Hey everyone, I want to give back to the community and share my recent Microsoft interview experience for a Software Engineer role (Azure E+C). Hopefully, this helps others prepare better.
I don't want to talk OA, HR rounds, there are similar with others.
This is On-side 4 Rounds in 1 day.
Exp: 4 years. High growh product based startup.

Round 1: Live Coding (Graph Problem)

• Problem type: Graph / Currency retention problem
• Experience: The problem description was very unclear. Initially, I didn’t realize it was a graph problem. The interviewer helped me, and then I fully understood it.
• Approach: I explained how I’d iterate using DFS and calculate weighted paths. We implemented half of it in discussion.
• Tip: Don’t panic if the description is messy; talk through your thought process clearly. They care more about reasoning than running full code.

Round 2: OOP / Design (Elevator System)

• Problem type: Object-oriented design
• Experience: I expected live coding, but it was mostly discussion. Defined requirements, classes, functions, and explained OOP principles (SRP, encapsulation, etc.).
• Tip: Focus on design clarity and explain your decisions step by step. Use real-life examples if possible.

Round 3: Behavioral + System Design (Pastebin System)

• Problem type: System design + behavioral discussion about experience
• Experience: Spent 15–20 min discussing my projects. Then we designed a Pastebin-like service: scaling DB, storage, API endpoints, high-level diagrams. Interviewer said the design was good, although I felt I could add more.
• Tip: Be ready to dive deep into your past projects technically. Follow up questions will focus on challenges, design choices, trade-offs, and technologies.

Round 4: Hiring Manager Interview

• Focus: Behavioral, experience explanation
• Experience: I discussed my most challenging project and other projects in detail. Asked 3–4 questions about the team, projects, and customers.
• Tip: Be honest, clear, and concise. Prepare examples of challenges, how you solved them, and what you learned. And never say "We ..." always say "I did..., I develop .... " etc.

Key Takeaways:

1. Talk through your thought process—especially if the problem description is unclear.
2. Be ready for OOP design discussions and explain your principles.
3. System design will often relate to the team/project; prepare cloud, scaling, caching, and API concepts.
4. Behavioral questions focus on your experience and challenges, so have concrete examples ready.
5. Clean code environment: Be ready to implement data structures from scratch and outline tests, even if you don’t run them. (All rounds used Hackerrank platform for code and System design.)

I hope this helps someone preparing for Microsoft or similar FAANG interviews. Feel free to ask me questions if you want tips for live coding, system design, or behavioral prep.
Good luck :)