Skip to contentSkip to footer
  • Community
  • Jobs
  • Companies
  • Salaries
  • For Employers
      Notifications

      Loading...

      Elevate your career

      Discover your earning potential, land dream jobs, and share work-life insights anonymously.

      employer cover photo
      employer logo
      employer logo

      Amazon

      Engaged Employer

      About
      Reviews
      Pay & benefits
      Jobs
      Interviews
      Interviews
      Related searches: Amazon reviews | Amazon jobs | Amazon salaries | Amazon benefits | Amazon conversations
      Amazon interviewsAmazon Software Development Engineer interviewsAmazon interview
      Company Bowl sample

      Want the inside scoop on your own company?

      Check out your Company Bowl for anonymous work chats.

      Bowls

      Get actionable career advice tailored to you by joining more bowls.

      Followed companies

      Stay ahead in opportunities and insider tips by following your dream companies.

      Job searches

      Get personalized job recommendations and updates by starting your searches.

      Software Development Engineer Interview

      Sep 6, 2017
      Anonymous Interview Candidate
      Seattle, WA
      No offer
      Positive experience
      Difficult interview

      Application

      I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Amazon (Seattle, WA) in Aug 2017

      Interview

      I applied for a position in Boulder, CO with Worldwide Advertising. I completed an online coding challenge that was 2 questions in 90 minutes. For this portion, your code will tested against unit tests. You'd be able to see the inputs/outputs of a couple of the unit tests, but the rest you wouldn't. It was pretty similar to other online coding challenges. I got 1 problem passing with 12/13 unit tests and didn't get the other one. Next up was the phone screen. This lasted roughly an hour and consisted of a couple of behavioral questions along with a coding problem done on a shared editor. For my first phone screen, I thought the interviewer was friendly, kind, and definitely wanted me to succeed. I believe I had the general approach down and most of the code. It wasn't perfect, but I think I showed I had the right idea and would get it. After this, I was invited to have an onsite interview. My choices were a Monday or Friday in Seattle or wait until they had an onsite in Boulder. I was fine with either and they chose to fly me out to Seattle. They put me up in a hotel about a mile from the office that included breakfast in the rate. I got some say over the flight times and the travel company they used even allowed me to use my frequent flier account. I had four interviews. The first onsite interview did not go well (data structures / algorithms + behavioral questions). They brought a laptop for me to use, but they spent 15 minutes of the 60-minute block trying to get the internet connection to work. We ended up using the whiteboard. After being given the problem, the interviewer immediately asked what my algorithm was. I replied that I needed to think about it, to which he retorted that he needed to know my algorithm. I drew out some quick sample inputs on the board that I could work through. The interviewer did not like how I drew them and insisted I redraw them to his liking. I came up with an approach and then proceeded to write code. While I was writing the code on the whiteboard, the interviewer interrupted me to let me know that I "need to write code or this won't go well for you." I replied that I'm writing code. Eventually, we ran out of time. At this point, he stated that there were "so many problems" with my code. Throughout this whole interview, he was letting out angry/frustrated sighs and interrupting me to reiterate things (like, "I need to know your algorithm" or "you need to write code" while I'm writing code). Maybe he was the "bar raiser" and this was all intentional, but I don't think it was. This guy was rude and mean. I later looked him up on and assuming I found the right guy, there was a chance I could report to him. Had that been the case and I was offered a job, I would not have accepted it. The second interview was object-oriented design. This interviewer was much nicer. She also asked some behavioral questions. Next up was the systems design interview. If you read the recommended book, it was exactly like they describe (they even used a question from it). This interviewer also asked a couple of behavioral questions. The fourth interview was another object-oriented design question and behavioral questions. Lastly, they had someone take me out to lunch. We just went to the onsite cafeteria. They say this isn't an interview, but don't believe it. I think this was an interview trying to gauge your motivation for wanting to work at Amazon and see if you'd be a good fit from a personality perspective. After a few days, I was contacted by the lead recruiter and told they needed more data points and wanted to do an additional phone screen. This was then setup for the following week. This was exactly like the first phone screen (coding problem and a few behavioral questions). Ultimately, I didn't get the job. It is their policy not to provide feedback and was told I could reapply in 9-12 months. My advice would be to first read the recommended book. This will give you a good idea on how to approach the interviews in general. Multiple questions from my interview were in this book. As far as the coding for the data structures and algorithms, go to Leet Code and work those. At least one of my problems was in there. You need to be able to solve Leet Code's algorithms problems (of difficulty medium) in an hour window. In retrospect, I should have spent more time on this aspect. Lastly, the recruiters will tell you to have 5-6 examples that show their leadership principals. The problem here is that over the course of 6 interviews, each asking at least two behavioral questions, you'll quickly run out of examples. Reusing the same examples is not good. Also, over the course of two months, it was hard for me to remember what examples I used. In general, the recruiters will give you great advice.
      11

      Other Software Development Engineer Interview Reviews for Amazon

      Software Development Engineer Interview

      Jul 20, 2026
      Anonymous Interview Candidate
      No offer
      Positive experience
      Difficult interview

      Application

      I interviewed at Amazon

      Interview

      First a online assessment and then the loop with 3 back to back interviews. One interview was completely behavioural (the bar-raiser). Other two interviews were technical ranging from dsa to low level system design

      Interview questions [1]

      Question 1

      Tell me something that isn't in the resume.
      Answer question

      Software Development Engineer Interview

      Jul 18, 2026
      Anonymous employee
      Accepted offer
      Positive experience
      Difficult interview

      Application

      I interviewed at Amazon

      Interview

      1. Online Application / Recruiter Screen Apply online or get contacted by a recruiter. For technical roles, this often includes an initial phone screen covering background and basic fit. 2. Online Assessment (OA) Common for SDE and many other roles — includes coding problems (usually on platforms like HackerRank), work-style/behavioral questionnaires, and sometimes a "work simulation" assessment. 3. Phone/Video Interview 1-2 rounds with an engineer or hiring manager, mixing technical questions (coding, system design depending on level) with behavioral questions based on Amazon's Leadership Principles. 4. Virtual/Onsite Loop ("The Loop") Typically 4-6 back-to-back interviews (45-60 min each), usually including: Coding/technical rounds — data structures, algorithms, problem-solving System design (for mid-to-senior roles) Bar Raiser interview — a specially trained interviewer from outside the immediate team, focused on ensuring candidates raise the overall talent bar; carries significant weight in the decision Behavioral rounds — heavily structured around the Leadership Principles (e.g., "Customer Obsession," "Ownership," "Deliver Results"), typically using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) 5. Debrief All interviewers meet (or submit written feedback) to discuss the candidate, with the Bar Raiser often having veto power regardless of role level. 6. Offer If approved, HR extends the offer, followed by negotiation. Key things Amazon emphasizes: The 16 Leadership Principles are central to almost every interview — expect to be asked to give specific past examples for several of them. For technical roles, strong DS&A fundamentals plus (at senior levels) system design are essential. Answers should be structured, quantified, and specific — vague answers tend to score poorly with Bar Raisers

      Interview questions [1]

      Question 1

      Cant disclose, due to NDA
      Answer question

      Software Development Engineer Interview

      Jun 3, 2026
      Anonymous Interview Candidate
      No offer
      Positive experience
      Difficult interview

      Application

      I interviewed at Amazon

      Interview

      It started with an OA, and then after a few weeks, I got invited to four rounds of interviews: technical and behavioral at 3 of the 4, and behavioral only at one.

      Interview questions [1]

      Question 1

      Questions related to leadership principles
      Answer question


      Glassdoor

      • About / Press
      • Awards
      • Blog
      • Research
      • Contact Us
      • Guides

      Employers

      • Free Employer Account
      • Employer Center
      • Employers Blog

      Information

      • Help
      • Guidelines
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy & Ad Choices
      • Do Not Sell Or Share My Information
      • Cookie Consent Tool
      • Security

      Work With Us

      • Advertisers
      • Careers
      Download the App

      • Browse by:
      • Companies
      • Jobs
      • Locations
      • Communities
      • Recent Posts

      Copyright © 2008-2026. Indeed, Inc. "Glassdoor," "Worklife Pro," "Bowls," and logo are proprietary trademarks of Indeed, Inc.

      Amazon interviews FAQs

      • Software Development Engineer applicants have rated the interview process at Amazon with 3.2 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 61% positive. To compare, the company-average is 57.5% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
      • Candidates applying for Software Development Engineer roles take an average of 28 days to get hired, when considering 2,544 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Amazon overall takes an average of 28 days.
      • Common stages of the interview process at Amazon as a Software Development Engineer according to 2,544 Glassdoor interviews include:

        Phone interview:  29%

        One on one interview:  21%

        Skills test:  14%

        Presentation:  11%

        IQ intelligence test:  6%

        Group panel interview:  6%

        Personality test:  5%

        Background check:  4%

        Drug test:  2%

        Other:  2%

      • Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -

        1. Warehouse Associate(11123) ;
        2. Warehouse Worker(6916) ;
        3. Associate(6212) ;
        4. Software Engineer(6182) ;
        5. Area Manager(5707) ;
        6. Software Development Engineer (SDE)(3521) ;
        7. Fulfillment Associate
      (3411) ;
    • Software Development Engineer(3185) ;
    • Customer Service Representative(3047) ;
    • Program Manager(2484) ;
    • Operations Manager(2300) ;
    • Customer Service Associate(2220) ;
    • Sortation Associate(1868) ;
    • Manager(1455) ;
    • Process Assistant(1422) .
    • Jobs at Amazon

      1K jobs in United States
      Software Development Engineer Internship - Fall 2026 (US)
      Seattle, WA
      ·
      $111K - $160K /yr
      (Employer provided)
      View job
      Software Development Engineer, AWS
      Seattle, WA
      ·
      $144K - $224K /yr
      (Employer provided)
      View job
      Software Development Engineer
      Seattle, WA
      ·
      $144K - $214K /yr
      (Employer provided)
      View job
      Software Development Engineer
      Seattle, WA
      ·
      $144K - $214K /yr
      (Employer provided)
      View job
      Jr. Software Development Engineer - Detroit, MI, Jr. Developer Program
      Detroit, MI
      ·
      $18 - $65 /hr
      (Employer provided)
      View job
      View all Software Development Engineer Jobs