RejectedSDE-I Intern at Amazon
- Difficulty
- Process took
- 0-1 Weeks
- Rounds
- 2
- Format
- On site
- Applied via
- Other
How it went
- Practice DSA Problem regularly. Topics like graphs, linked lists, and dynamic programming were crucial.
What they would tell you
- Practice DSA Problem regularly. Topics like graphs, linked lists, and dynamic programming were crucial.
How to prepare
- Final Offers: 6 offers were made for internship positions, but unfortunately, I was not among the selected candidates.
- The coding rounds taught me how to manage time efficiently and solve problems under pressure.
Their background
I applied for the SDE-I Intern position at Amazon during our campus recruitment drive. After meeting the initial CGPA requirement (≥8.5), I received an invite for the next steps in the selection process.
Round by round
- 1
Initial Screening & Online Assessment60 min
Shortlisting: Only students with CGPA ≥ 8.5 were eligible. 3 problems:
- One on Hash Maps (Friend Requests II: Who Has the Most Friends)
- One on Linked Lists (Remove Linked List Elements)
- One on Graphs (Graph Valid Tree) I attempted all, balancing between quick thinking and clean code. Workstyle assessment Test: 40 scenario-based questions focused on workplace preferences, Amazon’s leadership values, and how you would react in team or conflict situations.
Result: Cleared OA and was invited to the technical interview.
- 2
Technical Interview 170 min
The interview started with a quick intro, and the interviewer asked me to walk through my past experiences. Then, we got into the technical part. Question 1:
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Detect a loop in a linked list
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I explained the Floyd's Tortoise and Hare algorithm (also known as cycle-finding algorithm). I wrote the code, and the interviewer asked about the space complexity. Question 2:
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Tree + Dynamic Programming
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The problem involved dynamic programming on a binary tree, where I had to optimize the problem under constraints.I came up with a recursive approach.
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The interviewer asked how this could be optimized for larger trees, and I suggested using bottom-up dynamic programming to improve efficiency.
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What came up
A candidate-reported account, lightly edited. Interview processes change by team and date.