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.