Top Amazon SDE Interview Questions & Preparation Guide 2024

Landing a Software Development Engineer (SDE) position at Amazon is a dream for many fresh graduates and aspiring software engineers. Known for its difficult interview process, Amazon ensures that only the best candidates join their company. If you're gearing up for an Amazon SDE interview, you're in the right place! This comprehensive guide will walk you through the common interview questions, essential preparation tips, and strategies to help you ace your Amazon SDE coding interviews in 2024.

Understanding the Amazon SDE Interview Process

Before diving into the questions, it's crucial to understand the structure of Amazon's SDE coding interview process. Usually, the journey begins with an online coding assessment, followed by one or two phone screens, and ends with a series of onsite interviews. Each stage is designed to test your technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within Amazon's dynamic environment.

Interview Stages:

1. Online Assessment:
   • Format: Timed coding problems.
   • Focus: Algorithms, data structures, and coding efficiency.
   • Tip: Practice on platforms like LeetCode.com to familiarize yourself with the questions and set time constraints to get used to the interview pressure.
2. Phone Screens:
   • Format: One or two technical interviews via phone or video call.
   • Focus: Coding problems, algorithmic thinking, and basic system design.
   • Tip: Communicate your thought process clearly and ask clarifying questions if needed.
3. Onsite Interviews:
   • Format: Usually four to six back-to-back interviews at an Amazon office.
   • Focus: Advanced coding, system design, and behavioral questions aligned with Amazon's Leadership Principles.
   • Tip: Prepare examples from your past experiences that demonstrate leadership, ownership, and customer obsession (use the STAR method).

Understanding this process helps you set up your preparation effectively, making sure you're ready for each stage's unique challenges.

Common Technical Questions

Amazon places a strong emphasis on technical excellence. Expect a significant portion of your interview to focus on Leetcode-style coding challenges that assess your understanding of algorithms and data structures.

Key Areas to Focus:

• Data Structures: Arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash tables.
• Algorithms: Sorting, searching, dynamic programming, recursion, graph traversal.
• Complexity Analysis: Understanding Big-O notation to evaluate the efficiency of your solutions.

Below you will find the list of Leetcode questions that are most commonly asked during Amazon coding interviews. These questions were sourced from various different places on the internet, including the LeetCode.com forums.

🟢 Easy Problems

🟡 Medium Problems

🔴 Hard Problems

Setting Up Your LeetCode Preparation Plan

A well-structured preparation plan ensures that you cover all necessary topics. Here’s how to create an effective Leetcode study schedule for Amazon SDE interviews:

1. Assess Your Current Skill Level

Before starting your practice, evaluate your current understanding of key DSA concepts. Identify your strengths and weaknesses by attempting a few problems from various categories on LeetCode.com. This self-assessment will help you shape your study plan effectively.

2. Prioritize Topics Based on Amazon’s Interview Focus

Amazon typically emphasizes the following topics in their SDE interviews:

• Arrays and Strings: Fundamental for most coding problems.
• Linked Lists: Essential for questions involving data manipulation.
• Stacks and Queues: Useful for solving problems that require specific order processing.
• Trees and Graphs: Critical for hierarchical and network-based questions.
• Dynamic Programming: Important for optimization problems.
• Sorting and Searching Algorithms: Basis for efficient data handling.
• Hash Tables: Key for quick data retrieval and storage.

Focus your efforts on these areas and the problems listed in the table above, ensuring a balanced approach that covers all areas.

3. Create a Weekly Study Schedule

Consistency is key to mastering Leetcode problems. Set specific time slots each day dedicated to solving problems. For example:

• Monday to Friday:
  • Morning: Solve 2-3 medium-level problems.
  • Evening: Review solutions, understand different approaches, and revisit any challenging problems.
• Saturday:
  • Morning: Attempt 1-2 hard-level problems.
  • Afternoon: Participate in LeetCode contests to simulate interview pressure.
• Sunday:
  • Rest or Light Review: Go over previously solved problems or read discussion threads for new insights.

Adjust the schedule based on your personal commitments, ensuring you maintain a steady pace without burnout.

Preparation Tips

• Practice Regularly: Consistent practice on coding platforms like LeetCode.com helps you become familiar with question patterns. Check out our other article which lists other commonly asked coding interview questions.
• Understand the Concepts: Rather than memorizing solutions, focus on understanding the underlying concepts to tackle variations of questions.
• Optimize Your Solutions: Strive for solutions with optimal time and space complexity.

Acing the Interview

Effective problem-solving goes beyond just writing code. It involves understanding the problem, devising an optimal solution, and implementing it efficiently. Here’s how to use these skills during a Leetcode coding interview:

1. Deep Dive into Problem Analysis

Before attempting to solve a problem, spend time understanding the requirements thoroughly. Break down the problem statement, identify input and output formats, and clarify any constraints. This step prevents unnecessary errors and ensures you’re on the right track from the beginning.

2. Apply a Structured Approach

Adopt a systematic approach to problem-solving:

1. Understand the Problem:
   • Read the problem statement multiple times.
   • Identify key requirements and constraints.
2. Plan Your Solution:
   • Think of brute-force solutions first.
   • Optimize by considering more efficient algorithms and data structures.
3. Implement the Solution:
   • Write clean and readable code.
   • Use meaningful variable names and comments for clarity.
4. Test Your Code:
   • Run test cases, including edge cases, to ensure your solution handles all scenarios.
   • Debug any issues that arise during testing.
5. Optimize and Refine:
   • Analyze the time and space complexity.
   • Refactor your code for better performance and readability if necessary.

3. Explore Multiple Solutions

Leetcode-style coding problems often allows multiple ways to solve a single problem. After solving a problem, review other users’ solutions to gain different perspectives. This practice broadens your understanding and exposes you to various optimization techniques and different coding styles.

Conclusion

Preparing for Amazon’s SDE interviews is undoubtedly very demanding, but with the right strategies and resources, it’s entirely achievable. Practicing your Leetcode skills serves as a cornerstone of this preparation, understand complex algorithms, and simulate real interview conditions. By setting a structured study plan, mastering problem-solving techniques, and maintaining consistency, you can significantly enhance your chances of doing well in the Amazon SDE interviews.

Remember, the journey to becoming an Amazon SDE is a marathon, not a sprint. Stay committed, embrace the challenges, and continuously seek improvement. With With dedication and the right preparation, you'll be well-equipped to secure your dream position at one of the world’s leading tech giants. Best of luck on your journey to Amazon!