Cognizant Interview Questions for 2022

Last Updated on August 25, 2023 by Mayank Dham

Navigating the pathway to a career at Cognizant, a global technology solutions provider, involves traversing a comprehensive interview process that aims to assess your skills, compatibility, and potential as a valuable team member. This article delves into the stages of the Cognizant interview process, offering insights into what to expect and how to prepare. Additionally, we’ll explore commonly asked interview questions that can help you hone your responses and boost your chances of success. This article will help you to understand the top Cognizant interview questions that are actually asked in the interviews. Before discussing the cognizant interview questions, let’s see the Cognizant Eligibility Criteria first.

Cognizant Eligibility Criteria:

• An applicant must have more than 60% marks in 10th and 12th (or diploma).
• An applicant must have a minimum of 60% marks in graduation.
• After HSC(12th), but not after SSC(10th), or between semesters of graduation, a maximum interval of one year is permitted.
• Graduation and post-graduation in BE, B Tech, ME, M Tech, MCA
• At the time of the Cognizant selection process, a candidate should not have any pending backlogs.

Cognizant Recruitment Process

Cognizant plans to run a recruitment process for four different positions. The following are the specifics:

• GENC
• GENC ELEVATE
• GENC PRO
• GENC NEXT

Round 1: Aptitude test/skill-based assessment test

This test is an online test conducted on AMCAT, etc.
This test consists of the following sections as

• Quantitative ability: Generally, this section contains questions related to the topics like Basic Mathematics, Applied mathematics, and Engineering Mathematics.
• Logical reasoning: Generally, this section contains questions related to the topics like Coding deductive logic, Objective Reasoning, Coding Pattern Recognition, Data Sufficiency, Data Arrangement, and Number Series Pattern Recognition.
• English Comprehension: Generally, this section contains questions related to the topics like vocabulary (Synonyms, Vocabulary, Antonym, Contextual), Grammar (Sentence Improvement, Error Identification, and Construction), and Comprehension Reading.

Round 2: Technical Interview

This round is the face-to-face interview round. This round is the most crucial round in the entire process. Your fundamentals should be cleared like OOPs, Operating systems, computer networks, and DBMS.

Programming language knowledge is required. Make sure you’re familiar with at least one programming language. It is not necessary for you to be fluent in all programming languages, but you should have sufficient experience with at least one of them, such as C++, Java, or Python.
Questions related to CV and company may also be asked.

Round 3: HR Interview

This round is also the most important round of the interview process. This round helps to identify an applicant’s personality. Questions may be asked from your introduction to your qualifications, your experience, your pay expectations, your industry-specific experience, strengths and weaknesses, friends and family, and so on.

Cognizant Aptitude Interview Questions

1. The product of 2 numbers is 2028, and the H.C.F. is 13. The number of such pairs is:
a. 3
b. 2
c. 6
d. 9
Answer: b

Explanation:
Let the numbers 13a and 13b.
Then, 13a x 13b = 2028
=> a * b = 12.
Now, the co-primes with product 12 are (1, 12) and (3, 4). So, the required numbers is (13 x 1, 13 x 12) and (13 x 3, 13 x 4).There are two such pairs

2. Find the biggest digit which on dividing 1657 and 2037 leaves the remainders 6 and 5 respectively is:
a. 156
b. 127
c. 135
d. 115
Answer: b

Explanation:
The number we require = H.C.F. of (1657 – 6), (2037 – 5) =H.C.F. of 1651 and 2032 = 127.

3. The L.C.M of 2 numbers is 495, and the H.C.F is 5. If the sum of these numbers is 100, then their difference is,
a. 10
b. 46
c. 70
d. 90
Answer: a

Explanation:
Let the numbers are x and (100-x).
Then, x(100-x) = 5495-100-x = 5495
x2-100x+2475=0x2-100x+2475 = 0
(x – 55)(x – 45) = 0
x = 55 or x = 45
The numbers are 45 and 55
Required difference = (55-45) = 10.

4. slur : speech : : smudge 😕
Answer: Writing

5. Vernacular: place: : fingerprint : ?
Answer: Identical

6. What is the Opposite of Corpulent?
Answer: Slim.

7. Sum of two numbers is 60, and their product is 120. What is the sum of their reciprocals?
a. 3
b. 1
c. 1/2
d. 1/3
Answer: c

Explanation:
Given, x + y = 40 and xy = 120.
Sum of their reciprocals:
1/x+1/y = (x + y)/xy= 40/120 =½

8. If log x = (1/2) log y = (1/5) log z, the value of x4y3z-2 is:
a. 0
b. 8
c. 1
d. 5
Answer: c

Explanation:
log(x) = (1/2) log(y) => y = x^2
log(x) = (1/5) log(z) => z = x^5
Then x^4y^5z^-2 = x^4x^6x^-10 = x^10 * x^-10 = x^0 = 1,
If any value has a power value of 0 then its overall value is 1.

9. A 270-meter long train running at the speed of 120 km/h crosses the second train running in the opposite direction at 80 km/h in 9 seconds. What is the length of the second train?
a. 360meter
b. 260meter
c. 270meter
d. 230meter
Answer: d

Explanation:
train running in the opposite than total speed= (80+120) = 200 km/h
200kmph=200*5/18=500/9 m/set the length of another train is l meters than
(270+l)/9=500/9
Length (l) =230 meter.

10. A set sum of money amounts to Rs.1500 in 2 years and Rs. 1726 in 4 years. Find the sum?
a. Rs850, 10%
b. Rs900, 12%
c. Rs800, 13%
d. Rs1274, 15%
Answer: d

Explanation:
1726-1500= 226 for 2 years (4-2) so for one year 226/2= 113 then for 2 years interest is 113+113=226 Then principal 1500-226=1274. Now 113/1274*100= 15%.

Cognizant Technical Interview Questions

Below are some cognizant Technical interview questions:

1. What is a stack?
A stack is a container of objects inserted and removed according to the last-in-first-out (LIFO) principle. In the pushdown stacks only two operations are allowed: push the item into the stack, and pop the item out of the stack.

A stack is a limited access data structure – elements can be added and removed from the stack only at the top. push adds an item to the top of the stack, pop removes the item from the top. A helpful analogy is to think of a stack of books; you can remove only the top book, also you can add a new book on the top.

2. What is a deadlock situation?
In a multiprogramming environment, several processes may compete for a finite number of resources. A process requests resources, if the resources are not available at that time, the process enters a waiting state.

Sometimes a waiting process is never again able to change state because the resources it has requested are held by other waiting processes. This situation is called deadlock.

3. What is the definition of the primary key, foreign key, candidate key & super key?
Candidate Key: Candidate keys are those keys which is a candidate for the primary key of a table. In simple words, we can understand that such type of key which full fill all the requirements of the primary key which is not null and have unique records is a candidate for the primary key. So this type of key is known as a candidate key. Every table must have at least one candidate key but at the same time can have several.

Primary Key: The type of candidate key chosen as a primary key for the table is known as the primary key. Primary keys are used to identify tables. There is only one primary key per table.

Foreign Key: Foreign key is those keys that are used to define the relationship between two tables. When we want to implement a relationship between two tables then we use the concept of the foreign key. It is also known as referential integrity. We can create more than one foreign key per table. a foreign key is generally a primary key from one table that appears as a field in another where the first table has a relationship to the second. In other words, if we had a table A with a primary key X that linked to a table B where X was a field in B, then X would be a foreign key in B.

Super Key: The set of attributes that can uniquely identify a tuple is known as Super Key.
Adding zero or more attributes to the candidate key generates a super key.
A candidate key is a super key but vice versa is not true.

4. What is an Operating System?
An operating system is a program that manages computer hardware. It acts as an intermediary between the computer user and the computer hardware.
An operating system manages the overall activities of a computer and the input/output devices attached to the computer. The operating system is a program most intimately involved with the hardware.

It also acts as a resource allocator, A computer system has many resources that may be required to solve a problem: CPU time, memory space, file storage space, I/O device, and so on. The operating system acts as a manager of these resources.

5. Write a function to take an argument and return 0 if the given number is prime otherwise return -1
A no ‘n’ is prime if it is divisible only by 1 and n itself. To check if a number is divisible by any other number, we need to divide it by numbers from 2 to n/2 and check if the remainder is 0.

Function to check if a number is prime or not and return values accordingly

int isPrime(int n) {
     if (n <= 1) return -1
     if (n <= 3) return 0

     for (int i = 5; i * i <= n; i = i + 6) {
     if (n % i == 0 || n % (i + 2) == 0)
          return -1;
     }
  return 0;
}

6. What is a gateway or router?
A node that is connected to two or more networks is commonly called a router or gateway.

These are intelligent network devices that store information in their routing tables such as paths, hops, and bottlenecks. With this info, they are able to determine the best path for data transfer.

Routers operate at the OSI Network Layer.

7. What is the difference between outer join and inner join?
Inner Join: Returns records that have matching values in both tables.
Outer Join: An outer join returns a set of records (or rows) that include what an inner join would return but also includes other rows for which no corresponding match is found in the other table.

There are three types of outer joins:

• LEFT (OUTER) JOIN: Return all records from the left table, and the matched records from the right table.
• RIGHT (OUTER) JOIN: Return all records from the right table, and the matched records from the left table
• FULL (OUTER) JOIN: Return all records when there is a match in either left or right table

8. What is recursion? Give an example.
When a called function in turn calls another function a process of chaining occurs. Recursion is a special case of this process, where a function calls itself.
An example of recursion is the evaluation of factorials of the given number. The factorial of a number is expressed as a series of repetitive multiplications as shown below :
Factorial of n = n(n-1)(n-2)………..1

Factorial can be calculated using recursion as follows :

factorial(int n) {
    int fact;

    if (n == 1) {
       return 1;
    }
    else
    {
       fact = n * factorial(n - 1);
    }

  return (fact);
}

9. Write a C code for swapping two numbers
Swapping means exchanging the value of two variables.If you have taken two variables a and b where a = 4 and b = 5, then before swapping a = 4, b = 5 after swapping a = 5, b = 4. In the first C program to swap numbers, we will use a temporary variable to swap two numbers.

C Program to swap two numbers in C

int main()
{
    int x, y, temp;
    printf("Enter the value of x and y");
    scanf("%d%d", & x, & y);
    printf("Before Swappingx = % d y = % d ",x,y);
    temp = x; x = y; y = temp;
    printf("After Swapping x = % d y = % d ",x,y);
    return 0;     
}

10. What are pointers in C?
A pointer is a variable whose value is the address of another variable, i.e., the direct address of the memory location. Like any variable or constant, you must declare a pointer before using it to store any variable address.
The general form of a pointer variable declaration is:

type *var-name;

Here, type is the pointer’s base type; it must be a valid C data type and var-name is the name of the pointer variable. The asterisk * used to declare a pointer is the same asterisk used for multiplication. However, in this statement, the asterisk is being used to designate a variable as a pointer.

Take a look at some of the valid pointer declarations:

int * ip;  /* pointer to an integer */
double * dp; /* pointer to a double */
float * fp; /* pointer to a float */
char * ch /* pointer to a character */

The actual data type of the value of all pointers, whether integer, float, character or otherwise, is the same, a long hexadecimal number that represents a memory address. The only difference between pointers of different data types is the data type of the variable or constant that the pointer points to.

Example:

int main()
{
      int var = 20; /* actual variable declaration */
      int * ip; /* pointer variable declaration */
      ip = &
      var; /* store address of var in pointer variable*/
     printf(“Address of var variable: % x”, &var);
     printf(“Address stored in ip variable: % x”, ip); /* address stored in pointer variable */
     printf(“Value of * ip variable: % d”, * ip); /* access the value using the pointer */

    return 0;
}

Output:
Address of var variable: 0x7fffa057dd4
Address stored in ip variable: 0x7fffa057dd4
Value of *ip variable: 20

Cognizant HR interview Questions

1. Tell me about yourself.
This question is the most common interview opening question. To answer this, you need to talk about your communication skills and soft skills more than your technical skills.

2. What are your short-term and long-term goals?
For the short-term goal, tell something you want to achieve in the coming year i.e you want to achieve eagerly. and your long-term goal should be what you want to accomplish in the next three to five years.

3. What do you know about this organization?
Candidates should be fully aware of the organization where they are going for an interview, so check the history, present structure, and working style of that organization. Check the company's website, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn pages to gather the information.

4. How do you manage stress?
It is the basic common question asked to check the candidate’s personality. How a candidate behaves under stress is very important to the company. For this, tell the interviewer how you manage stress. Use real-life examples to support your answer to impact as much as good.

5. Are you ready to relocate?
This question is mostly asked nowadays, so you should always answer that you are ready to relocate.

6. Are you comfortable working night shifts?
For this, tell the interviewer that you are ready. This question is to tests the candidate’s commitment to the job. Also, note that if it is mentioned in the job description that it's fine else it is rare that you will be assigned night shifts from the beginning.

7. What salary are you looking for?
This question is the most asked question in HR interviews, do not give the interviewer any fixed amount. To answer this do research on the average salary for the position, and then give a similar range to the interviewer.

8. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
In your strengths give plus points that will make you an ideal candidate. You can include soft skills like teamwork, and the ability to fit in all cultures. For weaknesses, try not to highlight too many negative points. You can talk about points like procrastination, perfection, etc. Do not tell the interviewer that you have no weaknesses.

9. Have you led any team efficiently?
For this, tell the interviewer a real instance where you have to lead a team. Also includes how efficiently you handle a team and what methods you use to resolve conflicts among teammates.

10. What are your qualifications?
You must answer this question from the perspective of how you differ from the other candidates. Tell them about your abilities that will help you make a beneficial influence at work. Operating in a new environment is not really a problem for you. Check that you match the job description and explain how you believe you could be a good fit based on your strengths.

Cognizant interview questions FAQs

Let’s discuss some frequently asked cognizant interview questions:

1. Is the Cognizant interview questions and process of hiring easy?
The truth is that the more you prepare for the interview questions, the more likely you are to succeed. It makes no sense whether the cognizant interview questions are difficult or easy. cognizant interview questions mainly covered programming languages, logical thinking, computer fundamentals, projects on which the candidate has recently or previously worked, etc.

2. What is the fresher salary in Cognizant?
Cognizant pay ranges from 3.3 to 4.5 lakhs to a fresher's.

3. Is there any bond in Cognizant?
No, There is no such thing as a Bond. In the sense that you are not required to pay any money if you desire to terminate your contract with the firm.

4. How to apply for Cognizant off-campus?
You can easily apply by applying on the company's website, and Cognizant recruitment websites, also attending recruiting drives, taking the employee referral system, and consulting with placement experts or groups.

5. How many rounds are there in a Cognizant interview?
The Cognizant Recruitment Process consists of two rounds :

• Online exam
• Interview process
  • Technical interview
  • HR interview

Conclusion
The interview process at Cognizant is a multifaceted journey that provides candidates with the opportunity to showcase their expertise, passion, and alignment with the company's values. As you navigate through technical assessments, behavioral interviews, and discussions with hiring managers, remember that each step is a chance to demonstrate your capabilities and fit within Cognizant's vibrant and dynamic work culture.