Amazon Interview Experience 2025 - Real Interview Stories & Tips

Amazon Interview Experience - Real Stories from Candidates

Learn from real Amazon interview experiences shared by candidates who successfully cleared the placement process. These authentic stories help you understand what to expect, how Amazon evaluates candidates, and how to prepare effectively for the interview process.

Learning from Interview Experiences

Reading Amazon interview experiences helps you understand: What questions are actually asked in technical and behavioral rounds, How Amazon evaluates candidates (Leadership Principles assessment), What mistakes to avoid, How to prepare effectively for system design and coding interviews, What Amazon values in candidates (customer obsession, ownership, bias for action). Use these experiences to guide your preparation for Amazon placement papers.

Technical Interview Experience 1

SDE-1 Interview Experience (2025)

Profile: B.Tech CS, 8.2 CGPA, Tier-1 college, 2 internships
Result: Selected for SDE-1 role (₹28 LPA)

Round 1 - Online Assessment (OA)

Platform: HackerRank
Questions: 1) Find maximum sum subarray with at most k elements, 2) Clone a graph with random pointers
Work Simulation: Email scenarios about handling customer complaints and prioritizing tasks
Behavioral MCQs: Questions about ownership and customer obsession
Result: Cleared all test cases, shortlisted for next round

Round 2 - Technical Interview 1

Duration: 50 minutes
Question 1: Design a data structure that supports insert, delete, and getRandom in O(1) time
Approach: Used HashMap + ArrayList combination
Question 2: Find the longest substring with at most k distinct characters (sliding window)
Follow-up: Optimize space complexity, handle edge cases
Feedback: Explained approach clearly, optimized solution

Round 3 - Technical + Behavioral Interview 2

DSA Problem: Maximum path sum in binary tree (DP on trees)
Behavioral Questions:

• “Tell me about a time you went above and beyond for a customer” (Customer Obsession)
• “Describe a situation where you took ownership of a project” (Ownership)
• “Give an example of a quick decision with incomplete data” (Bias for Action)
  Tip: Used STAR method for all behavioral answers

Round 4 - System Design

Question: Design a bookstore system (OOP focus for SDE-1)
Discussion: Classes (Book, Customer, Order), relationships, methods, database schema
Follow-up: How would you handle concurrent orders? (Basic concurrency concepts)

Round 5 - Bar Raiser

DSA: Design a LRU Cache (medium-hard)
System Design: How would you scale the bookstore to handle millions of users?
Behavioral: Deep dive into ownership principle with multiple follow-up questions
Outcome: Selected - strong technical skills and Leadership Principles alignment

Technical Interview Experience 2

SDE-1 Interview Experience (2024)

Profile: B.Tech IT, 7.8 CGPA, Tier-2 college, 1 internship
Result: Selected for SDE-1 role (₹26 LPA)

Round 1 - Online Assessment

Questions: 1) Word Ladder II (graph BFS), 2) Merge k sorted lists
Result: Solved both with optimal solutions, cleared OA

Round 2 - Technical Interview

Question: Find all anagrams in a string (sliding window + hashmap)
Follow-up: Optimize for space, handle edge cases (empty string, no anagrams)

Round 3 - Behavioral + Technical

DSA: Design Twitter (simplified - focus on data structures)
Behavioral: Multiple Leadership Principles questions with STAR stories

Round 4 - Bar Raiser

Mix of technical and behavioral: Graph problem + deep behavioral probing
Outcome: Selected

HR Interview Experience

HR Interview Experience

Duration: 20 minutes
Questions:

• Why Amazon? (Focus on innovation, scale, learning culture)
• Are you willing to relocate? (Amazon has offices in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai)
• How do you handle failure or negative feedback?
• What are your salary expectations?
• When can you join? Outcome: Offer letter received within 2 days

Common Interview Questions from Amazon Placement Process

Based on real Amazon interview experiences, here are common questions asked:

Technical Interview Questions (Coding):

• Design a data structure that supports insert, delete, and getRandom in O(1) time
• Find the longest substring with at most k distinct characters (sliding window)
• Maximum path sum in binary tree (DP on trees)
• Design a LRU Cache
• Clone a graph with random pointers
• Word Ladder II (graph BFS)
• Merge k sorted lists
• Find all anagrams in a string

System Design Questions:

• Design a bookstore system (OOP focus for SDE-1)
• Design a scalable video platform (SDE-2+)
• Design a URL shortener
• Design a distributed cache system
• Design Twitter (simplified)

Behavioral / Leadership Principles Questions:

• Tell me about a time you went above and beyond for a customer (Customer Obsession)
• Describe a situation where you took ownership of a project (Ownership)
• Give an example of a quick decision with incomplete data (Bias for Action)
• Share an example where you simplified a complex process (Invent & Simplify)
• Tell me about a time you learned from failure (Learn and Be Curious)
• Describe a situation where you had to disagree with a team decision (Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit)

Tips from Successful Candidates

Preparation Tips

• Practice 150+ LeetCode problems focusing on Amazon-tagged questions
• Master DSA (graphs, sliding window, bit manipulation, DP)
• Prepare STAR stories for all 16 Amazon Leadership Principles
• Practice system design basics (OOP for SDE-1, scalable systems for SDE-2+)
• Research Amazon’s culture and Leadership Principles

Technical Interview Tips

• Think out loud - explain your approach before coding
• Focus on optimal solutions and handle edge cases
• Discuss time/space complexity
• Ask clarifying questions before solving
• Practice coding in Java, C++, or Python

Behavioral Interview Tips

• Use STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for all answers
• Prepare 1-2 stories for each of the 16 Leadership Principles
• Research Amazon’s Leadership Principles and culture
• Prepare specific examples (not generic answers)
• Demonstrate customer obsession, ownership, and bias for action

Amazon-Specific Interview Nuances

Understanding Amazon's Interview Philosophy

Amazon’s interview process is designed to assess: Technical depth (DSA, system design), Alignment with Leadership Principles (customer obsession, ownership, bias for action), Problem-solving ability, Cultural fit, Raising the bar. Understanding these nuances helps you prepare effectively.

Key Amazon-Specific Nuances:

1. Leadership Principles Assessment

   • Every round evaluates alignment with Amazon’s 16 Leadership Principles
   • Behavioral questions probe for depth, learning, and impact
   • Even technical rounds include Leadership Principles questions
   • Prepare STAR stories for each principle

2. Bar Raiser Round

   • Mandatory for all SDE hires
   • Conducted by senior/principal engineer
   • Mix of technical and deep behavioral questions
   • Focus on raising the bar and ownership

3. Work Simulation in OA

   • Unique to Amazon’s online assessment
   • Email scenarios, debugging, decision-making
   • Tests practical problem-solving and prioritization
   • Practice with similar scenarios

4. System Design for SDE-1

   • OOP and basic system design (not just scalable systems)
   • Focus on class design, relationships, methods
   • Examples: Design a bookstore, design a parking lot
   • SDE-2+ focuses on scalable systems

5. All Test Cases Must Pass

   • OA coding questions require all test cases to pass
   • Partial solutions may not be sufficient
   • Focus on optimal solutions and edge cases
   • Practice time management

Practice with Amazon Placement Papers

The best way to prepare for Amazon interviews is by practicing with Amazon placement papers:

Amazon Placement Papers 2024

Practice with Amazon placement papers 2024 to understand previous year interview patterns and question types.

Practice 2024 Papers →

Amazon Placement Papers 2025

Access latest Amazon placement papers 2025 with current year questions and updated patterns.

Practice 2025 Papers →

Amazon Technical Questions

Practice Amazon technical questions with detailed solutions covering DSA and system design.

View Technical Questions →

Amazon Leadership Principles

Learn about Amazon’s 16 Leadership Principles and how to prepare STAR stories for each.

View Leadership Principles →

Complete Amazon Guide

Return to complete Amazon placement papers guide with all resources and preparation strategies.

View Complete Guide →

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Related Resources

Amazon Placement Paper Topics

• Amazon Placement Papers - Complete guide to Amazon placement papers
• Amazon Technical Questions - DSA problems and system design questions
• Amazon Leadership Principles - Complete guide to Amazon’s 16 Leadership Principles

Year-Specific Amazon Placement Papers

• Amazon Placement Papers 2024 - Previous year papers for practice
• Amazon Placement Papers 2025 - Latest papers with current patterns
• Amazon Placement Papers 2026 - Expected patterns and preparation

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Ready to learn from Amazon interview experiences? Use these real stories to understand what Amazon looks for, how to prepare for Leadership Principles assessment, and how to excel in technical and behavioral interviews. Practice with Amazon placement papers and follow the tips from successful candidates.

Pro Tip: Prepare STAR stories for all 16 Leadership Principles. Amazon evaluates both technical skills and alignment with Leadership Principles. Focus on customer obsession, ownership, and bias for action in all your answers.

Last updated: November 2025