Microsoft SDE-2 — interviewed for L61, offered L62

Background

I focused a lot on getting in front of the right people — leaning on referrals and reaching out to recruiters directly rather than relying on the standard application route.

Online assessment

Two DSA-heavy problems, one a fairly involved 3D dynamic programming question.

Round-by-round

(Four technical rounds in total.)

Round 1 — DSA

Linked lists, priority queues and graphs. The bar wasn't just a working answer — optimal time and space complexity was expected for each problem.

Round 2 — Low-level design

How well I understood SOLID principles and could apply the right design patterns in a real scenario.

Round 3 — High-level design

Architecture-level thinking: scalability, system optimisation, and specifically how those principles apply when designing AI-driven services.

Round 4 — Hiring manager

A deeper look at the technical choices I'd made through my career, plus behavioural questions on cultural fit.

Verdict

Selected. I interviewed for an L61 position but was offered L62 based on performance across the rounds.