Microsoft Interview Guide
Company GuideLast checked Nov 2026
Microsoft interviews for specific teams, and each team shapes its own loop, so the format, interviewers, and questions vary by organization. The common shape is a recruiter call, an online assessment or coding screen, and a final loop of 4 to 5 interviews that mix coding, design, and behavioral questions.
How Microsoft Hires
- The process varies by organization. Teams write their own questions and set their own format, so ask your recruiter what your loop holds.
- Behavioral questions usually run through every round, often for a few minutes at the start, and some teams also hold a dedicated behavioral session.
- Many loops end with a senior interviewer who reads the earlier feedback and probes any doubts. Engineers long called this the "as appropriate" interviewer; the term is informal now, and how the role works differs by team.
- Microsoft's own guidance asks you to code in a language you know well, skip pseudocode, run your code in the provided tool, and test it yourself: basic function, boundaries and errors, stress, security, and corner cases.
- Microsoft suggests answering behavioral questions in the STAR format with an added Reflection step, and it names growth mindset and customer obsession among the culture areas it assesses.
Loops by Level
- Microsoft SDE LoopJuniorSoftware EngineerCoding carries the SDE decision. Early-career loops lean on coding and object-oriented design, and they often use a class design question where senior loops use system design.See the Rounds
- Microsoft SDE II LoopMidSoftware Engineer IISDE II loops stay coding-heavy, with one design round that ranges from object-oriented design to a first system design problem depending on the team. Clean code, self-testing, and clear communication across every round carry the decision.See the Rounds
- Microsoft Senior SDE LoopSeniorSenior Software EngineerSystem design carries the most weight at senior, and it decides whether the offer lands at 63 to 64 or a level lower. Coding still needs to be strong, but a shallow design round is the usual cause of a down-level.See the Rounds
- Microsoft Principal SDE LoopStaffPrincipal Software EngineerPrincipal loops keep the senior shape with a higher depth bar, and the design round sets the level. A candidate who can't go deep in the team's domain risks a down-level to senior.See the Rounds
Sources
Last checked Nov 2026. Loops vary by team and change over time, so confirm the details with your recruiter.