Microsoft OA Questions 2021: What Candidates Actually Saw
Last updated: May 2026
66+ Microsoft online assessment questions reported by candidates who took the OA in 2021. Sourced from 1Point3Acres, LeetCode, Blind, Glassdoor, and Reddit. Data grows as new reports are added.
Microsoft OA Format in 2021
The Microsoft online assessment has followed a consistent format across multiple hiring cycles. Based on 2021 reports in the database, candidates typically see 2 to 3 algorithmic coding problems delivered through a proctored online platform (most commonly HackerRank). Some roles include additional behavioral or work-simulation components after the coding section.
Time limits reported by candidates range from 70 to 110 minutes for the full assessment. The coding problems are auto-graded, so edge case handling and runtime efficiency both matter. Partial credit is available on some platforms if your solution passes a subset of test cases.
Real Microsoft OA Questions from 2021
Microsoft OA
Question 1-Debugging (Find Minimum in the array (1 Line of code change)(Very Easy) ) Question 2- Coding (Find Sign of product of all element in an array multiplied Together.E.g: given an...
Microsoft OA
Given A & B find count of all num which falls between A & B(both inclusive), where num = x (x+1) A = 6 B = 20 Answer = 3 2 3 = 6 3...
Microsoft Online Assessment Question
Split the given string into minimum number of substrings with unique characters such that the concatenation of all the substrings will result in the given string. Examples: "dddd" --> ["d", "d",...
Microsoft | OA | Codility
i went through Microsoft OA Codility challenge. And came across this question but couldn\'t find any optimised solution as it said it is not correct. Can anyone suggest a better...
Microsoft interview experience
Years of experience - 4 Profile - SDE2 First Round : There were 2 codility questions to be completed within 90 minutes. i) A set S contains numbers of the form 2^P*3^Q, where...
Microsoft OA codility
1. Got Min deletions to make frequency of each letter unique 2. Given numbers 1-N and set of N edges,. find if it forms a cycle with ALL N nodes. Partial...
Microsoft OA codility
exp 10+ time limit 100mins 1st question: input string contains \'a\' and \'b\'. blocks are defined as contiguos elements which have same alphabets. eg, i/p babaa has 4 blocks b, a, b,...
Microsoft | Phone/On-Site | New Grad - Offer (AI Platform)
I\'ve had a super hard time getting through interviews without just blanking, so very fortunate that this interview went my way and that I had practiced enough! Application I applied straight up...
Microsoft Online Assessment Codility
Hi All, I took the Microsoft online assessment on 26-JAN-2021 for a Senior Engineer position and below are the questions I got. I had to solve all the questions in...
Microsoft OA February 2021
Hi, I had 4 tasks: 60 minutes. 1. correct one line in the code that would give the correct answers 2. 10 MCQs 3. Visible nodes in a binary tree (available on geek...
Microsoft OA multiple choices
I got this questions in Microsoft OA I wonder what the right answers would be : Given a list of 1000 elements which of the following number is the largest? A. The...
Microsoft New Grad Hiring Event, Rejected
Status: graduated in 2020, lost first job at startup during COVID, University of Washington GIS major Sourcer reached out to me on LinkedIn, which is how I got the coding assessment. Standard...
Microsoft (Rejected )but was pretty close
Recently gave the microsoft interview in August 2021 . Gave the first round ,it went completly off ,thought that the game is over after the first round only ,the question asked...
Find the number of nodes on the longest distinct path that starts at the root in a binary tree.
Hello Everyone, I saw follwoing question in the MSFT OTS thread "Find the number of nodes on the longest distinct path that starts at the root in a binary tree." I...
Microsoft OA Codility - Fail
I got this question in a codility test. Panicked and wasnt able to solve. Any ideas ? You are given a string containing a detailed list of files. Your task is...
Microsoft OA oct 2021
First question is exactly same as https://leetcode.com/problems/maximal-network-rank/ Second one is similar to https://leetcode.com/problems/unique-paths-iii/ Got 70 min to solve these
Microsoft off-campus interview experience Fresher
Microsoft off-campus hiring interview experience, I got this opportunity through the Microsoft engage program 2021. Round1 ( Coding round on Codility ) There were two questions to be solved in 120 mins. Questions...
Microsoft | Onsite | max-consecutive-ones-ii
I had my Final Microsoft Interview today for SWE Summer 2022 intern. I was asked to solve these in the codility interview in two seprate 45 min interviews: 1)https://leetcode.com/problems/max-consecutive-ones-ii/solution/ 2)https://leetcode.com/problems/find-all-duplicates-in-an-array/
Microsoft Onsite Interview SDE I/II
Had my virtual onsite last week. 1. Given a string with words reverse the words without using any string functions in least constant space. \t"Leetcode contains all questions " -> " questions...
Microsoft IDC interview experience [offer]
it all started with a mail asking for Online assessment from one of the recruiters at microsoft IDC . I am mentioning IDC because , as i understand there are 2...
Topic Breakdown (2021 OA)
Topics reported by candidates who took the Microsoft OA in 2021:
Difficulty Breakdown (2021 OA)
30
easy
8
hard
2
medium
Difficulty labels are reported by candidates or inferred from LeetCode ratings.
How to Prepare for the Microsoft OA
The Microsoft OA is a timed, auto-graded coding test. Preparation is different from interview prep: you need to optimize for both correctness and speed, since partial credit requires passing test cases, not just showing reasoning.
- Practice timed sessions. Set a timer for 35 to 45 minutes per problem and simulate the real constraint.
- Focus on the topic clusters that appear most in Microsoft OA reports: dynamic programming, graphs, arrays, and strings make up the majority of reported problems.
- Read the problem constraints carefully before writing code. The constraints often reveal the expected time complexity and algorithm type.
- Use the LeakCode database to review 2021 OA questions from actual candidates. Pattern recognition across multiple sightings is a stronger prep signal than any single mock problem.
- If the OA includes a work simulation section, practice under realistic conditions. This section tests judgment and values alignment, not coding ability.
FAQ
What does the Microsoft OA look like in 2021?
Based on 2021 candidate reports, the Microsoft OA typically includes 2 to 3 coding problems and runs 70 to 110 minutes. Topics lean toward dynamic programming, graphs, arrays, and strings. Some roles include a work simulation section after the coding component.
How long is the Microsoft OA?
Most candidates report 70 to 90 minutes for the coding component. Roles with additional work simulation sections extend the total time to 110 to 150 minutes. Check your invitation email for the exact time allocation for your specific role.
What platform does Microsoft use for the OA?
Microsoft uses HackerRank or its own proprietary platform depending on the role and hiring cycle. Your invitation will specify the platform. Both platforms support multiple languages including Python, Java, C++, and JavaScript.
Are these real Microsoft OA questions?
Yes. All questions in the LeakCode database come from candidate reports on 1Point3Acres, Blind, Glassdoor, Reddit, and LeetCode. They are not AI-generated. Each question links to its source where available.
Other Microsoft OA Years
Related: Microsoft OA Hub · Microsoft All Questions · All OA Questions · Data Sources