System design
Amazon system design is pragmatic: pick one reference service (e.g., recommendations, inventory) and go deep on operational readiness. Ownership and Dive Deep are scored explicitly.
Amazon coding interview — the patterns you should actually drill.
TL;DR
Amazon's loop is 4–6 rounds: one or two coding, one system design, and 2–3 Leadership Principles rounds that are structured behavioral interviews tied to Amazon's 16 LPs. Every round, including coding, also rates LPs.
Top 5 patterns at Amazon
These patterns show up most often in publicly-reported Amazon loops. Master the first three before you move on.
- #1Graph BFS / DFS
Breadth-first for shortest unweighted paths; depth-first for exhaustive traversal.
- #2Two Pointers
Two cursors moving independently over a sorted or monotone structure.
- #3Dynamic Programming
Break an overlapping-subproblem problem into a recurrence and cache results.
- #4Prefix & Suffix
Precompute cumulative arrays so range queries answer in O(1).
- #5Heap & Priority Queue
A data structure that returns the min or max in O(log n) per operation.
Behavioral
Leadership Principles are not optional. Prepare 10–12 STAR stories that map to multiple LPs. 'Bar Raiser' rounds are the deciding signal — a single negative LP score can sink the loop.
Amazon quirk
Amazon interviewers are trained to take copious notes. Speak deliberately and structure your answer — Situation, Task, Action, Result — even when you feel like rambling would land better.
Frequently asked questions
- What patterns does Amazon ask in coding interviews?
- Most-reported patterns in Amazon loops: Graph BFS / DFS, Two Pointers, Dynamic Programming, Prefix & Suffix, Heap & Priority Queue. These 5 patterns cover the majority of the coding rounds.
- How long is a Amazon interview loop?
- Amazon's loop is 4–6 rounds: one or two coding, one system design, and 2–3 Leadership Principles rounds that are structured behavioral interviews tied to Amazon's 16 LPs. Every round, including coding, also rates LPs.
- What is unique about Amazon's interview?
- Amazon interviewers are trained to take copious notes. Speak deliberately and structure your answer — Situation, Task, Action, Result — even when you feel like rambling would land better.
- What does system design at Amazon look like?
- Amazon system design is pragmatic: pick one reference service (e.g., recommendations, inventory) and go deep on operational readiness. Ownership and Dive Deep are scored explicitly.
- How should I prepare behaviorally for Amazon?
- Leadership Principles are not optional. Prepare 10–12 STAR stories that map to multiple LPs. 'Bar Raiser' rounds are the deciding signal — a single negative LP score can sink the loop.
- How many weeks of prep do I need for a Amazon onsite?
- Most candidates benefit from 8–12 weeks of structured prep: 4 weeks on pattern fluency, 4 weeks on timed practice, and 2–4 weeks on mock interviews and Amazon-specific topics.
Drill the Amazon pattern distribution.
Start with the diagnostic. We'll weight your loop toward the 5 patterns above.