Handling pressure is one of the toughest parts of any software engineering role at Amazon, and this behavioral question is designed to test exactly that. Interviewers want to know how you respond when a system goes down, performance drops, or production deadlines are at risk. It’s your chance to show that you can think clearly, act quickly, and deliver real results under pressure.
They’re not only evaluating your technical ability but also your mindset. Can you prioritize what matters most? Communicate effectively with your team? Take ownership when things go wrong? These are the qualities Amazon values in every SDE 2 engineer.
Interview Question
Tell me about a time when you faced a critical performance issue and how you resolved it quickly.
Question Explanation
This behavioral question evaluates your ability to stay calm under stress, troubleshoot efficiently, and make impactful decisions that improve performance and stability. The interviewer wants to see technical depth, quick thinking, and ownership.
Ideal Answer
Situation: While working at ValueLabs on a CRM migration for M7 Group, we encountered severe performance issues in the order processing module, causing major delays for end users.
Task: My goal was to identify the root cause and restore the system’s speed before the release deadline.
Action: I profiled the API to locate slow database calls, optimized SQL queries with proper indexing, and restructured nested joins. I then implemented asynchronous calls in .NET Core to improve throughput and integrated Redis caching to reduce database load.
Result: The system’s performance improved by 30%, resolving latency issues and stabilizing operations before launch. The client was impressed, and end-user satisfaction increased immediately.
This experience taught me how to handle performance bottlenecks calmly, prioritize high-impact fixes, and apply technical optimizations under time pressure—skills Amazon looks for in SDE 2 engineers.
At CareerXcelerator, we help you build these same abilities through Amazon-specific mock interviews, real-world case training, and structured behavioral prep. You’ll learn how to communicate solutions confidently and think like an Amazon engineer.
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