Cognizant vs Microsoft Interview Questions
Cognizant lists 29 LeetCode interview questions while Microsoft lists 192. They share 18 problems — 62% of Cognizant's bank and 9% of Microsoft's. Focus on the overlap first, then drill into 11 Cognizant-only and 174 Microsoft-only questions.
Overview
Preparation Strategy
Step 1 — Shared core: Solve the 18 overlapping problems first. These are the highest-yield questions for candidates interviewing at both Cognizant and Microsoft.
Step 2 — Company-specific depth: Add Cognizant-specific problems like Count Subarrays of Length Three With a Condition, Smallest Value of the Rearranged Number, Fibonacci Number and Microsoft-specific problems from the exclusive lists below.
Step 3 — Difficulty tuning: Microsoft skews harder in our data. Budget extra time for Hard problems if you are targeting that company.
Difficulty Comparison
Top Shared Topics
18 Shared Questions
High-priority problems to practice for both Cognizant and Microsoft.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Palindrome Number | Easy |
| Two Sum | Easy |
| Longest Palindromic Substring | Medium |
| Valid Anagram | Easy |
| Remove Duplicates from Sorted Array | Easy |
| Longest Common Prefix | Easy |
| Maximum Subarray | Medium |
| Reverse Integer | Medium |
| Valid Parentheses | Easy |
| Median of Two Sorted Arrays | Hard |
| Longest Substring Without Repeating Characters | Medium |
| Merge Sorted Array | Easy |
| 3Sum | Medium |
| Happy Number | Easy |
| Move Zeroes | Easy |
| Merge Two Sorted Lists | Easy |
| Add Two Numbers | Medium |
| Search Insert Position | Easy |
Unique to Cognizant (11)
Problems in Cognizant's list that do not appear at Microsoft.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Count Subarrays of Length Three With a Condition | Easy |
| Smallest Value of the Rearranged Number | Medium |
| Fibonacci Number | Easy |
| Second Highest Salary | Medium |
| Managers with at Least 5 Direct Reports | Medium |
| Product Sales Analysis I | Easy |
| Count Primes | Medium |
| Binary Search | Easy |
| Fizz Buzz | Easy |
| Rising Temperature | Easy |
| Students and Examinations | Easy |
Unique to Microsoft (174)
Problems in Microsoft's list that do not appear at Cognizant.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Trapping Rain Water | Hard |
| Single Element in a Sorted Array | Medium |
| Merge Intervals | Medium |
| Group Anagrams | Medium |
| Search in Rotated Sorted Array | Medium |
| Reverse Nodes in k-Group | Hard |
| Roman to Integer | Easy |
| Spiral Matrix | Medium |
| Climbing Stairs | Easy |
| Container With Most Water | Medium |
| Rotate Image | Medium |
| Merge k Sorted Lists | Hard |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many LeetCode questions do Cognizant and Microsoft share?
Cognizant and Microsoft share 18 LeetCode interview questions. 11 problems appear only in Cognizant's list and 174 appear only in Microsoft's list.
What topics overlap most between Cognizant and Microsoft?
The most common shared topics between Cognizant and Microsoft are Array (8 shared questions), Two Pointers (6 shared questions), String (5 shared questions), Math (4 shared questions), Hash Table (4 shared questions). Mastering these areas prepares you for both companies.
Which company asks harder LeetCode questions: Cognizant or Microsoft?
Cognizant has 18 Easy, 10 Medium, and 1 Hard questions. Microsoft has 55 Easy, 109 Medium, and 28 Hard questions. Microsoft has a higher proportion of Hard problems in its interview set.
How should I prepare if interviewing at both Cognizant and Microsoft?
Start with the 18 shared problems since they cover what both companies ask most often. Then add 11 Cognizant-specific and 20 Microsoft-specific questions to round out your prep.