Amazon

Amazon is a global technology leader in e-commerce, cloud computing (AWS), digital streaming, and AI. In India, Amazon is a top recruiter for software engineers, known for its rigorous hiring process, customer obsession, and unique Leadership Principles. Amazon India’s tech teams work on high-impact products like Amazon.in, Alexa, Prime Video, and AWS.

Headquarters: Seattle, USA
Employees: 1,500,000+ globally

Industry: E-commerce, Cloud, AI
Revenue: $574+ Billion USD (2023)

Amazon Eligibility Criteria (India)

Academic Requirements

Minimum Percentage: 60% or 6.5+ CGPA in 10th, 12th, and graduation
Degree: B.Tech/B.E./M.Tech/MCA in CS, IT, ECE, or related fields
Year of Study: Final year students and recent graduates (within 1 year)
Backlogs: No active backlogs at the time of selection

Branch Eligibility

Eligible Branches: CS, IT, ECE, EE, and related engineering streams
Programming Focus: Strong skills in Data Structures, Algorithms, and OOP
Experience: Freshers and up to 2 years experience (for SDE-1)

Additional Criteria

Coding Skills: Proficiency in at least one language (Java, C++, Python)
Gap Years: Maximum 1 year gap allowed
Course Type: Full-time degrees only
Nationality: Open to Indian and international students (for India roles)

Amazon Placement Papers

Amazon Placement Papers 2024

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Amazon Placement Papers 2025

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Amazon Placement Process (2025, India)

Application Timeline

Amazon conducts both on-campus and off-campus drives. Off-campus hiring is common via the Amazon Jobs portal, CodeWhisperer, and Amazon WOW (women-only) events.

Application Methods

Campus Recruitment

College Visits: Through placement cells at top engineering colleges.
Direct Registration: Via college coordinators.

Off-Campus Drives

Amazon Jobs Portal: Apply online for SDE and other roles.
Hackathons: Participate in Amazon CodeWhisperer, WOW, and hiring challenges.

Referrals & Internships

Referrals: Strong internal referral program.
Internship Conversion: PPOs for high-performing interns.

Latest Interview Rounds (2024-2025)

1. Online Assessment (OA) (HackerRank or Amazon platform, 90-120 min)

   • 2 coding questions (DSA, often arrays, graphs, sliding window, bit manipulation)
   • Work simulation (email scenarios, debugging, decision-making)
   • Behavioral MCQs (Leadership Principles)
   • Tip: All test cases must pass for shortlisting.

2. Technical Interview 1 (45-60 min)

   • 1-2 DSA problems (recent: graphs, bit masking, sliding window)
   • Code on shared editor, explain approach, optimize
   • Follow-up questions on edge cases, time/space complexity

3. Technical + Behavioral Interview 2 (45-60 min)

   • 1 DSA problem (medium-hard, e.g., DP on trees, heaps)
   • 30 min deep-dive on Amazon Leadership Principles (STAR method)
   • Interviewer asks for multiple real-life examples

4. System Design/Managerial Round (SDE-1: OOP/system design basics; SDE-2+: scalable systems)

   • Design a bookstore, URL shortener, or live video platform
   • Discuss trade-offs, scalability, reliability, and past project architecture
   • Scenario-based questions (e.g., handling server failures, scaling for millions)

5. Bar Raiser Round (45-60 min, senior/principal engineer)

   • Mix of DSA, system design, and deep behavioral questions
   • Focus on ownership, customer obsession, and raising the bar
   • Tip: Every answer is probed for depth and alignment with Leadership Principles
6. HR/Offer Discussion
   • Background, compensation, relocation, and company fit

Timeline from Application to Offer

Typical Timeline

Total Duration: 2-4 weeks from application to offer letter (can be faster for off-campus)

Phase	Duration	Key Activities
Online Assessment	1 day	Coding, work simulation
Technical Interviews	1-2 weeks	DSA, system design, behavioral
Bar Raiser	2-3 days	Deep dive, scenario-based
HR Discussion	Same day	Offer, negotiation
Result Declaration	2-3 days	Offer letter, background check

Recent Amazon Interview Questions (2024-2025)

Coding/DSA

Arrays & Strings

Two Sum Variant

Problem: Given an array of integers nums and an integer target, return indices of the two numbers such that they add up to target. You may assume that each input would have exactly one solution, and you may not use the same element twice. You can return the answer in any order.

Example: nums = [2, 7, 11, 15], target = 9. Output: [0, 1]

Code: (Java/C++)

class Solution {
    public int[] twoSum(int[] nums, int target) {
        Map<Integer, Integer> map = new HashMap<>();
        for (int i = 0; i < nums.length; i++) {
            int complement = target - nums[i];
            if (map.containsKey(complement)) {
                return new int[]{map.get(complement), i};
            }
            map.put(nums[i], i);
        }
        return new int[]{};
    }
}

Sliding Window Maximum

Problem: You are given an array of integers nums, there is a sliding window of size k which is moving from the very left of the array to the very right. You can only see the k numbers in the window. Each time the sliding window moves right by one position.

Example: nums = [1,3,-1,-3,5,3,6,7], k = 3. Output: [3,3,5,5,6,7]

Code: (Java/C++)

class Solution {
    public int[] maxSlidingWindow(int[] nums, int k) {
        int n = nums.length;
        if (n == 0 || k == 0) return new int[0];

        int[] result = new int[n - k + 1];
        Deque<Integer> deque = new ArrayDeque<>();

        for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            // Remove indices that are out of the current window
            if (!deque.isEmpty() && deque.peekFirst() == i - k) {
                deque.pollFirst();
            }

            // Remove indices whose corresponding values are less than nums[i]
            // because they will not be the maximum in the current window
            while (!deque.isEmpty() && nums[deque.peekLast()] < nums[i]) {
                deque.pollLast();
            }

            deque.offerLast(i);

            // The first element in the deque is the maximum for the current window
            if (i >= k - 1) {
                result[i - k + 1] = nums[deque.peekFirst()];
            }
        }
        return result;
    }
}

String Compression

Problem: Given an array of characters chars, compress it using the following algorithm:

If the character count is 1, append the character. If the character count is greater than 1, append the character followed by the count.

Example: chars = [“a”,“a”,“b”,“b”,“c”,“c”,“c”]. Output: [“a”,“2”,“b”,“2”,“c”,“3”]

Code: (Java/C++)

class Solution {
    public int compress(char[] chars) {
        int writeIndex = 0;
        int count = 1;

        for (int i = 1; i <= chars.length; i++) {
            if (i < chars.length && chars[i] == chars[i - 1]) {
                count++;
            } else {
                chars[writeIndex++] = chars[i - 1];
                if (count > 1) {
                    String countStr = String.valueOf(count);
                    for (char c : countStr.toCharArray()) {
                        chars[writeIndex++] = c;
                    }
                }
                count = 1;
            }
        }
        return writeIndex;
    }
}

Graphs & Trees

Clone Graph: Given a node from a graph, return a deep copy.

Lowest Common Ancestor: Find LCA in a binary tree.

Word Ladder: Shortest transformation sequence from beginWord to endWord.

Bit Manipulation & DP

Bitmasking Subsets: Find all subsets of a set using bitmasking.

DP on Trees: Maximum path sum in a binary tree.

System Design (SDE-1/2)

Design a Bookstore System: Classes, objects, and methods for book search/count.

Design a Live Video Platform: High-level and low-level architecture for scalable video streaming.

Practice More Amazon Interview Questions →

Behavioral (Leadership Principles)

Customer Obsession

Describe a time you went above and beyond for a user or customer. How did you measure success?

Ownership

Give an example where you took responsibility for a project or fixed a critical bug under pressure.

Bias for Action

Tell me about a time you made a quick decision with incomplete data. What was the outcome?

Invent & Simplify

Share an example where you simplified a complex process or system.

HR/Managerial

• Why Amazon? (Focus on innovation, scale, and learning culture)
• Are you willing to relocate? (Amazon has offices in multiple Indian cities)
• How do you handle failure or negative feedback?

Preparation Strategy (Amazon-Specific)

What Amazon Looks For

Amazon emphasizes DSA, coding proficiency, and deep alignment with Leadership Principles. Every round tests both technical and behavioral skills.

DSA Mastery

Priority: Critical
Time Allocation: 50%

• Practice LeetCode (esp. Amazon tag), HackerRank, Codeforces
  
• Focus on graphs, sliding window, bit manipulation, DP
  
• Solve 150+ coding problems, including edge cases

System Design & OOP

Priority: High
Time Allocation: 20%

• Learn basics of system design (SDE-1) and scalable systems (SDE-2+)
  
• Practice OOP concepts and class design in Java/C++/Python

Leadership Principles

Priority: High
Time Allocation: 20%

• Prepare STAR stories for each principle (Situation, Task, Action, Result)
  
• Practice mock behavioral interviews

Aptitude & Communication

Priority: Medium
Time Allocation: 10%

• Practice logical reasoning and English communication

3-Month Study Plan

3 Months Before

• Master DSA fundamentals (esp. graphs, trees, DP)
• Practice 2-3 coding problems daily
• Study Amazon Leadership Principles and draft STAR stories
• Build 1-2 small projects (for resume and interview discussion)

1 Month Before

• Take mock OAs and interviews (timed)
• Review system design basics and OOP
• Refine STAR stories with feedback
• Revise core CS concepts (OS, DBMS, Networking)

1 Week Before

• Revise common coding patterns and Amazon-specific questions
• Practice behavioral questions aloud
• Rest, sleep well, and stay confident

Amazon Leadership Principles (What They Mean for Candidates)

Amazon’s 16 Leadership Principles are central to every interview. You must:

• Know all principles and have 1-2 STAR stories for each
• Expect follow-up questions that probe for depth, learning, and impact
• Demonstrate customer obsession, ownership, and bias for action in both technical and behavioral answers

Pro Tip

Every interviewer is a gatekeeper for Leadership Principles. Even technical rounds will include behavioral questions.

Compensation & Benefits (India, 2025)

Salary Ranges 2025-2026

All figures represent total annual compensation (base, bonus, RSUs, and benefits). Numbers are in INR.

Software Engineer Roles

Level	Experience	Base Salary	Total Package	Typical Background
SDE-1	New Grad	₹18-22 LPA	₹25-32 LPA	Fresh graduates, top colleges
SDE-2	1-3 years	₹28-36 LPA	₹38-48 LPA	1-3 years experience
SDE-3	4-7 years	₹45-65 LPA	₹65-90 LPA	Senior developers
Principal Engineer	8+ years	₹90+ LPA	₹1.2 Cr+	Architects, tech leads

Other Popular Roles

Role	Level	Total Package	Requirements
Support Engineer	Entry	₹10-14 LPA	Strong CS fundamentals
QA Engineer	Entry-Mid	₹12-20 LPA	Testing, automation
Product Manager	Mid-Senior	₹35-65 LPA	Product sense, tech background
Operations Manager	Mid	₹20-32 LPA	Ops, analytics

Benefits & Perks

• Flexible Working: Hybrid/remote options
• Health Insurance: Comprehensive coverage
• Stock Grants: RSUs for SDEs and above
• Learning & Development: Internal training, certifications
• Work-Life Balance: Employee assistance, wellness programs
• Career Growth: Fast-track promotions, global mobility

Recent Updates & Trends (2025)

Hiring Trends 2025

More Off-Campus Drives: Virtual hiring, hackathons, and Amazon WOW events are increasing.

DSA Emphasis: Coding rounds are more competitive, with a focus on graphs and bit manipulation.

Diversity Hiring: Special drives for women and underrepresented groups.

Process Changes

Online Assessments: More scenario-based and debugging questions.

Bar Raiser Round: Mandatory for all SDE hires, with deeper behavioral probing.

Faster Offers: Reduced time from interview to offer.

New Initiatives

Amazon WOW: Women-only hiring events.

Student Programs: Internships, Amazon Future Engineer.

Internal Referrals: Strong employee referral program.

Company Growth

AWS Expansion: More cloud roles in India.

Product Innovation: Alexa, Prime, Amazon Pay.

Global Mobility: Opportunities to work abroad.

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Ready to start your Amazon preparation? Focus on DSA (especially graphs, sliding window, bit manipulation), system design basics, and Amazon Leadership Principles. Practice mock interviews and build strong STAR stories for every principle.

Pro Tip: Consistent practice on LeetCode (Amazon tag) and HackerRank is key. Understand the “why” behind Amazon’s Leadership Principles for behavioral rounds. Every answer should show impact, learning, and ownership.