Practise the Amazon loop the way it is run: coding and system design rounds, each with Leadership Principle questions, and a Bar Raiser who can veto the hire.
Amazon interviews are built around its 16 Leadership Principles. Every interviewer in the loop is assigned a few principles to assess, so behavioural questions are not confined to one round - expect a "tell me about a time" question in your coding and design rounds as well. Candidates who prepare only for the technical half are routinely surprised by how much of the hour goes to these stories.
The technical bar is a strong data structures and algorithms round for every level, plus system design from SDE II upward. Interviewers look for working, readable code and a clear explanation of complexity, and they often extend a problem once you have solved it.
One interviewer is a Bar Raiser: a trained interviewer from outside the hiring team whose job is to keep the hiring standard consistent across Amazon. The loop is assessed together in a debrief afterwards. The exact number and order of rounds varies by team, level and location, so treat the steps below as the common shape rather than a fixed script.
The common shape for SDE roles. Campus and experienced hiring differ in the early steps.
About 90-120 min
Usually two coding problems plus a work-style survey and, for some roles, a work simulation. Common for campus and SDE I hiring.
45-60 min
A coding problem in a shared editor and one or two Leadership Principle questions. More common for experienced hires.
4-5 rounds of ~1 hour
Coding, system design (SDE II and above) and object-oriented design, each paired with Leadership Principle questions.
One of the loop rounds
The Bar Raiser sits in the loop, then interviewers meet to compare evidence against the bar for the level.
| Level | Typical experience | What the loop emphasises |
|---|---|---|
| SDE I (L4) | 0-2 years | DSA and Leadership Principles; design questions are light. |
| SDE II (L5) | 2-5 years | DSA, system design, and Leadership Principle stories with real ownership. |
| SDE III (L6) | 5+ years | System design depth, ambiguity, and influence across teams. |
| Principal (L7) | 10+ years | Architecture across organisations and long-term technical direction. |
Experience ranges are typical, not requirements.
Prepare one or two STAR stories that show each principle with your own actions and a measurable result.
Start with the customer and work backwards.
Act for the long term and beyond your own team.
Find new ideas and make things simpler.
Good judgement, and seeking views that disconfirm your own.
Keep learning and improving.
Raise the bar with every hire and coach others.
Keep raising the bar on quality.
Set a bold direction and communicate it.
Speed matters; many decisions are reversible.
Accomplish more with less.
Listen, speak candidly and treat others respectfully.
Stay connected to the details and audit them.
Challenge decisions respectfully, then commit fully.
Focus on the key inputs and deliver on time.
Create a safer, more productive and more fair workplace.
Consider the secondary effects of your work.
Every round below can be practised free on InstaMock with scored feedback.
Solve medium problems against a 45-minute clock in Java, Python or C++, say the complexity out loud, and be ready for a follow-up that changes the constraints.
Practise requirements, estimates and trade-offs on large-scale systems. Amazon-style questions often centre on e-commerce, ordering and notifications.
Some loops include a low level design round: model classes for a parking lot or locker system, then extend the design when a requirement changes.
Write STAR stories for each principle, then rehearse them aloud until each takes about two minutes and ends with a measurable result.
₹0 · no credit card
DSA, LLD, system design and behavioural rounds with an AI interviewer and a scored feedback report after every one. Take as many as you need.
See the free mock interviews₹499 for 60 minutes · ₹899 for two
A working engineer runs a live round in the Amazon format, asks the follow-ups, and sends written feedback. Pick a time in the next 7 days, on Google Meet.
Book a sessionSixteen. Two were added in 2021 - Strive to be Earth's Best Employer and Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility - to the original fourteen, which include Customer Obsession, Ownership and Bias for Action.
Very. Each interviewer assesses specific principles, so behavioural questions appear in technical rounds too. A strong coding performance with weak Leadership Principle answers often does not pass.
A trained interviewer from outside the hiring team who takes part in the loop to keep the hiring standard consistent across Amazon. They usually focus on Leadership Principles and take part in the decision afterwards.
Typically an online assessment or phone screen, then a loop of four or five interviews of about an hour each. The exact structure varies by team, level and location.
Usually not a full system design round. SDE I loops focus on data structures, algorithms and Leadership Principles; system design becomes a standard round from SDE II upward.
Any mainstream language you write fluently. On InstaMock you can practise DSA problems in Java, Python or C++ against real test cases.
Yes. Coding, system design, LLD and behavioural rounds are free to practise with an AI interviewer and scored feedback. A live 1:1 round in the Amazon format with an engineer costs ₹499, or ₹899 for two.
Most candidates spend several weeks: daily coding practice by topic, a few full system design rounds for SDE II and above, and a written bank of Leadership Principle stories. Timed mock interviews in the last two weeks make the biggest difference.