Work Simulation & Work Style Assessment (OA)

The non-coding portion of the SDE OA: a situational-judgment Work Simulation (rate responses 1-5 across workplace scenarios) and a forced-choice Work Style survey (pick which of two statements is more like you). Requirements The non-coding part of the SDE OA bundles two automated assessments: Work Simulation — situational-judgment scenarios grouped into modules (e.g. "Project Alert / API design, feedback and debugging", "Sound Traveller / tracking-platform decision"). Each scenario describes a workplace situation and several candidate responses; rate each on a 1-5 effectiveness scale (1 = least effective, 5 = most effective). Work Style — roughly 35 forced-choice item pairs; for each, pick which of two statements is more like you, on a Most-like / More-like scale between the left and right option. Current SDE timing allocates about 15 minutes to Work Simulation and about 10 minutes total to the two Work Style surveys. Examples Work Simulation (Project Alert module): a senior engineer leaves code-review feedback that is more complex but adds long-term value; you rate replies such as "Let's meet to discuss your concerns and recommendations" versus "Please feel free to make any changes to the code you think are best." Work Style item: "I look for work where I can build new skills" <----> "I will learn new things when I know I will apply them right away." Notes Work Simulation rewards Amazon-LP-aligned behavior: accept feedback, troubleshoot with ownership, ask for help early, never dismiss a senior engineer's concern, and escalate by proposing a meeting rather than acting unilaterally or stalling a launch. Watch the rating-scale direction — within a screen 1 = least effective and 5 = most effective; it is easy to flip the scale under time pressure. Work Style has no public answer key and is consistency-scored. The two statements are usually both positive, so answer honestly and keep the same self-image across the duplicated themes (planning vs adapting, detail-checking vs initiative, learning vs execution) rather than optimizing any single item. The same two assessments front the intern OA as well (≈1h45m total including the coding block), so expect them on both NG and intern tracks. Answering every item at the extreme-positive end backfires: the survey runs an impression-management check, and uniform self-flattery reads as gaming. First-instinct answers kept consistent across the re-phrasings score better than a curated persona. A reliable rating heuristic for the simulation: top-rated options keep your ownership of the problem while genuinely engaging the other person's concern (ask for a concrete example, convert vague feedback into actionable steps, resolve one-on-one). The lowest-rated options deflect blame, comply while abandoning judgment, or escalate to a manager as referee. Preparation Map each Leadership Principle to its "most effective" behavior (ownership, earn trust, dive deep, bias for action, escalate-with-a-plan) so the Work Simulation choices become mechanical. For Work Style, settle your stable position on the recurring axes (planner vs adapter, detail-checker vs initiator) before starting so the re-phrasings stay internally consistent.