Microsoft

I went through Microsoft's Software Engineering Intern recruitment process through an on-campus drive. The first step was an online coding assessment with two DSA questions. Both were fairly standard LeetCode-style problems, but I still had to pay attention to complexity because the time limit was restrictive. One of the questions involved a sliding-window technique, while the other was a simpler implementation problem involving vectors and iteration. I managed to complete both within the allotted time and was subsequently shortlisted for the interviews. A recent selected candidate reported the same two-question OA structure for an on-campus Microsoft internship process. My first technical interview started with a short introduction and some discussion around my resume. The interviewer then moved to computer science fundamentals. I was asked questions from areas such as Operating Systems, OOP, DBMS and basic data structures. I was also given a medium-level matrix problem. I first explained the brute-force approach and then discussed how I could improve it. After writing the solution, I was asked to dry-run it on a few examples and point out possible edge cases. The interviewer was particularly interested in how I tested my own code rather than just whether I could arrive at the final implementation. Similar recent campus reports mention this combination of CS fundamentals, one coding problem, dry runs and complexity analysis. The second round had a slightly different feel. It began with some general questions before moving into another DSA problem based on strings and character manipulation. I was asked to explain the reasoning behind my approach, generate test cases and consider boundary conditions. There were also a few Operating Systems questions. Since I had already discussed my projects in the previous round, this conversation was more focused on how I approached unfamiliar problems and communicated my reasoning. One thing I found useful during both rounds was not rushing into code. Whenever I received a problem, I clarified the requirements first, described the simplest approach I could think of, and then explained why a more efficient solution was necessary. I also made sure to mention time and space complexity before finishing. I ultimately received the selection confirmation after completing the interviews. The experience was a good mix of algorithmic problem solving and core computer science rather than being exclusively LeetCode-focused. For me, the most important part was being able to switch between DSA, CS fundamentals and project discussions without losing clarity. The interviews also reinforced that testing the solution with my own examples and explaining edge cases can matter almost as much as writing the initial code correctly.