Microsoft Interview Questions

AlbertPacino

Explorer
The following are actual questions from actual interviews conducted by Microsoft employees on the main campus. Microsoft Consultants are sometimes allowed to have a life, so questions asked of them during interviews don't really count and aren't listed.

Riddles

* Why is a manhole cover round?
* How many cars are there in the USA? (A popular variant is "How many gas stations are there in the USA?")
* How many manhole covers are there in the USA?
* You've got someone working for you for seven days and a gold bar to pay them. The gold bar is segmented into seven connected pieces. You must give them a piece of gold at the end of every day. If you are only allowed to make two breaks in the gold bar, how do you pay your worker?

Source

:rofl:
 
~uNIx~ said:
How many cry when windows crashes and gets infected. Comparing games with security lol fool .games will run on linux one day but holes on windows never stop :tongue: ha ha .

and if lamers didn't know:

http://www.reactos.com/en/content/view/full/180
http://www.reactos.com/en/content/view/full/7223

i'm not comparing games with security, asswipe :tongue:
its hypocrites like u who resort to windows everytime some new software/hardware refuses to run on linux
i have nothing against linux/unix, i know it's more stable n secure than windows, what i don't like r morons like u who think they r the 'elite' just cuz they use linux :rofl:
 
apollyon said:
i'm not comparing games with security, asswipe :tongue:
its hypocrites like u who resort to windows everytime some new software/hardware refuses to run on linux

me hyocrites tell me where u see that. Oh that dialer u talking about or waht. fool my ISP hs the dialer only for windows. Point me to topics where i turn to windows.

i have nothing against linux/unix, i know it's more stable n secure than windows. I have multiple machines so i can proxy to use Linux ha ha lamer

good i like it

what i don't like r morons like u who think they r the 'elite' just cuz they use linux :rofl:
you do great pplz teach more i wann learn from lamers :lol:
 
but the other two questions are hopeless..

not really, U just need to think a lil logically..
In fact variants of the same qstn used to be common in the big consults campuus interviews,(McKinsey, BCG and the likes)
 
The reason why manholes are round is that.....

when a person has opened it and is working inside, there is no way that the cover can fall inside and injure him even accidently..... other shapes covers like square can fall in.....

this is one of the famous lateral thinking questions.....
 
for this... " * How many manhole covers are there in the USA?"

number of manholes in USA will same as the number of Manholes in USA.....

all these questions are just lateral thinking questions.....
 
some more lateral thinking questions......

.. There is a man who lives on the top floor
of a very tall building. Everyday he gets the elevator
down to the ground floor to leave the building to go
to work. Upon returning from work though, he can only
travel half way up in the lift and has to walk the
rest of the way unless it's raining! Why? (This is
probably the best known and most celebrated of all
lateral-thinking puzzles. It is a true classic.
Although there are many possible solutions, which fit
the initial conditions, only the canonical answer is
truly satisfying. )

2.. A man and his son are in a car accident.The father
dies on the scene, but the child is rushed to the
hospital. When he arrives the surgeon says, "I can't
operate on this boy, he is my son!" How can this be?

3.. A man is wearing black shirt, black pants. Black shoes socks,
trousers, lumper,gloves and balaclava. He is walking
down a black street with all the street lamps off. A
black car is coming towards him with its light off but
somehow manages to stop in time. How did the driver
see the man?

4.. One day Kerry celebrated her birthday. Two days
later her older twin brother, Terry, celebrated his
birthday. How?

5.. Why is it better to have round manhole covers than
square ones? (This is logical rather than lateral, but
it is a good puzzle that can be solved by lateral
thinking techniques. A very well known software
company as an interview question supposedly uses it
for
prospective employees.)

6.. A man went to a party and drank some of the punch.
He then left early. Everyone else at the party who
drank the punch subsequently died of poisoning. Why
did the man not die?

7.. A woman had two sons who were born on the same
hour of the same day of the same year. But they were
not twins. How could this be so?

8.. A man walks into a bar and asks the barman for a
glass of water. The barman pulls out a gun and points
it at the man. The man says 'Thank you' and walks out.
(This puzzle claims to be the best of the genre. It is
simple in its statement, absolutely baffling and yet
with a completely satisfying solution. Most people
struggle very hard to solve this one yet they like the
answer when they hear it or have the satisfaction of
figuring it out. )
guys come out with answers..... i will post the answers on monday.....
 
An old one here!!!
The one who makes it sells it.
The one who buys it doesn't use it.
The one who's using it doesn't know he's using it.
What is it? (Too obvious, don't blame me :-p, we all need it)
 
.. There is a man who lives on the top floor

of a very tall building. Everyday he gets the elevator

down to the ground floor to leave the building to go

to work. Upon returning from work though, he can only

travel half way up in the lift and has to walk the

rest of the way unless it's raining! Why? (This is

probably the best known and most celebrated of all

lateral-thinking puzzles. It is a true classic.

Although there are many possible solutions, which fit

the initial conditions, only the canonical answer is

truly satisfying. )

Got it:

ans to no 1: Country is india, elevator is made by some local company, so buttons inside the elevator don't work properly and nobody cares to repair it. When it's raining, naturally the building leaks and water gets in. and stairways r flooded, so management repairs it temporarily. (just joking)
 
itsmevivek said:
for this... " * How many manhole covers are there in the USA?"
number of manholes in USA will same as the number of Manholes in USA.....
all these questions are just lateral thinking questions.....

Not really unless you have come up with a new definition for lateral thinking (that would be lateral thinking too :) )

The 2nd and 3r question are about your analytical skills and test how you tackle a problem they are not interested in your answer but the way you approach the problem.

The 4th is a basic question any one who is going to write serious code needs to know.
 
2. How many cars are there in the USA? (A popular variant is "How many gas stations are there in the USA?")
* 3. How many manhole covers are there in the USA?
The 2nd and 3r question are about your analytical skills and test how you tackle a problem they are not interested in your answer but the way you approach the problem.
Like???
I'll call each car manufacturer to get their sales data or I'll assume for every 2 ppl there's one car???
ok, what 'bout the manhole covers?? Call public works dept??
No clue, sorry.
 
Barbiegirl said:
Like???
I'll call each car manufacturer to get their sales data or I'll assume for every 2 ppl there's one car???
No clue, sorry.

Looks like you have never heard of Richard Feynman :( .
Well if you still cannot figure it out as a hint try "How many piano tuners are there in New York" in google. ;)

This type of reasoning is called as Fermi question ... let me know if you still cannot find an answer.

Barbiegirl said:
ok, what 'bout the manhole covers?? Call public works dept??
This has already been answered by a member in this thread.
 
2.. A man and his son are in a car accident.The father
dies on the scene, but the child is rushed to the
hospital. When he arrives the surgeon says, "I can't
operate on this boy, he is my son!" How can this be?

maybe this child and the man involved in the accedents 'son' are different people (shesh, i knew the answer to this, kinda forgot)

3.. A man is wearing black shirt, black pants. Black shoes socks,
trousers, lumper,gloves and balaclava. He is walking
down a black street with all the street lamps off. A
black car is coming towards him with its light off but
somehow manages to stop in time. How did the driver
see the man?

Because its daytime? :P :ohyeah:

more replys later...
 
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