Amazon · Software engineer · L5-L6 (SDE-II / SDE-III)
Onsite loop, system design
45-60 min, spoken over a shared virtual whiteboard
What they actually ask
The question shapes this round uses. Larpy does not read these out. It builds each one from your own resume, because the generic version is the one you have already rehearsed.
- “Design a parking-lot system (also a common SDE-I OOD prompt).”
- “Design a URL shortener (TinyURL-style).”
- “Design a rate limiter.”
- “Design an e-commerce product/order service: cart, checkout, inventory.”
- “Design a package-pickup / locker service.”
- “Design a notification or messaging service.”
- “Design a top-K / trending-items service.”
- “Design a distributed cache or key-value store.”
What this round is judged on
- Practicality · a workable, realistic design
- Scalability & reliability · scales and degrades gracefully
- Efficiency & optimization · sound tradeoffs, not over-engineering
- Accuracy · correct APIs, data model, and estimates
- Handling ambiguity · gather requirements and drive structure
Where this round sits
Amazon’s published process. Lime marks the stage this round runs.
- 01Recruiter / phone screen
- 02Online Assessment (OA)
- 03Technical phone screen
- 04The Loop (virtual onsite)this round
- 05Bar Raiser round
- 06Debrief & decision
What happens in each stage›
- Recruiter / phone screen
- 30-45 min spoken, non-technical. Background, motivation, basic-qualification and level fit, plus one or two early Leadership Principles signals. No live coding.
- Online Assessment (OA)
- ~118 min, often before human contact: 90 min for two coding questions, ~20 min system-design scenarios, and an 8-min Work Style Survey tied to the Leadership Principles. Section mix drifts by cycle.
- Technical phone screen
- 45-60 min with one engineer: typically one coding problem plus a few LP/behavioral questions. More common for SDE-II/experienced hires; new grads often go OA straight to the loop. Level-dependent.
- The Loop (virtual onsite)
- Amazon's SDE-II page says four 55-minute interviews; the general guide says four to six 45-60 min rounds. Mix of coding, system design (SDE-II+), and behavioral. Every round blends technical work with LP questioning.
- Bar Raiser round
- One loop interviewer is a trained Bar Raiser from outside the hiring team who guards the hiring bar and holds effective veto in the debrief. LP-heavy with relentless dive-deep follow-ups; not always announced.
- Debrief & decision
- Interviewers meet for a structured debrief; each submits written feedback with an inclination mapped to LPs and competencies. Feedback typically within ~2 business days after a phone interview and ~5 after the loop.
Sources
Built from what Amazon publishes about its own process and from real interview data. No leaked question lists. The questions you get are generated against your own resume, so they are not from anyone else's interview.
OA timing (90+20+8 = ~118 min), "four 55-minute interviews," coding criteria ("scalable, robust, and well-tested code," no pseudocode), system-design criteria, and behavioral/STAR guidance.
Official technical topic list: data structures, algorithms, coding, OOD, databases, distributed computing, operating systems, internet topics, and general ML/AI.
The 16 Leadership Principles by name, including the two added in 2021 (Strive to be Earth's Best Employer; Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility).
Loop of "four to six" 45-60 min interviews, Bar Raiser wording, STAR method, 30-45 min phone screen, and debrief timeline (~2 business days after phone, ~5 after the loop).
Guidance on preparing STAR stories mapped to specific Leadership Principles.
Level differences at SDE-III/L6+ (added architecture depth, heavier LP weighting).
Amazon SDE leveling mapping (SDE-I = L4, SDE-II = L5, SDE-III = L6).
Sources last checked . Hiring loops change, so this date is the honest limit on everything above.