Amazon | System Development Engineer I | Hyderabad | Interview Experience
Summary
I successfully interviewed for the System Development Engineer I role at Amazon in Hyderabad. The process was comprehensive, covering DSA, system debugging, networking, and Amazon's Leadership Principles, ultimately leading to an offer.
Full Experience
My interview journey for the System Development Engineer I role at Amazon in Hyderabad was a structured and insightful experience, culminating in a job offer. It tested my skills across various domains, from technical problem-solving to behavioral principles.
Online Assessment (OA):
The online assessment consisted of two medium-level Data Structures and Algorithms questions, alongside several scenario-based questions designed to assess my alignment with Amazon's Leadership Principles. The DSA problems focused on logical reasoning and optimization for both time and space complexity.
Round 1 – DSA + Behavioral:
This round combined coding challenges with behavioral questions. I was given one easy and one medium problem. One of the coding questions was based on String Manipulation or Dynamic Programming, specifically similar to 'Interleaving String'. The other significant coding problem involved handling a stream of data with timestamps, where I had to maintain elements within the last k minutes, removing older ones and checking for duplicates before insertion. Additionally, the interviewer delved into Amazon's Leadership Principles, asking questions related to 'Insist on High Standards' and 'Earn Trust'.
Round 2 – OS, Linux, and Networking + Behavioral:
This round primarily focused on my knowledge of Linux, Operating Systems, and Networking, coupled with more behavioral questions. A key part of the technical discussion was a system debugging scenario: I was asked how I would diagnose a hanging system. I explained my approach, starting with commands like df -h to check disk space, identifying a full mounted file system, and outlining subsequent steps to resolve the storage issue. Networking topics covered included a detailed explanation of DNS and its step-by-step resolution, the TLS handshake flow in DNS, and the critical role of HTTPS in securing communication. This round also included general Amazon Leadership Principle questions.
Round 3 – Advanced DSA + Behavioral:
This was an advanced Data Structures and Algorithms round featuring two hard-level problems. The first was the 'Alien Dictionary' problem, where the goal was to determine the order of characters in an alien language from a given dictionary. The second problem I encountered was very similar to 'Word Ladder II', requiring me to find all the shortest transformation sequences between a start and end word. The interviewer followed up on my solution, specifically asking for justifications, such as why I chose BFS over DFS. The round concluded with behavioral questions centered on problem-solving and ownership.
Round 4 – Behavioral (Leadership Principles):
The final round was entirely dedicated to Amazon's Leadership Principles. We had in-depth discussions around specific situations from my past experience. I was asked to describe a time when I built out a process, a time I faced a complex problem, a situation where I had to quickly learn something new to deliver results, and how I handled a challenging project.
Interview Questions (8)
I encountered a coding problem based on String Manipulation or Dynamic Programming, specifically similar to the 'Interleaving String' problem.
I was given a stream of data where each element arrives with a timestamp (in minutes). The task was to maintain a window of elements whose timestamps fall within the last k minutes. Upon arrival of a new element: 1. Remove all elements older than k minutes from the current time. 2. Return false if the same element already exists in the current window. 3. Otherwise, insert it and return true.
I was asked behavioral questions related to Amazon's Leadership Principles, specifically focusing on 'Insist on High Standards' and 'Earn Trust'.
I was presented with a scenario where a system was hanging and I needed to diagnose the issue. My approach involved using commands like df -h to check disk space. I then discussed how I would follow the output to identify a mounted file system that was full and outlined follow-up commands and steps to resolve the storage issue.
I was questioned on networking fundamentals, including 'What is DNS and how it works (step-by-step resolution)', 'TLS handshake flow in DNS', and 'The role of HTTPS in securing communication'.
I was given the 'Alien Dictionary' problem, where the goal was to determine the order of characters in an alien language based on a given dictionary of words.
I encountered a problem very similar to 'Word Ladder II', where the goal was to find all the shortest transformation sequences from a start word to an end word.
This round was purely focused on Amazon's Leadership Principles. I had in-depth discussions around 'A time when you built out a process', 'A time you faced a complex problem', 'A situation where you had to quickly learn something new to deliver results', and 'A challenging project and how you handled it'.