Cracking Amazon Technical Program Manager Interview Questions

Amazon Technical Program Manager (TPM) interviews are incredibly challenging. You can expect tricky questions specific to Amazon and other broader topics. However, you can certainly answer even the most difficult Amazon TPM interview questions with the right preparation. We have, therefore, prepared this ultimate guide to help you ace your TPM interview at this FAANG company.

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In this article, we’ll cover:

• How Does the Amazon TPM Interview Process Work?
• Amazon TPM Interview Questions
• Amazon Senior TPM Interview Questions
• 6 Key Tips to Crack Your Amazon TPM Interview
• FAQs on Amazon TPM Interview Process

How Does the Amazon TPM Interview Process Work?

The Amazon TPM interview process is typically divided into the following stages.

Recruiter Phone Screen

First off, you will have a conversation with an Amazon recruiter over the phone. You can expect Amazon TPM phone interview questions addressing your area of expertise and professional background. These questions are mainly behavioral, like “how would you handle a situation where …,” and the likes.

TPM Phone Screen

In this round, you can expect technical questions that test your ability to work as a TPM at Amazon. Recruiters check your technical eligibility for the post and decide if you should proceed with the on-site interviews through this screening.

Recommended Reading: Amazon Phone Interview Questions

Writing Exercise

In several cases, you may also need to write an essay of one or two pages as a part of your preparation for on-site interviews. It can be on topics such as the most innovative project you have worked on or a time where you were able to simplify the lives of customers.

This tests your written communication skills.

On-site Interview

Once you clear the phone screen rounds, you’ll face 4-6 on-site interviews at one of Amazon’s premises. It includes both one-on-one interviews and panel discussions with the team or division you are applying for.

You will speak to product managers, TPMs, software developers, software development managers, and the likes throughout the course of these interviews.

You will also have to prove that you’re aligned with Amazon’s 16 Leadership Principles during these rounds. The final round is the bar raiser round. The interviewer will check your suitability to the team and check how good a fit you are for Amazon.

Recommended Reading: How Hard Is It to Get a Job at Amazon?

Amazon TPM Interview Questions

Amazon TPM interview questions broadly cover three categories — behavioral, technical, and program management. Some common questions are:

Behavioral Questions for Amazon TPM Interview:

1. Tell me about a time you did something that was not a part of your job description or your responsibility.
2. How would you make Amazon.com better?
3. Give me one instance when you took an important decision without approval from your reporting manager.
4. Describe a time you made a mistake.
5. Talk about a time you received negative feedback. How did you handle it?

Read Amazon Behavioral Interview Questions for more!

Technical Questions for Amazon TPM Interview:

1. What is the difference between a router and a switch?
2. How do you run programs from end to end?
3. How do passwords pass securely from server to client?
4. Build a program that can revert a string.
5. Write a program that will help identify all equal elements between two arrays.
6. Design an anti-virus scanner.
7. Talk about the computational complexity of hash tables.
8. Design a database for a URL implementation.
9. Using OOD, describe a deck of cards.
10. How does Amazon.com work?

Program Management Questions for Amazon TPM Interview:

1. Do you use any metrics to review success? What are those?
2. What is the most innovative idea you have ever come up with?
3. How do you think your responsibilities differ from those of a project manager?
4. Walk us through your approach to create a strategy and roadmap for your programs.
5. How do you approach change management?

Amazon Senior TPM Interview Questions

While answering senior TPM interview questions, you need to keep in mind the 14 Leadership Principles to align your answer with company objectives.

Some common questions asked are:

Behavioral Questions for Amazon Senior TPM Interview:

1. Why Amazon?
2. Talk about your most complex project.
3. Tell us about a situation where you had to deal with competing priorities.
4. Describe a time when you had a conflict with your manager or team member.

Technical  Questions for Amazon Senior TPM Interview:

1. Make a technical design of an automated parking solution.
2. What are load balancer and API gateway?
3. Design an automation system that can download messages from a repository in the cloud and put them in the right buckets after assessing them.
4. Build a service that can handle hundreds of transactions that will be executed at specific times of a day.

Recommended Reading: Amazon System Design Interview Questions

Project Management Questions for Amazon Senior TPM Interview:

1. What tools and technology do you think are essential to be successful in your role?
2. Tell me about a time you disagreed with another team. What was the outcome?
3. Walk us through a time when you chose a short-term gain over a long-term gain. What was your thought process?

Check out Amazon Interview Questions for more.

6 Key Tips to Crack Your Amazon TPM Interview

Of course, Amazon TPM interview questions are considerably difficult. However, some measures can help you ace these questions. Have a look.

1. Learn about Amazon. Before you start preparing how to answer Amazon TPM interview questions, you need to be sure that Amazon is the right place for you. To get an idea of how a typical day of an Amazon TPM goes, you can talk to someone who is an ex- or present Amazon TPM. Moreover, Amazon Strategy Teardown, Amazon Vision and Mission Analysis, etc., are also reliable sources of information.
2. Read the 16 Leadership Principles thoroughly. Go through examples to understand their interpretations. It is even better if you can recite the principles. Multiple resources talk about recruiters asking questions regarding these different principles.
   For each principle, prepare an example from your work experience. Back it up with details and numbers. Amazon recruiters can drill the details. So, be prepared.
3. Prepare for architectural design questions. Do not only focus on design and performance. Recruiters also look for your understanding of APIs and their implementation.
4. Prepare and practice extensively before going for the interview. Prepare different examples for the questions, especially for behavioral questions. Ensure there are no repetitions.
5. Practice with ex-interviewers. It is immensely helpful if you can get professional feedback on your interview performance. This can help you identify specific areas where you need to improve.

If you want to boost your chances to crack an Amazon tech interview, you can turn to Interview Kickstart. We provide professional guidance through mock interviews and guidance from FAANG+ tech leads and hiring managers. Our comprehensive curriculum covers Data Structures, Concurrency, System Design, and much more.

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FAQs on Amazon and TPM Role

1. What is the average TPM salary at Amazon?

The average TPM salary ranges between $135,000 and $150,000 annually, depending on experience. However, this is exclusive of around $45,000 cash bonus and $22,000 through a stock bonus annually. Your final offer will also greatly depend on how well you negotiate.

2. What are Amazon’s employee benefits?

Some of the premium employee benefits for TPMs at Amazon include — healthcare coverage (including medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage); parental leave; financial benefits (Amazon stock, 401k plans with 50% company match, paid life/accident insurance, financial counseling, and estate planning services); and other resources to improve health and well-being.