TCS NQT — Advanced Coding: Pattern, Syllabus & Mock Test
TCS NQT — Advanced Coding pattern: 2 questions in 90 minutes across 1 section. Sample questions, a preparation guide and a free timed mock.
- Pattern: TCS
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Questions: 2
- Timing: Free — move between sections until the paper's clock ends
- Negative marking: None
The ninety-minute coding round that decides Digital and Prime, on its own.
- Partial marks
- Decides Digital and Prime
- Ninety minutes
Sections
| Section | Questions | Time | Kind | Marks each |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Coding | 2 | 90 min | Coding | 10 |
TCS NQT — Advanced Coding syllabus
Coding: TCS coding questions 124 problems
Instructions
The Advanced Coding round of the TCS NQT, separated out so it can be sat without the two-hour aptitude paper first.
- Ninety minutes, raised from seventy-five for the 2026 cycle.
- Partial marks are awarded for a solution that passes some test cases.
- The reported thresholds are one problem for Ninja, two for Digital and all three for Prime.
TCS accepts C, C++, Java, Python and Perl. This paper models two problems; sources disagree on whether the real round sets two or three.
How to prepare for this pattern
A guide to the Advanced Coding round of the TCS National Qualifier Test, sat here on its own without the aptitude paper first.
What the paper looks like
One section: Advanced Coding, two problems, one easy and one of medium difficulty, in 90 minutes on a shared clock, with free movement between them. Each problem is worth ten marks, and partial marks are awarded for a solution that passes some test cases; there is no negative marking and no multiple-choice section. The paper is not adaptive. The ninety-minute window is agreed everywhere, but the problem count is disputed: one major source says three, with a reported ladder of one problem for Ninja, two for Digital and all three for Prime, while several others say two. This mock draws two. TCS accepts C, C++, Java, Python and Perl.
How to prepare, section by section
- Coding, first problem. Expect an easier problem that rewards clean implementation: Arrays, Strings, Math, Number Theory and Simulation problems, solved with every edge case covered.
- Coding, second problem. A medium problem on a standard technique: Hash Table, Sorting, Two Pointers, Sliding Window, Greedy, Prefix Sum or Dynamic Programming.
- Language. Of the accepted languages, Java, C++ and Python each have a full study plan: Java, C++ and Python. Whichever you choose, know its standard library well enough to write without looking things up and, in C++ or Java, know where integers overflow.
The DSA roadmap orders the techniques above into stages. For the aptitude half of the NQT, take the Foundation + Advanced mock.
On the day
Forty-five minutes a problem is the even split, but the easier problem should take much less; aim to have it passing within twenty-five minutes, which leaves an hour for the second. Partial marks are awarded, so submit a working brute force on the second problem as soon as you have one, then improve it towards the efficient version. Before submitting either, test the edge cases the examples leave out: the smallest input, the largest, repeated values. With no negative marking and partial credit, an empty editor is the only certain zero.
This mock is modelled on the published NQT coding round, whose ninety-minute window is agreed while its problem count is not; CodeKairo is not affiliated with TCS.
About this pattern
The 90-minute window is agreed everywhere. The problem count is genuinely disputed: one major source says three and gives a one, two, three threshold ladder, while several others say two. Two are drawn here.
Modelled on the published pattern; not affiliated with TCS. Every sitting draws a fresh paper from the aptitude bank and the problem catalogue.