Amazon | SDE 1 | May 2022 | USA | Offer

My interview process for the SDE 1 role at Amazon began with an Online Assessment. It consisted of two problems: a variation of Reorder Data in Log Files and a Hard BFS/DFS Matrix Traversal problem. I managed to pass all test cases for both.

Next, I moved to the Phone Screen. The question was a fascinating combination of High Five and Valid IP Address, essentially requiring me to process DB files containing IP metadata to identify the most frequent ones. I believe I wrote exceptional code, earning a 10/10 from the interviewer, who even commented on its potential utility for load balancers and my understanding of distributed systems.

The Onsite loop was comprehensive, featuring multiple rounds. One round involved a variation of Design Search Autocomplete System. I quickly coded a working solution within 15 minutes, but the interviewer thoroughly questioned me on various tradeoffs and alternative approaches. I impressed them by demonstrating another implementation using backtracking, complete with proper complexity analysis. My only slight regret was not catching an edge case before the interviewer pointed it out, which led me to rate my performance 9/10.

Another technical round presented Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock, which was the exact problem from LeetCode. This round went perfectly, earning a 10/10 from my perspective.

Finally, I had an Object-Oriented Design (OOD) interview for a Hotel Booking System. While I hadn't explicitly prepared for OOD, the interviewer was very supportive and provided numerous hints. We collaborated for about 45 minutes, eventually arriving at a design we both found satisfactory, though it required a fair amount of refactoring. I'd give myself an 8/10 for this round.

Overall, it was a very positive experience with genuinely nice interviewers. I'm thrilled that the recruiter confirmed I passed with flying colors and received an offer today!