The AWS interview tests both your technical skills and system thinking. For international students in North America like me, it’s tough but also a great chance. I applied for a Software Development Internship, and the whole process took about a month from applying to finishing interviews. I spent a lot of time getting ready for behavioral questions and common coding problems. Compared to other big companies, AWS cares a lot about whether you can build and manage large distributed systems — this showed up clearly in the questions.
First, I took an online assessment with two coding problems and one SQL question. The coding problems involved arrays and graphs and were of medium difficulty. They needed careful attention to details and edge cases. Time was tight, so I had to read carefully and code accurately. The SQL question was more like a real business problem — I had to write correct queries based on the logic. About a week later, I got invited to phone interviews.
The technical interviews had two rounds, each with one interviewer, done via Amazon Chime. The first round focused on algorithms and data structures. The questions were similar to medium LeetCode problems. After hearing the problem, I explained my initial plan, and the interviewer gave hints to help me improve. I talked through my code as I typed to keep things clear and maintain good communication. The second round was about system design. The interviewer asked me to design a simple distributed file upload service. I had to explain my architecture, why I chose certain parts, and think about availability, scaling, and fault tolerance. This round didn’t need much coding but it tested how well I understood system design. I mentioned using S3, Lambda, DynamoDB, and explained my choices with examples.
Besides technical stuff, AWS really cares about its Leadership Principles. They asked behavioral questions in every round. For example, they wanted to know about a time I faced resistance in a project and how I handled it, or if I suggested ways to improve efficiency. I shared how, in a school project I helped solve communication problems, coordinated the team, adjusted schedules, and made sure we delivered on time, showing teamwork and responsibility.
Overall, I think AWS interviews are quite fair to international students. Being clear and organized in how you talk helps a lot. I suggest preparing both coding and learning about AWS services and Amazon’s culture, especially their Leadership Principles. Almost every interviewer tests if you fit those ideas like “Customer Obsession” or “Insisting on High Standards.” Going through this process helped me improve how I explain technical things and also made me clearer about my own strengths and areas to grow as an engineer.
Release time:2025-05-23
