Cognizant Ltd interview experience Real time questions & tips from candidates to crack your interview

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Cognizant Ltd

4 rounds | 4 Coding problems

Yashvardhan Jadhav

Fresher | Sep 2025

Selected

Interview preparation journey

Journey

My journey began with learning basic programming languages like C, C++, and Python during my diploma. Initially, I found it difficult to apply concepts, but I improved by focusing on building projects rather than just studying theory. I worked on projects like an inventory system, a hospital portal during my internship, and AI-based projects such as brain tumor detection and KrushiMitra. These experiences helped me strengthen my problem-solving skills and understand real-world development. I also revised core subjects like data structures and remained consistent with practice. Cracking the Cognizant interview was the result of continuous learning, hands-on experience, and staying consistent despite challenges.

Application story

I applied through my college placement drive and was part of the NPN AI Analytics program, which followed a hackathon-based hiring process. The initial round was a technical screening focused on problem-solving and core concepts. In the next stage, we were given a project title and problem statement, where we had to build a complete working solution within a deadline. We formed a team of seven members (including at least two female members), and each team was guided by a company expert along with a college professor throughout the development phase. Based on this project, we had an interview focused on our solution, machine learning knowledge, and clarity of core concepts. Shortlisted candidates then went through a technical interview followed by a final HR round.

Why selected/rejected for the role?

I was selected because I had a good balance of core subject knowledge and practical experience through projects and internships. I was able to clearly explain my projects, demonstrate problem-solving skills, and communicate my thoughts effectively during the interview. Consistency in preparation and confidence also played an important role.

Preparation

Duration: 3 Months

Topics: Data Structures, Algorithms, OOP, DBMS, Operating Systems, Computer Networks, SQL, Web Development Basics, Machine Learning, Data Warehousing

Tip

Tip 1: Practice coding regularly and revise important topics consistently instead of studying everything at once.

Tip 2: Focus on understanding concepts rather than just memorizing questions in DSA and core subjects.

Tip 3: Build at least 2–3 real projects and know everything about them.

Application process

Where: Campus

Eligibility: 7.5 CGPA, (Salary Package: 4 LPA)

Resume tip

Tip 1: Keep your resume simple and highlight 2–3 strong projects that you can confidently explain.

Tip 2: Make sure to mention only the skills you actually know, as everything on your resume can be asked in the interview (don’t lie).

Interview rounds

Round

Easy

Video Call

Duration30 minutes

Interview date8 Sep 2025

Coding problem0

It was around the afternoon.
It was a virtual interview conducted over Superset.
It included screening and technical concepts.

Round

Easy

Face to Face

Duration90 minutes

Interview date11 Sep 2025

Coding problem1

The round started around 11 AM and was conducted in a cabin with our group and the interviewer present. It was mainly focused on the project we developed during the hackathon. We were first asked to present our project, and the interviewer interacted with us throughout the presentation by asking questions.

The questions were based on our tech stack, dataset used, implementation details, and core machine learning concepts. We were also asked to present ourselves as individuals during the interview and clearly explain our own contributions.

The interviewer was attentive and focused on understanding our depth of knowledge and clarity of concepts. Overall, the round was interactive and primarily evaluated our project understanding and fundamentals rather than just theoretical knowledge.

1. Project Discussion

The round focused on a detailed discussion of the hackathon project. Questions were asked about the overall approach, tech stack used, dataset selection, preprocessing steps, model choice, and evaluation metrics. The interviewer also asked about individual contributions, challenges faced during development, and how the solution could be improved or scaled.

In addition, some basic questions on core machine learning concepts, such as overfitting, model accuracy, and data handling, were asked to test conceptual clarity.

Problem approach

Tip 1: Be ready to clearly explain your individual contribution, even in a group project.
Tip 2: You should know everything about the project, not just your part.

Round

Easy

Face to Face

Duration45 minutes

Interview date11 Sep 2025

Coding problem2

The round included technical questions focused mainly on SQL and basic programming. I was asked to write SQL queries, such as finding the highest value (e.g., highest salary) and calculating the total salary of a department based on a given employee’s name. There were multiple SQL-based questions to test query writing and understanding.

I was also asked about the most complex SQL query I had worked on and to explain it. In addition, some basic Python coding questions and fundamental technical concepts were discussed to evaluate problem-solving skills and clarity of understanding.

1. SQL Queries

Write an SQL query to find the total salary of a department based on a given employee’s name. Also, write queries to find the highest salary from a table and perform basic aggregate operations.

Problem approach

Step 1: First, identify the required tables, such as Employee and Department, and understand the relationship between them (using department_id).

Step 2: To find the total salary of a department based on an employee’s name, first fetch the department_id of that employee using a subquery.

Step 3: Then, use the department_id to calculate the total salary using the SUM() function with GROUP BY.

Step 4: For the highest salary, use MAX(salary) to directly fetch the result from the Employee table.

Step 5: Ensure proper use of JOINs or subqueries depending on the table structure.

2. First non repeating character

Easy

15m average time

80% success

0/40

Asked in companies

Ninja is now bored with numbers and is now playing with characters but hates when he gets repeated characters. Ninja is provided a string, and he wants to return the first unique character in the string.The string will contain characters only from the English alphabet set, i.e., ('A' - 'Z') and ('a' - 'z'). If there is no non-repeating character, print the first character of the string. If there is no non-repeating character, return the first character of the string.

Problem approach

Step 1: Traverse the string and store the frequency of each character using a dictionary.

Step 2: Traverse the string again and find the first character with a frequency equal to 1.

Step 3: Return that character.

Step 4: If no such character exists, return -1.

Try solving now

Round

Easy

HR Round

Duration25 Minute

Interview date17 Sep 2025

Coding problem1

The round consisted of general HR questions to assess communication skills, attitude, and cultural fit. Questions included self-introduction, strengths and weaknesses, reasons for choosing the company, and career goals.

1. HR Questions

The questions were mainly HR-based, including self-introduction, strengths and weaknesses, reasons for choosing the company, and future career goals. There were also a few situational questions to understand behaviour, teamwork, and how I handle challenges.