Amazon Software Development Engineer 1 Interview Experience

Software Development Engineer 1

July 16, 2026
7 Questions
Selected

Summary

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The Amazon interview process consisted of three rounds, featuring a mix of coding, behavioral, and system design questions. Candidates can expect technical questions related to Binary Search and Dynamic Programming in the first two rounds, followed by discussions on project experience and Leadership Principles in the final round. Overall, the interview experience at Amazon appears to be challenging and comprehensive, testing both technical and behavioral competencies.

1

Round 1 (December)

#1

Row with Maximum Number of 1s

Given a binary matrix, identify the row that has the maximum number of 1s. The initial approach involves applying binary search on every row with a time complexity of O(m log n). An optimized solution starts from the top-right corner of the matrix. If the current value is 1, move left; if 0, move down. Keep track of the row whenever moving left. The final time complexity is O(m + n) and space complexity is O(1).
binary-search
matrix-traversal
Medium
#2

Binary Tree Cousin Sum

Calculate the sum of cousin nodes in a binary tree. The approach involves two traversals: the first to calculate the sum of values at each level and the second to compute the sibling sums. The new node value is the level sum minus the sibling sum.
binary-trees
bfs
dfs
Medium
2

Round 2 (February)

#1

Dynamic Programming on Trees

Discuss the dynamic programming approach on tree structures, focusing on how to identify the correct DP state and transition for tree nodes using the Take / Not-Take strategy.
dynamic-programming
trees
Medium
#2

Number of Islands II

Determine the number of islands in a grid using the Disjoint Set Union (DSU) method. Initially treat every cell as water and progressively convert cells into land. Increase the island count as land cells are added and use union operations for adjacent land cells. The discussion includes implementation of DSU, union by rank/size, path compression, and various time and space complexities.
disjoint-set-union
dynamic-connectivity
Medium
#3

Behavioral Questions on Leadership Principles

Answer behavioral questions regarding missing deadlines, communicating delays, ownership, problem solving, and challenges faced at work, in relation to Amazon's Leadership Principles.
leadership-principles
behavioral
Medium
3

Round 3 (March)

#1

Discussion on Current Project Experience

Discuss your current project experience, elaborating on design decisions, technical challenges faced, and how they relate to the Amazon Leadership Principles.
project-experience
Medium
#2

Currency Exchange Problem

Solve the currency exchange problem using a directed graph approach and Breadth-First Search (BFS) to effectively manage conversions between different currencies.
graphs
bfs
Medium
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