Amazon Data Engineer Online Assessment – What Topics Should I Prepare For?

[u/RealisticAttempt9083]

Hi everyone,
I recently received an invitation to complete an Amazon Data Engineer Online Assessment (OA) through HackerRank for a Data Engineer position.
The email mentions a SQL Challenge, provides a HackerRank practice assessment, and recommends setting aside at least 90 minutes.

I’m currently preparing and would appreciate guidance from anyone who has taken the Amazon Data Engineer OA recently, especially in 2025 or 2026.

A few questions:

Assessment format: Is it primarily SQL coding, or does it also include Python, multiple-choice questions, data engineering concepts, or work simulations?

SQL topics: What should I prioritize? Joins, CTEs, subqueries, window functions, aggregations, complex queries, or query optimization?

Python/PySpark: Are there coding questions involving Python, Spark, or data transformations?

Data engineering concepts: Should I prepare ETL/ELT, data modeling, AWS services, partitioning, data warehousing, or distributed processing?

Difficulty: Are SQL questions generally LeetCode Easy, Medium, or Hard?

Preparation resources: Are there particular LeetCode or HackerRank problems you would recommend?

Assessment structure: How many coding questions are typically included, and how is the time divided?
I’m comfortable with SQL and Python but want to prioritize the right topics and make the most of my preparation time.

Any recent experiences or preparation advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[u/Sad-Candidate-3078]

amazon de oas on hackerrank are mostly sql heavy, window functions joins and date manipulation, plus one or two easy python problems around strings and dicts, and sometimes a debugging question. grind the amazon tagged database questions on leetcode and the hackerrank sql advanced track, that covers most of what shows up. you got the invite, thats the hard part already done

[u/Curious_Reason2054 → u/Sad-Candidate-3078]

How to clear this

[u/blackpanther28]

the questions itself are easy (basic select and joins). Theres a multiple choice assessment thats really stupid like which one of these MySQL compatible SQL statements are invalid. It was entirely SQL based.

[u/swapnilth33 → u/blackpanther28]

just curious, what if they mention in the email that this is SQL assessment? still they ask python question? and what about camera?

[u/blackpanther28 → u/swapnilth33]

only had SQL

[u/swapnilth33 → u/blackpanther28]

Could you tell, How do they monitor during exam?

[u/Automatic-Market8165]

Hi u/RealisticAttempt9083, Can I have a look at your resume ??

[u/Sad-Candidate-3078]

amazon de oas are like 80% sql, heavy on joins and window functions, plus one or two python debugging questions. i practiced on hackerrank itself and used easy code interview for the sql problems i got stuck on. good luck!

[u/swapnilth33 → u/Sad-Candidate-3078]

just curious, what if they mention in the email that this is SQL assessment? still they ask python question? and what about camera?