Skip to contentSkip to footer
  • Community
  • Jobs
  • Companies
  • Salaries
  • For Employers
      Notifications

      Loading...

      Elevate your career

      Discover your earning potential, land dream jobs, and share work-life insights anonymously.

      employer cover photo
      employer logo
      employer logo

      Microsoft

      Engaged Employer

      About
      Reviews
      Pay & benefits
      Jobs
      Interviews
      Interviews
      Related searches: Microsoft reviews | Microsoft jobs | Microsoft salaries | Microsoft benefits | Microsoft conversations
      Microsoft interviewsMicrosoft Software Developer interviewsMicrosoft interview


      Glassdoor

      • About / Press
      • Awards
      • Blog
      • Research
      • Contact Us
      • Guides

      Employers

      • Free Employer Account
      • Employer Center
      • Employers Blog

      Information

      • Help
      • Guidelines
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy & Ad Choices
      • Do Not Sell Or Share My Information
      • Cookie Consent Tool
      • Security

      Work With Us

      • Advertisers
      • Careers
      Download the App

      • Browse by:
      • Companies
      • Jobs
      • Locations
      • Communities
      • Recent Posts

      Copyright © 2008-2026. Glassdoor LLC. "Glassdoor," "Worklife Pro," "Bowls," and logo are proprietary trademarks of Glassdoor LLC.

      Company Bowl sample

      Want the inside scoop on your own company?

      Check out your Company Bowl for anonymous work chats.

      Bowls

      Get actionable career advice tailored to you by joining more bowls.

      Followed companies

      Stay ahead in opportunities and insider tips by following your dream companies.

      Job searches

      Get personalized job recommendations and updates by starting your searches.

      Software Developer Interview

      May 20, 2009
      Anonymous Interview Candidate
      Seattle, WA
      No offer
      Neutral experience
      Easy interview

      Application

      The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Microsoft (Seattle, WA) in Mar 2007

      Interview

      # Why is a manhole cover round? # How many cars are there in the USA? (A popular variant is "How many gas stations are there in the USA?") # How many manhole covers are there in the USA? # You've got someone working for you for seven days and a gold bar to pay them. The gold bar is segmented into seven connected pieces. You must give them a piece of gold at the end of every day. If you are only allowed to make two breaks in the gold bar, how do you pay your worker? # One train leaves Los Angeles at 15mph heading for New York. Another train leaves from New York at 20mph heading for Los Angeles on the same track. If a bird, flying at 25mph, leaves from Los Angeles at the same time as the train and flies back and forth between the two trains until they collide, how far will the bird have traveled? # Imagine a disk spinning like a record player turn table. Half of the disk is black and the other is white. Assume you have an unlimited number of color sensors. How many sensors would you have to place around the disk to determine the direction the disk is spinning? Where would they be placed? # Imagine an analog clock set to 12 o'clock. Note that the hour and minute hands overlap. How many times each day do both the hour and minute hands overlap? How would you determine the exact times of the day that this occurs? # You have two jars, 50 red marbles and 50 blue marbles. A jar will be picked at random, and then a marble will be picked from the jar. Placing all of the marbles in the jars, how can you maximize the chances of a red marble being picked? What are the exact odds of getting a red marble using your scheme? # Pairs of primes separated by a single number are called prime pairs. Examples are 17 and 19. Prove that the number between a prime pair is always divisible by 6 (assuming both numbers in the pair are greater than 6). Now prove that there are no 'prime triples.'

      Interview questions [1]

      Question 1

      Why is a manhole cover round?
      5 Answers

      Other Software Developer Interview Reviews for Microsoft

      Software Engineer I Interview

      Jun 20, 2026
      Anonymous Interview Candidate
      Melbourne
      No offer
      Positive experience
      Average interview

      Application

      I applied online. I interviewed at Microsoft (Melbourne)

      Interview

      After submitting an online application, I received a HackerRank assessment after passing the resume screening stage, then I was rejected after completing the assessment and did not proceed to further interview rounds.

      Interview questions [1]

      Question 1

      The assessment consisted of two LeetCode-medium-level coding questions to be completed within 75 minutes.
      Answer question
      1

      Software Developer Interview

      Jun 24, 2026
      Anonymous Interview Candidate
      San Francisco, CA
      No offer
      Neutral experience
      Difficult interview

      Application

      I interviewed at Microsoft (San Francisco, CA)

      Interview

      45 mins technical interview with a member of their San fran team. Very relaxed and informal but questions were focused and lots of follow ups. Easy to schedule as was over video conferencing platform

      Interview questions [1]

      Question 1

      Questions surrounding Markov chains etc
      Answer question

      Software Engineer Interview

      Jun 15, 2026
      Anonymous Interview Candidate
      Seattle, WA
      Declined offer
      Positive experience
      Average interview

      Application

      I interviewed at Microsoft (Seattle, WA)

      Interview

      Straightforward technical loop overall, with strong interviewers at every stage. I genuinely enjoyed the in-depth conversations around technical challenges and algorithmic problem-solving — the entire process felt well-structured and genuinely engaging.

      Interview questions [1]

      Question 1

      LRU Cache System Design LLD
      Answer question