This guide is here to help you navigate the Microsoft software engineer interview from start to finish. We’ll walk through each stage of the process, take a close look at the kinds of questions you can expect, point out common mistakes to avoid, and share strategies to sharpen your prep. Whether you’re aiming for an entry-level SDE role or bringing experience to a mid-level position, this article will give you the tools to tackle your interviews with confidence.

Table of Contents

• The Microsoft Interview Process and Timeline
• Common Microsoft Software Engineer Interview Questions 
• Mistakes to Avoid During Microsoft Interviews 
• What Happens After the Microsoft Interview?
• FAQ
• Conclusion

The Microsoft Interview Process and Timeline

The Microsoft interview process consists of four steps: the recruiter call, the technical phone screen or Codility quiz, the onsite, and finally the team matching. The recruiter call will last about 30 minutes, the technical phone screen or Codility quiz will last about 60 minutes. The onsite lasts 5 - 6 hours, with 6 to 7 rounds, of which multiple are coding rounds.

The process at Microsoft is mostly team-dependent. While interviewing for a team, you will interview with people from that team, but not just people from that team. Some interviews might be with other teams. 

Interviews can vary from team to team. And Microsoft sometimes plans first interview rounds with hiring managers instead of recruiters as a sort of team-matching.

Recruiter Call

The recruiter call is the first step in your Microsoft interview process, but it's not much different from any other recruiter call. The recruiter will ask you questions like why you want to work at Microsoft, what your previous experience is, and what your salary expectations are. It’s important to not mention too much about your salary expectations and your history because of negotiations further down the line. Do ask your recruiter what to expect of the rest of the hiring process, seeing as there's a lot of variance depending on which team you're interviewing with.

Technical Phone Screen 

The technical phone screen at Microsoft is a Leetcode-style interview with questions ranging from easy to medium. Interviewers are free to ask whatever they want, and they are also free in how they judge your technical skills. 

Codility Quiz

If you end up getting assigned the asynchronous Codility assessment, you'll log in and complete several algorithmic questions within a limited time. In some ways, this can be more challenging than a live technical phone interview, since there's no opportunity to clarify requirements or explain your thought process. Your performance is evaluated based on test case coverage, solution correctness, and overall code quality.

Onsite 

The Microsoft onsite varies per team, but usually it includes the following: one behavioral round, two or three coding rounds, one system design round, and one domain-specific round. 

Engineers at Microsoft mostly use C#, Java and Python, so it is advised to use these languages in your technical rounds. Teams are allowed to choose the tools they prefer to use in coding rounds, but most teams use Codility or Excalidraw.

Common Microsoft Software Engineer Interview Questions

Microsoft’s interview questions are designed to assess technical knowledge, problem-solving ability, and behavioral aptitude. Candidates should be prepared for a blend of coding, system design, and situational questions. Here is a breakdown of each category:

Coding Questions

The majority of the technical rounds will focus on Leetcode-style provlems. These problems often relate to trees, graphs, arrays, strings, and linked lists. Interviewers look for clean, optimized code with solid test coverage and clear logic. Dynamic programming problems get asked rarely, but when they happen it's usually problems like coin charge, edit distance and counting problems.

Examples of typical questions:

• Find the longest substring without repeating characters
• Merge overlapping intervals
• Implement an LRU cache
• Determine if a binary tree is symmetric

Preparation Tip: Practice problems from the LeetCode Microsoft problem set and simulate time-bound coding sessions.

System Design Questions

System design interviews assess your ability to build scalable, fault-tolerant systems. Microsoft is known for asking compliance-related questions. While not expected for entry-level roles, system design becomes important for mid-level and senior candidates. System design interviews are sometimes conducted by a hiring manager.

Common prompts may include:

• Design a URL shortening service
• Build a scalable logging system
• Architect a messaging queue using Azure services

You are evaluated on your ability to decompose complex systems, identify trade-offs, and communicate clearly.

Behavioral Questions

Behavioral interviews are the least important round at Microsoft, but it's recommended to use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) when answering questions. STAR is used to evaluate how you’ve handled challenges, led projects, resolved conflicts, and grown as a professional.

Expect questions like:

• Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a teammate.
• Describe a situation where you failed. What did you learn?
• How have you improved a process or system in a previous project?

Responses should be specific, include measurable results, and reflect introspection. Microsoft looks for ownership, clear communication and positivity.

For different roles, Microsoft looks for different traits:

Junior: Shows a strong willingness to learn and asks questions to better understand ideas and approaches.

Senior: Actively invests in personal growth, embraces feedback, and creates space for open dialogue, even when that means acknowledging failure or exploring unfamiliar perspectives.

Principal: Encourages the team to think more critically and pushes conversations in thoughtful, productive directions that challenge assumptions and lead to better outcomes.

Mistakes to Avoid During Microsoft Interviews

Even strong candidates can make avoidable mistakes. Here are some common ones to look out for:

Lack of Communication During Coding

One of the biggest reasons candidates fail technical rounds is silent coding. Interviewers need insight into your thought process. Speak as you think—narrate your plan, justify decisions, and explain test coverage.

Unstructured Behavioral Responses

Without a clear STAR format, your behavioral answers can come across as vague or rambling. Avoid generalities and focus on concrete stories that demonstrate initiative, problem-solving, and resilience.

Missing Edge Cases and Tests

It’s not enough to write a working solution. Failing to consider edge cases or to validate your code with test inputs can hurt your performance. Always walk through your solution with real examples.

Overloading Your Resume Story

Less is more. Rather than listing every project you’ve ever worked on, choose two or three that best demonstrate leadership, growth, and technical depth. Tailor your stories to the role and team you’re interviewing for.

Neglecting Product or User Impact

Especially for client-facing or PM-adjacent roles, a lack of awareness about product impact can be a red flag. Practice thinking about trade-offs, user flows, and product scalability.

What Happens After the Microsoft Interview

Once your interviews wrap up, each interviewer submits their feedback independently, weighing in on your technical skills, communication style, and overall performance. This feedback is then reviewed by a hiring committee, which discusses your interview loop in full and makes a final decision. If things go well, you'll receive an offer that includes a level assignment based on how you performed. For software engineering roles, new grads typically come in at level 59, while mid-level hires may be placed up to level 63. The offer itself can include base salary, a signing bonus, annual performance bonuses, and stock in the form of restricted stock units (RSUs). If you're curious about what different levels earn, tools like Levels.fyi are a helpful reference.

Not receiving an offer can be disappointing, but it's not the end of the road. Microsoft allows candidates to reapply after six to twelve months. That time can be valuable if you use it to work on the areas where you struggled. Whether that's brushing up on algorithms, improving your responses during your behavioral rounds, or building out real-world projects. Many candidates come back stronger after taking the time to reflect, practice more intentionally, and refine their approach.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many rounds are there in the Microsoft SWE interview process?

Typically five to six, including the recruiter screen, OA, phone, onsite loop, and possibly a final round.

Is the Codility test required for all roles?

No. It’s primarily used for student and early career roles.

Is communication really that important during coding interviews?

Yes. Verbalizing your logic and thought process is essential. It gives interviewers insight into your reasoning and collaborative ability.

What should I know about Microsoft’s workplace values?

Respect, integrity, and accountability. Learn more about their culture and work style.

Can I negotiate my Microsoft offer?

Yes. Compensation is negotiable, especially if you have competing offers. It helps to be informed. Levels.fyi is a good resource for benchmarks.

Is remote work available?

Yes. Microsoft supports hybrid and remote models depending on the team and location.

How can I prepare for behavioral interviews at Microsoft?

Use the STAR method, but be authentic. Focus on challenges where you demonstrated empathy or leadership. Include measurable results, and reflect on what you learned or how you grew.

Conclusion

Microsoft hires not only engineers who are technically strong. You also have to be team-oriented, with a growth mindset and communication skills, empathy, and a clear understanding of what Microsoft values.

Acing the interview involves practicing algorithmic problem-solving, preparing clear STAR stories that show leadership and accountability, understanding cloud systems and distributed design if you’re a mid-level candidate, and reflecting Microsoft’s core value in your own behavior and communication. 

Use our STAR interview guide or resume checklist, and continue to explore behavioral scenarios grounded in Microsoft’s culture. The journey to working at Microsoft is not a one way street. Many candidates do not succeed on their first attempt. But you can reapply after about six to twelve months, though it might be smart to interview for a different position after your cooldown period. With persistence, structured practice, reflection, and maybe a little help from Leetcode Wizard, you can position yourself to earn your position at Microsoft.