How to Apply for and Crack the Cognizant GenC NEXT?

Cognizant GenC Eligibility Criteria

Fundamentally, the Cognizant GenC NEXT is orchestrated for fresh 2022 batch graduates; however, working professionals with up to one year of experience can also apply.

• Candidates must be B.E, B.Tech, MCA or M.Sc. (Computer Science or IT) program graduates from ECE, ETE, CSE, IT, EEE, ISE or other equivalent fields.
• The applicants must have a good academic record with 60% or above during secondary and higher secondary examinations.
• Candidates must also have 60% or more during undergraduate or postgraduate studies. Also, applicants must not have any standing arrears or more than 2 years of gap in education.
• Applicants will be evaluated based on their last result (for students waiting for the results or who have applied for re-evaluation), and the aggregate marks from all their subjects of that semester (or year) shall be considered as the initial score of the applicants.
• Candidates must be Indian nationals and must have graduated from an accredited university.

Cognizant GenC Eligibility Criteria For Freshers

Here's a general overview of the typical eligibility criteria for freshers applying to the Cognizant GenC Next program:

• Educational Qualifications: Candidates should have completed a Bachelor's degree in Engineering (B.E./B.Tech) or equivalent from a recognized university. The degree should typically be in disciplines such as Computer Science, Information Technology, Electronics and Communication, Electrical Engineering, or related fields.
• Academic Performance: Candidates are usually required to have a consistent academic record with a minimum aggregate percentage, typically ranging from 60% to 65% or above throughout their academic career. This criterion may vary based on the specific hiring cycle and the discretion of Cognizant's recruitment team.
• Year of Graduation: Candidates should typically be recent graduates or in their final year of study at the time of application. Cognizant often conducts campus recruitment drives at colleges and universities to hire fresh graduates into their GenC Next program.
• Technical Skills and Aptitude: Candidates are expected to have a strong understanding of programming concepts, data structures, algorithms, and problem-solving skills. Proficiency in programming languages such as C, C++, Java, Python, or others commonly used in software development roles is highly desirable.
• Communication Skills: Good communication skills in English, both written and verbal, are often preferred as the role may involve interaction with clients and team members in a global environment.
• Other Requirements: Some additional requirements or preferences may be specified based on the specific job role or project requirements. These could include knowledge of specific technologies, frameworks, or domain expertise.

Mandatory Documents You Will Need 

• College Identification Card
• Secondary and Higher Secondary Academic documents
• All semester mark sheets from graduation or post-graduation
• Resume with an attached passport-sized photograph (2 pages maximum)
• Aadhaar card and PAN card
• Passport
• High resolution passport-sized photographs where the candidate’s ears are visible and the picture must be clicked in a light background

Exam Pattern

Candidates are asked to confirm their skills during profiling and choose the roles of their choice. A part of the Cognizant GenC NEXT assessments incorporate these aspects and evaluate the candidates based on their choices. The exams will test candidates for their role-specific specialised skills and their programming foundations. Some of the assessments will also evaluate the analytical and logical abilities of the candidates.

Fundamentally, the entire Cognizant GenC NEXT pattern will involve 4 stages

• Orientation Round
• Online Examination
• Technical Interview
• HR Interview
   

The online examination largely involving coding is the most important stage in this process. The online assessments will last for a total of 240 minutes and will include 61 questions. However, depending on if the candidates have applied off-campus or on-campus, this can definitely vary. The sections of the online examination will host questions that will be based on reasoning, aptitude, automata fix and will also include verbal assessments. 

Information about the Coding Rounds

1. Round 1 or Qualifier Round

During this round, candidates will be given 24 questions based on Quants and 25 logical questions. Then, applicants will be provided with 7 coding debugging questions and 1 essay to write which will evaluate the candidate’s written English skills as well.
 

2. Final Coding Round or Round 2

During this round, there will be two easy coding tests and two hard coding tests. These tests will make the final evaluation of the candidate’s programming skills and code proficiency.
 

Once candidates complete their skill-based coding round, depending on their results, they will either directly proceed to the Technical Interview round of GenC NEXT or be put into the GenC Elevate queue. However, if they do not manage to meet the cut-off requirements of both routes, then they will not be able to proceed. You can practise for the GenC NEXT skill-based assessment questions here and by checking up some past questions such as Cognizant GenC NEXT SQL questions.
 

Aspects That Are Focused Upon During The Technical Interview

• Problem Articulation
• Algorithm Capabilities
• Programming Concepts
• Cognitive Abilities
• Right Attitude
   

GenC NEXT Cognizant Questions you will be Facing During the Technical Interview

• Questions related to your resume or about your resume
• Coding questions from topics such as Printing Star Pattern, Matrix Addition or Recursion
• Questions on Object-oriented Programming and OOPS concepts
• DBMS questions
• Basics of SDLC, Waterfall model and DSA
• Questions based on your specialisations, field or certifications
• Questions based on your favourite subjects and languages
• Using languages such as C++, Java or C, solving questions
• Questions such as the use of string.h function or While Loop
• You will also be asked about your final year project, and there will also be questions based on that project or other projects of yours

GenC Next recruitment process: Flowchart

Previously Asked Questions in Genc Next

Here are some examples of previously-asked questions:

1. Given an array ‘ARR’ containing ‘N’ integers’. The task is to find the sum of the minimum value in ‘SUB’, where ‘SUB’ ranges over every contiguous subarray of ‘ARR.
    
2. Given an array of size N, containing N integers. Find out in what order should the elements be organized such that the function F(i) = a[i+1] ^ a[i] is maximum for 0 <= i <= N – 1.
    
3. Given an input integer ‘N’, print the following binary pattern for it.
    
4. Arrange a few numbers in the ‘N’ number of rows. The first row contains 1 number, the second row has two numbers, the third row has 4 numbers, and so on. Ninja starts placing numbers in increasing order, with absolute difference 1, starting from 1 and continuing till he encounters 9, and then he again restarts from 1. You are given an integer ‘N’ denoting the given number of rows. Can you print the pattern Ninja wants to create?
   
   Pattern for N = 4.
    
5. From two numbers, ‘X’ and ‘Y’. Your task is to find the greatest common divisor of the given two numbers. The Greatest Common Divisor of any two integers is the largest number that divides both integers.
    
6. Given a pattern, print the same pattern for any given ‘N’ number of rows.
    
7. “Find ‘X’ to the power ‘N’ (i.e. ‘X’ ^ ‘N’). Where ‘X’ and ‘N’ are two integers.” Ninja was not prepared for this question at all, as this question was unexpected in the exam. He is asking for your help to solve this problem. Help Ninja to find the answer to the problem.
    
8. Given an integer ‘N’. Your task is to print the following pattern for the given N number of rows.
    

You can also read about mock interview.

Prerequisites

The prerequisites for each job role are different; however, applicants are expected to have strong programming skills and deep knowledge of their role-specific tasks. For instance, one might wish to apply as a Full-stack Developer, DotNet Developer, Google Engineer or UNIX Developer. One can also choose to apply as a Java or Python Developer.

Most candidates are expected to have strong Object-oriented programming skills and fundamental knowledge of data structures. Applicants must be comfortable with competitive coding and algorithms as well. The applicants who are applying for roles such as Data Scientist and IoT Engineer are expected to have strong SQL and JDBC skills too.

Prerequisite Languages, Frameworks and Systems

Not all are compulsory and many are role-specific; however, many are interconnected for various roles

• Java
• C
• C++
• DotNet
• UNIX
• Python
• AWS Infrastructure
• Google Cloud Engineering

How to Register in Cognizant GenC NEXT?

Candidates can apply for Cognizant GenC NEXT through Superset, and the examination will be powered by Hackerrank. Candidates can either apply off-campus or on-campus; however, they must use their college IDs and gain approval from their respective colleges. Once, candidates have registered for the Cognizant GenC NEXT, they will need to self-evaluate their initial profile and choose one role out of the Cognizant GenC NEXT jobs (or career options) available. Once they select the job role of their choice, they must sit for the orientation round.

Here are the job roles that are available:

• Full-stack Software Engineer (Java/DotNet)
• Advanced Java Developer
• Digital User Experience Engineer
• DotNet Developer
• Python Developer
• IoT Engineer (Java/DotNet)
• Advanced C Developer
• UNIX Developer
• Google Engineer
• AWS Infra Developer
• Data Scientist

Preparation Tips

Here are some preparation tips for you:

• Practise previous year Cognizant GenC NEXT coding questions, AMCAT questions and other technical interview questions.
• Prepare your business communication (essay writing and interviews) and verbal skills.
• Practise logical reasoning and quantitative aptitude.
• Prepare mathematical or statistical concepts such as probability, permutation, logarithm and algebra.
• Practise generic HR questions related to resume, priorities, family, education, relocation, preferences, strengths, weaknesses, pressure, aspirations etc.
• Revise DBMS and SQL.
• Practise coding as much as possible with languages such as C, Python or Java.
• Learn cloud computing basics and Google or AWS infrastructure. (Optional)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the qualification for Cognizant?

Qualification criteria at Cognizant differ based on job roles. Generally, a minimum of a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field is preferred. However, specific requirements may vary depending on the position applied for.

Does 12th marks matter in Cognizant?

While Cognizant considers 12th-grade marks as part of the overall evaluation, they may not be the sole determining factor for employment. The company takes into account various qualifications and skills when assessing candidates.

Does Cognizant have 60% criteria?

Cognizant may have a 60% or equivalent grade criteria for certain roles. However, exceptions might be made based on other qualifications, skills, and experience. Specific criteria may vary depending on the position applied for.

Is Cognizant a good company to work at?

Yes, Cognizant is one of the best companies to work for. On various rating platforms, Cognizant employees have appreciated its clear sense of purpose, ability to adapt according to new technology, and meeting personal goals. However, the major cons are poor pay and job satisfaction.

Conclusion

GenC NEXT is a great opportunity to join this company with such a colourful history and a bright future ahead. Cognizant is an extremely valuable company to work at, so why wait? With enough preparation of programming concepts and coding practice, it will be easy to clear the GenC NEXT rounds.

Learn more, Html interview questions

Refer to our guided paths on Coding Ninjas Studio to learn more about DSA, Competitive Programming, JavaScript, System Design, etc.