TCS NQT Exam Pattern 2026: Sections, Duration, and Marking

The TCS NQT is one integrated test of 190 minutes that routes engineering students to Ninja, Digital, or Prime based on section scores. There is no separate Ninja exam and no separate Digital exam.

One NQT, three tracks

TCS replaced its campus-specific written tests in 2019 with one centralised assessment: the NQT (National Qualifier Test), now administered through TCS iON centres. Every engineering candidate (whether registering through on-campus drives or the TCS NextStep off-campus portal) sits the same test. The track you land in depends entirely on how you score in each section.

The three hiring tracks and their CTC bands:

Track	Starting CTC	NQT sections evaluated	Typical CGPA
TCS Ninja	₹3.5 to 3.9 LPA	Foundation only	6.0+
TCS Digital	₹7.0 to 7.5 LPA	Foundation + Advanced	~7.0 to 8.0+
TCS Prime	₹9.0 to 11.0 LPA	Foundation + Advanced	6.0+ (top NQT scorers)

TCS Smart Hiring, which covers BSc/BCA/BCom graduates, uses a separate funnel and is out of scope here.

TCS NQT 2026 full test structure

TCS’s official careers FAQ describes the NQT as “an integrated test of 190 minutes duration consisting of two mandatory sections.” Both parts are mandatory for all registered candidates; the track assignment happens at the evaluation stage after the test, not during registration.

Section	Part	Duration	Questions
Foundation (Numerical + Verbal + Reasoning)	Part A	75 minutes	65
Advanced (Quant/Reasoning + Coding)	Part B	115 minutes	18
Total		190 minutes	83

No negative marking in either section. A wrong answer and an unanswered question are scored identically: zero. Attempt every question.

Part A — Foundation section (65 questions, 75 minutes)

The Foundation section is the elimination stage. Candidates who do not clear the Foundation cut-off do not proceed to track placement, regardless of Advanced section performance.

Sub-section	Questions	Time
Numerical Ability	20	25 minutes
Verbal Ability	25	25 minutes
Reasoning Ability	20	25 minutes
Foundation total	65	75 minutes

Each sub-section runs on its own 25-minute timer. The sub-sections cannot be reordered during the test.

Numerical Ability

Core topics include percentages and profit/loss, time-work and time-speed-distance, ratio and proportion, permutations and combinations, probability, and data interpretation (pie charts, tables, graphs). Questions are direct-application rather than multi-step derivations; speed matters more than depth at this level.

Verbal Ability

Core topics include word and sentence completion, error identification, passage ordering, reading comprehension, and sentence joining. Vocabulary depth and grammatical precision matter more here than general reading speed.

Reasoning Ability

Core topics include number and letter series, seating arrangements, blood relations, directional sense, statement and conclusion, syllogisms, and data sufficiency. Seating arrangements and complex series tend to be the most time-consuming question types; sequence your attempt order to solve faster questions first.

For worked examples and practice sets across all three Foundation sub-sections, the TCS NQT aptitude questions and solutions guide covers each type with step-by-step solutions. A section-by-section preparation breakdown for Ninja-track candidates is in the Foundation section guide.

Part B — Advanced section (18 questions, 115 minutes)

The Advanced section separates Digital and Prime candidates from Ninja. Ninja-track candidates appear for the Advanced section too, but their track placement depends only on Foundation performance. For Digital and Prime, both parts count.

Sub-section	Questions	Time
Advanced Quantitative Ability	10	25 minutes (shared with Advanced Reasoning)
Advanced Reasoning Ability	5	25 minutes (shared with Advanced Quantitative)
Advanced Coding	3 problems	90 minutes
Advanced total	18	115 minutes

The 25-minute timer for Advanced Quant and Reasoning is shared. Candidates manage their own split between the two sub-sections within that single window.

Advanced Quantitative and Reasoning topics

Topics mirror the Foundation syllabus at a higher difficulty level. Advanced Quantitative covers number systems, percentages, profit/loss, time-work, time-distance, probability, permutations and combinations, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. Advanced Reasoning covers complex seating arrangements, blood relations, distance and directions, numerical patterns, and symbol problems.

Advanced Coding

Three problems in 90 minutes. Accepted languages: C, C++, Java, Python, and C#. Problem types span data structures and algorithms (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs) and scenario-based programming with optimisation constraints. For worked coding examples specific to TCS NQT patterns, the TCS NQT coding questions guide covers representative problems with hand-traced solutions.

Track routing and interview rounds

Clearing the NQT leads to two or three interview rounds depending on track.

Track	Post-NQT rounds	Starting CTC
TCS Ninja	Technical interview + HR	₹3.5 to 3.9 LPA
TCS Digital	Higher-bar technical interview	₹7.0 to 7.5 LPA
TCS Prime	Extended technical + AI/data project review	₹9.0 to 11.0 LPA

For Ninja, the technical interview covers data structures, OOP concepts, basic SQL, and one or two live coding problems. The depth expected is solid fundamentals, not advanced algorithm design. Digital’s technical interview probes the same topics at a higher bar. Prime adds an extended technical round where candidates walk through an AI or data project from their portfolio.

A useful frame for preparing: Ninja candidates need strong Foundation performance plus interview-ready DSA fundamentals. Digital candidates need the same, plus at least two months of Advanced Coding practice. Prime candidates need all of that, plus a project to show. The three-part stack is cumulative, not parallel.

For full timed Foundation practice before the exam, the TCS NQT mock test provides complete sets with worked answers.

The 2026 context: fewer seats, higher AI tilt

TCS CHRO Sudeep Kunnumal confirmed at the AI Impact Summit in March 2026 that 60% of TCS’s FY26 fresher hires are AI-skilled, up from 10 to 15% three years ago. The same interview noted a 50% volume increase in Prime and Digital cadre hiring over that period. Total FY27 fresher intake has been cut to around 25,000 from 44,000 in FY26.

The NQT pattern described above is the same for all candidates. What changes is the composition of who gets routed to each track: Prime and Digital slots are expanding as a share of a shrinking total.

For Ninja-track preparation, the Foundation pattern is the full scope of written test prep. For students targeting Digital or Prime, the Advanced section, and especially the three Coding problems, is the additional layer that determines track assignment.

Prime’s extended technical round specifically looks for an AI or data project. A strong NQT score is the gate; demonstrable project work is what separates candidates once inside that room. TinkerLLM puts real LLM API calls in your hands for ₹299, giving you a working project to walk through in that extended technical.