Amazon SDE-2 | Rejected | India | Oct 2021
Summary
I interviewed for an SDE-2 position at Amazon in India in October 2021, going through an online assessment, two Data Structures & Algorithms rounds, a High-Level Design round, and a Low-Level Design round. Ultimately, I received a rejection after a week of waiting for feedback.
Full Experience
My Amazon SDE-2 Interview Experience
I recently went through the interview process for an SDE-2 role at Amazon in India during October 2021. The process consisted of an online assessment followed by several virtual onsite rounds.
Online Assessment (90 mins + 20 mins)
I received a test link and had a week to complete the online assessment. It was quite straightforward, consisting of two LeetCode medium-level problems. I managed to finish both questions relatively quickly. The assessment allocated 90 minutes for solving the problems and an additional 20 minutes to describe my approach, along with the time and space complexity.
Virtual Onsite DSA Round (50 mins + 10 mins)
This Data Structures & Algorithms round went okay for me, as I had solved a good number of LeetCode questions. I was able to find optimal solutions for both problems during the interview. Following the technical questions, there were 10 minutes dedicated to Leadership Principles (LP) questions.
Virtual Onsite HLD Round (50 mins + 10 mins)
In this High-Level Design round, I was asked to design the HLD for a system like BookMyShow. I wasn't very well prepared for HLD at the time, and the interviewer delved into many in-depth questions. These included topics related to indexes, the overall workflow for the application, security considerations, analytics, and the rationale behind choosing between SQL and NoSQL databases. The round concluded with a few LP questions.
Virtual Onsite LLD Round (20 mins + 35 mins + 5 mins)
The Low-Level Design round involved designing an LLD for a Library Management System. The initial 20 minutes were spent on LP questions. Afterward, I was tasked with creating a UML diagram and explaining how I would structure the classes for the system. In my opinion, this round went reasonably well.
For all virtual onsite interviews, I was required to join on Amazon Chime, turn on my video, and share my screen. After a week of waiting for feedback, and after I specifically asked HR for detailed feedback, I received a generic rejection email.
Interview Questions (6)
You are given an m x n grid where each cell can have one of three values: 0 representing an empty cell, 1 representing a fresh orange, or 2 representing a rotten orange. Every minute, any fresh orange that is 4-directionally adjacent to a rotten orange becomes rotten. Return the minimum number of minutes that must elapse until no fresh oranges remain. If this is impossible, return -1.
Design the high-level architecture for a system like BookMyShow, an online ticket booking platform. This includes considering aspects like indexes, overall workflow, security, analytics, and database choices (SQL vs. NoSQL) and their justifications.
Design the low-level components and class structure for a Library Management System. This involved creating a UML diagram and detailing how classes would be written.
Preparation Tips
I prepared for the Data Structures & Algorithms rounds by solving a good number of LeetCode questions, which proved beneficial. However, I acknowledge that I was not very well prepared for the High-Level Design round.