Cognizant Interview Experience for Programmer Trainee

Round 1:

• The first round comprised 90 MCQs and one question from problem-solving for which we had to type the solution.
• The duration of the test was 3 hours. Mathematical reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, and English consisted of 30 questions each and were given 45 mins each to solve.
• The last question was problem-solving and my topic was “Suppose you are the team leader for the group project, your team members are all frustrated and are not enthusiastic about the project anymore as the obstacles are continuously coming. How will you react in such a situation?” It was of 15 minutes and the answer was of subjective type.
• The questions were of medium type difficulty level and one can easily solve them if they know the tricks. So, there’s nothing to panic about. The only requirement is to know the basics of a problem in the case of MCQs. And for problem-solving you just need to put yourself into that situation and give some suggestions based on your point of view.

Suggestions: Practice as many questions as you can from various websites such as indiabix, GeeksforGeeks, javatpoint and also follow the tricks taught in the YouTube channels like wifi study, CareerRide, etc.

Round 2 (Technical and HR Round):

• It was of 30 minutes.
• At first, the interviewer introduced himself then he asked me to tell something about myself i.e. my self-introduction.
• Then he asked about the projects I have done, till then I have completed only one project on flutter and dart.
• He asked me to explain the topic of my project, about flutter and dart, and also about my roles in the project or what I have exactly done in my project. Also based on my project he asked questions about software engineering.
• Then he asked several questions about the programming languages I have mentioned in my resume like C, Python, Java, etc.
• He gave me various conditions and asked me to type the logical syntax in the chat box about the same in whichever language I am comfortable.
• He gave some snippets of the code and asked me to find the error inside them.
• From the database, I was confident in SQL so he asked me some questions based on that. Also, he gave me some conditions like 2-3 tables and asked me to write some commands.

He gave me some problems to solve with aptitude on pen and paper and I answered them all.

The next few questions were from HR:

• Whether there was a gap in my education. If so, why?
• Why Cognizant?
• Is it alright for me to work from any location?
• Can I work any shift?
• At last, he asked me whether I have any questions for him. I asked and the interview was over.

Suggestions: Make eye contact with the interviewer throughout the interview. Keep a slight smile on your face while answering. Don’t be nervous. Even if you are nervous just don’t let it reflect on your face. The questions can be answered easily just you need to have knowledge about the basics of the programming languages mentioned in your resume. It’s completely okay if you don’t know the answers to certain questions. Just apologize politely but never attempt to give wrong answers as it can make the interviewer doubt your knowledge of programming skills.