Amazon Software Engineer Interview Experience
Amazon · Entry level
Interview process
Preparation: I had a solid understanding of the role and prepared thoroughly with coding practice, system design concepts, and mock interviews.
Confidence in Communication: I introduced myself clearly, asked clarifying questions when needed, and explained my thought process step by step.
Problem-Solving Approach: Even when I didn’t immediately know the answer, I broke problems down logically, discussed possible approaches, and showed adaptability.
Technical Strengths: I performed well in areas I had practiced extensively, such as data structures, algorithms, and SQL queries.
Interview rounds · 1
- 1
Technical round
Coding- Q1. You are given an integer array nums and an integer x. In one operation, you can either remove the leftmost or the rightmost element from the array nums and subtract its value from x. Note that this modifies the array for future operations. Return the minimum number of operations to reduce x to exactly 0 if it is possible, otherwise, return -1.
Tips from the candidate
I would tell a friend to consistently practice solving problems and not just focus on getting the right answer, but also on explaining their thought process clearly. It’s important to take time to understand the question properly before jumping into coding. I’d also recommend practicing mock interviews to get comfortable with thinking aloud and asking clarifying questions.
Company culture
What stood out to me about the team and company culture was the strong sense of collaboration and support. The interviewers encouraged me to share my thought process openly, and they valued curiosity and problem‑solving over just getting the “right” answer. I also noticed a focus on continuous learning and innovation, with an emphasis on building scalable solutions and improving processes.