Placement Aptitude Questions & Shortcuts (2026): What to Practise

Updated August 2026

Every mass-recruiter exam starts with aptitude, and sectional cutoffs mean a weak aptitude section ends your attempt before your coding is even seen.

The syllabus across TCS NQT, Infosys, Wipro NTH and Cognizant overlaps almost completely — prepare once, clear all four.

Frequently asked questions

Percentages: a number increased by 20% then decreased by 20% — net change?

Net = -4% (successive change formula: a + b + ab/100 = 20 - 20 - 4). Memorize this formula; it appears constantly in profit-loss and DI too.

Time & work: A does a job in 12 days, B in 18. Together?

7.2 days. Use LCM method: take work = 36 units, A does 3/day, B does 2/day, together 5/day → 36/5. LCM beats fractions for speed.

Trains: a 150 m train at 54 km/h crosses a bridge in 30 s. Bridge length?

54 km/h = 15 m/s; distance = 15 × 30 = 450 m; bridge = 450 - 150 = 300 m. Convert km/h to m/s by multiplying 5/18 — instantly.

Probability: two dice — probability the sum is 9?

4/36 = 1/9. Favourable: (3,6),(4,5),(5,4),(6,3). Dice-sum counts follow the pattern 1,2,3,4,5,6,5,4,3,2,1 for sums 2–12.

Series: 3, 7, 15, 31, 63, ?

127. Each term is 2n+1 of the previous. Check differences first (4, 8, 16, 32 — doubling) — differences reveal most series in one step.

Blood relations: "Pointing to a photo, Ram says: her mother is my mother's only daughter."

My mother's only daughter = Ram's sister (or Ram herself if female — note the trap). The photo is Ram's sister's daughter → his niece. Draw the tree; never solve relations in your head.

Ages: father is 3× son's age; in 12 years he will be 2×. Present ages?

Son 12, father 36. Set son = x: 3x + 12 = 2(x + 12) → x = 12. Age problems are one-variable equations — resist taking two variables.

Data interpretation: what should I practise?

Bar + pie combination sets with percentage questions. DI is 3–5 marks in every exam and is pure calculation speed — practise fraction-to-percentage conversions (1/8 = 12.5%, 1/6 ≈ 16.7%…) until instant.

How to prepare

• Sectional timing means accuracy beats coverage: 20 correct out of 24 attempted beats 22 correct out of 30.
• Maintain one error notebook; before each mock, re-solve only your past mistakes. This is the single highest-return habit.
• Learn tables to 20, squares to 30, cubes to 15, and the fraction-percentage table — they cut 20–30% off your solve time.

Where these questions get asked

• TCS NQT guide and Infosys hiring guide — the two biggest exams these questions appear in.
• All company placement guides — pattern, syllabus and rounds for every mass recruiter.