Amazon | SDE-2 | Bangalore | Another failed attempt
Summary
This was my third attempt at Amazon, and despite reaching the final stages, I was rejected again, this time with the recruiter ghosting me without feedback. Overall, I felt satisfied with my performance.
Full Experience
This marked my third complete interview cycle with Amazon for an SDE-2 role. I'm currently working at a product company and have 5 years of experience. I've consistently approached the final stages but faced rejection each time. This time, the recruiter ghosted me and didn't even bother to share feedback.
Round 1 - Coding Assessment
I was asked two medium-level LeetCode questions. One focused on trees, which I don't recall the exact problem for but it involved fundamental tree traversal. The second question presented a scenario with a theater having `n` seats in `m` columns. I had to determine the number of possible seating arrangements to accommodate groups of four individuals sitting together, given the coordinates of already occupied seats.Round 2 - High-Level Design (HLD)
This round felt smooth to me. I had to design an online chess system, focusing on features like a leaderboard and organizing competitions. This was followed by two Leadership Principle (LP) questions.Round 3 - Low-Level Design (LLD)
This round started with two LP questions. The main problem was designing a task scheduler. The interviewer also delved into multiple aspects related to estimating the completion time for tasks within the scheduler. I successfully came up with a high-level plan first and then drew a UML diagram showing the user journey.Round 4 - Hiring Manager - Bar Raiser
- The interviewer deeply explored my past experiences, pulling details directly from my resume.
- I was asked two Leadership Principle (LP) questions.
- Finally, there was one LeetCode hard problem. This problem seemed very tricky, as I had never encountered anything similar before. The task was to determine if a node (defined as `struct Node{ Node* node1; Node* node2; }`) would represent a Doubly Linked List (DLL) or a tree. I was partially able to code the solution for the DLL part but couldn't come up with the logic for determining a tree data structure in time. The interviewer gave a hint at the end, suggesting I look for cycles to determine the tree structure.
Interview Questions (4)
Theater Seating Arrangements for Groups of Four
In a theater with n seats arranged in m columns, I was asked to determine the number of possible seating arrangements to accommodate groups of four individuals sitting together. Input parameters included the coordinates of already occupied seats.
Design Online Chess System
I had to design an online chess system, taking care of features like a leaderboard and organizing competitions. This was followed by 2 Leadership Principle (LP) questions.
Design a Task Scheduler
The problem involved designing a task scheduler. Additionally, the interviewer explored multiple aspects related to estimating the completion time for tasks within the scheduler. I was able to come up with the high-level plan first and later on drew the UML diagram showing the user journey.
Determine if Node Structure is DLL or Tree
I was given a Node structure like struct Node{ Node* node1; Node* node2; } and asked to determine if a given node would represent a Doubly Linked List (DLL) or a tree. The interviewer gave a hint to see if there is a cycle to determine the tree structure.