Just did my Amazon virtual onsite last month for an L5 SWE role. Sharing the stuff that isn't in the official prep guides.
The pacing is relentless Four or five interviews back to back with short breaks. By round four my brain was slower. I made a small coding mistake I wouldn't make when fresh. Factor this in during prep: practice doing a full mock loop, not individual sessions.
Every interviewer has a different vibe I had: One guy who was warm, collaborative, asked follow-up questions, made it feel like a conversation One woman who barely spoke and just watched me code with minimal reaction (this is fine, don't let it throw you) One interviewer who I'm pretty sure was the bar raiser because they went really deep on a LP story that another interviewer had already touched on One coding interviewer who gave hints pretty freely when I was stuck One coding interviewer who gave zero hints and just said 'keep going'
You can't predict which you'll get. The silent interviewer is not a bad sign. Just keep narrating your thinking.
The transitions are awkward Virtual onsites have a few minutes between rounds where you're in a waiting room. I wasn't expecting that. Use it to take a breath, drink water, not to review notes.
What I wish I'd done differently Written out ten distinct LP stories instead of six. I repeated myself in round four and the interviewer gently pointed it out. Practiced talking while coding more. Silence when you're thinking is fine briefly but sustained silence reads as being stuck. Asked about team specifics earlier. By the time I asked, the interview was already wrapping.
Outcome Got the offer. L5, AWS org, Seattle with remote flexibility. The process was long but it's actually pretty predictable once you know what they're testing for.