Amazon Data Engineer interview questions

Applied Online 1. 2 and a half hour OA focusing on SQL and Python (mostly SQL with pretty difficult questions) 2. Invited to a first round interview with a senior data engineer -> focused on a few LPs like Customer Obsession and was asked to code in SQL and Python, with questions going up in difficulty gradually. Was also asked data modelling 3. Final interview loop (total of 5 hours with 4 total interviews) - 3 focusing on designing data applications, data engineering terminology ex) OLAP vs. OLTP, when to use each, System Design such as design a system that processes a lot of user orders each day -> Follow up questions such as: The current system is performing slow, how would you test and improve the database?

Online Assessment (OA) / Technical Screening – Focuses on Python and SQL coding challenges, data manipulation, and analytical problem-solving. Data Modeling Round – Tests ability to design scalable, normalized/denormalized schemas, star schemas, and handle slowly changing dimensions or business scenarios. Pipeline Design Round – Evaluates your understanding of ETL/ELT pipelines, data ingestion, transformation, orchestration (e.g., AWS Glue, Lambda, Redshift, S3, Kinesis), and performance optimization. Behavioral Round (“Leadership Principles”) – Assesses alignment with Amazon’s 16 Leadership Principles (e.g., “Dive Deep,” “Ownership,” “Invent and Simplify”) through situation-based questions.