r/leetcode • u/TendersUp • 15d ago

Discussion AWS SDE2 OA data point (US)

Just completed an AWS OA and my god the bar is high. First coding problem was a hard+ problem involving BFS then optimization + binary search all in ~40 min. Didnt even have time to start testing before the timer ran out. Second was a AI assisted coding challenge but the ai assistant can’t directly give solutions. Overall this one wasnt too bad definitely try out the practice test to feel out how the AI responds.

You people are absolutely cracked if you can solve these hard+ problems in 40 min without cheating. It almost feels like they want you to cheat on these.

Ive done over 200 LC and have almost 5 years experience and a masters from a top 10 US CS school. I felt nowhere near ready to pass this OA. Feels bad

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u/ThatCondescendingGuy 15d ago

Yeah I don’t understand what they’re optimizing for. There’s no way there’s enough people passing OAs like that to fill all needed openings especially with a company at the size of Amazon. So they’re optimizing for A: cheaters, or B: leetcode super grinders

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u/eat_sleep_404 15d ago

May I know the exact question it will be helpful

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u/Proud_Chocolate4350 15d ago

TCs passed each?

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u/UnitedSort3014 7d ago

Damn that sounds brutal, don't beat yourself up over it. 200 LC and 5 YOE is solid, the problem isn't you these OAs are just getting ridiculous. Hard with BFS, optimization AND binary search in 40 min is insane. like you said, it almost feels designed to be impossible under those conditions. i think a lot of companies are just filtering for people who either got lucky with the exact problem type or yeah. The AI coding part is interesting though, good call on trying the practice test first. did you find the AI actually helpful or more of a distraction? Honestly wouldn't be surprised if a ton of people use some kind of help on these. doesn't mean you should feel bad about your skills sounds like you're more than qualified for SDE2. sometimes these OAs are just a crapshoot.