This year has been unprecedented for tech companies in North America, with a scale of layoffs not seen before. Even Amazon, a company often joked about by job seekers for having an abundance of SDE (Software Development Engineer) positions, was not spared. As the number of job seekers for the same roles has surged, and the available positions have become more limited, Amazon has naturally become more selective. This has led to a significant increase in the difficulty and requirements of their interviews. If you’re currently preparing for an upcoming Amazon Online Assessment (OA), you’ve come to the right place.
The Evolving Amazon OA Process
Since the first quarter of this year, the Amazon OA has undergone some notable changes compared to previous years. The overall assessment duration has been extended to nearly four hours. Amazon now tailors the interview process based on each candidate’s background, leading to various combinations of interview invitations. These typically fall into one of four scenarios:
- OA directly leads to an offer.
- OA followed by one phone interview, then an offer.
- OA followed by two phone interviews, then an offer.
- OA followed by one phone interview and four virtual onsite interviews, then an offer.
Understanding the OA Questions
Job seekers who have practiced Amazon-tagged questions on platforms like LeetCode will have noticed a pattern: Amazon’s interview questions are not your typical boilerplate or purely theoretical algorithm problems. The majority of these questions are practical problems rooted in Amazon’s real-world business scenarios. The goal of the interviewers is to see how you would approach and solve these challenges, which are often tied to Amazon’s strategic business objectives. They also want to evaluate a candidate’s adaptability and problem-solving skills when faced with real-world complexities. Common examples include optimizing delivery routes and times for goods or developing more efficient warehouse storage systems.
A Strategic Approach to Interview Questions
To succeed, you need to think like an Amazonian. Here’s a breakdown of the strategies you should adopt:
- Master the Leadership Principles (LPs). It is crucial to internalize and remember every single LP. They are the backbone of Amazon’s culture and decision-making.
- Act as an Amazon employee. During the interview, you must adopt a sense of ownership. Frame your solutions from a perspective that benefits Amazon’s growth and mission.
- Prioritize the customer. This is Amazon’s core philosophy. For decades, Amazon has grown from a small online bookstore to a global e-commerce and cloud computing giant by consistently putting the customer first. Your solutions should always reflect a deep consideration for customer needs and experience.
- Demonstrate ownership and accountability. When tackling problems, show a proactive and responsible mindset. Never try to deflect or pass the blame. Be bold in your suggestions, but always consider the bigger picture. Back up your ideas with data and specific details to impress the interviewer.
Preparing for Your Interview
Effective preparation is key. Here’s how you can get ready:
- Practice regularly. Focus on high-frequency questions tagged with Amazon on LeetCode. Don’t just solve them—study the discussion sections to understand the most optimal solutions. This helps you avoid inefficient, blind practice.
- Seek out proxy interviews. Find someone with Amazon interview experience to conduct proxy interviews for you. Even better, connect with current or recently hired Amazon engineers through communities or platforms. A paid consultation can be a valuable investment.
- Consider professional guidance. If you’re feeling less confident, look for institutions or teams that specialize in preparing candidates for the Amazon OA. Getting expert help early on can significantly increase your chances of success. Don’t just stress out or prepare in isolation. While the interview difficulty may be higher this year, opportunities are always there for those who are well-prepared.
Amazon Interview Questions
The following questions are common questions in behavioral interviews and programming interviews, and do not include system design.
Behavioral Questions: These are designed to assess your alignment with Amazon’s Leadership Principles.
- Tell me about a time you worked under a tight deadline and didn’t have time to consider all your options before making a decision.
- How do you balance different priorities when you have such a tight schedule?
- Tell us about a time when you had to step outside your comfort zone.
- What prompted you to make that change?
Coding Questions: These will test your technical problem-solving skills.
- Implement the power function pow(x, n), taking into account positive and negative exponents, without using the built-in function.
- Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock.
- Merge K Sorted Lists.
Final Thoughts
The Amazon OA is a comprehensive assessment of a candidate’s abilities, including their coding skills, professionalism, project experience, and cultural fit. This requires a systematic approach to preparation. Beyond just practicing coding problems, seek advice from experienced engineers. This will ensure you are well-prepared for both the OA and the Virtual Onsite interviews.
And remember, it’s possible that even after passing all your interviews, you might not receive an offer. Don’t be discouraged! Reapply and try again. Your persistence and preparation will ultimately pay off. You can do it!