TCS Interview Experience (2024)| NQT Prime Kolkata | From Tier 3 College

TCS NQT Exam (26th April 2024)

I had no prior knowledge of the TCS hiring process until a friend suggested I apply for the TCS NQT Off-Campus Program. My exam was scheduled for 26th April 2024, and I was on the second shift. I reached the exam center with my friends, 45 minutes before the scheduled time. After talking to my friends who had already taken the exam, I learned that the coding section was relatively easy, but the aptitude section was quite challenging.

During the exam, I discovered a helpful tip: if your code doesn't work, you can click on the red arrow to see the expected output compared to your output. This feature helps in debugging during the exam.

Coding Questions:

1. Cube Sum Problem: We had to find the sum of cubes from 1 to a given number (n).
2. Average with Decimal Precision: The task was to calculate the average of numbers, but the challenge was to print the result up to two decimal places. Many of my friends struggled with this.

After a month of waiting, on 28th May, the results were published on the NextStep portal. I received an email on 29th May (my birthday!) saying that I had been selected for the Prime Role.

Interview Experience (18th June 2024, Kolkata)

My interview took place on 18th June at Kolkata’s Gitanjali Park. I arrived on time, with a reporting time of 9:30 AM. We were welcomed at the TCS office and guided to the waiting area, where three HR representatives registered us for the interviews. Shortly after, my name was called by a ma’am, and I was surprised to see her follow me into the interview room — she was part of the interview panel along with another sir.

Interview Panel:

• P1 - Sir
• P2 - Ma'am

Technical and Managerial Round (TR & MR)

The interview started with P1 asking the following questions:

• P1: When did you arrive in Kolkata, and how did you travel?
  Answer: I replied that I came that morning by train.
• P2: You have listed a web project on your resume. Did you build it yourself?
  Answer: I explained that the project was part of my curriculum, and I built it with the help of my professor.
• P2: Write the code for the Fibonacci series.
  Answer: I wrote the recursive code. She asked me to implement it in another way, and I wrote the iterative version using an array. She appreciated the approach.
• P1: What is the result code when an API is successfully called?
  Answer: I didn't know, so I admitted that and promised to learn it after the interview. (The answer is 200).
• P1: What is the difference between overloading and overriding?
  Answer: I explained three key differences between the two concepts.
• P1: What language did you use for your project?
  Answer: I answered Java.
• P2: In your project, did you use inheritance?
  Answer: After a brief pause, I replied no and mentioned that I used encapsulation instead.
• P1: In Java, if int i = 10 and int j = i++ + ++i, what value will be assigned to j?
  Answer: I answered 22.
• P2: Write a code to find the middle of a linked list.
  Answer: I used the hare-tortoise (slow-fast pointer) approach and explained it with an example.
• P1: Write a SQL query to count the number of persons in each country from a table containing id, name, and country fields.
  Answer: I wrote a query using the GROUP BY clause, which satisfied them. I also suggested using window functions and the OVER keyword for the same task.

The interview continued with P1 asking if I was comfortable with relocation and night shifts, to which I replied yes.

Finally, P2 asked the classic question, "Why TCS?" Although I had prepared for this, I blanked out for a moment. After collecting myself, I explained that TCS is a reputable company to start a career, and even my parents, who aren’t familiar with the corporate world, trust TCS as a good place to work.

They thanked me and asked me to wait in the lobby for the HR round.

HR Round

After a long wait of around 8 hours, I was called for the HR round at 7:30 PM. The HR representative explained TCS’s selection process and how to upgrade my profile. She also reviewed my certificates.

The Result

After waiting for around 20-22 days, I received the final result on 11th July. I was thrilled to find out that I had been selected for the Prime Role at TCS!

This was a long yet rewarding journey, filled with both challenges and learning experiences. I hope this story provides useful insights for others preparing for the TCS NQT and interview process.