I applied through university. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Microsoft (Redmond, WA) in Jan 2018
Interview
I applied through my university, and was recommended for data science summer internship at Microsoft's main campus.
Phone screen:
1 hour phone call with a principal data scientist. Discussed my background, then was asked some questions about statistics/probability and also on machine learning algorithms. Felt pretty conversational and relaxed, although you were expected to know your stuff.
On-site:
5 back to back interview sessions (1 hour each). First was discussing projects I worked on, and felt more behavioral (although technical questions were asked). Next three were technical sessions in experimental design/hypothesis testing, machine learning/data engineering with white board coding (SQL type rather than algorithms), and statistics/probability, in that order. Final interview was mix of behavioral/case study session with more business oriented.
Many of the questions on-site were framed in case studies (A/B testing, defining and monitoring performance metrics, etc), and I was expected to think through the entire process. None of the technical questions were super difficult nor were there trick questions, but you should know your basics in stats/machine learning/programming to do well. Also, you should ask lots of good questions (always come prepared!) and show enthusiasm for the position.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Topics include A/B testing, data engineering (SQL coding), machine learning algorithms, working with probability distributions, and behavioral questions.
Feeling thrilled to have accepted the offer, I look back on this interview process as both challenging and rewarding. It began with a technical round where I tackled a complex A/B testing design question, followed by a SQL query on user retention. The final stages included a system design discussion that had me sweating, but honestly, the system design section on PracHub prepared me well. Each step pushed my limits, but the culmination was definitely worth it, landing me a role at Microsoft.
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
Design an A/B test to measure the impact of a new ranking change in Bing, and explain how you would handle network interference between treatment and control users.
Write a SQL query that computes 7-day rolling user retention from a daily events table, then flags cohorts whose week-over-week retention dropped more than 10%.
Phone screen with HR/recruiter. Less than 10 mins. Very basic mostly about role fit and my background and resume. Did not hear back from them at all. Very unenthusiastic during the call
I applied online. I interviewed at Microsoft (Hyderābād) in Feb 2026
Interview
Overall 3 rounds with 2 technical and 1 managerial. The 1st round was DS and ML heavy with some analytics. The 2 nd round was resume, SQL and causal /AB experimentation. The managerial round was resume related and some behavioural questions.
