Cognizant interview experience Real time questions & tips from candidates to crack your interview
Programmer Analyst Trainee
Cognizant
4 rounds | 11 Coding
problems
Selected Interview preparation journey
Journey
My journey has been driven by consistency and curiosity. Over the past year and a half, I’ve coded almost every day—not just to complete tasks, but to deeply understand the concepts behind them. I enjoy creating meaningful projects, and participating in hackathons and ideathons has strengthened my teamwork, creativity, and ability to work under pressure. Alongside strong academic performance, I’ve focused on improving my communication and collaboration skills, which have helped me work effectively in teams and approach interviews with confidence.
Application story
I applied for Cognizant’s 2026 campus hiring through the Superset platform, which was the official placement portal used by my college. After submitting my application and selecting the relevant role, I received updates about the assessment timeline. All stages of the selection process, from the communication test to the final technical interviews, were conducted online. The coordination was smooth, and I consistently received clear instructions and timely notifications via email and the Superset dashboard. Overall, the process felt well-organized and focused on evaluating both technical abilities and soft skills.
Why selected/rejected for the role?
I believe my strong grasp of Java, SQL, aptitude, and fundamental computer science concepts, combined with my ability to communicate clearly, were the reasons I was selected. For instance, I was asked to write a SQL query and solve a coding problem during the interview. I was able to respond confidently since I had practiced these frequently. I also provided a thorough explanation of my thought process and demonstrated my understanding of topics like databases and operating systems. Throughout the process, I made a strong impression through consistent preparation, confidence, and clear communication.
Preparation
Duration: 2 months
Topics: Java Programming, Data Structures, Algorithms, Aptitude (Quantitative & Logical), Verbal Reasoning, OOPs, DBMS, SQL
Tip 1: Make sure you build a strong foundation in DSA, at least up to topics like arrays and strings.
Tip 2: Practice plenty of aptitude questions and take mock tests to improve speed and accuracy.
Tip 3: Develop strong communication skills with clear articulation and proper pronunciation.
Application process
Where: Campus
Eligibility: Consistent academic record with a minimum of 60% in X, XII, diploma, UG, and PG (rounding off 59.9% is not allowed). (Salary Package: 4 LPA)
Tip 1: Highlight one or two impactful projects and real achievements that clearly demonstrate your technical abilities and problem-solving skills.
Tip 2: Keep your resume clear, relevant, and honest—tailor it to the role by emphasizing key skills, coursework, and genuine contributions.
Interview rounds
01
Round
Medium
Face to Face
Duration60 minutes
Interview date22 Aug 2025
Coding problem1
The Communication Assessment (held on August 22nd, 2025) was divided into four sections:
Section A: Reading and Listening (23 questions)
This section had two types of tasks:
Read a given sentence aloud.
Listen to a sentence and repeat it accurately.
Section B: Speaking on a Topic (4 questions)
You were required to speak on short assigned topics.
You were given 60 seconds of preparation time before speaking.
Section C: English Grammar (34 questions)
This section included multiple-choice grammar questions covering tenses, prepositions, sentence correction, and general English structure.
Section D: Comprehension (16 questions)
You read short passages and answered questions based on understanding and interpretation.
This round evaluated my English language proficiency, including listening comprehension, grammar accuracy, reading ability, and spoken communication skills, all essential for performing effectively in a professional environment.
1. Speak on topic:
“Describe a challenging situation you handled effectively.”
02
Round
Easy
Online Coding Interview
Duration80 minutes
Interview date23 Aug 2025
Coding problem2
The Aptitude round was designed to evaluate my quantitative ability as well as cognitive skills through interactive, game-based assessments. The entire test focused on reasoning, planning, and problem-solving under time constraints.
Exam Structure
- Total Duration: 80 minutes
- Total Sections: 2
Section 1: Quantitative Aptitude (Quants)
- Total Questions: 30
- Time Allotted: 30 minutes
This section tested mathematical and numerical problem-solving ability.
Section 2: Game-Based Aptitude Assessment
- Total Sections: 4
- Time Allotted: 9 minutes per section
This part included interactive cognitive challenges designed to evaluate reasoning, planning, and decision-making skills.
Types of Game-Based Tasks:
- Deductive Reasoning – Switch Challenge
- Deductive Reasoning – Gap Challenge
- Complex Planning Capability – Motion Challenge
- Inductive Reasoning – CLX Task
1. Puzzle
Rocky, Darwin, and James are standing at the vertices of an obtuse-angled, potato-shaped triangular field.
If the product of the edges adjacent to Rocky and Darwin is 4, find the length of the edge where James is standing.
Options:
A) 2
B) 3
C) 1
D) More than one possible value of z exists
2. Puzzle
Devesh can cover a certain distance in 1 hour 24 minutes by traveling two-thirds of the distance at 6 km/h and the remaining distance at 7 km/h.
Calculate the total distance.
Options:
A) 8 km
B) 9 km
C) 6 km
D) 7/5 km
03
Round
Medium
Online Coding Interview
Duration120 minutes
Interview date30 Sep 2025
Coding problem3
The Java Skill Cluster Round technical assessment consisted of 4 sections and had a total duration of 120 minutes.
The assessment tested coding ability, SQL knowledge, front-end skills, and core Java concepts through both coding and MCQ formats.
Total Time: 120 Minutes
Total Questions: 15
Breakdown of Sections:
1. Java Coding (2 Questions — 60 Minutes)
This section tested hands-on Java programming skills, including:
- Problem Solving
- Conditional Statements
- Control Flow Statements
- String Handling
- Arrays
- Date and Time
- Searching & Sorting
- Object-Oriented Programming Concepts
- Collections Framework
- Functional Programming (Lambdas, Functional Interfaces, Method References)
- Optional Class
- Streams & Parallel Streams
- Exception Handling
2. SQL / Database (2 Questions — 25 Minutes)
This section focused on database querying using ANSI SQL / MySQL, covering topics such as:
- SELECT Statement
- SQL Operators
- SQL Functions
- WHERE, GROUP BY, HAVING Clauses
- Joins and Their Types
- Subqueries
- Views and Indexes
3. Web UI Coding (1 Question — 20 Minutes)
This section tested front-end development skills using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Topics included:
HTML5:
- Tags
- Forms
- Elements & Attributes
- Navigation
- Events
- Media Tags
CSS3:
- Selectors and Properties
- Styling
- Box Model
- Responsive Web Design Fundamentals
JavaScript:
- Control Flow Statements
- Functions and Scope
- DOM Manipulation
- Arrays
- Event Handling
4. Core Java MCQs (10 Questions — 15 Minutes)
This MCQ section tested theoretical knowledge of Java fundamentals. The questions were based on the same concepts mentioned in the Java Coding section, including OOP, collections, exceptions, streams, and general syntax.
1. Prime Sum
Moderate
0/80
Asked in company
You are given an array of n integers. Your task is to find the minimum non-negative integer that must be added to the array to make the total sum of all its elements a prime number.
The process is as follows:
1) Calculate the sum of all elements currently in the array.
2) Check if this sum is a prime number.
3) If the sum is already prime, no number needs to be added, so the answer is 0.
4) If the sum is not prime, find the smallest prime number that is strictly greater than the current sum. The difference between this next prime and the current sum is the minimum number you need to add.
Problem approach
To solve this problem, I first calculated the sum of all the elements in the given array. Once I obtained the total sum, my next task was to check whether this sum was a prime number. A prime number is greater than 1 and has no divisors other than 1 and itself.
If the sum happened to be a prime number, I wouldn’t need to add anything to it, so the answer would simply be 0.
However, if the sum was not prime, I needed to find the smallest non-negative number that could be added to the sum to make it prime.
To do this, I started adding numbers one by one, beginning from 0. After adding each number, I checked whether the new value became prime. I continued this process until I found the first value that turned into a prime number. The number I added at that point was the final answer.
2. Signal Disruption Measurement
Easy
0/40
Asked in company
You are designing a real-time data processing system that analyzes a stream of incoming data packets. Each packet has a numerical "pulse strength." The system uses a stack to maintain a record of significant pulse strengths. When a new, stronger pulse arrives, it can render previous, weaker pulses insignificant.
The system processes a sequence of N pulse strengths according to these rules:
- For each incoming pulse A[i], compare it to the pulse at the top of the stack.
- As long as the stack is not empty and the pulse at the top is weaker than or equal to the incoming pulse A[i], remove it from the stack.
- The number of pulses removed in this step is the "pulse skip count" for the incoming pulse A[i].
- After removing all weaker/equal pulses, push the incoming pulse A[i] onto the stack.
Your task is to calculate the total "disruption" in the stream, which is the sum of the pulse skip counts for all N packets.
Problem approach
Step 1: I first understood that I needed to process each value using a stack and count how many smaller or equal elements get removed before the current value is pushed.
Step 2: I started scanning the array from left to right, and for every element, I popped elements from the stack as long as they were smaller than or equal to the current one.
Step 3: While popping, I kept a count of how many elements were removed, as that count represented the pulse skip count for the current element.
Step 4: I added this skip count to my total sum and then pushed the current element onto the stack.
Step 5: After processing all elements, the final value obtained by summing all skip counts became the output of the problem.
3. SQL query
Write an SQL query to display:
The total number of passengers and the total number of baggage items for flights arriving in Paris on February 11, 2024.
Problem approach
First, I understood that I needed to consider only those flights arriving in Paris on 11-Feb-2024, so I filtered the flights table by destination_city = 'Paris' and flight_date = '2024-02-11'.
Then, for each such flight, I grouped the records by Flight_ID and used aggregate functions to calculate SUM(passengers) as Total_Passengers and SUM(baggage_items) as Total_Baggage in the SELECT clause.
04
Round
Medium
Face to Face
Duration30 minutes
Interview date23 Oct 2025
Coding problem5
The final interview round lasted about 30 minutes and was divided into two sections. The first section focused on technical questions, mainly related to Java, where I was asked to solve coding problems to assess my algorithmic thinking and problem-solving skills. The second section involved personal and HR questions, covering topics such as my willingness to relocate, future career goals, and overall behavioral fit. This round was designed to evaluate both my technical capabilities and how well I align with the company’s culture.
The interview took place in the morning, inside the on-campus interview cabins, and the atmosphere was calm and quiet. The interviewer was also very supportive and helpful, guiding me whenever I struggled during the coding part, which made the experience smooth and encouraging.
1. Sum of Digits
Easy
15m average time
85% success
0/40
Asked in companies
Ninja is given an integer ‘N’. One day Ninja decides to do the sum of all digits and replace the ‘N’ with the sum of digits until it becomes less than 10. Ninja wants to find what will be the value of ‘N’ after applying this operation.
Help Ninja in finding out this value.
Problem approach
First, I separated the given number into its individual digits (for 587, these are 5, 8, and 7).
Then, I added these digits together: 5 + 8 + 7, to get the final sum, 20.
2. Swap Number Without Temporary Variable
Easy
15m average time
85% success
0/40
Asked in companies
Given two variables ‘X’ and ‘Y’. Your task is to swap the number without using a temporary variable or third variable.
Swap means the value of ‘X’ and ‘Y’ must be interchanged. Take an example ‘X’ is 10 and ‘Y’ is 20 so your function must return ‘X’ as a 20 and ‘Y’ as a 10.
Problem approach
I first added the two numbers and stored the result in A. Then, I subtracted the new A from B to get the original value of A in B, and finally subtracted the new B from A to get the original value of B in A, thus swapping them without using a temporary variable.
3. OOP Concepts
What is Object-Oriented Programming, and explain Polymorphism.
Problem approach
I first defined Object-Oriented Programming by explaining its key concepts, such as classes, objects, encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism. Then, I focused specifically on polymorphism by describing how the same function or method name can behave differently based on the object or parameters, providing examples of compile-time and run-time polymorphism.
4. Database Basics
Problem approach
Tip 1: Revise all key types and constraint types.
Tip 2: Focus on the rules of each key and how each constraint helps maintain data integrity.
Tip 3: Practice with small table examples and SQL queries to identify keys and apply constraints.
5. Puzzle
You are standing in a room with three switches.
In another closed room (which you cannot see into), there is one light bulb.
Each switch controls the bulb, but you don’t know which one.
You can do the following:
- Flip the switches on or off in any way you like.
- Enter the bulb room only once to check the bulb.
Puzzle:
How can you determine exactly which switch controls the light bulb by entering the bulb room only one time?
Problem approach
Tip 1: Break the puzzle into smaller parts and analyze what information each step provides.
Tip 2: Use elimination to rule out impossible options and narrow down the correct answer.
Tip 3: Think creatively and consider indirect clues (such as heat, timing, or patterns) to solve tricky puzzles.
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