Microsoft Software Developer Intern interview questions

I had two interviews the same day, both 45 mins. Both started as behavioral and then ended with one technical question. One interviewer was a network engineer, and the other was a software engineer II.

1. Online Assessment (OA) Usually conducted on platforms like Codility, HackerRank, or AMCAT. Duration: 90–120 minutes. Format: 2–3 coding problems (DSA-focused). Difficulty: Easy to Medium-Hard. Topics: Arrays, Strings, Trees, Dynamic Programming, Graphs, Hashing, Sliding Window. Sometimes includes MCQs on CS fundamentals (OS, DBMS, CN). Tip: Practice on LeetCode (Medium), especially Microsoft-tagged problems. ✅ 2. Technical Interviews (2–3 Rounds) Each round is 45–60 mins. Focus: Data Structures & Algorithms (most important). Problem-solving approach (not just the code, but how you think). Complexity analysis (Time & Space). Core CS concepts: OOP, DBMS, OS, Computer Networks. Coding language flexibility (Java, C++, Python preferred). Sample Questions: Design an LRU cache. Implement autocomplete suggestions. Merge K sorted lists. Find shortest path (Graph problem). Expect follow-ups like: “What if input size is 10^7?” “Can you optimize further?” “Write test cases.”