Amazon Softwere Developer Interview Questions & Experience Guide

Interview Preparation
,
21

Company Name: Amazon

Position: Software Developer

Location: [Not specified]

Application Process: [Not specified]

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Coding Test:

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Spiral Matrix: Traverse a 2D matrix in a spiral order.
      2. Covid Vaccination: A problem related to optimizing vaccination drives.
    • Your Approach: Solved the spiral matrix problem using boundary traversal and the vaccination problem with a straightforward algorithmic approach.
    • Outcome: Passed the round.

  • Round 2 - Telephonic Call (Technical):

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Discussed previous work experience and technical skills (e.g., AWS Lambda).
      2. OS Question: Static and Dynamic Memory allocation.
    • Your Approach: Explained my project and answered technical questions confidently. Solved the coding task on the spot while explaining the approach.
    • Outcome: Passed the round.

  • Round 3 - Telephonic Call (Technical):

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Binary strings with no consecutive 1s.
      2. System Design: Designing a function to return election results for a given state.
    • Your Approach: Used recursion for the binary strings problem and discussed a scalable approach for the election system.
    • Outcome: Passed the round.

  • Round 4 - Telephonic Call (Technical + Behavioral):

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Behavioral questions about teamwork and challenges.
      2. OOPS and OS concepts.
      3. Coding question: Number with maximum probability.
    • Your Approach: Answered behavioral questions honestly and solved the coding problem with a probabilistic approach.
    • Outcome: Passed the round.

  • Round 5 - Telephonic Call (Technical + Behavioral):

    • Questions Asked:
      1. Discussed previous role and system architecture.
      2. Coding question: Search in a row-wise and column-wise sorted matrix.
    • Your Approach: Explained my previous work and solved the matrix search problem efficiently.
    • Outcome: Passed the round and got selected.

Preparation Tips:

  • Consistently practice Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) questions.
  • Participate in coding contests on platforms like Codeforces and CodeChef to improve problem-solving speed.
  • Revise core concepts of OOPS and OS (e.g., polymorphism, race conditions, semaphores, deadlocks).

Conclusion:
The interview process was thorough but fair. Practicing DSA regularly and understanding core CS concepts helped me perform well. I recommend focusing on problem-solving and clear communication during interviews.

22

Company Name: Amazon

Position: Software Developer

Location: Bangalore

Application Process: I applied for the job as SDE - 1 through the company’s hiring portal. The eligibility criteria specified that only female candidates were allowed for this role.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Coding Test:

    • Questions Asked:
      • Longest Palindromic Substring: Given a string, find the longest palindromic substring. If multiple substrings have the same maximum length, return the one with the smaller start index.
    • Your Approach: I used dynamic programming to solve this problem, ensuring the solution was optimized for time and space complexity.
    • Outcome: Passed the round.

  • Round 2 - Coding Test:

    • Questions Asked:
      • Two Sum: Return all pairs of elements in an array that sum up to a given target.
      • Minimum Cost to Connect All Points: Given coordinates of points on a 2D plane, find the minimum cost to connect all points.
    • Your Approach: For the Two Sum problem, I used a hash map for efficient lookups. For the Minimum Cost problem, I implemented Prim’s algorithm to find the minimum spanning tree.
    • Outcome: Passed the round.

  • Round 3 - Video Call (Technical Interview):

    • Questions Asked:
      • First Missing Positive: Find the smallest missing positive integer in an array.
      • Right View of Binary Tree: Print the right view of a given binary tree.
    • Your Approach: For the First Missing Positive, I rearranged the array in place. For the Binary Tree problem, I performed a level-order traversal and printed the last node of each level.
    • Outcome: Passed the round.

  • Round 4 - Video Call (Technical Interview):

    • Questions Asked:
      • Min Stack: Design a stack that supports push, pop, top, and retrieving the minimum element in constant time.
      • Search in a 2D Matrix-II: Search for a target value in a 2D matrix where rows and columns are sorted.
      • Minimum Direction Changes: Given a 2D grid with directions, find the minimum direction changes required to reach the destination.
    • Your Approach: For the Min Stack, I used an auxiliary stack to track the minimum. For the 2D Matrix, I used a stair-step search. For the Direction Changes, I applied BFS with a priority queue.
    • Outcome: Passed the round.

  • Round 5 - Video Call (Bar Raiser):

    • Questions Asked:
      • Next Greater Element: Find the next greater element for every element in an array.
      • Smallest Window: Find the smallest substring in a string that contains all characters of another string.
    • Your Approach: For the Next Greater Element, I used a stack. For the Smallest Window, I implemented the sliding window technique.
    • Outcome: Passed the round and was selected for the role.

Preparation Tips:

  • Before the interview, I practiced questions with the company tag on platforms like LeetCode and reviewed previous interview experiences.
  • Even if I could solve a problem, I explored multiple approaches to understand the most efficient solution.
  • I prepared thoroughly for questions related to leadership principles, as they are often evaluated in Amazon interviews.

Conclusion:
Overall, the interview process was rigorous but well-structured. I felt well-prepared due to my consistent practice and revision. One thing I could have done differently is to focus more on optimizing my code further during the coding rounds. My advice to future candidates is to practice extensively, understand the fundamentals, and be ready to explain your thought process clearly during interviews.

23

Company Name: Amazon

Position: Software Developer

Location: Bangalore

Application Process: I applied for the job as SDE - 1 through the company’s hiring portal. The eligibility criteria specified that only female candidates were allowed for this role.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Coding Test Round:

  • Questions Asked:

    • Longest Palindromic Substring: Given a string, find the longest palindromic substring. If there are multiple, return the one with the smallest starting index.

  • Your Approach: I used dynamic programming to solve this problem, ensuring the solution was optimized for time and space complexity.

  • Outcome: Passed this round successfully.

  • Round 2 - Coding Test Round:

  • Questions Asked:

    • Two Sum: Return all pairs of elements in an array that sum up to a given target.
    • Minimum Cost to Connect All Points: Given coordinates of points on a 2D plane, find the minimum cost to connect all points.

  • Your Approach: For the Two Sum problem, I used a hash map for efficient lookup. For the Minimum Cost problem, I applied Kruskal’s algorithm to find the Minimum Spanning Tree.

  • Outcome: Cleared this round as well.

  • Round 3 - Video Call Round:

  • Questions Asked:

    • First Missing Positive: Find the first missing positive integer in an array.
    • Right View of Binary Tree: Print the right view of a given binary tree.

  • Your Approach: For the first question, I rearranged the array in place. For the binary tree question, I performed a level-order traversal.

  • Outcome: Advanced to the next round.

  • Round 4 - Video Call Round:

  • Questions Asked:

    • Min Stack: Design a stack that supports push, pop, top, and retrieving the minimum element in constant time.
    • Search in a 2D Matrix-II: Search for a target value in a 2D matrix where rows and columns are sorted.
    • Minimum Direction Changes: Given a 2D grid with directions, find the minimum direction changes required to traverse from start to end.

  • Your Approach: For the Min Stack, I used an auxiliary stack. For the 2D matrix, I applied a stair-step search. The direction changes problem was solved using BFS.

  • Outcome: Cleared this challenging round.

  • Round 5 - Video Call Round (Bar Raiser):

  • Questions Asked:

    • Next Greater Element: Find the next greater element for every element in an array.
    • Smallest Window: Find the smallest substring in a string that contains all characters of another string.

  • Your Approach: For the Next Greater Element, I used a stack. For the Smallest Window, I implemented a sliding window approach.

  • Outcome: Successfully cleared this final round and was selected for the role.

Preparation Tips:

  • Before the interview, I practiced questions with the company tag on platforms like LeetCode and reviewed previous interview experiences.
  • Even if I could solve a problem, I explored multiple approaches to understand the most efficient solution.
  • I prepared thoroughly for questions on leadership principles, as they are crucial for Amazon interviews.

Conclusion:
Overall, the interview process was rigorous but rewarding. I focused on optimizing my solutions and ensuring clarity in my thought process. If I could do anything differently, I would practice more graph-related problems. My advice to future candidates is to revise core concepts, practice consistently, and stay calm during interviews.

Final Outcome: Selected!

24

Company Name: Amazon

Position: Software Developer

Location: Bangalore

Application Process: Applied as SDE - 1 through the company’s hiring process for female candidates.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Coding Test:

  • Questions Asked:

    • Longest Palindromic Substring: Given a string, find the longest palindromic substring. If multiple exist, return the one with the smallest start index.

  • Your Approach: Used dynamic programming to solve the problem efficiently.

  • Outcome: Passed the round.

  • Round 2 - Coding Test:

  • Questions Asked:

    • Two Sum: Given an array and a target, return all pairs of elements that sum up to the target.
    • Minimum Cost to Connect All Points: Given coordinates of points, find the minimum cost to connect all points using edges.

  • Your Approach: Used hashing for the Two Sum problem and Prim’s algorithm for the Minimum Cost problem.

  • Outcome: Advanced to the next round.

  • Round 3 - Video Call (Technical):

  • Questions Asked:

    • First Missing Positive: Find the smallest missing positive integer in an array.
    • Right View of Binary Tree: Print the right view of a given binary tree.

  • Your Approach: Solved the first problem using cyclic sort and the second using BFS.

  • Outcome: Successfully cleared the round.

  • Round 4 - Video Call (Technical):

  • Questions Asked:

    • Min Stack: Design a stack that supports push, pop, top, and retrieving the minimum element in constant time.
    • Search in a 2D Matrix-II: Search for a target in a row-wise and column-wise sorted matrix.
    • Minimum Direction Changes: Given a grid with directions, find the minimum direction changes to reach the destination.

  • Your Approach: Implemented the Min Stack using an auxiliary stack, used binary search for the matrix problem, and BFS for the direction changes problem.

  • Outcome: Moved to the final round.

  • Round 5 - Video Call (Bar Raiser):

  • Questions Asked:

    • Next Greater Element: For each element in an array, find the next greater element.
    • Smallest Window: Find the smallest substring in a string that contains all characters of another string.

  • Your Approach: Used a stack for the Next Greater Element problem and sliding window for the Smallest Window problem.

  • Outcome: Selected for the role.

Preparation Tips:

  • Focus on data structures, algorithms, OOPs, graphs, OS, CN, and DBMS.
  • Practice questions with company tags on platforms like LeetCode.
  • Review multiple approaches to solve a problem, even if you can solve it.
  • Prepare for leadership principles questions.

Conclusion:
The interview process was thorough but manageable with proper preparation. Practicing a variety of problems and understanding different approaches was key. I recommend revising everything on your resume and ensuring you can explain your solutions clearly. Good luck!

25

Company Name: Amazon

Position: Software Developer

Location: Bangalore

Application Process: I applied for the job as SDE - 1 in Bangalore. Only female candidates were allowed for this role.

Interview Rounds:

  • Round 1 - Coding Test:

    • Questions Asked:
      • Longest Palindromic Substring: Find the longest palindromic substring in a given string.
    • Your Approach: I used dynamic programming to solve this problem, focusing on expanding around the center for each character.
    • Outcome: Passed the round.

  • Round 2 - Coding Test:

    • Questions Asked:
      • Two Sum: Return all pairs of elements in an array that sum up to a target value.
      • Minimum Cost to Connect All Points: Find the minimum cost to connect all points in a 2D plane.
    • Your Approach: For the Two Sum problem, I used a hash map for efficient lookup. For the Minimum Cost problem, I applied Kruskal’s algorithm with a Union-Find data structure.
    • Outcome: Passed the round.

  • Round 3 - Video Call (Technical):

    • Questions Asked:
      • First Missing Positive: Find the smallest missing positive integer in an array.
      • Right View of Binary Tree: Print the right view of a given binary tree.
    • Your Approach: For the First Missing Positive, I rearranged the array in place. For the Binary Tree question, I performed a level-order traversal.
    • Outcome: Passed the round.

  • Round 4 - Video Call (Technical):

    • Questions Asked:
      • Min Stack: Design a stack that supports push, pop, top, and retrieving the minimum element in constant time.
      • Search in a 2D Matrix-II: Search for a target value in a sorted 2D matrix.
      • Minimum Direction Changes: Find the minimum direction changes required to traverse a grid.
    • Your Approach: For the Min Stack, I used an auxiliary stack. For the 2D Matrix, I applied a staircase search. For the grid problem, I used BFS with priority on direction changes.
    • Outcome: Passed the round.

  • Round 5 - Video Call (Bar Raiser):

    • Questions Asked:
      • Next Greater Element: Find the next greater element for every element in an array.
      • Smallest Window: Find the smallest substring in a string that contains all characters of another string.
    • Your Approach: For the Next Greater Element, I used a stack. For the Smallest Window, I applied the sliding window technique.
    • Outcome: Passed the round and got selected.

Preparation Tips:

  • Before the interview, I practiced questions with the company tag on platforms like LeetCode and reviewed previous interview experiences.
  • Even if I could solve a problem, I explored multiple approaches to understand the optimal solution.
  • I prepared for questions on leadership principles as well.

Conclusion:
Overall, the interview experience was challenging but rewarding. I focused on understanding the problem deeply before jumping into coding, which helped me articulate my approach clearly. For future candidates, I recommend revising core concepts thoroughly and practicing under timed conditions to simulate the interview environment.