Amazon SDE-1 — second attempt, with a referral

## Background
Not my first attempt at Amazon — I'd tried before without success. I applied again in January with a referral from a friend, with about six months of professional experience.

## Online assessment
The invite came in March: two DSA questions on HackerRank, a one-hour workplace simulation (a distinctive part of Amazon's process), and behavioural questions.

## Round-by-round

### Round 1
Two DSA problems plus discussion tied to the **Leadership Principles**.

### Round 2
Purely technical, with DSA a step up in difficulty from Round 1.

### Round 3 — Managerial
A blend of everything: a DSA component, more Leadership Principles discussion, and a deeper conversation about my resume and background.

## Verdict
An official offer came about a week after the final round. **Selected.**