AWS software engineering online assessments vary by role and hiring track. Amazon's current SDE II assessment guide lists two coding questions in 90 minutes, followed by system-design and work-style sections. Early-career SDE assessments use a different structure, so follow the timing and section order in your invitation.

When to Expect the OA for Your Role

The assessment can arrive after you apply or through a recruiter. AWS says the exact number and type of assessments depend on the position. University and graduate SDE applicants usually receive the OA near the start of the process. Amazon says SDE II candidates receive the link after submitting a resume or directly from a recruiter, and the link remains open for seven days. Specialist roles may instead receive a work-style assessment, a job simulation, or a role-specific screen.

Does Your Online Assessment Matter?

The OA is a screening step. A coding score alone does not determine whether you advance. AWS uses assessments to evaluate role-related characteristics, while SDE formats may also measure systems thinking and work style. Complete every required section and give the simulation choices the same attention as the coding sections. Amazon does not publish a universal passing score. Focus on correct, maintainable solutions and consistent judgment.

Compiled List of AWS OA Question Types

These problems cover arrays, strings, prefix sums, graphs, trees, linked lists, and heaps useful for AWS coding screens.

1. Two Sum — hash-map lookup and complement tracking.
2. Valid Anagram — character counting and input normalization.
3. Subarray Sum Equals K — prefix sums with frequency counts.
4. Minimum Window Substring — sliding-window state and boundary control.
5. Course Schedule — directed graphs, cycle detection, and topological order.
6. Number of Islands — grid traversal with DFS or BFS.
7. Rotting Oranges — multi-source BFS and level timing.
8. Diameter of Binary Tree — postorder traversal and subtree state.
9. Maximum Twin Sum of a Linked List — fast/slow pointers and in-place reversal.
10. Top K Frequent Elements — frequency maps, heaps, and bucket selection.

Amazon Interview Questions

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How to Prepare and Pass the AWS Online Assessment

Spend the first week rotating through arrays, strings, prefix sums, trees, and graphs. In week two, complete three timed blocks in the exact language you plan to use. Reserve the final session for one full mock and work-style review. During each coding block, restate constraints, test empty and boundary cases, then check time and space complexity. Amazon recommends practicing outside a full IDE and getting comfortable with its HackerRank environment. Use Lodely to find company-specific questions and identify gaps in your preparation for algorithms, system design, and behavioral interviews.

AWS Interview Question Breakdown

Course Schedule

Type: Directed graph. Prompt: Decide whether every dependency can be completed. The Trick: A cycle blocks a valid ordering, and disconnected nodes still need coverage. What It Tests: Graph modeling, cycle detection, and linear-time reasoning.

Subarray Sum Equals K

Type: Array and prefix sum. Prompt: Count contiguous ranges that reach a target. The Trick: Negative values break a basic sliding window. What It Tests: Turning repeated range sums into a one-pass lookup while preserving duplicate prefix counts.

What Comes After the Online Assessment

If you advance, AWS's hiring overview places a phone interview before the interview loop. The phone screen covers your experience and examples of how you handled real challenges. The loop then includes interviews with topic experts, future colleagues, and a bar raiser. For the later stages, prepare to write clear code, explain tradeoffs, and share recent STAR stories with measurable results.

Conclusion

Match your practice to the invitation, then train the core patterns under the stated time limit. Use Lodely to keep coding, system design, and Leadership Principles preparation in one focused plan.