Question

Microsoft | Interview Experiences | SDE | 2022 | Set-39

Answer 1

Microsoft | OFF CAMPUS 

 

Round 1(Coding Round):2 questions to be solved within 60 minutes.

1. Invert a binary tree.
2. Lexicographically smallest string formed by removing at most one character

Round 2(Technical Interview 1): Taken by a Software Engineer with around 2-3 years experience. 

1. All 4 pillars of OOPS
2. Difference between Linked List and Arrays
3. Reverse a Linked List
4. Difference between Queue and Priority Queue
5. Given a few tables which have some values linking a few rows across tables, write a functional code to print the entry with highest priority. (Main focus here was on creating classes with modular and well defined structures, usage of correct data structures at right point [HashMap, ArrayList, PriorityQueue] and clean coding)

Round 3(Technical Interview 2): Taken by a Software Engineer with 5+ years of experience.

1. Add two binary strings that have been represented using Linked Lists.
2. Search for a word. (Trie based approach. Only asked for approach, did not ask to code)
3. Discussion on Multi-Threading, Mutual Exclusion, Design Patterns in Java, Inheritance vs Interfaces, Synchronization, Producer-Consumer problem

Round 4(Manager Round): Taken by an Engineering  Manager with 20+ years of experience. After a quick introduction about myself, I was asked about          

1. Discussion about current projects and tech stack
2. Check whether a given parentheses expression is balanced or not
3. Length of the longest substring in a string without repeating characters.

Tips:

1. Focus on basics. DSA, OOPS, OS
2. Show willingness and eagerness to learn and collaborate in technical interviews.
3. Don’t lose faith and trust your preparation. I had previously been rejected by multiple product-based companies during campus placement and also during my off-campus attempts.
4. Maintain a good connection with your assigned recruiter/HR. This shows an eagerness from your side and he/she can really guide you through the ins and outs of the process very well.
5. Above all, believe in yourself.