🧑💻 SDE-1 Interview Experience| Amex GBT | Referral | Offer - 24 LPA
Summary
I recently went through the Amex GBT interview process for an SDE-1 role, which involved an Online Assessment, two Technical Interviews focusing on DSA, System Design, and LLD, followed by an HR + Managerial round. I am currently waiting for the final results.
Full Experience
Hey everyone! I recently went through the Amex GBT interview process for an SDE-1 role and wanted to share my experience to help others. I got this opportunity through a referral. After a few weeks, HR contacted me and discussed salary expectations, mentioning a potential offer of 24 LPA (without stocks) with room for negotiation. The overall process was smooth and well-coordinated.
Round 1 – Online Assessment (90 mins)
This test had two medium-level DSA questions, one using a sliding window and another involving prefix sums and a hashmap. It also included 10 MCQs on CS fundamentals like DBMS, OS, OOPs, and basic output prediction. I managed to solve both DSA problems completely and answered most MCQs correctly.Round 2 – Technical Interview 1 (DSA + Core CS)
This round focused on problem-solving and core fundamentals. I was given two DSA problems: one on Binary Search with edge cases, and another on Graph BFS traversal with some custom conditions. I also discussed their time and space complexity. Additionally, there were questions on OOPs concepts (inheritance, polymorphism, design patterns) and a few system design basics, such as how to design a URL shortener. The interviewer was friendly and offered hints when I encountered difficulties.Round 3 – Technical Interview 2 (Low-Level Design + Coding)
This round delved into my coding style and design thinking. I implemented a small Low-Level Design problem: “Design a Parking Lot.” We also discussed how to handle concurrency and scaling for such a system. Following this, I tackled one DSA problem focused on LinkedList cycle detection and modification. They also inquired about my past projects, REST APIs, and Spring Boot experience.Round 4 – HR + Managerial
This final round was more conversational. We discussed project ownership and challenges I faced. I also answered behavioral questions like “Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate” and “How do you prioritize tasks under tight deadlines.” Finally, we discussed compensation, notice period, and my location preference. I am currently waiting for the final results.Interview Questions (5)
Design a URL shortener, discussing the basic architecture and components involved.
Implement a small Low-Level Design problem to design a Parking Lot. Discuss considerations for handling concurrency and scaling.
A DSA problem focused on LinkedList cycle detection and modification.
Behavioral question: Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate.
Behavioral question: How do you prioritize tasks under tight deadlines?
Preparation Tips
I prepared for the interview by practicing DSA problems, focusing on arrays, strings, binary search, and graph traversals. I also reviewed CS fundamentals (DBMS, OS, OOPs), system design basics (like URL shorteners), and practiced Low-Level Design problems. Additionally, I prepared for behavioral questions and reviewed my past projects, REST APIs, and Spring Boot experience.