Application & Phone Interview: Applied online. Got an email from HR for scheduling a phone screening interview. The phone screening went well with the hiring manager. Then there was a second phone interview setup for formal phone interview. This time, it's the same hiring manager who asked me to do some online typing to answer system design questions based on my past experience. There was no coding exercises even though I prepared for it. Since it's a SDM position, they would like to focus on system design instead of coding. On-site Interview: Before I went to on-site interview, I had to submit an essay with narrative style. I picked one of the two questions to write your narrative and submit it online. On the interview day, there were total 7 people who met me in person including one lunch buddy. Each person spent 1 hour with me. They're SDM, SDE 2 & 3, etc. They're nice. The questions were mostly around Amazon leadership principles, and of course, there were some tough technical questions by the SDM 3 guy. All in all, it's a very lengthy process, and a long day to me. I was very tired at the end since I kept talking. The conversation speed was very fast between me and interviewer in most of cases. About the Position Level: One funny thing about the SDM position was I didn't know the level. I knew the SDM level after the interview was completed. The job posting didn't mention the SDM level. During the interview, no one had ever explained the level ladder of Amazon hierarchy. I googled it to find out the fact afterwards. The position I applied was a SDM level 6 position, which is pretty decent based on insiders. Final Result: HR told me after their discussion, they felt like I qualified for a SDM level 5, not for level 6. However they didn't have a SDM 5 open at that moment. I felt like the truth was that I didn't manage a team sizing bigger than what they expected. The level 6 SDM is supposed to manage 1 and 2 teams with total 15 - 20 people. I managed a team less than 10, and I told them the truth. To be aware, Amazon judged a candidate's capability based on this type of fact. Overall it's a great experience with Amazon. I have no pity. I did my best.