Microsoft
Experienced
Website
2+ years C++/system design experience (26 LPA)
Application Process
I applied on a Saturday afternoon after editing my resume, got a scheduling call Monday with interviews the next day, and was advised to complete the online assessment that same night. Two interviews were scheduled that morning, a third that afternoon after positive feedback, and my HM round was set for the following week by 6 PM.
Interview Rounds (5)
Detailed breakdown of each evaluation round, problems encountered, and round takeaways.
Online Coding Interview
Questions & Problems Asked (2)
Problem: Absolutely Minimum
repeatedly replace A with |A-B|, find the minimum achievable A.
Problem: Minimum Spanning Tree (Kruskal's)
total MST weight.
Online Coding Test
Round Experience
A PnC question I solved in 20 minutes with follow-ups, then a Rotten-Oranges-style question I solved in 15 minutes.
Keypad Combinations, Rotting Oranges.
Online Coding Test
Questions & Problems Asked (1)
Problem: An LLD round
DNS Caching design, discussing the full environment around the cache before designing the optimization.
Online Coding Test
Questions & Problems Asked (1)
Problem: Another LLD round, scheduled after positive feedback
Project Dashboard design (HackerRank-style: one project per student, multiple judges scoring, leaderboard by average score).
Online Coding Test
Questions & Problems Asked (1)
Problem: The HM round
he reviewed my resume and past experience, then asked me to create a synchronized lock with different threads.
Round Experience
My selection perspective: my experience in the core OS framework worked in my favor for the Windows Core job ID, and my design-pattern experience helped me stay calm during the interview.
Round 5 — My Takeaways
- DSA thoroughly, aptitude/puzzles, two good explained projects, arrays/binary search/DP/recursion, common HR questions.
Resume Tips
Don't include incorrect information.
A 70% ATS score is enough.
Preparation Tips
Mix random DSA topics; revisit a concept if I can't solve it in 4 hours.
Learn design patterns in ~30 days; solving LLD problems helps more.
