I applied all the way in September of 2021, and I also had a few connections at MSFT to write me a referral. This did help me get to the phone round. So please make sure you have a credible referral. Anyways the phone round was straightforward, except for the fact that my recruiter thought I was going for the SWE Intern role instead of the Explorer role. Luckily she picked up the fact that I was applying for Explore. Phone Round: The phone round was pretty simple. It started with brief introductions and whatnot. We then jumped straight into the questions, which were straightforward behavioral questions and about how I started CS and why I am passionate. They also asked what my favorite MSFT product is and how would I change it. Lastly, there were a few minutes left for questions and I just ask questions that show passion. Make sure you ask them the next steps and connect with them on LinkedIn so you can establish a means of communication. The email that they send you is also reply-able. 2 weeks later I got the email saying I was moving onto the final round of interviews so now I started prepping by doing leetcodes, checking glassdoor for questions, and by reading "Cracking the Coding Interview" and "60 Seconds and You're Hired". This was definitely overdoing it so do not feel overwhelmed. But remember you can never be overprepared so use your best judgment. Final Round Interviews: There were 2 interviews so I will be giving details about both, also both had the same structure but keep in mind you could get any combination of technical questions or PM questions in the interview but only one question. So maybe 2 tech interviews or 1 tech interview and 1 PM interview. Also, the last few minutes are questions. Time also flies quickly but the interviews are 45 mins. Round 1: Asked behavioral questions and introductions. We jumped straight into resume-based questions so make sure you know how to talk about your resumes inside and out. I was asked some concept-based questions about CS. That ate up all the time but I asked questions and got his LinkedIn Round 2: Same as the previous round, I had a technical question in this round it was equivalent to LC Easy. Make sure you know your strings and arrays inside out. I doubt they will ask you any hard data structures or algos apart from an arraylist which you should also know. 2 Weeks later I got my offer after contacting my recruiter on the status on my application because the Action Center was stuck on "interview scheduled" Overall Summation: I know this was a read,z but I tried to give as many details as possible. Breathe you will be fine as long as you prepare. As long as you don't choke on any questions and explain your reasoning you should be fine. Show passion and make sure you smile. The Interviewers want you to be comfortable so you can hold a conversation. Be formal but be casual about it (if that makes sense). The interviews went great and the hardest part is waiting in general. Disclaimer: This was my experience and everyone has different experiences I am not saying your interview will be the same therefore please take information on here as an individual anecdote.