Amazon | SDE 1 | Interview Experience (Off Campus)
Anonymous User
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AmazonCareerInterview

Profile

  • 2024 graduate
  • 1 year of experience in a service-based company

I recently interviewed with Amazon for the SDE-1 role and wanted to share my experience to help others who are preparing. I had applied multiple times before and given online assessments, but this time I got a direct call from the Amazon recruitment team. The HR also confirmed the job ID and interview style beforehand.

Round 1: Technical Interview

  • The interviewer introduced himself and asked for a short intro from me, then explained the interview format.

  • A collaborative coding doc was shared, and I was given a problem. It turned out to be the Sliding Window Maximum (disguised in a story style format, like Codeforces).

  • I quickly identified the problem, explained my approach and optimal solution, and then implemented the code.

  • A simple follow-up question was asked based on the same problem.

In between, the interviewer also asked behavioral questions related to Amazon Leadership Principles (LPs).

Tip: LPs can come up anytime, even in technical rounds. Be ready.

After 3 days, I got a mail confirming my Round 2. HR also called to finalize the interview slot.

Round 2: Technical Interview

This interviewer skipped introductions and jumped straight to the problems.

  • Problem 1: In a sorted array, where every element occurs twice except one, find the index of the single element. (Binary Search solution).

  • Problem 2: Classic Course Schedule problem (Topological Sort).

  • After solving these, I was asked 2 LP-based questions related to my current company’s work.

The next week, HR confirmed that my Round 3 would be the Bar Raiser.

Round 3: Bar Raiser Interview

The interviewer joined late but started with a casual chat about my current role.

  • Then came 5–6 Bar Raiser questions. These were classic LP-style situational questions.

  • I answered them using real experiences from my work, framed with the STAR method.

  • Thankfully, I had prepared multiple stories beforehand (for ownership, dealing with conflicts, delivering under pressure, etc.), so I could adapt them easily.

This round went smoothly as well.

Final Verdict
I received a call from HR next week, and I was selected 🎉

My Tips for Future Candidates

  • Interviewers value clarity of thought more than just getting the right code. Talk through your approach, choice of data structures, and complexity analysis before typing.

  • Have 6–7 strong scenarios ready. You can often reuse stories across multiple principles.

  • Persistence is key. I applied to almost every Amazon opening, and after multiple tries, I finally got an interview call.

Writing this was something I always wanted to do after reading so many MAANG interview experiences myself. Hope this helps someone out there.

Keep grinding, your turn will come! 💪

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