Binary Search LeetCode Questions Asked in Microsoft Interviews
Binary Search is one of the most important algorithms tested in Microsoft software engineering interviews. Many coding problems require candidates to apply binary search on sorted arrays, search spaces, or monotonic functions.
Interview questions often test a candidate’s ability to efficiently reduce the search space and identify the correct boundary conditions. Understanding binary search patterns can significantly improve your performance in coding interviews.
In this guide, we have compiled some of the most frequently asked Binary Search problems reported in Microsoft interviews. Each question includes its difficulty level, interview frequency, and a direct link to the LeetCode problem so that you can start practicing immediately.
Below is a curated list of Binary Search LeetCode questions asked in Microsoft interviews.
| Sl.No | Question | Difficulty | Frequency | LeetCode Link |
|---|
| 1 | Time Based Key-Value Store | MEDIUM | 100.00% | Solve |
| 2 | Median of Two Sorted Arrays | HARD | 75.30% | Solve |
| 3 | Longest Increasing Subsequence | MEDIUM | 71.00% | Solve |
| 4 | Search in Rotated Sorted Array | MEDIUM | 67.10% | Solve |
| 5 | Find First and Last Position of Element in Sorted Array | MEDIUM | 61.10% | Solve |
| 6 | Search a 2D Matrix | MEDIUM | 56.10% | Solve |
| 7 | Random Pick with Weight | MEDIUM | 53.00% | Solve |
| 8 | Sqrt(x) | EASY | 51.20% | Solve |
| 9 | Search Insert Position | EASY | 49.10% | Solve |
| 10 | Find the Duplicate Number | MEDIUM | 43.10% | Solve |
| 11 | Missing Number | EASY | 42.20% | Solve |
| 12 | Search in Rotated Sorted Array II | MEDIUM | 39.70% | Solve |
| 13 | Intersection of Two Arrays | EASY | 37.90% | Solve |
| 14 | Search a 2D Matrix II | MEDIUM | 37.90% | Solve |
| 15 | Find Peak Element | MEDIUM | 37.90% | Solve |
| 16 | Find Minimum in Rotated Sorted Array | MEDIUM | 37.90% | Solve |
| 17 | Design Hit Counter | MEDIUM | 2.33% | Solve |
| 18 | Two Sum II - Input array is sorted | EASY | 1.76% | Solve |
| 19 | Count of Smaller Numbers After Self | HARD | 1.74% | Solve |
| 20 | Closest Binary Search Tree Value | EASY | 1.48% | Solve |
| 21 | Kth Smallest Element in a Sorted Matrix | MEDIUM | 1.48% | Solve |
| 22 | Single Element in a Sorted Array | MEDIUM | 1.45% | Solve |
| 23 | Longest Duplicate Substring | HARD | 1.42% | Solve |
| 24 | Find K Closest Elements | MEDIUM | 0.79% | Solve |
| 25 | Intersection of Two Arrays II | EASY | 0.78% | Solve |
| 26 | Max Consecutive Ones III | MEDIUM | 0.58% | Solve |
| 27 | My Calendar I | MEDIUM | 0.56% | Solve |
| 28 | Valid Triangle Number | MEDIUM | 0.53% | Solve |
| 29 | Minimum Size Subarray Sum | MEDIUM | 0.52% | Solve |
| 30 | Russian Doll Envelopes | HARD | 0.47% | Solve |
| 31 | K Empty Slots | HARD | 0.42% | Solve |
| 32 | Count Complete Tree Nodes | MEDIUM | 0.41% | Solve |
| 33 | Longest Repeating Substring | MEDIUM | 0.33% | Solve |
| 34 | K-diff Pairs in an Array | EASY | 0.32% | Solve |
| 35 | Find Smallest Common Element in All Rows | MEDIUM | 0.19% | Solve |
| 36 | Peak Index in a Mountain Array | EASY | 0.18% | Solve |
| 37 | Reverse Pairs | HARD | 0.16% | Solve |
| 38 | Search in a Sorted Array of Unknown Size | MEDIUM | 0.14% | Solve |
| 39 | Valid Perfect Square | EASY | 0.09% | Solve |
| 40 | First Bad Version | EASY | 0.08% | Solve |
| 41 | Binary Search | EASY | 0.04% | Solve |
| 42 | Kth Missing Positive Number | EASY | 0.00% | Solve |
You can also track your progress and practice these questions using our tool:
Microsoft LeetCode Interview Questions Tracker
How to Prepare for Binary Search Questions in Microsoft Interviews
To perform well in Microsoft coding interviews, it’s important to understand common binary search patterns instead of memorizing solutions.
Some useful preparation strategies include:
- Practicing classic binary search on sorted arrays
- Learning binary search on answer / search space problems
- Understanding lower bound and upper bound techniques
- Analyzing edge cases and boundary conditions carefully
Regular practice with real interview questions will improve your problem-solving speed and accuracy, which is crucial during technical interviews.
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