New Delhi, 28 October 2022 – Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is one of the most sought-after employers in India and candidates looking to land a job at the firm are often confused about the most important TCS interview questions. Since thousands of candidates apply for TCS recruitment every year, the acceptance rate is quite low and ranges between 5% and 15%. TCS has also reported an attrition rate* of 15.3%, which is the lowest when compared to other firms like Wipro (22.7%) and Infosys (25%).
The journey from registering at TCS careers to getting the offer letter is quite arduous. Many aspirants feel lost when it comes to preparing for the most important phases of the TCS selection process – technical interview, manager interview, and HR interview, respectively.
To make it easier for freshers to successfully clear the TCS Recruitment 2022 process, we have prepared a number of questions that are most likely to be asked in the three rounds mentioned above. However, candidates must first be acquainted with the selection process before they can go through TCS interview questions and land a job at the firm.
*Attrition rate is the rate at which people leave a company. It is the number of people who have left the company, divided by the average number of employees over a period of time.
TCS Recruitment 2022 – Selection Process
| Steps | Overview |
| Step 1: Process Begins | Candidates register at the TCS Next Step portal |
| Step 2: Selection and Online Assessment | Selected candidates are asked to appear for an online skills test |
| Step 3: Technical Interview | Candidates who clear the skills test are interviewed on technical aspects of their fields – especially on their knowledge of programming languages |
| Step 4: Manager Interview | Candidates who clear the technical round are interviewed by managers to ascertain whether they will be a good culture fit by asking non-technical TCS interview questions |
| Step 5: HR Interview | Candidates who qualify the manager interview round appear for a final interview with HR to negotiate salary and benefits |
Note: Once candidates who qualify all of the abovementioned rounds are selected to work at TCS.
TCS Interview Questions – Technical Round
The first phase of the TCS interview process consists of the technical interview round. Here, candidates’ technical knowledge is assessed by asking several TCS interview questions. This is often considered the most challenging stage of the hiring process, therefore, it is important that aspirants prepare for the round carefully.
TCS Interview Technical Questions
What do you know about SDLC?
The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) comprises the entire process of application development from its requirements analysis to maintenance. There are five stages in the SDLC cycle
- Requirement Analysis
- Design
- Development
- Testing & Deployment
- Support or Maintenance.
What is the primary difference between C and Java?
The primary difference between C and Java is that C is a procedural programming language, while Java is an object-oriented programming language.
What are the different storage classes in the C language?
The four storage classes in the C language are auto, register, extern, and static.
Explain the different storage classes in C.
- Auto – It is the default storage class for variables declared inside a function/block and cannot be accessed outside the block.
- Register – The functionality of this class is the same as auto, however, the compiler stores register variables in the register of the microprocessor for faster access.
- External – It allows the same variable to be re-used and re-assigned. If a global variable has been assigned a value, it can be overwritten by using ‘extern’ inside another function/block.
- Static – A static variable is an access specifier. Its value does not change during the execution of the program. These are declared only once and the value is retained throughout the scope.
What is Metadata? What is the purpose of a Metadata?
Metadata stores information on the data that any HTML document stores. This information can include keywords, page description, last modified date, among others.
What is function overloading? Which language uses it?
It is a feature of C++ language that allows the creation of multiple functions with a similar name.
Define ‘classes’.
Class is a building-blog of object-oriented programming. It contains a group of data members and their functions.
Define ‘objects’.
Object is a real-world entity. For example, computers, tablets, laptops, bags, and pens are all objects.
Define ‘macros’.
A macro is a preprocessor directive which replaces the value of a macro.
Who developed C?
C was developed by Dennis M. Ritchie in 1970.
What are strings?
A string is an array of characters with additional predefined methods supported through headers.
What are some features of C?
Some of the features of C include:
- Procedural Language
- Fast and Efficient
- Modularity
- Statically Type
- General-Purpose Language
- Rich Set of Built-in Operators
- Libraries with Rich Functions
- Middle-Level Language
What are loops?
When we execute a set of statements a required number of times until the condition becomes false, it is called a ‘loop’. The purpose of a loop is repetitive execution of a code.
What is the ‘If’ loop?
The ‘If’ loop is used to make a comparison between two or more sets of values. The loop suggests that if that particular condition or comparison is satisfied, then the code written under the ‘If’ statement will be executed.
What is C++?
C++ is a general-purpose programming language created by Danish computer scientist Bjarne Stroustrup as an extension of the C programming language. It can be used to create operating systems, browsers, games, and applications.
What is DBMS?
DBMS stands for Database Management System, which is a software used to manage a database. It also provides an interface between applications and databases.
What are conditional statements?
Conditional statements, also known as conditional expressions or if-then statements, are a set of rules that are executed only if the condition is true.
What is the difference between C and C++?
| C++ | C |
| C++ has a class concept | C did not have a class concept |
| C++ does not support function overloading | C uses various functions for input and output. |
| C++ supports exception handling. | C does not support exception handling |
| C++ supports both procedural and object-oriented programming | C only supports procedural programming |
| C++ encapsulation hides the data to ensure that data structures and operators are used as intended | C does not support encapsulation, so data behaves as a free entity and can be manipulated by outside code |
| C++ is an object driven language | C++ is a function-driven language |
What is an array?
An array is a data structure that contains similar elements that have the same data type.
What is meant by platform dependence? Name a language that is platform-independent.
In languages like C, the compilation of code depends on the operating system. This means the code built on one machine can only work on that type of machine and not anywhere else. This is known as platform dependence. However, Java is a language where the code can be run anywhere irrespective of the operating system or the machine. This makes the Java platform independent.
TCS Interview Questions – Manager Round
Only candidates who perform well in the technical round make it into the manager round. The intention of this round is to see if you will be a good culture fit and have what it takes to flourish at TCS. The round is also utilized to filter out more candidates through the TCS recruitment 2022 drive.
Here are some of the most asked TCS interview questions in this round and how you should answer them.
Tell me about yourself.
This is one of the most uncomfortable TCS interview questions. The question – although simple – is one that can make or break a first impression. The best way to answer this question is to keep it completely professional. Candidates must avoid talking about their personal lives and stick to their professional and educational qualifications only.
For example:
“Sir/Mam… My name is Vishnu and I am a BTech student from the CS stream. I aspire to join the tech world and establish myself as an excellent software developer. I am well-versed in communication and am someone who learns from my mistakes.…”
What are your strengths?
Candidates must refrain from mentioning things beyond the scope of the job they have applied for. They may talk about their time management or leadership skills. One of the best ways to answer this question is to tell a story about how the candidate used his/her strengths at college or during an internship to reach a goal/outcome.
What are your weaknesses?
This is a question to gauge a candidate’s honesty. However, it is advisable to not talk about your flaws at all. The best strategy is to take one of your strengths and sell it as a weakness.
For example:
“My biggest weakness is perfectionism or strict attention to detail. Due to this, I often find myself engrossed in a task for long hours and only stop when I have done my best work.”
Or, candidates can honestly talk about a weakness and follow it through with what steps they have taken to fix that weakness.
Why do you want to work at TCS?
The question is asked to judge whether you know about the company or not.
Answer with something life:
“TCS is one of the leading consultancy firms in the market and being at TCS will be an amazing opportunity for me to learn and grow through my career. Above all, TCS would be like an ocean of endless learning as it follows the latest technologies and practices through all its vertices.”
Why should we hire you at TCS?
The question is asked to gauge whether you have the self awareness as well as the confidence to present yourself as a great hire.
A good answer might be:
“As I am a fresher, I am very flexible and adaptive to learning new things. I am sure I will be able to contribute to the growth of the company. My education and internships have taught me much about being a team player and working in unison with the latest technological trends. This is why I believe I will be a good fit for this role.
Do you have any questions for us?
This is one of the most important TCS interview questions and is usually asked near the conclusion of the interview process. After this, the only thing left is the HR round and salary discussion. Even if you know a lot about TCS, asking good questions shows that you care about the company. So, do your research and create a few questions you would like to ask. Just don’t go overboard with questions. One or two questions are fine.
TCS Interview Questions – HR Round
Once the above mentioned rounds are completed and you have been called for the HR round, it is quite certain that TCS is considering hiring you for the position.
However, many candidates are also dropped in this round due to incorrect salary negotiation.
The only question you need to learn how to navigate in the TCS HR interview round is:
What are your salary expectations?
Before you prepare for the round, you should know that if it is TCS on campus recruitment drive, the salary is mostly pre-decided. In that case, it is better if you stick to a range that your college/institution has informed you about. Unnecessary bargaining might lead to rejection.
However, if it is a TCS off campus recruitment drive, a candidate must first research the current salary trend at the firm. For most entry-level positions, the salary ranges between Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 30,000 per month. In such cases, it is advised to quote near the upper limit of the salary range. In case you are a graduate from Tier-1 institutions like IITs, the salary will be higher.
That said, a candidate must not quote a number first. They must navigate the question in such a way that the HR gives them a range first. To do so, one can say:
“Thank you Sir/Mam for considering me for this position. Before quoting a number, I would like to know more about the job and my responsibilities.”
This can be followed by:
“Thank you mam/sir for explaining! As per my research and your inputs, I think I would be okay with a salary between Rs. 24,000 and Rs. 28,000.”
It is advisable to give a range rather than a fixed number during TCS Recruitment 2023!
