Amazon Assessment & Interview Preparation
Leadership Principles, Work Simulation, SDE OA & Interview Loop
Guide country context: United States · Technology
Hiring processes can vary by country, role, business unit, and year.
Amazon's hiring process varies by role, level, and country. Common components include online assessments, work style assessments, work simulations, coding assessments for SDE roles, and an interview loop built around Amazon's Leadership Principles.
Hiring Process
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1Application officialSubmit resume and application through amazon.jobs→ Tailor resume to role requirements and Leadership Principles
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2Online Assessment officialAssessment type depends on role — may include Work Style, Work Simulation, or coding→ Complete within the deadline in your invitation email
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3Recruiter Screen commonly reportedPhone or video call with recruiter for many professional roles→ Prepare concise overview of experience and motivation
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4Technical Screen role-dependentFor technical roles: coding or system design discussion→ Practice data structures, algorithms, and system design
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5Interview Loop officialMultiple one-to-one interviews with Amazonians, each assessing different Leadership Principles→ Prepare 8-12 STAR stories mapped to Leadership Principles
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6Hiring Decision officialDecision and follow-up after interview loop→ Follow up with recruiter if no response within stated timeline
Assessments
Measures work preferences, behaviors, and alignment with Amazon's working environment. Presents statements about work situations and asks for preference ratings.
Measures: Work style preferences, team behaviors, decision-making approach, motivation drivers
- Answer honestly and consistently
- Think about your genuine work preferences
- Don't try to game the assessment — consistency checks are common
- There are no right or wrong answers
Common mistakes
- Trying to guess what Amazon wants to hear
- Giving inconsistent answers
- Rushing through without reflecting
Presents realistic workplace scenarios and asks candidates to rank actions from most to least effective. Assesses judgement in Amazon-style situations.
Measures: Decision-making, prioritization, customer focus, conflict resolution, bias for action
- Think about customer impact first
- Consider which actions show ownership
- Rank based on effectiveness, not preference
- Read all options before ranking
Common mistakes
- Ignoring customer impact
- Choosing passive options
- Not reading scenarios carefully
For student/graduate SDE roles: includes coding challenges and may include system design for SDE II. Amazon states candidates should set aside up to two hours.
Measures: Data structures, algorithms, code quality, problem solving, system design (SDE II)
- Practice coding in your preferred language
- Focus on time/space complexity
- Test edge cases
- Communicate your thought process
Common mistakes
- Not testing edge cases
- Overcomplicating solutions
- Poor time management across problems
Used for selected roles in Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Candidates record video responses to behavioral questions.
Measures: Communication, Leadership Principles alignment, behavioral competencies
- Practice with your webcam before the real thing
- Use STAR format for answers
- Look at the camera, not the screen
- Dress professionally
Common mistakes
- Not practicing with camera
- Rambling without structure
- Poor lighting or background
Interviews
Each interviewer typically focuses on 2-3 Leadership Principles. Questions follow 'Tell me about a time when...' format. Expect deep follow-up questions.
Format: Multiple one-to-one structured behavioral interviews
What interviewers look for
- Specific, real examples (not hypothetical)
- Clear Situation, Task, Action, Result
- Data and metrics where possible
- Ownership and customer obsession
- Learning from failures
Focus areas to practise
- Customer Obsession
- Ownership
- Bias for Action
- Dive Deep
- Deliver Results
- Earn Trust
- Invent and Simplify
- Learn and Be Curious
- Prepare stories for each Leadership Principle
- Use the STAR method with emphasis on YOUR actions
- Quantify results where possible
- Be ready for 'What would you do differently?' follow-ups
For technical roles: solve coding problems in real-time while explaining your thought process. Senior roles include system design.
Format: Coding and system design whiteboard/virtual sessions
What interviewers look for
- Clean, working code
- Optimal time/space complexity
- Clear communication while solving
- Testing and edge case handling
- Trade-off discussions for system design
Focus areas to practise
- Arrays/Strings
- Trees/Graphs
- Dynamic Programming
- System Design
- API Design
- Think out loud as you solve
- Start with brute force, then optimize
- Ask clarifying questions
- Test your solution with examples
How this differs by role
The process is not the same for every role. Find the closest match to the job you applied for — the assessments and interviews below are the ones reported for that role family.
Software Development (SDE)
Assessments
- SDE Online Assessment (coding + system design for SDE II)
- Workstyle Assessment
- Work Simulation
Interviews
- Technical phone screen
- Coding interviews
- System design (senior)
- Behavioral/LP interviews
Corporate & Management
Assessments
- Work Style Assessment
- Work Simulation
- Writing Exercise (some roles)
Interviews
- Behavioral LP interviews
- Case-based scenarios
- Stakeholder management questions
Operations & Fulfilment
Assessments
- Work Simulation
- Work Style Assessment
Interviews
- Behavioral LP interviews
- Operational scenarios
- Prioritization questions
Values & Framework
Amazon's 16 Leadership Principles guide decision-making and are central to the interview process. Every behavioral question maps to one or more LPs.
- Map each STAR story to specific Leadership Principles
- Show how the principle guided your decision
- Demonstrate multiple principles in complex situations
- Be authentic — don't force-fit principles
Recommended Practice Modules
Preparation Plans
- Read all 16 Leadership Principles and understand what each means
- Prepare 3-4 strong STAR stories that demonstrate multiple principles
- If you have an OA: take one practice SJT test to understand the format
- If you have a coding OA: solve 2-3 medium-difficulty algorithm problems
- Practice delivering one STAR answer out loud in under 2 minutes
- Map one STAR story to each key Leadership Principle
- Practice 2-3 full mock behavioral interview sessions
- Complete SJT practice module if Work Simulation is expected
- For SDE: solve 10-15 coding problems across different categories
- Research the specific team and role you're applying to
- Practice the 'Why Amazon?' question with genuine reasons
- Build a library of 10-12 STAR stories covering all Leadership Principles
- Complete full personality/work style practice assessment
- Practice daily mock interviews focusing on different LP themes
- For SDE: systematic coding practice (arrays, trees, graphs, DP)
- For SDE II: practice 2-3 system design problems end-to-end
- Review Amazon's recent news and initiatives relevant to your role
- Practice follow-up questions: 'What would you do differently?'
- All 7-day plan items plus:
- Record yourself answering behavioral questions and review delivery
- Get feedback from a peer on your STAR stories
- Complete full-length SJT and Work Style practice assessments
- For SDE: aim for 30+ coding problems solved
- For SDE II: practice 5+ system design scenarios
- Prepare questions to ask your interviewers about the team
- Practice calm, structured responses under time pressure
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources & verification status
6 sources · 6 from the employer or another primary publisher
See each source and how far it goes
- Employer site Amazon Assessments Primary source, published by the employer
- Employer site Amazon SDE OA Prep Primary source, published by the employer
- Employer site Amazon SDE II OA Prep Primary source, published by the employer
- Employer site Amazon Assessment FAQ Primary source, published by the employer
- Employer site Amazon Interview Loop Primary source, published by the employer
- Employer site Amazon Interview Process FAQ Primary source, published by the employer
Confidence is calculated from each source, not assigned to the page. A source that cannot be opened, or that does not describe what we cited it for, cannot support a claim here regardless of how it was previously labelled.
How this guide was put together
Published by Job Tests Portal. It is compiled from the public sources listed above and has not been independently reviewed by a recruitment or assessment specialist. We are not affiliated with Amazon and this guide is not endorsed by them.
We label where each statement comes from, and we would rather say “we could not verify this” than state something we cannot show you the source for. Hiring processes change often and vary by role, country and year, so treat everything here as a starting point and let your invitation be the final word.