Amazon | SDE 2 | July | Offer

I started my journey with Amazon for an SDE 2 position in Bangalore. After responding to an email invite, HR called me to explain the process, and I received and cleared the Online Assessment (OA) on the same day. The recruiter then gave me two weeks to prepare for the onsite rounds.

My onsite interviews consisted of four rounds:

• Round 1 - DSA: This round featured two medium-level coding questions focused on Binary Trees and Graphs. We also discussed Amazon's Leadership Principles (LPs) and a high-level overview of my recent project, including a few counter questions. I provided optimal solutions for both coding problems and had an excellent conversation with the supportive interviewer. I believe the feedback was a Strong Hire.
• Round 2 - DSA + HLD: Here, I faced one medium coding question based on Binary Trees. I was grilled extensively on LPs and my recent project's High-Level Design (HLD), with many counter questions. I managed to give an optimal solution to the coding question and provided convincing answers regarding the scalability of my HLD design. This interviewer was also very supportive. My performance likely resulted in another Strong Hire feedback.
• Round 3 - HLD: This round was purely focused on System Design. I was asked to design a music streaming system and then provide a detailed design for a real-time song recommendation system based on location. We also covered a lot of LPs. I designed the system using microservices, but I wasn't able to fully address the second part as the interviewer was looking for a solution involving Distributed Caching. Despite this, we had a great discussion, and I was able to articulate my thoughts clearly. Possible feedback: Hire / Lean Hire.
• Round 4 - Bar Raiser (HM + LLD): This final round, a Bar Raiser, involved designing a trading system similar to Zerodha. Given my frequent use of Zerodha, I could effectively outline the High-Level Design (HLD) and API specifications. I also answered all his questions. However, my performance in the Low-Level Design (LLD) section was not strong. Nevertheless, I communicated my thought process effectively and had a productive discussion, while also answering the LPs. My feedback here was potentially Lean Hire / No Hire.

The overall difficulty was Medium to Hard. All the interviewers were fantastic, experienced, and very friendly. I managed to connect with each of them, always being genuine about my strengths and weaknesses. Honestly, I wasn't expecting an offer, especially after feeling I didn't perform well in the LLD round. When HR called to inform me I was selected, I was genuinely shocked! They clarified that while my design skills needed improvement, my strong performance in DSA and LPs across all rounds secured the SDE 2 offer.