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Interview questions from top companies, mapped to the exact round they show up in. Prep for what you will actually face.

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Online AssessmentDSA / CodingMachine CodingLow-Level Design

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The Loop aggregates publicly shared interview experiences and curated commonly-asked questions, each labeled with its source. Not affiliated with any company listed.

MIT · © 2026

← Microsoft

Senior Backend at Microsoft

BackendSeniorNo offer◆ Commonly asked· 2025

A senior backend loop. Fast-paced; expect follow-ups that push on depth.

The loop · 6 rounds

01

Round 01 · 3 questions

DSA / Coding

Data structures & algorithms on a whiteboard or shared editor.

  • Diameter of a binary tree.
    SeniorEasy◆ Commonly asked
    #tree#dfs
    PracticeLeetCode↗GeeksforGeeks↗
  • 3Sum.
    SeniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #two-pointers#array
    PracticeLeetCode↗GeeksforGeeks↗
  • Longest substring without repeating characters.
    SeniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #sliding-window#string
    PracticeLeetCode↗GeeksforGeeks↗
02

Round 02 · 2 questions

Machine Coding

Build a working component or service under time pressure.

  • Implement a bulk-upsert endpoint with validation.
    SeniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #api#validation
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
  • Design and build a URL-shortener service (API + storage).
    SeniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #api#hashing
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
03

Round 03 · 2 questions

System Design

High-level architecture of a large-scale system.

  • Design an inventory reservation system for checkout.
    SeniorHard◆ Commonly asked
    #concurrency#transactions
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
  • Design a pastebin with expiring links.
    SeniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #storage#ttl
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
04

Round 04 · 3 questions

Tech Deep-Dive

Deep questions on your core stack and fundamentals.

  • How do you design a schema for a multi-currency ledger?
    SeniorHard◆ Commonly asked
    #databases#money
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
  • How do you design a public API for backward compatibility?
    SeniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #api-design
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
  • Trade-offs of gRPC vs REST vs GraphQL.
    SeniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #api-design
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
05

Round 05 · 1 question

Hiring Manager

Scope, ownership, and role-fit discussion with the manager.

  • How do you run an incident and the postmortem after?
    Senior◆ Commonly asked
    #reliability#process
06

Round 06 · 2 questions

Behavioral / HR

Values, collaboration, and past-experience (STAR) questions.

  • Describe a conflict with your manager and the outcome.
    Senior◆ Commonly asked
    #conflict#star
  • Describe working with an ambiguous or shifting requirement.
    Senior◆ Commonly asked
    #ambiguity#star

◆ This experience is composed from commonly reported questions for this role and level. Real, individually-shared interviews will be layered in over time.