Amazon Web Services interview process & guide 2026
Everything we know about interviewing at Amazon Web Services: the process stage by stage, what each round tests, compensation by level, and reports from candidates who interviewed.
- 1Application Review
- 2Recruiter Screen / Initial Screening
- 3Online Assessment
- 4Bar Raiser Interview
- 5Technical Phone Screen(s) and Technical/Behavioral Rounds
- 6Onsite Loop (4 to 5 rounds)
Interviewing at Amazon Web Services
You should expect an AWS interview process that heavily mixes coding and ML, with frequent Amazon Leadership Principles and cross functional collaboration. Across reported roles, interviews explicitly map behavioral discussions to Leadership Principles, and technical rounds include both algorithmic coding and broader technical design.
What they test is grounded in recurring topic coverage: Machine Learning concepts (percentile 98), Python (percentile 89), Generative AI (percentile 85), Deep Learning (percentile 92), and scalability/system design (percentile 56), plus Cloud Computing (percentile 61) and Data Analysis (percentile 60). Leadership Principles (percentile 97) and cross functional collaboration (percentile 55) show up alongside technical discussions, so you are evaluated on how you reason and communicate, not only correctness.
The loop typically starts with recruiter and screen steps, then moves through online assessment and one or more technical and behavioral interviews, ending with an onsite loop of multiple roughly 60 minute rounds. Reported timelines vary in the candidate samples, but one report shows an offer after a 2 to 3 week wait, while other reports do not advance or do not receive an offer.
Amazon Leadership Principles are not treated as a separate section only, they are repeatedly referenced across behavioral rounds and also show up in other screens, so you should prepare structured, specific stories and connect them directly to leadership behaviors while you do the technical work.
How hard is the Amazon Web Services interview?
Aggregated from 1,035 interview experiencesAbout 1 in 2 candidates with a known outcome convert.
The interview process, end to end
6 rounds · based on 1,035 candidate reports- 1Application Review
Your resume or referral is reviewed initially for suitability and fit. Some roles describe this as a basic qualifications and fit screen before moving to other steps.
- 2Recruiter Screen / Initial Screening
You have an initial call to verify your background and interest, and to check basic fit. For roles like Engineering Manager and Project Manager, the reports explicitly mention interest and basic qualification assessment.
- 3Online Assessment
You complete an online assessment that includes coding and logical reasoning, sometimes framed as work style, time management, and situational judgment. SQL challenges and coding problems are specifically mentioned in the reported steps.
- 4Bar Raiser Interview
A Bar Raiser interview is described as being conducted by someone from a different organization or team to ensure high hiring standards and cultural fit. Some descriptions emphasize that it checks whether you exceed current employee standards.
- 5Technical Phone Screen(s) and Technical/Behavioral Rounds
You may have one or two technical phone screens and then additional technical and behavioral interviews. Reports describe focus on distributed systems and testing infrastructure in follow ups, as well as behavioral 1 to 1 sessions mapped to Leadership Principles.
- 6Onsite Loop (4 to 5 rounds)
You participate in a full day loop of 4 to 5 back to back interviews, each about 60 minutes. The rounds cover a mix of coding, system design and ML related discussions, and behavioral questions, with some reports also describing leadership mapped questions throughout.
What Amazon Web Services actually tests for
How prominent each skill is across reported loopsFind the guide for your role
This is your next step: open the guide for the role you are interviewing for. Each one carries the questions Amazon Web Services interviewers actually ask that position, the loop structure, and pay by level.
Real interview experiences
What candidates said about the loop, difficulty, and outcomes, straight from recent reports for these roles.
What Amazon Web Services pays, by level
Estimated total compensation: base salary plus stock and annual cash bonus.
What separates offers from rejections
Patterns from candidates who got offers, and the mistakes that most often sink a loop.
Do this
- For coding, walk through your approach before you write code, and include time and space complexity when asked, since multiple reports describe discussion style coding with complexity trade offs.
- If the role has ML or GenAI emphasis, be ready to explain how you would validate or ensure quality of AI outputs, since at least one report frames validation as a core technical competency.
- In system design or scalability contexts, focus on clear reasoning and constraints, not just an end product, because reported onsite rounds emphasize design expertise and technical competencies.
- Use STAR for behavioral questions and tie each story back to Amazon Leadership Principles, since behavioral interviews are explicitly mapped to those principles in the reported process.
Avoid this
- Do not treat leadership as optional when you are doing technical rounds, since reports describe leadership expectations as consistently central even when technical work is also present.
- Do not rely on only one interview style, because the onsite loop is described as multiple back to back interviews covering coding, system or ML design, and behavioral questions.
- Do not assume the first technical screen is representative of the whole process, since some reports describe harder or infrastructure specific technical expectations that can strongly influence outcomes.
- Do not ignore experience level alignment, since one report indicates feedback that you did not have enough experience for the role after multiple loops.
Amazon Web Services interview FAQ
Answered from real candidate and workplace dataHow hard are the interviews, and what’s the difficulty mix from candidate reports?
Candidate report difficulty is mostly medium and hard, with easy at 9.6%, medium at 48.8%, hard at 35.8%, and very hard at 5.8%. This aligns with reports that describe multiple technical rounds and, in some cases, harder LeetCode style questions.
What is the offer rate?
From the aggregated candidate reports, the offer rate is 0.0%. Candidate sentiment is 61.6%, but that does not translate into offers in these aggregated results.
How long is the interview loop?
The reported process includes multiple 60 minute rounds in the onsite loop, described as 4 to 5 back to back interviews, and a full day loop of 4 to 5 rounds. Outside the onsite, you may see recruiter screens and phone or technical phone screens, but exact total calendar time is not consistent across all reports.
What should I prioritize most in my prep given the topics covered?
Prioritize Machine Learning concepts (percentile 98) and Deep Learning (percentile 92), then GenAI (percentile 85) and Python (percentile 89). Also prioritize Amazon Leadership Principles (percentile 97) and cloud and scalability topics like Cloud Computing (percentile 61) and scalability/system design (percentile 56), plus Data Analysis (percentile 60).
Do they really use Amazon Leadership Principles in the interview, or is it just behavioral questions?
Behavioral interviews are explicitly described as mapped to Amazon Leadership Principles and focused on alignment with those principles. Reports also mention leadership expectations showing up alongside technical components rather than being isolated.
If I don’t get an offer, can I expect the process to be the same if I reapply?
The supplied data does not include reapplication policies or observed changes across reapplications. One report indicates the company may enforce experience level alignment late in the loop, so your next attempt should likely address any stated level mismatch even if the format stays similar.
What people say about Amazon Web Services
Verbatim snippets from employee and candidate reviews“While the benefits and pay are good, management tends to micromanage, which can hinder employee autonomy.”
“Expect long work hours and a requirement to work in the office.”
“AWS offers a competitive salary and excellent learning opportunities.”
“The learning curve is steep, providing significant opportunities for personal and professional growth.”
“The high learning curve comes with intense deadlines and competition.”
“Be prepared for a fast-paced environment where meeting deadlines is crucial.”
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Ready for your Amazon Web Services interview?
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