Amazon SDE 2 Interview Experience

Background: I have around 3.8 years of experience, working at a Nutanix, India.

The interview process was very slow overall. I took the online assessment (OA) back in January 2025, and the first interview round didn’t happen until May 2025. There was a gap of at least one week between each round. Most of the interviewers were from the US since the team is based there.

Here’s a breakdown of each round:

Round 0: Online Assessment This was the initial screening round. It had two coding questions and some multiple choice questions based on system design concepts. I was able to solve both coding problems completely.

Round 1: DSA + Leadership Principles I was asked to solve the “Course Schedule 2” problem. I completed the implementation and even did a dry run of the test case given by the interviewer. The feedback I got was “Hire”, but they mentioned that my coding was a bit slow and could be more readable. I found this feedback a little confusing because I avoided using short variable names like x or y and thought the code was clear.

Round 2: Low-Level Design + LPs In this round, I was asked to design an ATM system. I walked through the requirements, discussed edge cases, and structured the design well. The interviewer gave a clear “Hire” feedback.

Round 3: High-Level Design + LPs This was the most uncertain round for me. The task was to design a parking lot system, specifically for an Amazon Foods grocery store. I discussed all the requirements and came up with a microservices-based design. However, the feedback was “Mixed”. They mentioned that the microservices part was incomplete, although I felt I had covered all the necessary pieces. I also received a mixed rating on the Leadership Principles part.

Round 4: Bar Raiser – DSA + LPs This was the final round with the bar raiser. The problem given was to reorganize a string so that no two same characters are next to each other. I was able to solve it, and the feedback was again “Hire”.

Overall, I was unsure if I would get the offer, especially after the mixed feedback in Round 3. But the recruiter was very helpful throughout the process. He shared useful resources, helped me prepare strong leadership stories, and gave feedback after every round.

Final Verdict: Hire. I received the offer.

FYI : Got referral from my colleague who switched to Amazon :). Other options are www.boostmyreferral.com for job referral or linkedin.