Amazon Software Engineer Interview Questions

Amazon Software Engineer interview questions typically assess both algorithmic craftsmanship and fit with Amazon’s culture. What’s distinctive is the dual emphasis: expect intense coding and problem-solving rounds (data structures, algorithms, complexity and correct edge-case handling), a system-design evaluation for more senior roles, and behavioral deep-dives tied to Amazon’s Leadership Principles. The interview loop often includes an online assessment or phone screen, followed by a multi-interviewer loop that features a Bar Raiser whose role is to ensure high hiring standards. Clear communication, tradeoff reasoning, and testable, clean code are repeatedly evaluated. For interview preparation, focus on three threads: timed coding practice on medium-to-hard problems with careful explanation of complexity and edge cases; concise STAR-format behavioral stories that map directly to Leadership Principles and show impact; and system-design sketches for senior levels that justify choices around scalability, availability, and cost. Run mock interviews to practice speaking clearly, articulate tradeoffs, and rehearse writing and testing code under time pressure. Recruiters will guide scheduling, but sustained, focused practice gives the best chance to demonstrate both technical depth and cultural fit.

362 Questions 1 Company08.11.2026
Showing 20 results
Role
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Insert and merge an interval

You are given a list of pairwise non-overlapping closed intervals [si, ei] sorted by start time, and a new interval [s, e]. Insert [s, e] into the lis...

Coding & Algorithms
5
0
44 people solved
Sep 6, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Detect cycle in a directed graph

Given a directed graph represented by an adjacency list with n vertices and m edges, determine whether the graph contains a cycle. Describe and implem...

Coding & Algorithms
6
0
65 people solved
Sep 6, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Search target in unknown-length sorted array

You have read-only access to a sorted, increasing array-like interface of unknown length that supports get(i), which returns a valid integer for in-bo...

Coding & Algorithms
4
0
51 people solved
Sep 6, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Find all pairs summing to target in sorted array

Given a non-decreasing array of integers nums and an integer target, return all unique pairs of indices (i, j) with i < j such that nums[i] + nums[j] ...

Coding & Algorithms
6
0
45 people solved
Sep 6, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Sort characters by frequency

Given an ASCII string s, reorder its characters in decreasing order of frequency. If multiple characters share the same frequency, break ties by ascen...

Coding & Algorithms
2
1
27 people solved
Sep 6, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Count regions with DFS

Given an m x n grid of 0s and 1s, count the number of connected regions consisting of 1s using depth-first search (4-directional adjacency). Return th...

Coding & Algorithms
6
0
44 people solved
Sep 6, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Find longest segment with endpoints > interior

Given an integer array nums, find the length of the longest contiguous segment [i..j] (j−i+1 ≥ 2) such that both endpoints are strictly greater than e...

Coding & Algorithms
2
0
23 people solved
Sep 6, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Find minimum days to deliver all orders

You manage N delivery centers labeled 1..N and an array orderCityList where each element is the destination city of one order (city IDs are in 1..N). ...

Coding & Algorithms
8
0
60 people solved
Sep 6, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Compute rightmost-smaller delay times

Given an integer array priorities, define delay[i] as the distance to the rightmost index j > i such that priorities[j] < priorities[i]; if no such in...

Coding & Algorithms
3
0
36 people solved
Sep 6, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Implement DFS and tree algorithms

Part 1 (DFS on graph): Given an undirected graph with n nodes labeled 0..n-1 and an edge list, implement a function that returns all connected compone...

Coding & Algorithms
5
0
37 people solved
Sep 6, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Compute product excluding index without division

Given an integer array nums, return an array ans where ans[i] equals the product of all elements of nums except nums[i], without using division. Achie...

Coding & Algorithms
4
0
37 people solved
Aug 13, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Implement tree left/right views via BFS and DFS

Given a binary tree, output the left view and right view: for each depth, the first node visible from the left and the first node visible from the rig...

Coding & Algorithms
1
0
32 people solved
Aug 13, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Maximize equal values via one subarray shift

Given an integer array A of length n, you may perform at most one operation: choose any contiguous subarray A[l..r] and add an integer Δ (which may be...

Coding & Algorithms
3
0
32 people solved
Aug 13, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Maximize points with limited coworker skips

You and a coworker must unload a sequence of warehouses. For warehouse i there are c[i] items (non‑negative integers). Turns alternate starting with y...

Coding & Algorithms
3
0
44 people solved
Aug 13, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Select maximum tasks before deadlines

Select maximum tasks before deadlines You are given a set of tasks, each with a positive duration and a deadline (lastDay). You may schedule tasks in ...

Coding & Algorithms
3
0
31 people solved
Aug 10, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Maximize stock profit with constraints

Maximize stock profit with constraints Given an array prices of daily stock prices, you may make at most two complete transactions (buy then sell). Af...

Coding & Algorithms
5
0
50 people solved
Aug 10, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Compute shortest path with obstacles

Compute shortest path with obstacles You are given an m×n grid with nonnegative cell costs and blocked cells marked '#'. You may move up, down, left, ...

Coding & Algorithms
4
0
55 people solved
Aug 10, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Design a hierarchical locking tree

Design a hierarchical locking tree Design a LockingHierarchy data structure over a rooted tree of N nodes labeled 0..N-1, initialized with an integer ...

Coding & Algorithms
5
0
41 people solved
Aug 10, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Implement LRU cache with O(1) ops

Implement LRU cache with O(1) ops Design and implement a fixed-capacity cache supporting get(key) -> value and put(key, value) in O( 1) average time. ...

Coding & Algorithms
5
0
56 people solved
Aug 9, 2025
Amazon logo
Amazon
Medium
Software Engineer

Validate 9x9 grid in one pass

Validate 9x9 grid in one pass Given a partially filled 9x9 board using digits '1'–'9' and '.' for empty cells, determine whether the current configura...

Coding & Algorithms
5
0
59 people solved
Aug 9, 2025
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Amazon Software Engineer Interview Prep
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Frequently Asked Questions

How difficult are Amazon Software Engineer interview questions?
The difficulty of Amazon Software Engineer interview questions varies by level and team but is generally rigorous. For entry-level SDE roles expect medium-to-hard algorithm and data-structure problems under time pressure, while more senior roles include complex system-design and architecture discussions that probe tradeoffs and scalability. Interviewers evaluate not just correct solutions but clarity of thought, communication, and how you justify design choices; behavioral evaluation against Amazon’s Leadership Principles also influences outcomes. Preparation that improves problem selection, complexity analysis, and spoken explanation will materially raise your chances of success.
What is the typical interview process for an Amazon Software Engineer, and where do coding, design, and behavioral questions appear?
Amazon’s Software Engineer hiring loop commonly begins with a recruiter screen, may include an online coding assessment, followed by one or more technical phone screens and an onsite (or virtual) interview loop of multiple interviews. Coding questions typically appear in the online assessment and technical phone/on-site algorithm rounds, design questions appear in object-oriented design or system-design interviews (more for senior levels), and behavioral questions tied to Amazon’s Leadership Principles are asked in nearly every loop, often including a Bar Raiser who evaluates long-term fit. Timing and format can vary by team.
How much time should I plan for interview preparation for Amazon Software Engineer roles?
Preparation time depends on your baseline skills and the role level, but a focused plan typically spans four to eight weeks for most candidates. Beginners should allocate time to master fundamentals in data structures, algorithms, and Big-O analysis while practicing timed coding problems and mock interviews; mid-level candidates should add system-design and architecture practice; senior candidates need deeper design, distributed systems, and leadership-story preparation. Regular timed practice, review of common patterns, and rehearsing STAR-format behavioral examples will improve performance more than ad-hoc study. Use the recruiter’s guidance to tailor your timeline.
What key subtopics should I focus on for Amazon Software Engineer interview questions?
Focus on core computer-science fundamentals first: arrays, strings, linked lists, trees, graphs, heaps, hash tables, and common algorithms for searching, sorting, traversals, and dynamic programming, with comfortable Big-O reasoning. For mid-to-senior roles add object-oriented design, system design, databases, networking basics, and distributed-systems tradeoffs including caching, consistency, and scalability. Don’t neglect coding hygiene, testing, and clear communication. Behavioral preparation should map examples to Amazon’s Leadership Principles, demonstrating ownership, bias for action, and customer obsession. Prioritize depth in areas most relevant to the role you applied for.
What are standout tips and common pitfalls when preparing for Amazon Software Engineer interviews?
Standout tips include clearly communicating your approach before coding, writing correct and readable code with edge-case checks, iterating from a simple solution to optimizations, and tying behavioral stories to concrete outcomes aligned with Amazon’s Leadership Principles. Use mock interviews to practice pacing and explanation. Common pitfalls are diving into code without outlining the plan, ignoring complexity tradeoffs, failing to test examples or handle edge cases, and giving vague behavioral answers. Be honest about unknowns and show how you would learn or validate assumptions; recruiters value candid problem-solving processes.

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