How to use LeetCode to prepare for Amazon interviews

Amazon's technical interviews are known for being rigorous, structured, and focused on both coding and problem-solving. If you’re serious about landing a role at Amazon, your preparation needs to be just as methodical, and one of the most effective tools available is LeetCode problems.

In this blog, we’ll explain how to use LeetCode Amazon problems strategically to prepare for coding interviews, behavioral assessments, and systems thinking—all tailored to Amazon’s unique interview style.

Why LeetCode is effective for Amazon interview prep#

Amazon frequently tests core algorithmic skills in its interviews. LeetCode’s curated problem sets make it easy to:

• Practice exactly the types of problems Amazon asks

• Build pattern recognition with real Amazon tags

• Simulate timed interviews with difficulty-level filtering

If used correctly, LeetCode helps you develop not only problem-solving speed but also the structured communication Amazon looks for. 

You’ll begin to recognize how seemingly unique problems share a common structure — and that pattern awareness is critical to succeeding under pressure. LeetCode Amazon strategies work especially well when combined with deliberate review and System Design prep.

Step 1: Start with Amazon-tagged problems on LeetCode#

LeetCode has a dedicated set of problems tagged with "Amazon" — these are user-reported problems frequently seen in Amazon interviews.

How to use them:

• Go to LeetCode → Explore → Top Interview Questions → Amazon

• Filter by difficulty: start with Easy/Medium, then move to Hard

• Track your accuracy, time taken, and where you needed hints

Focus on:

• Arrays, Strings, Trees, Graphs

• Sliding Window, Two Pointers, BFS/DFS, Hash Maps

• Dynamic Programming (DP-lite problems especially)

Build mastery over ~70–100 Amazon-tagged problems, prioritizing consistency over quantity. Don’t just check off problems — analyze them. Understand how you would explain each one to someone else.

Step 2: Practice with behavioral alignment#

Amazon puts significant emphasis on behavioral interviews. While LeetCode is for coding, your explanations should also reflect AWS Leadership Principles.

What to do:

• After solving each problem, write or speak aloud how you approached it

• Focus on principles like "Dive Deep," "Deliver Results," and "Are Right, A Lot"

• When stuck, explain how you navigated uncertainty or re-evaluated your approach

Being able to tie your problem-solving mindset to Amazon’s culture is a secret edge. Your thought process becomes part of the evaluation.

Step 3: Simulate the real interview experience#

Amazon’s online assessments and technical rounds are timed and structured. Simulate this:

How:

• Set a 30–45 minute timer per Medium problem

• Do 1–2 problems per session without distractions

• Think out loud or record yourself walking through the logic

You can also try LeetCode’s mock interview feature or simulate a round with friends. Recreate the actual pressure and mental flow so you’re not surprised when it counts.

Goal: Build fluency, not just correctness. Interviewers care how you solve a problem as much as whether you do. Are you organized? Can you debug edge cases? Do you adapt when stuck?

Step 4: Identify and drill your weak patterns#

You’ll start to notice recurring patterns that trip you up — maybe it’s Tree recursion, backtracking, or heap problems.

How to target them:

• Track every question you struggled with in a spreadsheet

• Group by topic, tag, and failure reason

• Re-attempt failed problems after 3–5 days

Also, review editorials and top-voted solutions. The goal is to learn new techniques and alternate approaches. Sometimes, a different way of looking at a problem unlocks clarity.

Step 5: Tie it together with System Design and STAR prep#

Amazon SDE II and above roles include System Design rounds. While LeetCode focuses on data structures and algorithms, you should complement it with:

• System Design questions (Scalable chat app, Rate limiter, etc.)

• STAR method behavioral stories that map to Amazon principles

Schedule weekly practice on mock design interviews and behavioral walkthroughs. Use resources like online courses or watch mock interviews on YouTube.

Step 6: Use the LeetCode Discuss community strategically#

LeetCode’s Discuss forums are filled with insights:

• Find real Amazon interview questions and experiences and recent questions

• Read top-voted solutions to learn new patterns and optimizations

• Ask for feedback on your approach or explanation style

Use upvoted discussions to learn not just what worked, but why, and how you can adopt those mindsets in your own prep.

Step 7: Learn from LeetCode’s premium features#

LeetCode Premium offers:

• Access to real Amazon interview question lists by role and level

• Sorting by frequency and tag (e.g., Amazon SDE I vs SDE II)

• Detailed company-specific mock interviews

It’s a worthwhile investment if you’re applying to multiple roles or aiming for senior positions. Use the premium problems to build a high-confidence core set you can review multiple times.

Step 8: Build a consistent review habit#

Mastery comes from repetition and reflection:

• Revisit tough problems weekly

• Summarize insights in your own words

• Track common patterns and edge cases in a journal or Notion doc

Avoid shallow repetition. Aim for deep learning. Each review should reinforce patterns and strengthen mental models.

Step 9: Translate solutions into whiteboard-ready explanations#

Amazon interviews are interactive. You won’t have LeetCode’s IDE.

• Practice writing solutions by hand or on a whiteboard

• Emphasize time/space trade-offs and decision-making logic

• Practice saying “Here’s my base case” and “Here’s the recurrence” aloud

The more clearly you can explain your thinking, the stronger your impression will be, even if you make a small mistake in implementation.

Step 10: Use LeetCode to sharpen your debugging mindset#

Amazon values engineers who can debug calmly under pressure.

• Use LeetCode problems to simulate unfamiliar or ambiguous inputs

• Walk through the inputs step-by-step to simulate live debugging

• Discuss failure modes out loud (e.g., "What if the array is empty?")

The goal is to build resilience and comfort with imperfect conditions — something Amazon teams face daily. Integrating LeetCode Amazon problems into your debugging drills helps you strengthen both technical depth and mental agility.

Step 11: Track time-to-solve and aim for consistency#

Speed matters at Amazon, but not at the cost of clarity. Tracking your time-to-solve on each LeetCode problem helps you:

• Spot which topics are your slowest

• Determine when you're ready to simulate real interviews

• Identify where you overthink or second-guess

Use this data to create a strategy that prioritizes both speed and precision.

Step 12: Create your own mock interview log#

Treat your prep like a real project by building a structured log of mock interviews. For each session, record:

• Problem name and topic

• Time taken and whether you finished

• How you explained your approach

• Leadership Principles referenced (if any)

This log helps you spot progress, reinforce behavioral alignment, and fine-tune your LeetCode Amazon strategy.

Final thoughts#

LeetCode is a powerful tool for Amazon interview prep — but only if you use it intentionally. Focus on solving problems tagged with Amazon, simulate the real interview format, and align your communication with Leadership Principles.

Don’t grind endlessly. Practice with reflection, repetition, and structure. Combine technical problem-solving with clear thinking and Amazon-specific behavioral fluency.

Use LeetCode Amazon questions not just to solve, but to think like an Amazon engineer.