Tech Mahindra Recruitment for Freshers 2026: Full Process Guide

Tech Mahindra recruits freshers through a four-round selection pipeline, covering eligibility, documents, and application policies for 2026 drives.

Tech Mahindra runs both on-campus and off-campus drives for the Associate Software Engineer role. The sections below cover what each stage of the process requires, from the first eligibility check through document submission and the policies that govern reapplication. The 2026 pattern has remained consistent with recent prior years, with the ELQ-based online test as the primary elimination gate.

What the 2026 selection process covers

The four-round selection runs in sequence. Two rounds are strict elimination gates; the psychometric test between them is not.

Round	Format	Elimination?
1 — ELQ online test	Three-section proctored assessment	Yes
2 — Psychometric test	86 questions in 25 minutes	No
3 — Technical interview	Subject and coding questions, 30 to 45 minutes	Yes
4 — HR interview	Communication and fit	Yes

The ELQ online test carries the highest elimination weight. All three sections within it carry independent cut-offs, so clearing one section doesn’t compensate for missing another. The three sections cover verbal reasoning, quantitative aptitude, and a technical or coding component, each timed and scored independently. For a detailed breakdown of what each round tests and the marking scheme, see the Tech Mahindra placement process guide and the aptitude test pattern and syllabus.

The story-writing round runs immediately after the ELQ test. A picture is displayed on screen and the candidate writes a short description or narrative within a fixed character limit and time window. Grammar, punctuation, and logical coherence are assessed. It is an elimination round, and candidates who treat it as a formality typically don’t clear it. Preparation here is faster than ELQ prep and often skipped; that’s the edge.

Eligibility criteria for 2026 drives

Academic percentage floors

Level	Minimum aggregate
Class X	60% or above
Class XII	60% or above
B.E./B.Tech (or equivalent)	60% or above

No active backlogs at the time of the drive application. An education gap of up to two years in the academic record is permitted.

Branch eligibility

All B.E./B.Tech branches are eligible: CSE, IT, ECE, EEE, Mechanical, Civil, and others. The same eligibility threshold from the table above applies across all branches. Non-CS branches appear in the same pool as CS candidates for the standard Associate Software Engineer track.

Skills assessed across all rounds

Beyond the test scores, all candidates are assessed on:

• Analytical and problem-solving approach
• Communication clarity in written and verbal form
• Subject knowledge relevant to their engineering branch
• Basic coding ability (CS branches face coding questions in the technical interview)

How to apply: on-campus and off-campus routes

Tech Mahindra recruits freshers through two routes.

On-campus drives

Coordinated through college placement offices. The recruitment team visits eligible colleges and runs all four rounds, typically within one or two days. Check with your placement coordinator for scheduled drive dates at your institution.

Off-campus drives

Posted directly on the careers portal. For current openings, eligibility windows, and application steps, see the Tech Mahindra off-campus drive guide. Both routes use the same four-round selection structure.

Documents required for the selection process

Keep both originals and photocopies of the following ready before any drive date:

• Valid government-issued photo ID (Aadhaar, PAN card, or passport)
• Class X mark sheet (all subjects, final board result)
• Class XII mark sheet (all subjects, final board result)
• All semester mark sheets for B.E./B.Tech
• Provisional degree certificate or final degree certificate (if graduation is complete)
• Passport-sized photographs (at least four)
• Resume (printed; carry multiple copies)

Soft copies (PDF scans) on your phone are a practical backup, but the selection process requires physical originals for verification at the on-campus stage.

Technical interview: what to prepare

Candidates who clear Round 2 reach the technical interview. The interview panel asks questions from core engineering subjects. CS and IT branch candidates should be prepared on:

• Data structures and algorithms
• Database Management Systems (DBMS) — normalisation, joins, indexing
• Operating systems concepts
• Object-oriented programming principles
• Networking fundamentals
• A programming language of their choice (code-writing questions are common)

Non-CS branches face questions from their own branch subjects in addition to the basics above. The panel also asks questions directly from the candidate’s resume, so anything listed there should be genuinely practised rather than padded. Puzzle questions appear in some drives.

Recruitment policies: what to know before the drive

Tech Mahindra publishes specific policies that govern who can apply, when, and under what conditions.

The six-month reapplication rule

• If you attended an interview with Tech Mahindra within the past six months, you are not eligible to apply for a new drive during that period.
• If Tech Mahindra rejected your application after an interview, the same six-month wait applies before you can reapply.
• If you applied but missed the interview for any reason (scheduling conflict, illness, or otherwise), you are eligible to reapply immediately. The cooldown applies only to completed interviews.

Citizenship and work authorisation

• Indian citizens are eligible without restriction.
• Citizens of Bhutan and Nepal can work in India without a work-related visa.
• All other foreign nationals require a valid work visa, OCI card, or PIO card.
• Bhutan and Nepal nationals must submit a citizenship certificate or a government-issued ID card if no OCI, PIO, work permit, or passport is available.

AI roles and Project Indus: what it means for freshers in 2026

Tech Mahindra’s fresher tracks carry different CTC bands based on performance:

Track	CTC band	What drives the routing
Associate Software Engineer (standard)	Rs.3.5 to 4.5 LPA	ELQ test pass and standard technical interview
Premium fresher	Rs.6.0 to 8.0 LPA	Strong coding plus intensive technical interview

The differentiation between these two tracks happens almost entirely at the technical interview stage.

Beyond the standard tracks, the company has expanded into AI-specific work. Project Indus is Tech Mahindra’s initiative to build a Hindi-first Large Language Model and an education-domain LLM for Indian languages and dialects. Tech Mahindra Careers lists active openings for AI Governance Lead and AI Governance Practitioner roles, which signals that AI and GenAI capabilities are becoming a hiring axis, not just an R&D footnote.

This doesn’t change what the ELQ test covers today. But it does change the career ceiling for freshers who arrive with some AI foundations already in place. A candidate who clears the standard track and can demonstrate basic LLM understanding starts the internal mobility conversation from a different position.

The gap between the standard and premium tracks maps cleanly onto the difference between a candidate who only prepared for the aptitude gate and one who also built something with AI tools. The 2026 AI roadmap for Indian engineering students covers what to build and in what order. TinkerLLM is the ₹299 entry point for hands-on LLM experimentation.