BARC 2026 aptitude
Quantitative, reasoning, and verbal drills with solutions
BARC 2026 Pattern Details
Overview
This page collects BARC placement papers from 2026 with practice questions, worked solutions, and the exam pattern students reported that cycle. Use it when you want drive history: what the first round looked like, which topics repeated, and how to approach solutions. Work the sets below under a timer, then compare with newer material so your prep matches both established BARC patterns and recent shifts.
Download / jump links
BARC 2026 coding
DSA practice aligned to BARC online assessments
BARC interview experience
Round structure and tips from student reports
BARC prep guide
Study plan and weekly schedule
BARC Aptitude Mock Quiz
Timed placement-style MCQs with score and explanations after you submit. Use it to check speed and accuracy before the real test.
Questions15
Time10 min
Reasoning
If letter positions are summed (A=1…Z=26), TEAM equals:
Sum of positions = 39.
Quantitative
A is twice as efficient as B. Together they complete a work in 12 days. In how many days will A alone complete it?
Let B's efficiency = 1 unit/day A's efficiency = 2 units/day Together: 1 + 2 = 3 units/day Total work = 3 × 12 = 36 units A alone: 36 / 2 = 18 days
Verbal
The idiom "add fuel to the fire" means:
It means: make a situation worse.
Verbal
Choose correct: The news _____ good.
"News" is singular → is.
Quantitative
The LCM of 12 and 18 is:
LCM(12,18) = 36.
Reasoning
Find next number: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, ?
Pattern: Prime numbers in sequence 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13... Next: 13
Reasoning
Number Series - 37, 47, 58, ?, 79, 95
Correct answer: 70
Verbal
One who loves books is a:
Bibliophile = lover of books.
Reasoning
In a row of 40 students, A is 11th from left. Rank from right is:
From right = 40 − 11 + 1 = 30.
Verbal
"She was _____ by the beautiful sunset."
Past tense passive voice requires past participle "amazed".
Quantitative
Find x: 3x + 7 = 22
3x = 15 → x = 5.
Quantitative
The ratio of savings to current account deposits in a bank is 3:5. If the total deposits are ₹800,000, find the savings account deposits.
Correct answer: ₹300,000
Quantitative
The next term in AP 7, 10, 13, 16, … is:
Common difference = 3 → next = 19.
Quantitative
If "INFOSYS" is coded as "SYFOSNI", how is "SYSTEM" coded?
Pattern: Letters are reversed INFOSYS → SYFOSNI (reversed) SYSTEM → METSYS (reversed)
Reasoning
In a row of 40 students, A is 11th from left and B is 31st from right. How many between A and B?
B from left = 40−31+1 = 10th. A is 11th. They are adjacent → 0 between.
Your score
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BARC exam pattern 2026
| Section | What shows up | Prep focus |
|---|---|---|
| Technical / domain | Syllabus aligned to the notification | Topic checklist |
| Aptitude | Quant + reasoning | Speed with accuracy |
| Interview | Subject depth + projects | Clear fundamentals |
First round: BARC OCES/DGFS
Skills emphasized: GATE/exam technical depth
Languages: Scientific computing roles vary
Sample BARC questions with solutions
These are practice-style questions aligned to patterns students report for BARC drives around 2026. They are not leaked live papers. Work them timed, then read the solutions only after you have an answer.
Quantitative aptitude (2026)
Q1: Permutation basic
Problem: In how many ways can 5 different books be arranged on a shelf?
Solution: Arrangements of 5 distinct items = 5! = 120.
Answer: 120
Q2: Consecutive integers
Problem: If the sum of three consecutive integers is 72, what is the smallest of these integers?
Solution: Let the integers be x, x+1, and x+2.
x + (x+1) + (x+2) = 72 3x + 3 = 72 3x = 69 x = 23
So the integers are 23, 24, and 25.
Answer: 23
Q3: Train and pole
Problem: A train 150 meters long passes a pole in 15 seconds. What is its speed in km/h?
Solution: Distance = 150 m = 0.15 km. Time = 15 s = 15/3600 h = 1/240 h. Speed = 0.15 ÷ (1/240) = 0.15 × 240 = 36 km/h.
Faster check: 150/15 = 10 m/s → 10 × 18/5 = 36 km/h.
Answer: 36 km/h
Q4: Profit on a pen
Problem: If the cost price of a pen is ₹40 and it is sold at a 25% profit, what is the selling price?
Solution: Profit = 25% of 40 = ₹10. Selling price = 40 + 10 = ₹50.
Or SP = CP × 1.25 = 40 × 1.25 = ₹50.
Answer: ₹50
Q5: A and B together
Problem: A can finish a job in 10 days and B in 20 days. How long will they take working together?
Solution: A’s one-day work = 1/10. B’s one-day work = 1/20. Together = 1/10 + 1/20 = 3/20 per day. Time = 20/3 ≈ 6.67 days (6 days 16 hours).
Answer: 20/3 days
Q6: Sum of naturals
Problem: What is the sum of the first 50 natural numbers?
Solution: Sum of first n naturals = n(n+1)/2. For n = 50: 50 × 51 / 2 = 1275.
Answer: 1275
Q7: Average speed
Problem: A person covers a distance at 60 km/h and returns at 40 km/h. What is the average speed for the whole trip?
Solution: For equal distances, average speed = 2ab/(a+b). = 2×60×40 / (60+40) = 4800/100 = 48 km/h.
Do not take the arithmetic mean (50); that would be wrong here.
Answer: 48 km/h
Q8: Marked price discount
Problem: A shopkeeper marks goods 20% above cost and then gives a 10% discount. What is the profit percentage?
Solution: Let CP = ₹100. Marked price = ₹120. Discount = 10% of 120 = ₹12. SP = 120 − 12 = ₹108. Profit % = 8%.
Answer: 8%
Logical reasoning (2026)
Q1: Blood relation
Problem: Pointing to a photograph, Ravi says, ‘She is the daughter of my mother’s only son.’ How is the girl related to Ravi?
Solution: Ravi’s mother’s only son is Ravi himself (assuming one son). The girl is therefore Ravi’s daughter.
Answer: Daughter
Q2: Syllogism
Problem: Statements: All engineers are graduates. Some graduates are managers. Conclusion: Some engineers are managers. Does it follow?
Solution: The ‘some graduates’ who are managers need not overlap with the engineers. The conclusion does not follow necessarily.
Answer: Does not follow
Q3: Direction turn
Problem: A person walks 5 km north, then 3 km east, then 5 km south. How far is he from the start, and in which direction?
Solution: North 5 and south 5 cancel. He is 3 km east of the start.
Answer: 3 km east
Q4: Series multiply
Problem: Find the next number: 3, 9, 27, 81, ?
Solution: Each term is multiplied by 3. Next = 81 × 3 = 243.
Answer: 243
Coding practice (2026)
Coding Q1: Stack with min
Problem: Design a stack that supports push, pop, top, and getMin in average O(1) time.
Approach: Keep a parallel min-stack (or store pairs). When pushing, also push the new minimum. When popping, pop both stacks.
Complexity: O(1) per operation amortized
BARC tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q2: Maximum subarray sum (Kadane)
Problem: Given an integer array, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum and return that sum. Example: [-2,1,-3,4,-1,2,1,-5,4] → 6 (from [4,-1,2,1]).
Approach: Keep a running sum. If the running sum drops below 0, reset it to 0 before taking the next element (or track the best ending-here value). Track the global maximum as you scan once from left to right.
Complexity: O(n) time, O(1) extra space
BARC tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q3: Reverse a string in place
Problem: Given a mutable character array representing a string, reverse it in place without allocating another array of the same size.
Approach: Use two pointers at the start and end. Swap characters, then move inward until the pointers meet. Watch empty and single-character inputs.
Complexity: O(n) time, O(1) extra space
BARC tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q4: Check prime
Problem: Write a function that returns true if n is prime and false otherwise. Handle n < 2 correctly.
Approach: Return false for n < 2. Trial-divide from 2 to floor(sqrt(n)). If any divisor divides n evenly, it is composite; otherwise prime.
Complexity: O(√n) time
BARC tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q5: Valid parentheses
Problem: Given a string containing only ‘()[]’, decide whether the brackets are balanced and correctly nested.
Approach: Scan left to right with a stack. Push opening brackets. On a closing bracket, the stack top must be the matching opener. At the end the stack must be empty.
Complexity: O(n) time, O(n) space
BARC tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q6: Two Sum
Problem: Given an array of integers and a target, return indices of two numbers that add up to the target. Assume exactly one solution and you may not use the same element twice.
Approach: Walk the array once. For each value x, check whether target − x was seen earlier in a hash map of value → index. If yes, return both indices; else store x.
Complexity: O(n) time, O(n) space
BARC tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q7: Longest substring without repeating characters
Problem: Given a string s, find the length of the longest substring without repeating characters. Example: ‘abcabcbb’ → 3 (‘abc’).
Approach: Sliding window with a map (or last-seen index) of characters. Expand the right pointer; when a duplicate appears inside the window, move the left pointer past the previous occurrence.
Complexity: O(n) time
BARC tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q8: Merge overlapping intervals
Problem: Given a list of intervals [start, end], merge all overlapping intervals and return the non-overlapping set that covers the same ranges.
Approach: Sort by start time. Walk once, merging into the last interval in the result when the next start is ≤ current end; otherwise append a new interval.
Complexity: O(n log n) time from the sort
BARC tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Deep prep notes for BARC
How the BARC oces/dgfs usually feels
Students usually say the first round is time-tight - easy marks vanish if you sit too long on one hard question. For BARC, skim the paper in a couple of minutes, mark what you can finish cleanly, and protect accuracy. Languages people commonly use: Scientific computing roles vary.
Topic weight hints
| Area | Why it matters at BARC |
|---|---|
| GATE/exam technical depth | What usually helps you clear the first round |
| Core CS (OOPs / DBMS / OS) | Technical interview depth |
| Nuclear Research awareness | Helps in managerial / HR conversations |
| Communication | Explain your approach clearly; keep a few real examples ready for HR |
14-Day sprint
- Days 1-3: Learn the 2026 pattern and take two sectional mocks
- Days 4-7: Closed practice on weak topics from your error log
- Days 8-10: Full mocks every other day; review the same day
- Days 11-14: Practice explaining projects out loud, light revision, sleep and IDs ready