Amazon System Development Engineer Interview Experience
Amazon SysDE-1 Interview Experience
I got the opportunity directly and received the online assessment (OA) in November. Cleared both questions in the OA, and after 10 days, I got a call about the interviews. The interviews were scheduled in the 2nd and 3rd weeks of December but were rescheduled 3-4 times.
Round 1: LPs + DSA
Duration: 30 minutes for Leadership Principles (LPs) and 30 minutes for DSA.
Details:
LPs: 3-4 standard LP questions.
DSA:
- (Med-hard)The first question involved stacks, which I initially solved using O(n) time and O(n) space. The interviewer then asked me to optimize the solution to O(1) space.
- Since we still had 15 minutes left, I assumed there would be another question. However, the interviewer clarified that this was the only DSA question she had prepared. As I was able to think about the O(1) approach, I coded that too.
- To use the remaining time, She asked another question and she added tight constraints to the question, such as no extra space, no temp variables, and no swaps, turning it into a med-hard level problem involving math and arrays. I tried solving it with these constraints, but time ran out before I could complete it.
Experience:
The interview was taken by a shadowing interviewer (with only 2 years of experience), while the main interviewer was just there, seemingly chilling. At one point, I called out to her for clarification, and she responded after 3-4 seconds, sounding like she had snacks in her mouth (Should’ve asked if I need someđ).
The shadowing interviewer appeared nervous and struggled to clarify the second question. She only had one DSA question prepared, and after solving it and optimizing it in 2-3 minutes, she moved to the next question without much clarity.
Despite solving the primary question, but in the feedback, she falsely mentioned that I had only solved the “warm-up question.” If she had only 1 med-hard question how this could be warm up? đ¤ The recruiter informed me this was the rejection reason, which I found disappointing and unfair.
Round 2: LPs + Scripting + Troubleshooting + System Design Concepts
Details:
LPs: 4 LP questions.
Scripting: Some Linux commands.
Troubleshooting:
A scenario on handling large traffic and website crashes.
Discussed system design concepts such as caching, scaling, and load balancing.
Round 3: HM Round – LPs + Troubleshooting
Experience:
This was one of the best rounds. The Hiring Manager (HM), with 25+ years of experience, was extremely professional and cool.
Details:
LPs: A few questions based on scenarios and few questions on resume.
Troubleshooting:
Example: “If you are working at Zomato and a customer reports an issue where they are unable to proceed after adding food to the cart, what would you do?”
I felt very comfortable in this round and could confidently answer the questions.
Round 4: Bar Raiser
Experience:
Another excellent round. The interviewer was from Amazon Gurgaon with 20+ years of experience.
Details:
LPs: 4 detailed questions. Each required precise and well-thought-out answers.
- The interviewer noted down every detail, especially numbers and percentages mentioned in my responses.
He grilled me on my resume, asking how I measured specific metrics, what improvements I could make, and testing if I was consistent by revisiting previous answers.
Takeaway:
While I faced rejection, the experience provided valuable lessons. For anyone preparing, I recommend focusing on:
- Quickly optimizing solutions and communicating your thought process effectively.
- Providing structured, detailed answers to LP questions.
- Being thoroughly prepared to defend every aspect of your resume with examples and metrics.
Additionally, companies should ensure that interviewers, especially shadowing or less experienced ones, are adequately trained to conduct fair and structured interviews. Poorly managed interviews not only hinder a candidate’s chances but also reflect poorly on the company’s hiring process.