Amazon · Software engineer · L4-L6 (SDE-I to SDE-III)

Onsite loop, Bar Raiser / Leadership Principles

45-55 min, spoken

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.

“Customer Obsession: tell me about a time you went beyond expectations for a customer, or used customer feedback to change a decision.”
“Ownership: tell me about a time you took on something outside your job scope, or owned a mistake end-to-end.”
“Invent and Simplify: what is the most innovative thing you've built, or a time you simplified a complex process?”
“Bias for Action: tell me about a decision you made with incomplete information or under time pressure.”
“Dive Deep: tell me about a time you dug into data to find a root cause others missed.”
“Have Backbone, Disagree and Commit: tell me about a time you disagreed with your manager or team, and what happened next.”
“Deliver Results: tell me about a time you hit a hard deadline despite obstacles.”
“Earn Trust: tell me about a time you received tough feedback, or resolved a conflict with a teammate.”
“Learn and Be Curious: tell me about a time you taught yourself something new to solve a problem.”
“Why Amazon, and why this team or role?”

What this round is judged on

LP behavior via STAR · Situation, Task, Action, Result
Individual ownership · your actions, not the team's
Data and metrics · quantified results, Amazon is data-driven
Depth and authenticity · survives relentless dive-deep follow-ups
Learning · honest about failure and what you'd do differently

Where this round sits

Amazon’s published process. Lime marks the stage this round runs.

01
Recruiter / phone screen
02
Online Assessment (OA)
03
Technical phone screen
04
The Loop (virtual onsite)
05
Bar Raiser roundthis round
06
Debrief & 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.

companyAmazon SDE-II Interview Prep (amazon.jobs)amazon.jobs
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.
companyAmazon Software Development Interview Topics (amazon.jobs)amazon.jobs
Official technical topic list: data structures, algorithms, coding, OOD, databases, distributed computing, operating systems, internet topics, and general ML/AI.
companyAmazon Leadership Principles (amazon.jobs)amazon.jobs
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).
companyAbout Amazon, interview guideaboutamazon.com
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).
companyAbout Amazon, Leadership Principles interview strategiesaboutamazon.com
Guidance on preparing STAR stories mapped to specific Leadership Principles.
companyAmazon SDE-III Interview Prep (amazon.jobs)amazon.jobs
Level differences at SDE-III/L6+ (added architecture depth, heavier LP weighting).
datalevels.fyi, Amazon levelslevels.fyi
Amazon SDE leveling mapping (SDE-I = L4, SDE-II = L5, SDE-III = L6).

Sources last checked August 10, 2026. Hiring loops change, so this date is the honest limit on everything above.

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