TCS NQT Questions and Placement Papers with Solutions 2026

The TCS National Qualifier Test runs in two parts: a 120-minute Part A covering Numerical Ability, Reasoning, and Verbal; and a 60-minute Part B covering Programming Logic and Coding, all on TCS iON with no negative marking.

This article covers the verified 2026 test structure, walks through illustrative sample questions for each section with worked solutions, and closes with how your NQT score maps to each hiring track. The sample questions here are freshly written to mirror the NQT format. TCS does not release official past papers, and the “previous year papers” circulating on prep sites are largely reconstructed from candidate memory. Use these to calibrate your approach, then drill on timed mocks before your actual test date.

TCS NQT 2026: Test Pattern at a Glance

The full test runs on TCS iON, TCS’s proctored assessment platform. Three rules govern every section:

• No negative marking: a wrong answer and an unanswered question both score zero.
• No inter-sectional or intra-sectional navigation: you move through questions in the sequence given with no going back.
• Question-wise timer: each question has its own countdown. When time is up, the platform advances you automatically.

Part	Section	Duration
Part A	Numerical Ability	120 min (shared across all Part A sections)
Part A	Reasoning Ability	120 min (shared)
Part A	Verbal Ability	120 min (shared)
Part B	Programming Logic	60 min (shared across both Part B sections)
Part B	Hands-on Coding	60 min (shared)

The 120-minute window is shared across all three Part A sections. The 60-minute window covers both Part B sections. TCS adjusts question counts by slot, so focus on section-wise skill mastery rather than memorising a fixed question count.

The question-wise timer is the single most important format detail to internalise before test day. Unlike most aptitude tests where you can skip and return, TCS NQT locks you into a per-question pace. Practice each section under a stopwatch set to your estimated per-question time budget, not under a single 120-minute countdown.

For a complete topic-by-topic breakdown, see the TCS NQT syllabus and test pattern.

Illustrative Numerical Ability Questions with Solutions

The questions below are freshly written examples in the TCS NQT Numerical Ability format. TCS does not publicly release past-paper questions. Use these to build solution habits and check your pace; the actual test delivered through TCS iON will differ.

For more worked examples across all aptitude topics tested in NQT, see NQT aptitude questions with solutions.

• Q1 (Speed, Distance, Time): A car travels from City A to City B at 60 km/h and returns at 40 km/h. What is the average speed for the entire journey?

  • For equal distances at two different speeds, use the harmonic mean formula.
  • Step 1: 2 × 60 × 40 = 4,800
  • Step 2: 60 + 40 = 100
  • Step 3: 4,800 / 100 = 48
  • Answer: 48 km/h

• Q2 (Profit and Loss): A shopkeeper marks up goods by 40% above cost and offers a 20% discount on the marked price. What is the net profit percentage?

  • Let cost price = 100
  • Marked price = 100 × 1.40 = 140
  • Selling price after 20% discount = 140 × 0.80 = 112
  • Net profit = 112 - 100 = 12
  • Answer: 12% profit

• Q3 (Ratio and Proportion): The ratio of A to B is 3:5, and the ratio of B to C is 4:7. Find the ratio A:C.

  • Equalise B across both ratios: A:B = 3:5 = 12:20; B:C = 4:7 = 20:35
  • Therefore A:B:C = 12:20:35
  • Answer: A:C = 12:35

• Q4 (Work and Time): A can complete a task in 12 days. B can complete the same task in 18 days. In how many days will they finish the task if they work together?

  • A’s rate = 1/12 of the task per day; B’s rate = 1/18 per day
  • Combined rate = 1/12 + 1/18 = 3/36 + 2/36 = 5/36
  • Days to complete = 36/5 = 7.2 days
  • Answer: 7.2 days (or 7 days and 4.8 hours)

Illustrative Reasoning Ability and Verbal Ability Questions

Reasoning Ability in TCS NQT covers coding-decoding, number series, seating arrangements, blood relations, syllogisms, and data sufficiency. Verbal Ability covers reading comprehension, error identification, sentence completion, and para-jumbles. The examples below represent each type.

Reasoning Ability (illustrative)

• Q1 (Letter Coding): In a certain code, MANGO is written as NBOHP. Using the same logic, how is GRAPE written?

  • Pattern: each letter shifts one position forward in the alphabet (M→N, A→B, N→O, G→H, O→P = NBOHP).
  • G→H, R→S, A→B, P→Q, E→F
  • Answer: HSBQF

• Q2 (Number Series): Find the missing term: 3, 8, 15, 24, 35, ?

  • Differences between consecutive terms: 5, 7, 9, 11. The differences increase by 2 each time. Next difference = 13.
  • 35 + 13 = 48
  • Cross-check: each term equals n squared + 2n for n = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, giving 3, 8, 15, 24, 35, 48.
  • Answer: 48

• Q3 (Seating Arrangement): P, Q, R, S, T sit in a row, left to right. S sits at the rightmost position. P sits immediately left of Q. R sits immediately left of T. Q and T are not adjacent. Who sits in the middle?

  • S = position 5. Remaining positions 1 to 4 for P, Q, R, T.
  • P-Q pair and R-T pair must each occupy consecutive positions.
  • With Q and T not adjacent: P=1, Q=2, R=3, T=4, S=5 is the only valid arrangement.
  • Verify: P(1) immediately left of Q(2), R(3) immediately left of T(4), Q(2) and T(4) not adjacent, S at position 5.
  • Answer: R (position 3)

Verbal Ability (illustrative)

• Q1 (Error Identification): Identify the grammatical error: “Neither the manager nor the employees was present at the meeting.”

  • With “neither…nor”, the verb agrees with the nearer subject.
  • “employees” is plural, so the verb must be “were”, not “was”.
  • Correction: “Neither the manager nor the employees were present at the meeting.”

• Q2 (Para-Jumble): Arrange sentences A, B, C, D into a coherent paragraph.

  • A. Structured data analysis has become a standard skill in operations teams.
  • B. However, most college curricula still treat spreadsheet proficiency as optional.
  • C. This gap shows up clearly at intake assessments, where candidates struggle with basic data interpretation.
  • D. Companies now expect new hires to read charts and pivot tables without additional training.
  • Logical flow: A introduces the skill demand, D states company expectations, B identifies the curriculum gap, C describes the result.
  • Answer: A-D-B-C

Illustrative Programming Logic and Coding Questions

TCS NQT Part B tests your ability to trace code and write programs from scratch. The Programming Logic section uses multiple-choice output-tracing questions. The Hands-on Coding section presents 1 to 2 open-ended problems to solve in C, C++, Java, or Python through the TCS iON browser IDE.

For more coding problems at the level tested in TCS selection rounds, see TCS coding questions with solutions.

Programming Logic (illustrative)

• Q1 (Array traversal output): What does the following C program print?

#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
    int arr[] = {10, 20, 30, 40, 50};
    int n = sizeof(arr) / sizeof(arr[0]);
    int sum = 0;
    for (int i = 0; i < n; i += 2) {
        sum += arr[i];
    }
    printf("%d", sum);
    return 0;
}

• The loop runs for i = 0, 2, 4 (step size 2).

• Elements accessed: arr[0]=10, arr[2]=30, arr[4]=50.

• sum = 10 + 30 + 50 = 90.

• Answer: 90

• Q2 (Recursive function output): What does the following C program print?

#include <stdio.h>
int f(int n) {
    if (n <= 1) return n;
    return f(n - 1) + f(n - 2);
}
int main() {
    printf("%d", f(6));
    return 0;
}

• This is the Fibonacci sequence: f(0)=0, f(1)=1, f(2)=1, f(3)=2, f(4)=3, f(5)=5, f(6)=8.
• Answer: 8

Hands-on Coding (illustrative problem)

Problem statement: Given a string of space-separated words, print each word reversed while keeping the word order intact.

Input:  hello world test
Output: olleh dlrow tset

Python solution:

words = input().split()
print(' '.join(word[::-1] for word in words))

The logic: split on whitespace, reverse each token with [::-1], join back with a space, and print. Test with the sample input before submitting.

How NQT Score Determines Your CTC Track

TCS maps NQT performance to three engineering hiring tracks. TCS does not publish official cutoff scores by track, but the CTC bands below are confirmed from TCS’s hiring disclosures.

Track	CTC Band	What Selection Adds
TCS Ninja	₹3.5 to 3.9 LPA	Technical interview and HR round
TCS Digital	₹7.0 to 7.5 LPA	Higher NQT cutoff plus advanced technical interview
TCS Prime	₹9.0 to 11.0 LPA	Top NQT performance, extended technical, and AI/data project review
TCS Smart Hiring (BCA/BCom/BSc)	₹2.4 to 3.4 LPA	Separate NQT for non-engineering graduates; outside scope for B.E./B.Tech students

Engineering students (B.E., B.Tech) enter through the NQT tracks above. The Smart Hiring funnel is separate and uses a different assessment.

The practical implication: a strong Part A score is the admission ticket to Digital. Dominant Part A plus clean Part B puts you in the Prime conversation. Part A at the Ninja cutoff alone still leads to a confirmed offer. The gap between Ninja and Digital is not just about scoring higher on the same test. TCS Digital requires a separate advanced technical interview where you’re expected to go deeper on data structures, algorithms, and system thinking. Starting early on Part B (Programming Logic and Hands-on Coding) gives you the best shot at the Digital track, not just Ninja.

The AI Layer in TCS Hiring

In FY26, 60% of TCS’s fresher hires were AI-skilled, up from 10 to 15% three years earlier, per TCS CHRO Sudeep Kunnumal at the AI Impact Summit in March 2026 (Rediff/Business Standard). That same interview reported a 50% volume increase in Prime and Digital cadre hiring. The Ninja track remains the volume entry point and NQT aptitude is what it tests. The Prime track now explicitly includes an AI or data project review as part of its extended technical round.

TCS also reduced its FY27 fresher intake to approximately 25,000, down from 44,000 onboarded in FY26, per Financial Express. Fewer seats and a growing Prime cadre means the AI project on your resume is no longer optional if Prime is the target.

For a topic-by-topic AI curriculum that fits around your placement preparation window, see the 2026 AI Roadmap for Indian Engineering Students.

The Prime track’s AI/data project review is the specific gate the section above describes. TinkerLLM is where you build one: at ₹299, you get live LLM API access and structured build exercises, so the AI project in your TCS Prime interview is something you have actually shipped, not a slide-deck concept. Start at tinkerllm.com.