Interview Experience - 50 - Amazon | Software Development Engineer | L5 (SDE II)
Summary
📌 Job Role: Software Development Engineer
🔢 Number of Rounds: 5
📜 Offer Status: Offer
📍 Location: Bengaluru
👤 Candidate Name: Not disclosing due to signed NDA
Interview Process
I was approached by the recruiter over LinkedIn. After I replied positively, she took ahead the process and I received an Online Assessment (OA) test link.
After completing the OA, within three days, I received an invitation for the virtual onsite interviews.
Preparation Guide
Takeaways:
Whenever you get intimidated with a problem (no matter whether it is easy, medium, or hard), first try to come up with a brute-force solution. Once you have a brute-force solution, coming up with an optimal solution becomes much easier. Practicing this approach on platforms like LeetCode can be very helpful. This strategy particularly helped me in the first round.
In your design rounds (or in any round), never assume anything without clearly mentioning it to the interviewer, even if the assumption seems trivial. Explicitly stating your assumptions ensures the interviewer understands your thought process. I made the mistake of assuming things during the last round, which could have negatively impacted my outcome.
Specific to Amazon - Leadership Principles (LP) are extremely critical. They constitute almost half of your interactions during the interviews. Prepare well-structured stories around different LPs and practice narrating them fluently.
Interview Rounds
Round 1: Online Assessment (Hackerrank)
Duration: 90 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
Experience
The Online Assessment consisted of two coding questions. Both were of LeetCode medium difficulty level.
In addition to coding, there were subjective questions accompanying each problem where I had to elaborate on the approach taken, runtime complexities, and alternative solutions if any.
The problems tested fundamental coding skills and required a clean, well-explained submission.
Key Learnings
Writing down the approach clearly, along with time and space complexity, helps create a positive impression even in an automated evaluation.
Round 2: Round 1 (Coding + LP)
Duration: 60 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
Experience
The round began with a general introduction, followed by Leadership Principles discussion that lasted for about 15 minutes.
Post the LP discussion, I was given two coding problems:
First Problem: An array-based problem (LeetCode easy-medium).
Initially, I struggled a bit but eventually came up with a brute-force solution and then optimized it. It took me around 35 minutes to solve it completely.Second Problem: A parentheses-related problem (LeetCode easy-medium).
As time was running out, the interviewer asked only for the approach. I not only explained but also coded an optimal solution within 6 minutes.
The interviewer seemed happy with my efficient communication and clean solution in the last few minutes.
Key Learnings
Having a brute-force approach ready even when struggling allows you to get unstuck faster and often opens up paths to optimal solutions. Efficient communication under time pressure can leave a positive last impression.
Round 3: Round 2 (Coding + LP)
Duration: 60 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
Experience
The round started similarly with a brief introduction and LP discussion lasting about 15-18 minutes.
Then moved onto two coding questions:
First Problem: A variation of the 2-sum problem (LeetCode easy-medium).
I quickly explained my approach, coded the solution, and saved some time for the next question.Second Problem: A binary tree problem (LeetCode medium-hard).
The problem was a bit tricky and required a DFS-based solution. I was able to explain the approach well and the interviewer provided some hints when I got stuck during coding.
The overall interaction was positive, and I could sense that the interviewer was satisfied with my problem-solving process and coding skills.
Key Learnings
Saving time on simpler questions provides a buffer for complex ones. Do not hesitate to ask clarifying questions if stuck; interviewers often appreciate thoughtful collaboration.
Round 4: System Design (HLD) + LP
Duration: 60 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
Experience
The interviewer started off with Leadership Principles. I had strong, well-structured examples prepared and I could narrate them confidently.
The interviewer seemed genuinely impressed with the depth and structure of my examples.
LP discussion took a significant part of the round, leaving about 15 minutes for the system design problem.
The design problem was around building a micro-blogging platform similar to Twitter.
I managed to cover the major aspects such as data modeling, sharding strategies, feed generation, and caching.
Given the time constraint, I could not deep dive into every tiny detail but ensured that my high-level design was robust and scalable.
Key Learnings
LP discussions can dominate system design rounds at Amazon. It is important to keep system design solutions crisp, prioritize high-level concepts, and show an ability to scale while balancing time constraints.
Round 5: System Design (HLD + LLD) + LP
Duration: 60 minutes
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Experience
This round had two interviewers. Both were cordial and created a comfortable environment.
We started with Leadership Principles discussion where I again shared detailed and structured stories.
Post LP discussion, we moved to a system design question around adding new features to a highly popular app.
The problem required me to think through distributed systems constraints, high availability, consistency, and feature rollout strategies.
While I was able to put forward a decent high-level design covering distributed aspects, I stumbled a bit in the Low-Level Design (LLD) part.
I assumed certain things without discussing them explicitly which the interviewers pointed out.
Despite the shortcomings, the interviewers seemed satisfied with my overall approach and understanding of system scalability.
Key Learnings
Never assume anything silently in system design rounds. Always highlight your assumptions explicitly and get a nod from the interviewer. Acknowledging the distributed nature of applications in designs is crucial for scaling considerations.
Final Thoughts
Reflecting on the entire interview process, here are some consolidated takeaways:
Brute-force First: Always try to come up with a brute-force solution first when stuck. Practicing this systematically can be a game-changer during real interviews.
Communicate Assumptions: In design rounds, always explicitly mention your assumptions, no matter how trivial they seem.
Prepare LP Stories: Leadership Principles hold significant weightage in Amazon's interview process. Invest ample time preparing detailed and genuine stories for various LPs.
Manage Time Wisely: Especially during coding rounds, solving the first problem quickly provides extra time for tougher problems later.
Stay Calm Under Pressure: Sometimes last-minute solutions or quick problem-solving can leave a strong impression, even if the round feels shaky initially.