This is how I got into TCS, Tata Consultancy Services

Intro to all this

I still remember the time when I decided that I wanted to become the guy who developed tools and software for big companies like Microsoft, Google, etc(before that I wanted to become a doctor,r and before that whatnot…). At that time I was young and naive, so I didn’t know they were called developers. With time I started focussing on Computer Science and I was determined that I needed to excel in this, Dad already bought me a computer at a very young age, so basics was at the tip of my fingers. In my school they used to teach me HTML, CSS, and Java, So for me, this was everything at the time, I didn’t even care what my marks were in other subjects, But I felt lost if I didn’t get a A+ in Computer Science and That costed me in my AIJEE exams.

Then when I came out of school I started researching software development, tech companies, and other kinds of stuff. Like every other aspiring developed,r I also dream of getting into FAANG/MAANG. Unfortunately, I could not get into a tier 1 college(where FAANG companies generally come), But I was never heartbroken, I kept learning and practicing coding, I would not say I have reached a limit where I am satisfied, In tech you need to keep learning.

Dad put me into a college that accepted my grades and was suitable for his pocket, but I needed Computer Science and Engineering which would cost us 1 Lakh rupees plus my 3 lakhs rupees education loan. I started my journey with whatever I had, I was learning web dev and explored a little bit of app dev through flutter. Four years were spent juggling academics, development,dsa, and domain awareness. I even faced failures. I didn’t make it to the SIH(Smart India Hackathon), Got ghosted by two startups, and rejection form over 20+ companies, to where I applied.

I was getting demotivated

Time was passing by real quick. People around me were either bagging double digit CTCs from funded startups or easily getting through oncampus job interviews. My resume was ready but I didn’t knew what was it missing, people even got into accenture (in campus) without even mentioning any significant skills or projects, So what is wrong with me. Analyzing from my past performance in oncampus intreviews, I figured out bro “You suck at aptitude !”. My previous notion about aptitude was, It’s as easy as class eight maths. Which is true but you need to strike it of in a very limited time(most of the time in seconds).

Without overthingking I told myself, look MAANG is 1 light years away from you right now, aim for the stars but right now you need a safe net. A decent job which would release the current stress of of your shoulder. See which companies are at your reach right now. See which company requires the things that you already had developed in past two years. Get experienced and then try out MAANG.

How I learned about the company

My brother was a 3-year experienced engineer at TCS. He also guided and helped me, explaining that it's never over; keep trying harder, and the Internet never lets you stay under the stone. Since my feed is always filled with geeky stuff, I heard about a lot of upcoming exams that I sought to target. The TCS NQT exam was around the corner. Since my brother was also in the same company, I thought this would be an easy opportunity for me.

How to prepare and what to study

The Tcs NQT exam is divided into two sections. The first sectio is the foundation section. This section is further sub divided into three subsections; Numerical ability, Reasoning ability, verbal ability. You need to clear this section to atleast get an interview call for NInja role. then comes advanced section where you have advanced qunatitative ability, advanced reasoning ability and advanced coding where you get two coding questions, one easy to medium and one medium level question. In order to an interview call for the digital role you need to clear the advanced apti part (where you have advanced qunatitative ability, advanced reasoning ability) and one coding question. If you clear all the apti and coding section then congratulations you are going to get an interview call for the prime role.

Now after applying for the tcs free NQT I started preparing day and night for this exam, because as I already told you I was pretty bad at solving aptitude questions. I bought the R D Sharma Quantitive aptitude and Verbal reasoning books. I sat with one of my very close friend from college (he is really good in aptitude) and we used to revise all the necessary topics one by one. We used to conduct gmeet sessions and together we used to solve aptitude questions. By the time I had already done some coding over leetcode and geeksforgeeks. So I used to help him a bit with coding. We also used to follow a youtube channel named campus monk where they used to prepare students for these type of competitive exams, which really helped us. Following some mentor like youtube channles or preparation platforms is really better than self studying for these exams.

If you ask me I would say if I would have started early to prepare for this exam I would have scored better. In only one month I started from zero and was able to get a job as Assistant system engineering trainee. If you could start early you have enough time for preparing for the exam and interview. These exams are generally conducted close to around the end of the acacdemic year. So if you start at the begining of your end semester you have a good enough time frame to prepare with ease and its generally not only tcs you can even target other companies who come with similar national level exams.

How was my NQT experience

My exam was on 26th April 2024, in the first half from 9:00AM. You are suppose to report 1 hour 30 minutes before the exam starts. They will check the admit card and one relevant government id. Instructions on what to do on the day of the exams are properly written on the admit card. The weirdest this is rings and other metal objects are prohibited inside of the exam premise but they don’t even allow you to wear a belt so do keep this in mind.

You get inside the premise and then your documents are checked and while checking in they will tell you the room number. there you will have a person who is sitting there to do some further registartion on the system which will require your fingerprint and image( these are admin level formalities so don’t worry about this). Unlike anyother exams in a typical Tcs ION center, you’ll have to go through these steps.

Now once you are in your assigned place, You will only be able to login to the portal when your exam time starts, which in my case was 9:00 am. The computers were really bad. This will affect you in the time of coding or while typing some answers. The internal compiler on the exam portal was really buggy and slow, lot of the time your code doesn’t compile and you dont get a proper error response in the terminal if you face any compilation error or runtime error. I spent a lot of time doing the aptitude questions that I was barely left with time to solve the coding qustions and I was so unlucky that I was not able to solve any of the two codes. But still I got an Interview call for Ninja role.

How was my interview

As I entered the interview room, they asked me how I arrived and if I faced any issues. They took my introduction, which included my knowledge of Java and JavaScript. They asked me to explain Java, and I mentioned its platform independence and bytecode. They inquired about bytecode and how it contributes to platform independence. Noticing my nervousness, they offered me some water, which helped me complete my explanation about platform independence.

Next, they asked about Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and its four pillars. I explained polymorphism and inheritance, including its types. They asked if Java supports multiple inheritance and how it can be achieved. I demonstrated this with a code example using interfaces.

They then referred to my resume and asked about my project on a blogging website, noting that blogging was also listed as a hobby. They inquired if I write blogs and why I enjoy writing. I explained my interest in blogging.

They tested my JavaScript skills with a scenario: creating a form with an input for name and a dropdown for qualification. If "BTech" is selected, a college input field should appear, followed by a submit button. I wrote the HTML code for the form and the logic using JavaScript, which they approved.

The conversation shifted to my background, and they mentioned my school, Julien Day School, speaking with a colleague who seemed familiar with it. The interviewer then asked if I was aware of TCS's night shifts and if I had any issues with them. They also asked if I preferred work-from-home. I assured them I was flexible with both.

They asked if I knew how work is done at TCS, and I provided an example. They wanted to know about software development processes, and I mentioned Agile methodology. They inquired about my hobbies, specifically book reading, and asked for the names of my current favorite books. They also checked my YouTube channel to verify my claims.

Finally, they asked if I had any questions. I inquired about feedback on my code writing style, and they suggested I try to write more concise code. They complimented me on being detail-oriented and organized. I thanked them and concluded the interview.

what is my next plan?

A few months back I was in a critical state where I was worried whether I could land a job after college. Amid this recession and AI chaos, I was finally able to secure a job. Yes, It’s not my dream job, and yes the pay is very low. But your first job teaches you a lot of things. I am lucky that even being at the lowest tier (Ninja role at TCS) I got a full-stack java developer role rather than any support role. I will try to gain as much industrial experience and exposure as possible while at this company.

I am still in preparation for getting into my dream company Microsoft. I will try to keep you guys as updated as I can regarding my journey and Yes I am not quitting YouTube, I love sharing and making videos. Just I am trying to find out how can I fit it into my new normal routine.

My bigger plan is though not to be stuck in the corporate or what is known as MNCs like the company I am in right now and build something of my own using all the things that I have learned over the past. Let’s see where life takes me. You never know what awaits you tomorrow. But yet you need to live life to the fullest with the least amount of regret and full of fun until next time stay happy, keep learning, and keep coding, peace out.