1. TCS Application
I registered for the "TCS On-Campus Recruitment Drive" on May 12, 2026. After successfully completing the registration and application formalities, I proceeded to the next stage of the recruitment process, which was the Online Assessment.
2. TCS Online Assessment – July 19, 2026
The TCS Online Assessment was conducted on **July 19, 2026**. The examination covered different areas, including:
- Numerical Ability
- Reasoning Ability
- Advanced Quantitative Ability & Reasoning
- Verbal Ability
- Coding
The coding round included two programming problems.
Finding the Peak Elements in an Array
Problem Statement:
Given an array of integers, find the indices of all peak elements. An element is considered a peak element if it is strictly greater than both of its adjacent elements.
The first and last elements are not considered as peak elements since they do not have two adjacent elements.
Example:
Input: [5, 10, 7, 8, 6, 9, 3]
Output: [1, 3, 5]
Explanation:
10 at index 1 → greater than 5 and 7
8 at index 3 → greater than 7 and 6
9 at index 5 → greater than 6 and 3
Therefore, the peak element indices are 1, 3, and 5.
Merge Two Sorted Arrays
Problem Statement:
Given two arrays of integers sorted in ascending order, merge them into a single array while maintaining the sorted order without using built-in methods.
The resulting array should contain all the elements from both input arrays.
Example:
Input:
arr1 = [1, 3, 5, 7]
arr2 = [2, 4, 6, 8]
Output:
[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
Explanation:
The two sorted arrays are combined by comparing their elements and placing them in the correct order in the resulting array.
Among all the sections, I felt more comfortable with the coding part, while Numerical Ability required the most effort.
3. Assessment Result – July 22, 2026
I was pleased to see that I had cleared the assessment and was shortlisted for the TCS Prime interview process.
Being selected for the Prime interview was an exciting moment and marked the next stage of the recruitment process.
4. TCS Prime Interview – July 30, 2026
I appeared for the TCS Prime interview on July 30, 2026. The interview was a combination of technical, managerial, and HR discussions. Following the interview, I was selected for the TCS Digital role.
The interview was not limited to programming questions. The interviewers also asked about my projects, AI, problem-solving approach, academic background, communication skills, and how I approach real-world situations.
I am sharing my experience to give future TCS aspirants an idea of what they can expect during the interview process and how they can prepare.
The Interview Process
My interview process mainly consisted of:
- Technical Round
- Managerial Round
- HR Round
The Technical and Managerial discussions were conducted together, followed by the HR round.
Round 1: Technical + Managerial
The interview started with a simple introduction.
1. Tell me about yourself
This was an important part of the interview because several questions later were connected to the technologies and projects I mentioned in my introduction and resume.
2. Tell me about your family background
3. Explain your projects
I was asked to explain the projects I had worked on, including the problem statement, technologies used, my contribution, and how the system worked.
I was also prepared to explain why I selected particular technologies and how the project could be improved.
4. Evolution of AI
Since Artificial Intelligence was one of the areas mentioned in my profile, I was asked about the "evolution of AI".
5. What is the current trend in AI?
6. What is the difference between Java and Python?
7. Coding Question
One of the coding questions involved printing a "diamond pattern"
This reminded me that it is important to be comfortable with basic programming problems even when applying for a role involving modern technologies.
8. SQL Question
I was also asked an SQL-related question involving students and a library.
The question was based on retrieving the names of students who had taken books from the library where the book name started with 'B'.
This tested my understanding of: SELECT, WHERE, JOIN, LIKE, Relationships between tables
9. What is the difference between Generative AI and Agentic AI?
10. What are some real-world applications of Agentic AI?
11. Any questions? (for the Interviewer)
Round 2: HR Round
The HR round was more focused on my personality, experiences, communication, and self-awareness.
- Tell me about yourself
- What do you do as a DSA Mentor?
- Why Typography?
- How would you rate your programming skills?
- How would you rate your communication skills?
- What are your preferred locations?
- Willing to relocate?
- How do you like to spend your free time?
What I Learned From the Interview
One of the biggest things I learned from this interview was that "knowing technologies is not enough".
The interviewer may start with something simple from your introduction and gradually move into your projects, programming, databases, AI concepts, problem-solving ability, and communication.
For example, mentioning a technology on your resume can lead to questions such as:
- Why did you use it?
- How does it work?
- What alternatives did you consider?
- What challenges did you face?
- How would you improve your project?
- So, it is important to know your "resume thoroughly"
My Preparation Strategy
For students preparing for similar interviews, I would recommend focusing on the fundamentals first.
Technical Preparation
- Core Java / preferred programming language
- Data Structures and Algorithms
- OOP concepts
- DBMS
- SQL
- Operating Systems
- Computer Networks
- Basic AI/ML concepts
- Project implementation
- Coding Preparation
Practice problems involving:
- Arrays
- Strings
- Searching and sorting
- Patterns
- Hashing
- Linked Lists
- Stacks and Queues
- Trees
- Basic recursion
Project Preparation
This is something I would strongly recommend.
Before the interview, make sure you can explain every project on your resume:
Problem → Solution → Technologies → Your Contribution → Challenges → Result → Future Improvements
A Few Tips for Future TCS Aspirants
1. Know your resume
Anything written on your resume can become an interview question.
2. Don't memorize answers
Understand the concepts. Interviewers may change the question slightly to check whether you actually understand the topic.
3. Explain your thought process
When solving a coding or SQL problem, explain what you are thinking.
5. Prepare your projects deeply
Project-based questions can become a major part of the interview.
6. Work on communication
You may know the answer, but you also need to communicate it clearly.
Final Result
After going through the interview process, I was selected for the "TCS Digital role".
The entire experience taught me that an interview is not only about testing technical knowledge. It is also about understanding how you communicate, approach problems, explain your work, and respond when you encounter something unfamiliar.
I am grateful for the opportunity and hope this experience helps someone preparing for TCS or similar campus placements.
All the best to everyone preparing for their interviews!
This experience is based on my personal interview and is shared for preparation purposes. The interview process and questions may vary for different candidates and hiring cycles.
