TCS Interview Experience (On-Campus 2019)

I recently participated in the TCS Ninja placement drive, held at my college in August 2019 for hiring the 2020 engineering graduates.

Round 1: TCS NQT 

The first step is to appear for the TCS National Qualifier Test (NQT), which contains 4 sections:

1.  English
2. General Aptitude
3. Technical
4. Coding

The English section was very scoring. It would be a cakewalk if you’re well-versed with the language grammar. However, I would recommend a little practice of reading comprehension as you need to skim large paragraphs for one word answers in very little time.

The students having a CGPA > 7.5 didn’t need to appear for the General Aptitude section. Luckily, I was one of them. As of what I heard from my friends the questions were of moderate difficulty. Practice topics like Probability, Ratios, Series well. Try to memorise mensuration formulas as you might get direct questions that topic.

The Technical Section consisted of output-based questions (C, C++, Java), OOP concepts, Data Structures. The difficulty level was moderate to difficult.  Try to practice well for output-based questions as they are scoring in this section.

Finally, the Coding Section. You’ll get one question which might be easy to moderate.

Tip : Prefer using either C, C++ or Java for coding. Their IDE is not great, I would say. Also it takes around 2-3 min to compile and run your code, you’re literally sitting there idle for your code to be compiled and then again for running it; something you cannot afford when you are time bound.

Round 2: Technical Interview

The interview started off with the typical –  introduce yourself questions, which I did.

Then he asked about my projects. I had worked on a few projects on Android, so I briefly explained about them, how I landed up on the idea, future scope, etc. The next few questions were on Android.

• Which platform do you use to develop apps?
• Which language do you use on Android?
• What are the files that first show up when you start a new project?
• What is an emulator? Have you used one?
• How do you prefer to test your apps?

I had done an online certification course on Blockchain which I mentioned on my resume, referring to that he asked the following questions :

• What exactly is a blockchain, explain.
• One blockchain use case that you find interesting.
• Do you know about Bitcoin? Who invented it?
• What do you know about hashing? Explain its practical usage.

Next he asked me if I was familiar with C and C++. I said yes, to which he asked me to explain key differences between the two. Then, How is Java different from C++? He then asked me if I’d used a DBMS before. What is MySQL? The difference between a Table and a View?

Round 3: MR & HR

These were very brief rounds.

• Who is your role model?
• What do you do in free time?
• Why did you opt for IT branch, and not ME or EE?

The HR then explained me about the bond and asked me if I’m comfortable with relocating. Highly recommended, DO NOT disagree with the question of relocation here, showcase your flexibility to work in any condition.

Tip : Just be confident, don’t try to mug things up right before the interview. Be honest and display your true self. Literally advertise your skills and you can be the in-charge of the course of your interview.