Software Engineer applicants have rated the interview process at Microsoft with 2.7 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 70% positive. To compare, the company-average is 66.3% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Software Engineer roles take an average of 26 days to get hired, when considering 10 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Microsoft overall takes an average of 34 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Microsoft as a Software Engineer according to 10 Glassdoor interviews include:
One on one interview: 25%
Phone interview: 20%
Skills test: 15%
Personality test: 10%
Background check: 10%
Other: 5%
Presentation: 5%
Drug test: 5%
Group panel interview: 5%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -
I applied online. I interviewed at Microsoft (Atlanta, GA) in Aug 2025
Interview
The process consists of three virtual onsite rounds. Each round lasts about 45 minutes and focuses on a HackerRank-style coding problem written by the interviewer, followed by a 15-minute behavioral interview. The technical difficulty is generally medium, emphasizing problem-solving and clear communication.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
In the live coding portion, the interviewer mainly focused on problems related to DFS, the two-pointer technique, and merge sort. The difficulty was not high, but candidates were expected to write their own test cases and actively discuss edge cases, logic, and trade-offs with the interviewer during the session.
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.
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
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.