Amazon SDE-1 Interview Experience | Rejected 2026
- Posted
- 25 Feb 2026
Summary
I had a four-round virtual interview for an SDE-1 position at Amazon, covering data structures, algorithms, system design, GenAI discussions, and Leadership Principles, which ultimately resulted in a rejection.
How it went
Applied on July got result on September that I cleared OA. Initially it got scheduled on Oct 2025 then got rescheduled on Jan 2026 then again got rescheduled to Feb 12 2026
All rounds were virtual
Round 1 (Technical + GenAI Discussion)
On Feb 12 2026
This round focused mainly on data structures and some GenAI-related questions.
Coding Questions:
- Diameter of Binary Tree
- Zig-Zag Traversal of Binary Tree
I solved both problems optimally and explained my approach clearly.
GenAI Questions:
The interviewer also asked how, where, and why I use GenAI tools in my workflow, along with a few follow-up questions on validation and limitations. I shared practical examples from my work and how I ensure correctness before using AI-generated suggestions.
Round 2 (Technical – Same Day)
On Feb 12 2026
This round was fully coding-focused and happened on the same day as Round 1.
Coding Questions:
- Longest Palindromic Substring (solved optimally)
- Course Schedule III (solved using Topological Sort + DP approach)
No Leadership Principle (LP) questions were asked in this round. The discussion was entirely technical and focused on optimization and correctness.
Round 3 (Technical + LP)
On Feb 19 2026
Coding Questions:
- Find Minimum in a Sorted Rotated Array (solved optimally without confusion)
- Design Question: Implement a voting system with two functions:
castVote()getTopKCandidates()
Initially, I proposed a HashMap-based approach. The interviewer asked for a more optimized solution. I moved to a Priority Queue (Max Heap) approach, which was O(N log N). After a hint, I explained how to optimize it further to O(N log K) using a Min Heap of size K.
Due to time constraints, I verbally explained the optimized approach, and in the last 5 minutes, I typed the core implementation.
The interviewer then moved to a few Leadership Principle (LP) questions.
Round 4 (Bar Raiser – LP Focused)
On Feb 21 2026
This round was purely behavioral and focused on Leadership Principles.
Questions asked:
- Tell me about a time you did something outside your responsibility.
- Tell me about a time you learned a new technology.
- Tell me about a project where you had to deep dive.
I answered using structured scenarios from my past experience.
The round lasted approximately 20 minutes.
Verdict: Rejected, I don't know why I got rejected but this is very disappointing after completing all for 4 rounds. If any one in amazon knows please help me with this
Questions asked (10)
- 01
Diameter of Binary Tree
Data Structures & Algorithms
I was asked to solve the Diameter of Binary Tree problem.
- 02
Zig-Zag Traversal of Binary Tree
Data Structures & Algorithms
I was asked to solve the Zig-Zag Traversal of Binary Tree problem.
- 03
GenAI Tools Usage and Limitations
Other
The interviewer asked how, where, and why I use GenAI tools in my workflow, along with a few follow-up questions on validation and limitations.
- 04
Longest Palindromic Substring
Data Structures & Algorithms
I was asked to solve the Longest Palindromic Substring problem.
- 05
Course Schedule III
Data Structures & Algorithms
I was asked to solve the Course Schedule III problem.
- 06
Find Minimum in a Sorted Rotated Array
Data Structures & Algorithms
I was asked to solve the Find Minimum in a Sorted Rotated Array problem.
- 07
Design a Voting System
System Design
Implement a voting system with two functions:
castVote()getTopKCandidates()
- 08
Time I Exceeded Responsibilities
Behavioral
Tell me about a time you did something outside your responsibility.
- 09
Learning New Technology
Behavioral
Tell me about a time you learned a new technology.
- 10
Project Deep Dive
Behavioral
Tell me about a project where you had to deep dive.