Last checked against TCS's official careers page: 9 October 2026.
Most TCS interview questions only make sense once you know how TCS shortlists freshers. For engineering, MCA and M.Sc. graduates, the off-campus route is the TCS National Qualifier Test (NQT), followed by an interview for those who qualify. This guide summarises the official rules for the most recent All India NQT drive, then gives practice questions with model answers for the technical and HR parts of the interview. The practice questions are ours, not a list of questions TCS has confirmed.
The latest official drive at a glance
TCS's page for the All India NQT Hiring drive covered the batches of 2024, 2025 and 2026. Registration opened on 18 February 2026, the FAQ gave 20 March 2026 as the last date to register, tests were scheduled from 10 March 2026, and the page showed registration as closed when we checked. Use it as a guide to how TCS runs these drives, and watch the careers site for the next one.
| Item | What the official page says |
|---|---|
| Eligible qualifications | B.E./B.Tech, M.E./M.Tech, MCA, M.Sc./M.S. in any specialisation from AICTE/UGC-recognised institutions |
| Marks | Minimum 60% aggregate (or equivalent CGPA) in Class 10, Class 12, diploma if applicable, graduation and post-graduation if applicable |
| Backlogs | None pending when you take the selection process |
| Gaps | Must be declared; overall academic gap not to exceed 24 months |
| Course type | Full-time only; NIOS schooling accepted if degrees are full-time |
| Age | 18 to 28 years |
| Experience | Up to two years |
| Test mode | In-centre, at TCS iON centres |
The page also says eligibility is reviewed at every stage, and a candidate found ineligible or with discrepant details will be disqualified. That makes accurate form-filling part of interview preparation.
The NQT pattern
According to the same page, the NQT is a 190-minute integrated test:
| Part | Section | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| A: Foundation | Numerical Ability | 25 |
| A: Foundation | Verbal Ability | 25 |
| A: Foundation | Reasoning Ability | 25 |
| B: Advanced | Advanced Quantitative and Reasoning Ability | 25 |
| B: Advanced | Advanced Coding | 90 |
The Advanced section is mandatory if you want a Digital or Prime offer, and test performance decides whether you are called for a Prime, Digital or Ninja interview.
What the offer categories mean
The page lists CTC ranges for the two higher cadres, with actual pay depending on relevant work experience and job location:
| Cadre | UG, 0–1 year | PG, 0–1 year | UG, 1–2 years | PG, 1–2 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | ₹9.09–9.30 LPA | ₹11.59–11.80 LPA | ₹9.45–9.66 LPA | ₹12.05–12.26 LPA |
| Digital | ₹7.09–7.30 LPA | ₹7.39–7.60 LPA | ₹7.50–7.72 LPA | ₹7.82–8.04 LPA |
The FAQ states that the minimum CTC for a Ninja offer is ₹3.4 LPA for UG and ₹3.6 LPA for PG candidates, and that internship experience is not counted for salary fitment. These figures belong to this drive; check the page for the drive you apply to.
How the interview is framed
The official page does not publish a fixed list of interview rounds, but it says two useful things. First, you choose a skill at registration. The test itself follows the standard pattern, but in the interview "you will be evaluated predominantly on the skill chosen in addition to the usual course of interview". Second, original documents — Class 10 and 12, diploma, UG and PG mark sheets and degree certificates, plus experience documents if you have worked — are verified at the interview and again at joining.
So prepare in three layers: deep knowledge of the skill you chose, general computer science and project questions, and HR-style questions about you, relocation and your record. These may come from one panel or in separate conversations; your interview email is the authority.
Practice questions on your chosen skill
Prepare your skill at the level of "explain it, then write it". Examples for Java and Python:
Java: "Why is String immutable, and what is the String pool?" Immutability lets strings be shared safely, cached and used as keys in hash-based collections, and lets Java cache each string's hash code. String literals are kept in a pool, so identical literals refer to one object. Mention that new String("a") creates a separate object, and that equals(), not ==, compares contents.
Java: "What is the difference between ArrayList and LinkedList?" ArrayList is backed by a resizable array, giving fast access by index but slower inserts in the middle. LinkedList is a doubly linked list, so inserts and removals are cheap once you are at the position, but access by index is O(n). ArrayList is the usual default.
Python: "List or tuple?" Lists are mutable; tuples are immutable, so a tuple can be a dictionary key if its contents are hashable. Use tuples for fixed records and lists for collections that change.
Python: "What does a generator do?" A generator produces values lazily with yield, so it can process very large sequences without holding them all in memory.
Practice questions on fundamentals and your project
- "Explain the four pillars of OOP with an example from your project." Encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism and abstraction — but the example from your own code matters more than the definitions.
- "Primary key or unique key?" A table has one primary key, which cannot be NULL. It can have several unique keys, and in most databases a unique column can hold NULLs, though the exact handling varies by database.
- "Write SQL to find duplicate email addresses."
SELECT email, COUNT(*) AS occurrences
FROM users
GROUP BY email
HAVING COUNT(*) > 1;
- "Reverse a string without a built-in reverse function." Swap characters using two indices moving in from both ends, or build the result from the last character to the first, and state that it is O(n).
- "Walk me through your final-year project." Cover the problem, your role, one design decision, one failure and its fix, and what you would change. Keep it to about three minutes.
HR-style questions and honest answers
| Question | What a good answer does |
|---|---|
| "Tell me about yourself." | Two minutes: degree, chosen skill, one project, why TCS |
| "Are you willing to relocate?" | Stays consistent with the three job-city preferences you gave; if you are flexible, say so plainly |
| "Explain this gap in your education." | Gives the declared reason, consistent with your form and documents |
| "Why TCS?" | Links something specific, such as the cadre's nature of work, to your skills |
| "Do you have any questions for us?" | Asks about training or the first project, not salary |
TCS's page describes Prime work as including complex projects with advanced technologies, and Digital work as including solution development and integration. Mentioning these accurately in "Why TCS?" shows that you read the official material.
Worked example: an eligibility self-check before you prepare
Interview preparation is wasted if your record fails a rule. This fictional candidate checks herself against the drive's published criteria. The FAQ says to convert CGPA to a percentage by multiplying it by 10.
| Criterion | Candidate's record | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Class 10 | 82% | Meets 60% |
| Class 12 | 64% | Meets 60% |
| B.Tech | 7.2 CGPA = 72% (10 × 7.2) | Meets 60% |
| Backlogs | One backlog cleared in the 6th semester; none pending | Meets "no pending backlog" |
| Gap | 10 months between Class 12 and B.Tech | Within 24 months; must be declared |
| Age | 22 | Within 18–28 |
She is eligible, but she must declare the gap and carry documents that explain it. Had her Class 12 score been 58%, she would have failed the 60% rule regardless of how well she interviewed. The page adds that an offer is valid only if the degree or provisional certificate shows that the candidate cleared engineering in first class within the stipulated course duration.
Avoid recruitment fraud
The official page states that TCS does not send hiring communication or job offers from email IDs such as Gmail, Rediffmail, Yahoo Mail or Hotmail, does not ask candidates to deposit money for any employment offer, and is not associated with any external agency that conducts interviews or makes offers on its behalf. Test communication comes from its official test partner, TCS iON. For help, the page lists the TCS helpdesk at [email protected] and the toll-free number 1800 209 3111.
Final checklist
- Confirm the current drive's eligibility, dates and pattern on the TCS careers site.
- Prepare deeply in the skill you selected at registration.
- Practise SQL, OOP and one coding problem a day for the Advanced section and the interview.
- Rehearse a three-minute project walkthrough.
- Keep originals of every mark sheet, certificate and experience letter ready.
- Ignore any "TCS" message from a free email domain or one that asks for money.
For drive-day logistics, see our TCS campus placement guide.