How to prepare for TCS NQT in 30 days: a week-by-week plan

Last updated · By LogicWiz Team

Short answer: Spend weeks 1 and 2 on the Foundation topics (numerical, verbal and reasoning), week 3 on timed sectional sets plus Advanced aptitude and coding if you want Digital or Prime, and week 4 on full mocks and reviewing every mistake. Practise each sub-section on its own 25-minute clock, because prep sites report that you cannot go back to a finished section, and answer every question, because TCS iON says there is no negative marking.

This plan assumes you have about 2 to 3 hours a day for 30 days and that you have studied school-level maths. If you have less time, keep the order and shorten each day; if you have more, add a second timed set in the evening. LogicWiz is not affiliated with TCS, and the questions in our mocks are written by us in the style of the reported pattern.

What the TCS NQT looks like, as reported (Oct 2026)

TCS does not publish question counts or section timings for the NQT. These figures come from prep sites, as reported, Oct 2026 (checked on 20 October 2026).

Part What prep sites report Sources
Foundation 65 questions: 20 numerical, 25 verbal, 20 reasoning, each sub-section on its own 25-minute clock (75 minutes in all) FACE Prep (May 2026), FreshersHunt; PrepInsta gives verbal 26 minutes
Advanced aptitude About 15 harder quant and reasoning questions in 25 minutes FACE Prep, PrepInsta (14 to 16 questions), FreshersHunt
Advanced coding 2 or 3 problems in 90 minutes on most sites, 55 minutes on FreshersHunt FACE Prep (3 problems), PrepInsta and FreshersHunt (2 problems)
Total About 190 minutes on most sites, about 155 on FreshersHunt as above

What TCS iON states on its own National Qualifier Test page: there is no negative marking, the test is held in-centre at TCS iON authorised centres, it is in English, and the score is valid for two years from the result date. The instructions for your own drive are the pattern that counts. For the full side-by-side comparison of sources, read TCS NQT pattern 2026: what every source agrees on.

Prep sites also report that the Foundation score decides Ninja roles, while Digital and Prime also depend on the Advanced section. TCS has not published that breakdown itself.

Before day 1: take a baseline mock

Sit one full free TCS NQT Foundation mock cold, with no preparation. It takes 75 minutes, needs no account, and ends with solutions and a percentile. Write down your score in each sub-section. The weakest one gets the most time in weeks 1 and 2.

Week 1 (days 1 to 7): numerical ability and verbal basics

Numerical ability is mostly arithmetic, and it rewards speed. Spend about two thirds of each day here.

Every day, add 30 minutes of verbal: one reading comprehension passage under a timer, plus a set of error spotting or sentence completion. Reading speed is the part of verbal that improves slowly, so start it early.

Week 2 (days 8 to 14): reasoning and the rest of numerical

Keep the 30 minutes of verbal going, adding para jumbles. Arrangement puzzles take the longest in reasoning, so practise deciding within 20 seconds whether to attempt one now or come back to it.

If you are targeting Digital or Prime, start coding this week as well: pick one language (C, C++, Java or Python), and solve one easy array or string problem a day. The free DSA problems on LogicWiz run in the browser and judge your code.

Week 3 (days 15 to 21): timed sections, Advanced aptitude and coding

Now practise the way the test is timed.

  • Every day, do at least one 25-minute sectional set for your weakest sub-section. Use a two-pass approach: answer everything you can do in under a minute, then return to the slower ones before the clock ends.
  • Days 15, 17 and 19: the TCS NQT-style Advanced aptitude mock or harder sets from the quant and reasoning topics above.
  • Days 16, 18 and 20: two coding problems a day, timed at 45 minutes each. FACE Prep reports that Prime needs at least one fully solved problem, so finish one problem completely before polishing another.
  • Day 21: review. Go through every question you got wrong in weeks 1 to 3 and redo it without looking at the solution.

If you are aiming only for Ninja, spend the coding time on more Foundation sectional sets instead.

Week 4 (days 22 to 30): full mocks and review

  • Days 22, 24, 26 and 28: a full Foundation mock. The free Spark plan includes 1 full mock test a day, so you can sit one whenever you need.
  • Days 23, 25, 27 and 29: review the previous day's mock. For each wrong answer, write one line: the topic, why it went wrong (concept, careless, ran out of time) and the fix. Then practise that topic for 30 minutes.
  • Day 30: light revision of formulas and your mistake notes only. Check your centre address, ID and admit card, and sleep early.

If you want a plan that adapts to your weak topics and exam date, the free personal study plan builds one for you, and the Daily 10 is a quick warm-up on busy days. For formulas and the order to learn every aptitude topic, see aptitude preparation for placements.

On the day: three rules that come from the pattern

  1. Answer every question. TCS iON says there is no negative marking, so a guess can only help. In the last minute of each sub-section, fill every blank.
  2. Treat each sub-section as its own test. Time you save in numerical does not carry over to verbal, so use spare minutes to recheck answers in the same sub-section.
  3. Leave the slowest questions, not the hardest-looking ones. A long reasoning arrangement can cost five minutes; three short series questions cost two.

After the test: the interview

If you clear the test, TCS invites you to interview. Weekday describes a technical round on your projects, one programming language and subjects such as DBMS and operating systems, a managerial round mostly for Digital and Prime, and an HR round, as reported, Oct 2026. Start preparing your project explanation and your answer to "tell me about yourself" during week 4, not after the result. The HR interview questions for freshers guide has sample answers, and you can rehearse out loud with a free AI mock interview.

Frequently asked questions

Is 30 days enough to prepare for TCS NQT?

For the Foundation section, 30 days of steady practice is enough for most students who already know school maths, because it is mostly arithmetic, verbal and reasoning at a moderate level. If you also want Digital or Prime and have never coded, 30 days is tight for the coding part, so start coding in week 2 and focus on solving one problem fully.

Is there negative marking in TCS NQT?

No. TCS iON's own NQT page says there is no negative marking, and every prep site we checked agrees. Attempt every question.

How many questions are in TCS NQT Foundation?

Prep sites report 65 questions: 20 numerical ability, 25 verbal ability and 20 reasoning ability, each on its own 25-minute timer, as reported, Oct 2026. TCS does not publish these counts itself.

Can I go back to a previous section in TCS NQT?

Prep sites report that you cannot. Each sub-section has its own timer and closes when it ends. Within a sub-section you can usually revisit questions.

Which topics are most important for TCS NQT numerical ability?

Prep sites consistently list percentages, profit and loss, ratios, time and work, speed and distance, simple and compound interest, averages and basic data interpretation. Start with these.

Is the TCS NQT mock on LogicWiz free?

Yes. You can start it without an account, and the free Spark plan includes 1 full mock test a day, with solutions and a percentile. The questions are written by LogicWiz in the reported style and are not real TCS questions.