linked lists. I filtered by Amazon-tagged questions and sorted by decreasing frequency — this was immensely helpful.
For advanced topics like trees and graphs, I studied popular algorithms to cover as much as possible, though I barely touched greedy algorithms beyond the basics. In total, I solved around 100 questions, mostly medium/hard, dedicating 3–4 hours daily for about two weeks.
For LLD and HLD, I rate myself intermediate to good based on my work experience across 5–6 different projects, designing systems and features from scratch. However, I still read case studies to refresh how to present designs during interviews. I watched Uncle Bob’s sessions on YouTube and also started reading Designing Data-Intensive Applications — found it very interesting.
As the interview dates approached, I spent an hour daily revisiting past professional experiences and wrote them down in STAR format, mapping each one to Amazon’s Leadership Principles. This exercise helped me prepare detailed and relevant LP answers.
Interview Rounds
Round 1: Online Assessment
Duration: 90 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
Experience:
I received a link for the standard 1.5-hour OA. It included two medium-level coding questions followed by leadership principle-based questions. The first problem was array-based, which I solved optimally. The second was dynamic programming — I used memoization, but two test cases still failed.
The LP section covered situational questions aligned with Amazon’s values. I answered them based on my prepared STAR responses.
Key Learnings:
Be prepared for multiple LP questions even in the OA.
Time management matters — especially when the second question is more complex.
Round 2: Problem Solving & DSA
Duration: ~50 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
Experience:
Two coding problems were given. The first was an easy-to-medium pattern searching question. I explained my approach clearly, coded with proper syntax, and completed it in about 15 minutes.
The second question involved graph traversal in a matrix — medium-to-hard difficulty. Initially, I struggled to fully understand the problem. Once I did, I implemented an incorrect approach. The interviewer gave hints, and I reached the right solution, but time ran out before I could implement it fully.
One LP question followed, after which the interviewer asked if I had questions for them.
Key Learnings:
Quickly grasping problem statements is critical.
Graph-based problems need regular practice under time pressure.
Round 3: LLD & Problem Solving
Duration: ~50 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
Experience:
The interviewer presented a combined LLD + problem-solving challenge. It required using HashMaps, PriorityQueues, and OOP principles to design and implement a clean, modular solution. I completed the problem with clarity and correctness.
This was followed by LP questions. My answers seemed to impress the interviewer, and I later received positive feedback via HR.
Key Learnings:
Many Amazon rounds combine design and coding — be prepared for both.
Clear OOP structure can make a strong impression.
Round 4: Hiring Manager
Duration: ~55 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
Experience:
This round had a lot of LP questions — Ownership, Deliver Results, and Learn & Be Curious were the main focus areas. Each LP question had follow-up queries to dig deeper into my experiences. It felt like an exploratory conversation where the HM was assessing the depth of my professional exposure over the last couple of years.
The second half involved a simple HLD problem. I started confidently with my rehearsed framework but got slightly nervous mid-way, which affected my delivery.
I was skeptical after this round, knowing it carries heavy weight in Amazon’s evaluation process. No feedback was shared immediately as HR was unavailable that day.
Key Learnings:
Be very well-prepared for LP questions in HM rounds — they matter a lot.
Stay composed during HLD, even when slightly nervous.
Round 5: Bar Raiser
Duration: ~60 minutes
Difficulty Level: Hard
Experience:
This round was entirely Leadership Principles for over an hour. The Bar Raiser assessed consistency, depth, and diversity of my examples.
One critical piece of advice I got from HR beforehand was to never repeat LP answers from earlier rounds, as the Bar Raiser would already have access to prior feedback. I ensured each story was fresh and addressed a different aspect of my experience.
The conversation was challenging but I received strong feedback for this round.
Key Learnings:
Prepare a large bank of STAR stories so you can avoid repetition.
Bar Raiser is not just about LP knowledge — they assess long-term fit.
Final Thoughts
Amazon interviews demand deep preparation for Leadership Principles — technical ability alone is not enough.
Having a well-organised STAR story repository makes answering LP questions smoother and more impactful.
For DSA, target Amazon-tagged LeetCode problems ordered by frequency — this aligns closely with what you might get in interviews.
Combining system design skills with coding is essential for SDE2/L5 roles.
The Bar Raiser round is unique — prepare for it by having a wide range of examples and avoiding repetition at all costs.