Microsoft vs TikTok Interview Questions
Microsoft lists 192 LeetCode interview questions while TikTok lists 351. They share 114 problems — 59% of Microsoft's bank and 32% of TikTok's. Focus on the overlap first, then drill into 78 Microsoft-only and 237 TikTok-only questions.
Overview
Preparation Strategy
Step 1 — Shared core: Solve the 114 overlapping problems first. These are the highest-yield questions for candidates interviewing at both Microsoft and TikTok.
Step 2 — Company-specific depth: Add Microsoft-specific problems like Merge Sorted Array, Single Element in a Sorted Array, Palindrome Number and TikTok-specific problems from the exclusive lists below.
Step 3 — Difficulty tuning: TikTok skews harder in our data. Budget extra time for Hard problems if you are targeting that company.
Difficulty Comparison
Top Shared Topics
114 Shared Questions
High-priority problems to practice for both Microsoft and TikTok.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Two Sum | Easy |
| Longest Substring Without Repeating Characters | Medium |
| Add Two Numbers | Medium |
| Longest Palindromic Substring | Medium |
| Trapping Rain Water | Hard |
| Merge Intervals | Medium |
| Median of Two Sorted Arrays | Hard |
| Valid Parentheses | Easy |
| 3Sum | Medium |
| Maximum Subarray | Medium |
| Group Anagrams | Medium |
| Search in Rotated Sorted Array | Medium |
| Reverse Nodes in k-Group | Hard |
| Merge Two Sorted Lists | Easy |
| Roman to Integer | Easy |
| Spiral Matrix | Medium |
| Climbing Stairs | Easy |
| Container With Most Water | Medium |
| Rotate Image | Medium |
| Merge k Sorted Lists | Hard |
| Sort Colors | Medium |
| Longest Common Prefix | Easy |
| Number of Islands | Medium |
| Word Search | Medium |
| Generate Parentheses | Medium |
| Find Peak Element | Medium |
| Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock | Easy |
| Move Zeroes | Easy |
| K-th Smallest in Lexicographical Order | Hard |
| Minimum Size Subarray Sum | Medium |
Showing top 30 of 114 shared problems.
Unique to Microsoft (78)
Problems in Microsoft's list that do not appear at TikTok.
Unique to TikTok (237)
Problems in TikTok's list that do not appear at Microsoft.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Longest Increasing Subsequence | Medium |
| Number of Distinct Islands | Medium |
| Subarray With Elements Greater Than Varying Threshold | Hard |
| Decode String | Medium |
| Top K Frequent Elements | Medium |
| Minimum Swaps to Group All 1's Together | Medium |
| Coin Change | Medium |
| Making A Large Island | Hard |
| Maximum Value at a Given Index in a Bounded Array | Medium |
| Maximum Swap | Medium |
| Longest Happy String | Medium |
| Basic Calculator II | Medium |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many LeetCode questions do Microsoft and TikTok share?
Microsoft and TikTok share 114 LeetCode interview questions. 78 problems appear only in Microsoft's list and 237 appear only in TikTok's list.
What topics overlap most between Microsoft and TikTok?
The most common shared topics between Microsoft and TikTok are Array (18 shared questions), String (8 shared questions), Two Pointers (6 shared questions), Dynamic Programming (6 shared questions), Hash Table (4 shared questions). Mastering these areas prepares you for both companies.
Which company asks harder LeetCode questions: Microsoft or TikTok?
Microsoft has 55 Easy, 109 Medium, and 28 Hard questions. TikTok has 34 Easy, 245 Medium, and 72 Hard questions. TikTok has a higher proportion of Hard problems in its interview set.
How should I prepare if interviewing at both Microsoft and TikTok?
Start with the 114 shared problems since they cover what both companies ask most often. Then add 20 Microsoft-specific and 20 TikTok-specific questions to round out your prep.