My Amazon SDE-1 Interview Experience

In 2022, I went through the Amazon interview process for the SDE-1 role after applying via the Career Site. Here’s a detailed breakdown of my experience.

Online Assessment (OA)

• The OA had 2 coding questions (I don’t remember the exact problems).
• I was provided an MD editor to code, explain my approach, and discuss time complexities.
• Key takeaway: You must solve both questions to be shortlisted for interviews.

Round 1 — Coding Round

• Conducted ~3 weeks after the OA.
• Taken by a Senior SDE-2.
• After a short introduction, we directly jumped into coding problems.

Questions:

1. Move zeros to last
2. Remove k consecutive characters

We first discussed possible approaches. Once I reached the optimized solution, I wrote the code and explained time & space complexities.

Round 2 — Coding Round

• Held one hour after Round 1 on the same day.
• Taken by two Senior SDE-1s.

Questions:

• A modified DFS graph problem (application-based).
• Count ways to reach nth stairs.

I explained both problems in ~45 minutes. Afterward, they asked me questions about my background and I got the chance to ask about their Amazon experiences.

Round 3 — Bar-Raiser Round

• Taken by a Senior Manager.
• Faced bandwidth issues during the call.

Discussion topics:

• My recent projects: approach, challenges, and solutions.
• Behavioral questions like:
• Tell me about a time you made a blunder (technical and personal).
• Questions from previous rounds.

Coding Problem:

• Reverse zig-zag tree traversal.

This round didn’t go as smoothly. I was nervous, and since it ran 10 minutes overtime, I only had a 5-minute break before Round 4.

Round 4 — Bar-Raiser Round

• Taken by another Senior Manager with 12+ years of experience.
• Began with introductions.

Discussion topics:

• My recent projects, with more depth compared to the previous round.
• HR questions:
• Why do you want to leave your current company?
• Why Amazon?

Coding Problem:

• Maximum sum path in a binary tree.

Final Result

A week later, I received the call: I got selected! 🎉

Key Takeaways

• Solve both OA questions seriously — they determine your shortlist.
• Expect a mix of DSA, system design (at a small scale), and behavioral questions.
• Amazon emphasizes the Leadership Principles — prepare real examples from your projects.
• Stay calm under pressure; even if a round doesn’t go perfectly, the overall performance matters.

✨ That was my Amazon SDE-1 journey. Hope this helps future aspirants preparing for their own interviews!