How to Prepare for AWS SDE Role - Process and Preparation

AWS or Amazon Web Services is a subsidiary of Amazon and is a cloud computing platform and one of the fastest-growing segments.

It provides cloud services to businesses and individuals for building and deploying applications in the cloud and is used by Amazon as well.

Not much is talked about the roles in AWS but is definitely worth exploring.

Although it is similar to Amazon SDE interviews, there are still inherent differences to consider.

The SDE role is responsible for developing and designing the software that powers AWS services, so it's a pretty big deal!

In this article, I want to give you an insight into,

• My AWS SDE interview experience 
• AWS Interview Process for SDE-I Role
• Discussing AWS SDE interview preparation

AWS Interview Experience

As someone who has gone through the interview process at AWS as an SDE and came out with the offer, here’s my AWS interview experience.

Starting with the application process, I was approached by my AWS manager on LinkedIn for this role.

It just goes on to show how important it is to have an up-to-date and relevant LinkedIn profile.

My projects, my experience, and my skills, I make sure that everything is up to date on LinkedIn. ✔️

After that, I got a window of 25 days to prepare for the interview rounds.

Now let me tell you that it did not take me just 1 month to prepare for the interviews.

As someone working full-time at Lambdatest, I had to manage my time wisely.

I mainly focused on revision and gaining the momentum to solve DSA questions which I previously studied.

Fortunately, the skills that I gained at Lambdatest made the preparation journey a lot easier for me.

📌 So technically, a year to learn all the different concepts of DSA.

The interviews were a lot tougher than I expected.

The interviewer had their own set of questions so whoever said that every question asked by Amazon is present on the internet is not true.

The questions were not present on popular platforms like Leetcode and GeeksforGeeks.

They were unique and required me to think critically and apply my concepts.

All the rounds were scheduled back to back in 1 day from morning till 5 p.m. 

It was intense.

I think that if your concepts are clear then your approach will be in the right direction.

I was quite nervous for the Bar Raiser round but thankfully was able to drive the conversation in my favour.

It was really fun answering all the questions related to my projects and skills.

It was challenging, exciting, and a lot of hard work, but it was worth it. 🌟

AWS Interview Process for the SDE-I Role

Generally, Amazon CDO and AWS interviews have different patterns.

Amazon SDE-I has 3 interview rounds, 2 technical rounds and 1 Bar Raiser.

While SDE-I at AWS has 5 interview rounds - 3 technical rounds, 1 Bar Raiser and 1 HR round.

The AWS interview process is designed to assess your technical skills, problem-solving skills and how much of a culture fit you are.

Let me take you through the AWS hiring process where I’ll share the type of AWS interview questions that can be asked.

And also share some interview tips along the way to help you prepare for each round.

🔶 Round 1: Phone Screening

Also, called a get-in or get-out round, this is your entry point for the interview rounds.

It usually lasts anywhere between 30-45 minutes with an AWS engineer.

In this round, you’ll be asked DSA (I was asked a tough trees question) and LLD questions.

Expect standard questions, nothing extraordinary.

Apart from these, they’ll also ask about your background and past experiences. 

This round is usually a high-level discussion where you can also ask your questions regarding the role and responsibilities of the recruiter.

💡 Pro tip: 

• Thoroughly research the company and the position requirements
• Also, familiarise yourself with AWS services
• Strengthen your knowledge of data structures and algorithms 

📌 Check out this detailed DSA Preparation Guide to crack DSA interviews shared by an Amazon mentor.

🔶  Round 2: Technical

Amazon gives all its interviewers the freedom to ask their own created questions or from any online resources as well.

This is a coding round where you’ll have to solve questions within a given time frame.

The AWS interview questions can come from topics such as:

• Data structures: arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, graphs
• Algorithms: sorting, searching, dynamic programming, graph algorithms
• Object-oriented programming: inheritance, polymorphism, encapsulation, abstraction

💡 Pro tip:

• Timebox yourself and practise solving problems on a whiteboard or platforms like LeetCode
• Read the job description to learn about the skills required
• Ask for clarifications if needed during the interview

🔶  Round 3 -  Technical

This is another technical round usually conducted by a different person.

The topics will remain the same but the difficulty level increases with each round.

Hence, expect complex questions.

💡 Pro tip:

• Build upon your practice and gradually move towards complex problems
• Practise writing clean and efficient code
• Articulate your thoughts and communicate with the interviewer while solving problems

📌 Crack your technical interviews with these best practices as discussed by a Microsoft Mentor.

🔶 Round 4 - Bar Raiser: 

Every team at Amazon has their own bar raiser round.

As the name suggests, the interviewers must raise the bar for their team. 

It is conducted by a third party who is not a part of the hiring team. 

They have to evaluate on the basis that whoever is selected is better than 50% of the existing team.

Here also, expect a tough question from the above-mentioned topics. 

Both your technical and behavioural skills will be evaluated in this round.

Now, the catch is that the interviewer is not expecting the solution to that question but rather your approach to problem-solving. 

The first 30 minutes will be focused on the technical aspect like a DSA question.

And for the remaining 15 minutes you will be assessed on Amazon Leadership Principles and your past experiences.

                                   Amazon Leadership Principles

Generally, the leadership principles are not given much thought by the candidates but let me tell you that it carries 50% of the weightage.

💡 Pro tip: 

• Understand the company culture and values
• Show your eagerness to learn and grow at AWS
• Be prepared to explain your projects and achievements in detail
• Practise the STAR method for behavioural questions

🔶 Round 5 - HR: 

This round will be conducted by the manager you’ll be working under.

You get to discuss the offer and negotiate your benefits.

You can also ask questions related to the role and career development opportunities.

💡 Pro tip:

• Research the market rate before negotiating the salary
• Showcase how you fit into the company’s culture and can contribute to its success

The AWS hiring process is quite rigorous and well structured with an emphasis on problem solving and thinking creatively.

Now, let's move on to what are things to be mindful while preparing for AWS interviews.

AWS Interview Preparation for SDE-I

The right approach to AWS interview preparation can increase your chances of landing the role. 

Here is how I prepared for my AWS interview and you should too.

🟢 Keep it simple: 

With so many courses and resources available online, it's easy to overcomplicate the preparation and lose focus.

Stick to a few resources and keep upgrading your level.

Don’t get stuck in the loop of solving easy questions.

It might give you the illusion that you are prepared which might not be the case.

Step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. 

At times, you might get demotivated - here you can get back to solving a few easy questions.

This will give you the much-needed confidence and the push to keep going.

Here’s a list of resources that I personally followed:

• https://hackernoon.com/14-patterns-to-ace-any-coding-interview-question-c5bb3357f6ed
• https://seanprashad.com/leetcode-patterns/
• https://leetcode.com/discuss/interview-question/2069641/The-Only-Lists-You-Need-For-Your-lnterview-Preparation
• https://leetcode.com/discuss/career/448285/List-of-questions-sorted-by-common-patterns
• https://leetcode.com/discuss/study-guide/1476329/Useful-posts-from-LeetCode-discussions-for-personal-use-and-concept-revision

Apart from these, I used a few more personalised resources that I curated depending on my skill level and what I needed to learn in order to crack the AWS SDE interview.

📌 You can connect with me so that I can curate a list of resources for you based on your current skills and pain points.

🟢 Prepare for coding and system design rounds:

As I mentioned above, there will be 3 technical rounds.

You’ll be expected to write a code, and test and optimise it.

Every company has their own requirements for the same job role.

For example, Amazon is tilted towards DSA and likes to ask questions from Trees and Graphs. Whereas, Google and Oracle prefer DP (Dynamic Programming) questions.

Hence read the job description thoroughly and map your preparation accordingly.

Some common coding exercises that are asked in AWS SDE-I interviews include:

• Implementing a data structure such as a stack, queue, or binary search tree
• Solving a dynamic programming problem
• Implementing an algorithm such as binary search, sorting, or graph traversal

Coming to system design, you can expect either an LLD or HLD.

Some common system design questions that are asked in AWS SDE-I interviews include:

• Designing a distributed system that can handle millions of requests per second
• Designing a caching system that can improve the performance of a web application
• Designing a database schema for a new application

🟢 Spend time on your resume

Just like your AWS SDE interview preparation strategy, keep your resume simple as well.

Your resume should no longer be more than a page.

For experienced professionals having an experience of 10+ years, having a lengthy resume can be justified.

But for the SDE-I role at AWS where you need an experience of around 2 years, 1 page is more than enough.

How can you ensure that everything settles on one page? 

The answer is to make it short and crisp.

📌 No paragraphs, no lengthy sentences, everything should be to the point.

Think of it as a 1-minute resume, that is, it should only take a minute for the recruiter to skim it and get valuable information.

📌 Avoid fancy formatting and colours, this makes it hard for the ATS software to scan your resume.

Spelling and typographical errors are another big no. 

Before submitting your resume, run it through a grammar tool and ask your friends, family or mentor to review it for you.

✔️ Get your resume reviewed by an industry professional and increase your chances of getting shortlisted.

🟢 Have a website/portfolio

A lot of people will be competing for your position and having a website or portfolio is the minimum requirement to stand out these days.

It is tangible evidence of your skills and knowledge.

You need to be proactive in filling your portfolio with your skills and projects.

Include links to your GitHub repositories, and highlight any AWS-related projects or certifications you have completed. 

You can mention the different languages, frameworks and technologies you have worked with. 

The biggest advantage of having a website is that it shows your passion for technology and your initiative to go above and beyond in your career. 

It demonstrates your commitment to your profession and your willingness to invest time and effort in showcasing your skills and achievements. 🌟

🟢 Learn to drive the interview rounds in your favour

Other than the DSA rounds, you can also drive other interview rounds in your favour. 

How can you do this?

💡 If you have a project that you are proud of, find a chance where you can bring up this topic and discuss it in detail.

This is a great chance to show your skills and get the recruiter's attention.

You have to influence the interviewers so that they ask the questions that you want.

This will also make the interview interesting and enjoyable for both parties.

Provide concrete examples of your contribution and the impact that it has created.

📌 A word of caution, steer clear of mentioning topics that you cannot explain in depth.

🟢 Prepare for the Bar Raiser Round

To ensure that there is no bias and the hiring team is making a sound decision, a skilled Amazon interviewer not belonging to the hiring team conducts the BR round.

They evaluate a candidate based on Amazon’s 16 leadership principles and long-term potential. 

Remember that quality matters over quantity at Amazon.

The bar raiser is trying to judge your mindset and how open you are in sharing your thoughts.

Another important thing is that all the rounds have Amazon leadership principles questions.

I have seen candidates solving all the questions but not getting selected because of a lack of leadership principles.

So, don’t fall out on these.

A lot of other companies also follow Amazon’s LP module.

You don’t have to learn these principles word for word but demonstrate them in your answers.

Here’s an in-depth guide on Amazon’s 16 leadership principles that will help you clear this round.

This round can include technical questions, behavioural questions and even open-ended questions.

You need to think creatively.

Some common types of questions that are asked in the bar raiser round include:

• How would you design a product that solves a specific problem?
• What are some challenges that you've faced in the past, and how did you overcome them?
• Can you explain a complex technical concept to someone who doesn't have a technical background?

🟢 Practise Mock Interviews:

Mock interviews are a great way to know your current standing be it in terms of soft skills or technical skills.

A real interview simulation increases your job chances and is much better than continuously solving questions.

The feedback received in mock interviews can put things in perspective.

You can fine-tune your skills and also build confidence for the AWS SDE interview.

Reach out to your friends or look for mentors in this domain who can help you with this. 

Wrapping it up

I hope you found this article insightful and were able to understand the AWS interview process and how to prepare for AWS SDE interviews. 

Preparing for an interview is a continuous process so don’t get intimidated.

Remember to stay focused on your AWS interview preparation plan and be confident.

If you are passionate about software development and have the skills to match, then you’ll be in good hands.

And if you have any doubts or questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. 🌟

We can have a 1:1 free strategy call where I’ll try my best to clear your doubts and help you with your AWS interview preparation.

‍

Also, check out:

Amazon SDET Interview Process & Preparation Guide