Amazon Interview Experience for SDE1 (Off Campus)
Last Updated :
05 Sep, 2025
Profile
2024 graduate with 1 year of experience in a service-based company
I recently interviewed with Amazon for the SDE-1 role and wanted to share my experience to help others who are preparing. I had applied multiple times before and given online assessments, but this time I got a direct call from the Amazon recruitment team. The HR also confirmed the job ID and interview style beforehand.
Round 1: Technical Interview
The interviewer introduced himself and asked for a short intro from me, then explained the interview format.
- A collaborative coding doc was shared, and I was given a problem. It turned out to be the Sliding Window Maximum (disguised in a story style format, like Codeforces).
- I quickly identified the problem, explained my approach and optimal solution, and then implemented the code.
- A simple follow-up question was asked based on the same problem.
In between, the interviewer also asked behavioral questions related to Amazon Leadership Principles (LPs).
Tip: LPs can come up anytime, even in technical rounds. Be ready.
After 3 days, I got a mail confirming my Round 2. HR also called to finalize the interview slot.
Round 2: Technical Interview
This interviewer skipped introductions and jumped straight to the problems.
Problem 1: In a sorted array, where every element occurs twice except one, find the index of the single element. (Binary Search solution).
Problem 2: Course Schedule problem (Topological Sort).
After solving these, I was asked 2 LP-based questions related to my current company’s work.
The next week, HR confirmed that my Round 3 would be the Bar Raiser.
Round 3: Bar Raiser Interview
The interviewer joined late but started with a casual chat about my current role.
- Then came 5–6 Bar Raiser questions. These were classic LP-style situational questions.
- I answered them using real experiences from my work, framed with the STAR method.
Thankfully, I had prepared multiple stories beforehand (for ownership, dealing with conflicts, delivering under pressure, etc.), so I could adapt them easily.
This round went smoothly as well.
Final Verdict
I received a call from HR next week, and I was selected
My Tips for Future Candidates
- Interviewers value clarity of thought more than just getting the right code. Talk through your approach, choice of data structures, and complexity analysis before typing.
- Have 6–7 strong scenarios ready. You can often reuse stories across multiple principles.
- Persistence is key. I applied to almost every Amazon opening, and after multiple tries, I finally got an interview call.
Writing this was something I always wanted to do after reading so many MAANG interview experiences myself. Hope this helps someone out there.
Keep grinding, your turn will come!