Amazon SDE Interview Questions for Freshers in the USA (2026

Amazon continues to be one of the most sought-after employers for software engineering graduates in the United States. With its leadership principles, large-scale distributed systems, and customer-obsessed culture, cracking the Amazon Software Development Engineer (SDE) interview requires strong fundamentals, structured thinking, and consistent practice.

This 2026 updated guide is specially created for freshers and entry-level candidates who want to land an Amazon SDE role in the USA. It covers the latest interview pattern, preparation strategy, and top Amazon SDE interview questions with answers, while keeping SEO best practices in mind.

Amazon SDE Interview Process for Freshers (USA – 2026)

Before diving into questions, it’s important to understand the updated interview process:

1. Online Assessment (OA)

• Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA)
• Coding questions (Easy–Medium)
• Debugging or logical reasoning
• Work-style assessment (Leadership Principles)

2. Technical Interviews (2–3 Rounds)

• Coding problems (arrays, strings, trees, graphs)
• Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)
• Basic system design (for SDE I)
• Problem-solving approach

3. Behavioral / Leadership Principles Round

• STAR method questions
• Real-life scenarios
• Cultural fit evaluation

Key Skills Amazon Looks for in Freshers

• Strong DSA fundamentals
• Clean and optimized code
• Problem-solving mindset
• Knowledge of OOP concepts
• Understanding of Amazon Leadership Principles
• Clear communication skills

5 Amazon Software Engineer Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers (USA) – 2026

Below are five high-priority questions where the main keyword is highlighted for SEO and ranking purposes.

1. What data structures should freshers focus on for Amazon SDE interviews?

Answer:

For Amazon Software Engineer Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers (USA) – 2026, data structures are the backbone of the technical rounds. Freshers should focus on:

• Arrays and Strings
• Hash Tables
• Stacks and Queues
• Linked Lists
• Trees (Binary Tree, BST)
• Graphs (BFS, DFS)
• Heaps and Priority Queues

Amazon interviewers prioritize problem-solving and optimization, so understanding time and space complexity is critical.

2. Explain Amazon’s Leadership Principles and their role in interviews.

Answer:

One of the most important aspects of Amazon Software Engineer Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers (USA) – 2026 is Amazon’s Leadership Principles. These principles guide hiring decisions.

Popular principles include:

• Customer Obsession
• Ownership
• Bias for Action
• Learn and Be Curious
• Dive Deep

Freshers should prepare real-life examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to demonstrate these principles clearly.

3. What is the difference between an interface and an abstract class in Java?

Answer:

This is a frequently asked OOP question in Amazon Software Engineer Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers (USA) – 2026.

InterfaceAbstract ClassSupports multiple inheritanceDoes not support multiple inheritanceMethods are abstract by defaultCan have abstract and concrete methodsNo instance variablesCan have instance variables

Amazon expects freshers to explain concepts clearly with examples, not just definitions.

4. How would you optimize a slow-performing application?

Answer:

In Amazon Software Engineer Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers (USA) – 2026, optimization questions test analytical thinking.

Steps to optimize:

1. Identify bottlenecks using profiling tools
2. Improve algorithms (reduce time complexity)
3. Optimize database queries
4. Use caching where possible
5. Reduce unnecessary API calls

Interviewers value structured thinking and trade-off analysis.

5. Write a program to find the first non-repeating character in a string.

Answer:

This coding problem is a classic in Amazon Software Engineer Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers (USA) – 2026.

Approach:

• Use a HashMap to count character frequency
• Traverse the string again to find the first character with count = 1

Why Amazon asks this:

It checks understanding of hashing, string traversal, and time complexity optimization (O(n)).

Additional Common Amazon SDE Interview Questions for Freshers

• Explain time complexity with examples
• What is REST API?
• Difference between BFS and DFS
• What is normalization in databases?
• Explain multithreading basics
• What is a deadlock and how to prevent it?
• Difference between SQL and NoSQL

Amazon SDE Preparation Strategy for Freshers (2026)

1. Master Data Structures & Algorithms

• Practice on LeetCode (Amazon-tagged questions)
• Focus on quality over quantity

2. Learn One Programming Language Deeply

• Java, Python, or C++
• Write clean, readable code

3. Practice Mock Interviews

• Time-bound coding
• Explain your thought process aloud

4. Prepare Behavioral Answers

• Map personal projects/internships to leadership principles

Common Mistakes Freshers Should Avoid

• Ignoring Amazon Leadership Principles
• Writing code without explanation
• Poor time complexity analysis
• Memorizing solutions instead of understanding
• Not asking clarifying questions

Final Tips to Crack Amazon SDE Interviews in the USA

• Be customer-focused in your answers
• Think aloud while solving problems
• Optimize before coding
• Keep answers structured and concise
• Stay calm and confident

Conclusion

Preparing for Amazon SDE interviews as a fresher in the USA requires strong fundamentals, consistent practice, and a deep understanding of Amazon’s expectations. This 2026 updated guide on Amazon Software Engineer Interview Questions for Freshers is designed to help you stay ahead of the competition.

If you master these concepts and practice smartly, cracking Amazon’s interview process is absolutely achievable.