Amazon Interview Process - Junior Software Engineer

I got an SDE-1 offer from Amazon. Here's how the OA and four rounds went, and what I'd practice for each.

1. Online Assessment

Two parts: a standard coding test and an AI-assisted task.

Coding: I fully solved one question. Worth covering arrays, binary search, sliding window, greedy and DP. Good practice: Search in Rotated Sorted Array, House Robber, Rotting Oranges.

AI-assisted task: you get an existing codebase with failing tests and have to understand the code, find the bugs and fix them, with an AI assistant available. I passed 3 of 6 tests.

The assistant could explain code, point out likely issues and suggest fixes. I'm not sure if it was allowed to write full solutions or edit files directly. Scoring looked to be based on tests passed. Whether your AI usage was also graded wasn't disclosed.

Tip: practice debugging code you didn't write: trace the API flow, fix logic errors and check every change against the tests. Don't just accept what the AI suggests.

2. Technical Round 1: DSA + LP

One hard linked list problem, with most of the discussion on edge cases. Similar practice: Reverse Nodes in k-Group, Merge k Sorted Lists, Reorder List.

LP question: "Tell me about a time when you had to make a sacrifice." I used STAR: the situation, why I made the call and the impact.

3. Technical Round 2: DSA + LP (same day)

The DSA problem combined a multiset with binary search. Closest match is Maximum Number of Tasks You Can Assign, so do that one first. Also try Sliding Window Median and My Calendar I.

Then LP questions about my past work. Explaining the approach and the complexity clearly mattered as much as getting to the answer.

4. Hiring Manager Round: LLD + LP

The invite came two days after the technical rounds. It got rescheduled and happened about a week later.

The LLD wasn't very deep, but OOP basics, class relationships and design patterns helped. Good practice: LRU Cache, Tic-Tac-Toe, Parking Lot, Library Management System. Also revise SOLID and design patterns like Factory, Strategy and Observer.

Keep the design simple, say what each class is responsible for and talk through how you'd extend it.

5. Bar Raiser: LP only

Fully behavioral, with deep follow-ups on every story. Have stories for: disagreeing with someone, taking ownership, a failure, a tight deadline, a hard decision and going beyond your role.

The follow-ups are what matter: why you decided what you did, what alternatives you considered, the outcome and what you'd do differently. Prepare 6-7 strong STAR stories that each cover several LPs. The Behavioral Playbook helps here.

6. Offer

The offer came about a week after the Bar Raiser.

How I prepared

• DSA: Striver SDE Sheet, InterviewBit and TechPrep DSA for daily practice.

• Amazon-specific: TechPrep's Amazon questions and Glassdoor reports to learn the round formats.

• LLD: OOP fundamentals, SOLID, design patterns and common machine coding problems.

• LPs: several STAR stories from my own experience, rehearsed with follow-ups using the Behavioral Playbook.

• Communication: start with brute force, optimize, state time and space complexity and think out loud.

Final advice

Amazon looks at much more than coding. Communication, ownership, decision-making and how you explain past work all count. Practice consistently, don't neglect the LPs and understand solutions instead of memorizing them. Trust your preparation and have faith in God. Good luck!