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AWS's Interview Process (2026)

Blog / AWS's Interview Process (2026)

The AWS software engineer interview process is one of the most structured in the industry, typically moving through several well-defined stages from an online assessment to a multi-round virtual onsite. The exact format can vary by team and level, but most candidates report a consistent pattern that looks something like this:

Application and Resume Screen: Your resume is filtered for impact-driven language. Quantified achievements like reduced latency by 20% tend to perform better than vague descriptions of responsibilities.
Online Assessment (OA): A proctored assessment that usually runs around 90 to 120 minutes, typically including two DSA problems at a medium to hard difficulty level plus a Work Style Assessment covering situational judgment.
Recruiter Screen: A 30-minute conversation covering your background, motivation for joining AWS, and basic logistics like compensation expectations and visa status.
Technical Phone Screen: Usually one or two 60-minute rounds where you can expect around 20 minutes of Leadership Principles questions followed by 40 minutes of live coding on DSA problems.
The Loop (Virtual Onsite): Generally three to five back-to-back rounds covering coding, system design, and Leadership Principles. This is where you will typically meet the Bar Raiser and Hiring Manager.
Debrief and Offer: The interview panel meets to reach a hiring consensus. Timelines can range from two to four weeks on a fast track to six to eight weeks for a standard process.

The AWS loop tests you across several distinct disciplines. Here is how to break your preparation into focused areas:

Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA): LeetCode-style coding problems at medium to hard difficulty, tested in the OA and live coding rounds.
High-Level Design (HLD): Distributed systems design questions targeting mid to senior level engineers.
Low-Level Design (LLD): Object-oriented and component-level design questions, most common at the junior L4 level.
Behavioral and Leadership Principles: STAR-format questions tied to Amazon's 16 Leadership Principles, present in every single round.

1. Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA)

DSA appears at two points in the process: the proctored OA and the live coding rounds inside the loop. The OA typically features two problems at a medium to hard difficulty, while the live sessions also expect clean, production-quality code with clear variable names and proper error handling.Frequently tested topics include graphs (BFS and DFS), heaps and priority queues, sliding window, and tries. Start your prep with our top 100 DSA questions to cover the highest-yield problems, then drill specific weak spots with focused topic sets like graphs and sliding window.In 2026, getting to a working solution is no longer enough on its own. Interviewers are paying close attention to how you structure your code, so treat every practice session as if it were a code review. Problems like Rotting Oranges and Task Scheduler with Cooldown Period are representative of the graph and heap questions that come up regularly.

2. High-Level Design (HLD)

HLD rounds are targeted primarily at L5 and L6 candidates. Expect questions around distributed systems with an AWS infrastructure flavor, such as designing a distributed rate limiter or a notification system similar to CloudWatch.Core concepts you need to be solid on include sharding, load balancing, and the CAP theorem. A 2026 trend worth noting is that interviewers are increasingly asking how you would incorporate an LLM or AI component into a system, so be ready to discuss that at a high level. Practice with our High-Level Design case studies to get comfortable structuring these answers under time pressure.For hands-on practice drawing out architectures, use the System Design Whiteboard to simulate the whiteboarding experience you will face in the loop. Questions like Design a Distributed Rate Limiter and Design Amazon's Order Processing System are the type of prompts recent candidates have reported.

3. Low-Level Design (LLD)

LLD is most common at the L4 level, though it can appear for L5 candidates depending on the team. Typical prompts ask you to design a specific component or system from an OOP perspective, such as a parking lot, a vending machine, or a Unix find command.Interviewers are looking for clean class structures, sensible use of design patterns, and the ability to reason through edge cases out loud. Work through problems like Parking Lot System, Vending Machine, and Design File System Find API to get reps in on the most common formats. More Low-Level Design practice is available if you want to go deeper on object-oriented design.

4. Behavioral and Leadership Principles

Leadership Principles are not a soft add-on at AWS. They account for roughly half of your overall score and show up in every single round, including the technical ones. Every interviewer starts with two or three LP questions before moving into coding or design.The five principles most relevant for software engineers are Customer Obsession, Ownership, Dive Deep, Bias for Action, and Insist on the Highest Standards. You need sharp, specific STAR stories ready for each one. Review the STAR principle if you want a clear framework for structuring your answers.The Bar Raiser round is where LP questions get the most intense. This interviewer has veto power over the hire and will push hard with follow-up questions, often asking exactly why you made a specific trade-off in your STAR story. Quantify your results wherever possible, because a story like 'I reduced API latency by 140ms, resulting in a 3% increase in checkout conversions' will land much better than a vague outcome. The Behavioral Interview Course and Behavioral Playbook are good resources for building and stress-testing your story bank.

Conclusion

AWS interviews are demanding but very predictable once you understand the structure. Focus on clean code in your DSA practice, prepare STAR stories with hard numbers, and treat Leadership Principles as seriously as the technical rounds. Follow the AWS Interview Roadmap for a structured, stage-by-stage plan to get you from first application to offer.