Amazon | SDE 1 | interview experience
Summary
I interviewed for an SDE 1 position at Amazon. My technical rounds were strong due to my competitive programming background, but I believe my performance in the behavioral round ultimately led to a rejection.
Full Experience
I went through a series of interview rounds for an SDE 1 role at Amazon. Interestingly, I didn't receive any Online Assessment (OA) before the interviews.
Round 1 (Technical)
This round was quite enjoyable for me. I tackled two data structures and algorithms problems:- Next Greater Element: I had to find the next greater element for each item in an array. The follow-up extended this to a circular array, which added a nice twist.
- Unique Islands in a 2D Grid: The second problem involved counting unique islands in a 2D grid, with the added complexity that islands were considered the same even if they were rotations of each other.
Round 2 (Technical & Behavioral)
This round combined technical and behavioral aspects:- We discussed my past projects and delved into some behavioral questions related to my experience.
- I was given a problem that required applying topological sort.
Round 3 (Bar Raiser - Behavioral)
This was a completely behavioral and past experience focused round, typically known as a bar raiser. This is where I think I struggled. The interviewer asked a lot of questions, including:- "How many people have you talked to in previous rounds?"
- "Have you been informed about the team you will be working in?" (My answer was no).
- "What do you think is required to be an SDE1 at Amazon?"
- "Tell me about the hardest problem you have solved."
- "Tell me about a time when you received critical feedback and how you handled it."
- "Tell me about a time when you took a deep dive into a problem, and how it helped you."
Outcome
Unfortunately, I was rejected. While I found the technical rounds to be a cakewalk due to my competitive programming background, the behavioral rounds, especially the bar raiser, were quite intimidating for me. I truly believe I messed up in the behavioral questions of the third round.Interview Questions (8)
Given a circular integer array, return the next greater element for each element. The next greater element of a number x is the first greater number to its traversing clockwise next in the array. If it does not exist, return -1 for this number.
Given a 2D binary grid, count the number of unique islands. An island is a group of '1's (land) connected horizontally or vertically. Two islands are considered the same if one can be rotated to match the other.
How many people have you talked to in previous interview rounds for this position?
Have you been informed about the specific team you would be working in if you joined Amazon?
In your opinion, what do you think is fundamentally required to be a successful SDE1 at Amazon?
Tell me about the hardest problem you have ever solved, whether it was technical, personal, or professional. Describe the problem, your approach, and the outcome.
Describe a time when you received critical feedback. How did you react to it, what steps did you take, and what was the result?
Share an experience where you had to take a deep dive into a particular issue or project. Explain the situation, the details of your investigation, and how your deep dive ultimately helped.