Amazon Interview Experience for SDE-1

Experience: 10 Months

I got a mail from Amazon recruitment on Feb ’22 containing a link to apply for SDE 1 role with the same email address as it is already in their database. I applied to Amazon in my college days for SDE 1 role.

I applied using that link and within 24 hours got a test link. I had 5 days to complete that test. I took that test on the third day. There were 2 questions, I don’t remember the questions exactly but they both can be solved using arrays, and their difficulty levels are between easy and medium.
I solved both the questions passing each test case.

Within 24 hours I got a mail confirming that I have passed the test and interviews will be scheduled for next week(They also gave me the date, it was in the 1st week of March). 
I got the mail with the chime ID for the interview 2 days before the interview.

Technical Round 1: The interviewer was at SDE 1 level and for the 1st 5 – 7 minutes, we introduced ourselves. Then he directly jumped toward the DSA question.

• https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/sliding-window-maximum-maximum-of-all-subarrays-of-size-k/

I gave the naive approach then he told me to optimize it. I tried and gave a few ways but I was missing some of the edge cases. I kept on thinking loudly but was not able to give an optimized solution. They said we have passed 45 minutes of the interview so let’s jump toward the next question.

• https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/reversing-a-stack-with-the-help-of-another-empty-stack/

I took  5- 10 minutes in thinking and gave the optimized solution directly. Then he said we don’t have enough time to write the code, so just tell me how will you write. I told him briefly.

I got a mail after 2 – 3 days containing the chime ID for 2nd round.

Technical Round 2: The interviewer was at SDE 1 level and for the 1st 5 – 7 minutes, we introduced ourselves. Then he directly jumped toward the DSA question.

• https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/maximum-water-that-can-be-stored-between-two-buildings/

I gave the naive approach, he told me to optimize it, and I gave the optimized solution covering all edge cases.

• https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/find-if-there-is-a-subarray-with-0-sum/

I gave the naive approach, he told me to optimize it, and I gave the optimized solution covering all edge cases.

This interview was over in 50 minutes.

Next 2 months there was no reply from Amazon, one day in the 2nd week of May I got a call from someone and she said she is a recruiter from Amazon and my final round will be scheduled in a couple of days, she said she will send chime ID by email.

But I had a bad experience, she never sent the email. On the day my final interview was scheduled I thought I missed the chance and there will not be any interview happening. In the last 2 days, I have texted, and mailed the recruiter 50 times saying I did not get the email, how will I join the interview without ID or link? I called her 20 times, either did not pick up the call or busy or switched off.

My interview was scheduled for 10 AM, at 10: 10 I got a call and the person said I am the Software Developer Manager and I am waiting for you to join the interview, are you not going to give it?
I told him everything and he understood my situation and texted me the chime ID and asked me to join the interview.

Bar Raiser Round: We started with the introduction, then with some Amazon Leadership questions.

• Tell me about a time when you have to learn something new to deliver to the client.
• Tell me about something you have done on the production level.
• I gave both the answers following STAR and Amazon Leadership principles.
• Then he gave me an LLD question about designing the Alexa charge connection and battery details to be rendered on different devices using the audio and textual display.
• I gave the solution following the SOLID principle, there were lots of discussions while designing,
• He was asking me why this. why not this?
• I was giving him all the reasons.

And at the end, he was impressed by the class structures.

After 1 week I got the call from HR saying Congratulations!