TCS NQT Interview Questions: Technical, Managerial & HR Rounds
Questions to prepare for TCS NQT's technical, managerial and HR rounds, plus eligibility, test pattern, cadre CTCs and documents from TCS's own page.
After the TCS National Qualifier Test (NQT), shortlisted candidates face a personal interview that TCS's NQT drive pages describe as three rounds: Technical, Managerial and HR. The technical round focuses mostly on the skill you chose at registration plus your project and programming basics. The managerial round tests judgement and flexibility, and the HR round checks fit, eligibility and documents. Your NQT score decides whether you interview for Prime, Digital or Ninja.
This guide uses TCS's own careers page for every fact about the process, and gives you the questions to prepare for each round, with what the interviewer is checking. Formats change between drives, so confirm details on the TCS careers page before your interview. If NQT is one of several drives you're preparing for, our campus placement preparation plan covers the full season.
TCS NQT at a glance (2026 drive)
These details come from TCS's All India NQT Hiring page for the batches of 2024, 2025 and 2026. Registration for that drive opened on 18 February 2026 and is now closed, with tests from 10 March 2026. Check the page for the next drive.
| Item | What TCS says |
|---|---|
| Who can apply | B.Tech/B.E., M.Tech/M.E., MCA, M.Sc/M.S in any specialisation from AICTE/UGC-recognised institutions, batches of 2024, 2025 and 2026 |
| Test mode | In-centre, at TCS iON centres |
| Part A: Foundation (75 min) | Numerical Ability, Verbal Ability, Reasoning Ability (25 min each) |
| Part B: Advanced (115 min) | Advanced Quantitative and Reasoning Ability (25 min), Advanced Coding (90 min) |
| Total duration | 190 minutes |
| Which interview you get | Based on test performance: Prime, Digital or Ninja. The Advanced section is mandatory if you want a Digital or Prime offer |
| Interview focus | "Evaluated predominantly on the skill chosen in addition to the usual course of interview" |
| Where to apply | TCS NextStep portal, IT category, then click "Apply For Drive" (mandatory) |
Prime, Digital and Ninja: offers and nature of work
| Cadre | CTC for 0–1 year experience (UG / PG) | Nature of work, per TCS |
|---|---|---|
| Prime | ₹9.09–9.30 LPA / ₹11.59–11.80 LPA | Complex projects with advanced technologies and algorithms; emerging tech; system design, automation and security |
| Digital | ₹7.09–7.30 LPA / ₹7.39–7.60 LPA | Solution development and integration; modern technologies; new product development; tech frameworks and tools |
| Ninja | Minimum ₹3.4 LPA (UG) / ₹3.6 LPA (PG) | Application development and maintenance; systems engineering |
TCS notes that actual compensation depends on relevant work experience and job location, and that internship experience is not considered for salary fitment. The 2026 drive focused on Prime and Digital, with Ninja offers based on performance.
Check your eligibility before anything else
TCS says it reviews eligibility "at every stage of the selection process", and discrepant details lead to disqualification. Interviewers and document checks will catch mismatches, so be sure before you apply.
| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Aggregate | Minimum 60% or equivalent CGPA in Class 10, Class 12, Diploma (if any), graduation and post-graduation (if any) |
| Backlogs | No pending backlog when you appear for the selection process |
| Course duration | Completed within the stipulated duration; no extended education |
| Gaps | Must be declared; total academic gap up to the highest qualification must not exceed 24 months |
| Course type | Full-time only (NIOS for Class 10/12 is accepted if later degrees are full-time) |
| Experience | Up to 2 years |
| Age | 18 to 28 years |
| CGPA conversion | TCS's FAQ uses percentage = 10 × CGPA (7.2 CGPA = 72%) |
Technical round: questions to prepare
Expect the technical round to start with your introduction and your project, then move to the skill you selected and core computer science. Prepare to write short programs on paper or a shared screen and to explain your logic aloud. The questions below are the fundamentals a fresher technical round commonly covers; they aren't a leaked TCS list, and your panel may go deeper into your chosen skill.
Your project and resume
- Explain your final-year project. What was your part in it?
- Why did you choose this technology stack? What would you change now?
- What was the hardest bug or problem, and how did you solve it?
- Explain one certification or course on your resume in practical terms.
Programming basics
- Write a program to reverse a string, check a palindrome, or find whether a number is prime.
- Print the Fibonacci series using a loop, then using recursion. Which is better here, and why?
- What is the difference between call by value and call by reference?
- What is the difference between an array and a linked list? When would you use each?
- Explain the four pillars of object-oriented programming with an example from your own code.
- What is the difference between method overloading and overriding?
- What are exceptions, and how do you handle them in your language?
Databases and SQL
- What is a primary key and a foreign key?
- Explain normalization and why we use it.
- Write a query to find the second-highest salary in an Employee table.
- What is the difference between INNER JOIN and LEFT JOIN?
Operating systems, networks and current tech
- What is the difference between a process and a thread?
- What is a deadlock, and how can it be prevented?
- What is the difference between TCP and UDP?
- What is cloud computing? Name the service models.
- What do you know about AI, machine learning or generative AI, and where have you used it?
If you're from a non-CS branch, expect questions from your own subject too. A mechanical or ECE candidate may be asked about their core project before moving to programming.
Managerial round: questions to prepare
The managerial round checks how you think and work with others. Answers should be short stories or clear steps, not textbook definitions.
| Question | What they check |
|---|---|
| Tell me about a time you worked in a team that disagreed. | Collaboration, maturity |
| Your module is late and the client demo is tomorrow. What do you do? | Ownership, communication |
| You're assigned a technology you haven't used. How do you get productive? | Learning approach |
| Explain your project to someone non-technical. | Communication |
| Are you comfortable working in any location and in shifts? | Flexibility |
| What would you do if you disagreed with your manager's approach? | Respect, reasoning |
| Describe a time you took responsibility for a mistake. | Honesty |
| Why should TCS select you for Prime or Digital rather than Ninja? | Self-awareness, ambition with evidence |
Use the situation-action-result shape for "tell me about a time" questions. Our guide to STAR method answers has worked examples.
HR round: questions to prepare
- Tell me about yourself. (See our self introduction samples for freshers.)
- Why TCS? Mention something specific, such as the work described for your cadre or TCS's training.
- Are you willing to relocate anywhere in India? You chose three preferred job cities during registration; be ready to explain your flexibility beyond them honestly.
- Are you comfortable with night or rotational shifts?
- Do you have any gaps or backlogs in your education? Answer exactly as declared in your application.
- Do you have all your original documents? (See the list below.)
- Do you have other offers? Are you planning higher studies?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Do you have any questions for us?
For model answers to these, see our list of HR interview questions for freshers.
Documents and photo: get these ready early
TCS asks you to have all original academic documents at the interview: Class 10, Class 12, Diploma (if any), UG and PG marksheets up to the latest semester, and degree certificates. Originals are verified at the interview and again at joining. If you have work experience, bring experience or relieving letters, or documents showing your date of joining and last working date.
The application form opens after results, and TCS sets strict photo rules: JPG or JPEG, maximum 200 KB, formal attire, white background (avoid white clothes), face and shoulders clearly visible, both ears visible, no selfies or informal photos.
Avoid hiring scams
TCS states on its hiring page that it does not send hiring communication or offers from Gmail, Rediffmail, Yahoo Mail or Hotmail addresses, does not ask candidates to deposit money at any stage, 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. If someone asks for a "registration fee" or "training deposit", it's not TCS.
A three-week plan after you clear the NQT
| Week | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Your chosen skill in depth; revise OOP, DBMS, SQL and OS basics; write 15–20 short programs by hand |
| 2 | Project deep-dive (architecture, your role, problems, improvements); prepare four STAR stories for the managerial round |
| 3 | HR answers, documents check, two mock interviews with a friend or senior, and a final read of your resume and application form |
For mock practice at home, InterviewGPT can transcribe your practice session and suggest structured answers based on your resume, so you can compare your answer with a cleaner version and tighten it. Use it for preparation; the TCS interview itself is yours to answer. Download InterviewGPT for Windows and practise with the free 10-minute sessions.
