Hello SuperCoders! It is that time of the year again when various job-based competitive tests are being conducted, companies start their hiring drives, and college graduates enter the domain of full-time professionals.
This is a very good opportunity for fresh college graduates again have the chance to showcase their skills to recruiters and get hired for their dream job. For budding developers, one major platform for seeking good jobs is the TCS NQT exam.
The TCS NQT, or National Qualifier Test, is conducted by TCS every year to recruit entry-level professionals for TCS Ninja and TCS Digital profiles. TCS and other major corporate organisations also hire candidates through the NQT test. You can find the entire list of companies recruiting based on these scores on the TCS iON Job Listing Portal.
This year, the TCS NQT test will be conducted on 1st May 2023. Registrations have already begun,; if you haven’t registered yet, you can log in to the official page and register for the test.
Now that the registration and other initial formalities have been taken care of let’s go ahead and find out more about the TCS NQT test syllabus and how to prepare for TCS NQT 2023.
In-Depth Breakdown of the TCS NQT Syllabus
TCS NQT has updated its entire syllabus for the 2023 batches. They have introduced some new sections in their selection process. So we have explained the TCS NQT syllabus for the 2023 batch in detail. Make sure you go through the entire syllabus to prepare appropriately for the exam and do your best.
Understanding NQT Core Sections
The main test paper for TCS NQT is the Cognitive Skills test. One needs to score high on this test to secure a job at TCS.
Mandatory NQT (Cognitive Skills)
This section tests the candidate’s numerical, verbal and reasoning skills. Scoring well in this section is highly important, no matter what job you are seeking. The reason is Cognitive Skills test is the only compulsory section of TCS NQT. There is a more in-depth breakdown of this section later in the article.
If you are willing to secure a job in TCS, you have to sit for another test, i.e. the Subject-based test. However, other companies recruiting through NQT test scores may require you to appear for any of the other optional modules of the test.
Attitudinal Alignment NQT (Psychometric Test)
This optional section in the test tests the candidate’s personality traits and ability to fit well with the company’s culture, goals and mission. This 30-minute test comprises a Personality Trait and Motivation Test based on the Big 5 Model and the Motivation Need Theory.
Industrial NQT
This section tests the candidate’s industry-specific knowledge and awareness of best practices followed in the industry. This section can be considered a general awareness section and is currently available for job aspirants in Information Technology (IT) and Banking and Financial Services.
Subject NQT
This section tests a candidate’s understanding of the job role they are applying for, their knowledge of that subject, and their on-the-job learning ability.
Since most of the recruiting firms are big organisations, they need to have specialised roles crafted. This section tests the knowledge and ability a candidate can bring to a particular role. Nevertheless, subject NQTs are IT Programming, Basic Computer Skills, Accountant, and Financial Markets and Services.
TCS NQT Exam Structure
The most common version of the TCS NQT exam has the Cognitive Skills and Subject sections, as explained below. Although, during the test, a total number of 92 questions have to be attempted within 3 hours (180 minutes).
The main sections are:
Verbal Ability Section
This section has 24 questions that need to be completed in 30 minutes. This includes topics such as:
- Reading comprehension
- Grammar (spotting errors, subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, parts of speech)
- Close passage reading test
- Sentence jumbles
- Vocabulary
- Phrases, Verbs and Idioms
Reasoning Ability Section
This section has 30 questions that need to be completed in 50 minutes. Topics included are:
- Data Arrangements (Linear, Circular and Multi-dimensional)
- Identifying Blood Relations
- Coding, Decoding, Series and Visual Reasoning
- Data Interpretation
- Data Sufficiency
- Cubes
- Sense of Direction
- Logical Connectives
- Syllogisms
- Venn Diagrams
- Inequalities
Numerical Ability Section
The Numerical Ability section has 26 questions which must be done in 40 minutes. It tests the student’s skills on the following topics:
- Permutations and Combinations
- Number System
- Probability
- Time Speed and Distance
- Equations
- Geometry, Mensuration and Progressions
- Ratios and Proportions
- Identifying Functions, Logarithms and Graphs
- Clocks and Sense of Direction
- Profit and Loss, and Averages
- Solving Puzzles
- Base Conversion
Programming Logic Section
This section needs to be navigated carefully. It tests a candidate’s knowledge of the Fundamentals of Programming. The programming languages mostly used are C, C++ and Java. It has ten questions which need to be done in 15 minutes. The topics covered in this section are:
- Operators
- Looping statements
- Control statements
- Arrays
- Strings
- Functions
- Pseudocoding
- Algorithms
- Basic Software Development Cycle
Coding Section
For budding developers, this is the most important section. Also, this section typically includes one easy question and another of medium difficulty. For two coding questions, the time allotted is 45 minutes. It is extremely important to perform well in this section to get a job as a developer.
One of the following languages can be used for coding:
- C
- C++
- Java
- PERL
- Python
TCS NQT Test Important FAQs
- The NQT (Cognitive Skills) is a prerequisite for further NQT tests.
- Candidates can take unlimited attempts on the test.
- Students in their final and pre-final years and professionals with less than two years of experience can take this test.
- The NQT test score is valid for two years.
- Candidates with good NQT scores can apply on the TCS iON Job listing Portal.
- Candidates can also apply to other companies besides TCS with the NQT score. Some major companies that hire candidates based on their NQT score are Norican Group, Titan, Equifax, Data Patterns, SeaKnots, Croma, Mosambee, WishTree and many more.
How CodeQuotient Can Help You Crack TCS NQT
The TCS NQT test is a national-level test with intense competition. To perform well in this test, it is important to be clear about one’s strengths and weaknesses and prepare in a structured manner.
If you are an IT job aspirant, it is important to master the Fundamentals of Programming well. One of the best ways to do so is to sign up for mock tests. This way, candidates can best judge their strengths and weaknesses and develop their skills further.
CodeQuotient’s SuperCoders Program is designed to help any IT job aspirant understand their core discipline and excel at it. CodeQuotient also helps job seekers land their dream job.
This program provides a corporate-like environment for its students through “Learning by implementation”. Students are expected to create LIVE projects during the course, which later become part of their portfolio.
Studying under mentors at CodeQuotient can help a student ace these sections since all mentors at CodeQuotient are industry professionals who can advise young graduates. Furthermore, CodeQuotient offers a platform where recruiters can directly assess a candidate’s portfolio on CodeQuotient’s Dashboard.
As a developer, this could be your launching pad for a great career. All you need to do is put in the effort, and rest assured that you will be rewarded. So are you ready to kickstart your career? Enrol today! You can also check out what CodeQuotient has to offer here.
