Microsoft Here I come...

Hmm… where should I start… I don’t quite know. I have always wanted to join Microsoft and finally after clearing so many rounds of interviews, I am through. It has been an amazing experience, even going through the interview process.

 

The most noticeable thing that I saw during the interview process is that the questions are very different from any other interview that I have attended ever. Usually all the interview questions are such that either you know the answer or you don’t. But when Microsoft is interviewing, you can’t base your answers on your knowledge. You should be able to derive the answers. So you may not know the answer immediately, but the questions are such that if you apply thought during the interview, you should be able to derive the answers.

 

There were questions like there are 3 people in a room and they don’t want to disclose their salaries to each other. But they want to find out the average of all the three salaries. How would they achieve that without disclosing their salaries?

 

Whether it is a technical question or it is a question related to analytical reasoning, you would have to think. And they give you enough time to think. In fact they encourage you to take your time but come up with the proper answer.

 

I would be joining Microsoft on the 9th of July 2007. Exciting times lie ahead.

2 Comments

  • So what was the answer? I am usually good at these sort of riddles, but I can not figure this out. I tried using a random extra salary that was added and then later subtracted but then everyone could figure it out if they each know the salary. Perhaps each person gives a random number to the person on the right, that person adds it to their salary plus a random number they give to the next person....

  • Well the answer is quite simple actually. suppose the 3 people's salaries are a, b, c so first guy adds a random no. to 'a' say 'x' and tells the sum to the second guy. so first guy tells a + x to the second guy secretly in his ear. the second guy now knows a + x and b (his salary) so he adds a random no. to his salary and adds the total to a + x and tells a + x + b + y to the third guy in his ear. so second guy doesn't now first guy's salary and second guy doesn't know anything except a + x + b + y and his salary.

    so now he adds his salary and a random no. to the random total of 2 salaries and 2 random nos. and tells this whole thing to the first guy so he basically tells a + x + b + y + c + z to the first guy.

    So now the first guy subtracts his random no. from the whole thing and tells the third guy (a + b + y + c + z). the third guy removes his random no. from the whole thing and tells the second guy (a + b + y + c) and the second guy removes his random no. gets a summation, devides it by 3 and declares the accurate average.

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