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Cognizant Previous Year Question Papers PDF with Solutions (GenC, Pro, Next)

Cognizant previous year question papers are practice sets in the GenC online assessment pattern: aptitude, verbal and reasoning for every candidate, plus coding for GenC Pro and GenC Next. Students report the 2025-2026 shape as Aptitude 16 questions, Verbal 25 and Reasoning 16, each in 25 minutes, and 2 coding problems in 45 minutes for the higher tracks. This page has worked questions for 2024, 2025 and 2026, and the full 2026 set is a free PDF.

Cognizant exam pattern by role / drive

All numbers are candidate-reported from 2025-2026 GenC drives. Platforms named include AMCAT, Mercer Mettl and Cognizant portals, and the mix changes by college and role. Negative marking is not commonly reported.

Section Questions Time GenC GenC Pro GenC Next
Aptitude 16 25 min Yes Yes Yes
Verbal 25 25 min Yes Yes Yes
Reasoning 16 25 min Yes Yes Yes
Coding 2 problems 45 min No Yes Yes
Technical assessment (Skill Cluster) Varies by drive Varies by drive Lighter or skipped Yes Yes, with skill depth

How papers map to tracks. You do not apply for a track. Cognizant maps your performance, academics and certifications into one:

  • GenC: clear the three 25-minute sections cleanly. Practise the aptitude, verbal and reasoning questions below.
  • GenC Pro: add a strong coding window. Practise the coding questions in every year set.
  • GenC Next: meet the CGPA floor your drive lists (the hub notes 70% or 7.0+ in reports) and show top coding and skill signal. Practise the SQL and coding questions, and the Skill Cluster topics.

The 2024 and 2025 year pages describe an older role-based split (aptitude plus technical MCQs plus coding, 90 to 150 minutes by role, with a GenC Elevate tier). Treat that as one drive’s shape. The pattern varies by drive, so follow your invite.

Some 2025-2026 drives also add a listen-and-repeat communication stage and an AI bot interview. Those are not in the written papers, so practise them separately.

Year-wise question sets

Every question below is new and written in that year’s reported style, so it adds to the year pages instead of repeating them.

Cognizant 2026 question paper (GenC timers + Skill Cluster)

2026 keeps the GenC timers and adds more Skill Cluster technical assessments, with Cluster 1 (Java, SQL, HTML, CSS, JS) as the usual default. Some drives put an AI bot interview before HR. Verbal timing is still where most candidates lose the paper.

Q: Aptitude. A product sold 1,200 units in January, 25% more in February, and 10% fewer in March than in February. By what percent are March sales higher than January?

February = 1,200 × 1.25 = 1,500.

March = 1,500 × 0.9 = 1,350.

Change from January = 150 / 1,200 = 12.5%.

Answer: 12.5%

Q: Verbal. Choose the word that fits: “Despite repeated reminders, he remained ____ about submitting the documents.” (a) indifferent (b) diligent (c) eager (d) prompt

“Despite repeated reminders” signals that he did not act. Only “indifferent” carries that meaning. The other three describe someone who would have acted.

Answer: (a) indifferent

Q: Reasoning. Statement: “The company has asked all employees to finish a cyber-security course by March.” Assumption I: Some employees may not know current security practices. Assumption II: All employees already follow every security practice. Which is implicit?

A training mandate only makes sense if some people lack the knowledge, so I is implicit. II contradicts the reason for the course.

Answer: Only I is implicit

Q: Skill Cluster SQL. Tables Employees(id, name, dept_id) and Departments(id, dept_name). List each department name with more than 5 employees.

Join, group, then filter the groups with HAVING (WHERE cannot filter on an aggregate):

SELECT d.dept_name, COUNT(e.id) AS headcount
FROM Departments d
JOIN Employees e ON e.dept_id = d.id
GROUP BY d.id, d.dept_name
HAVING COUNT(e.id) > 5;

Answer: the query above. Grouping by d.id as well as the name keeps two departments with the same name apart.

Q: Coding (Pro / Next). Return the index of the first non-repeating character in a string, or -1. Example: “swiss” gives 1 (the ‘w’).

Count every character in one pass, then scan again for the first count of 1. Python:

from collections import Counter


def first_unique(s):
    count = Counter(s)
    for i, ch in enumerate(s):
        if count[ch] == 1:
            return i
    return -1


print(first_unique(input().strip()))

Answer: O(n) time, O(k) space for k distinct characters. “swiss” returns 1, “aabb” returns -1.

Full 2026 notes: Cognizant 2026 pattern details.

Cognizant 2025 question paper (16/25/16 shape)

2025 kept the 16/25/16 sectional shape. More write-ups mention communication assessments and cluster-locked technical papers. The year page also notes partial marking in coding and sectional cutoffs, so a weak section can sink a good total.

Q: Aptitude. What is the difference between compound interest and simple interest on ₹10,000 at 10% per year for 2 years?

SI = 10,000 × 10 × 2 / 100 = 2,000.

CI = 10,000 × 1.1² - 10,000 = 12,100 - 10,000 = 2,100.

Difference = 100. Shortcut for 2 years: P × (r/100)² = 10,000 × 0.01 = 100.

Answer: ₹100

Q: Aptitude. Pipe A fills a tank in 20 minutes and pipe B in 30 minutes. Pipe C empties it in 15 minutes. If all three are opened together on an empty tank, how long until it is full?

Net rate = 1/20 + 1/30 - 1/15 = 3/60 + 2/60 - 4/60 = 1/60 of the tank per minute.

Answer: 60 minutes

Q: Aptitude. Two fair dice are rolled. What is the probability that the sum is 8?

Pairs that sum to 8: (2,6), (3,5), (4,4), (5,3), (6,2). That is 5 out of 36.

Answer: 5/36

Q: Reasoning. Ravi walks 5 km north, turns right and walks 3 km, then turns right and walks 9 km. How far is he from the start, and in which direction?

North 5, then east 3, then south 9. Net: 3 km east and 4 km south.

Distance = √(3² + 4²) = 5 km.

Answer: 5 km, south-east of the start

Q: Coding (Pro / Next). Count the pairs (i < j) in an array whose sum equals K. Example: [1, 5, 7, -1, 5], K = 6 gives 3.

Walk the array once. For each value x, the number of earlier values equal to K - x is the number of new pairs. Java:

import java.util.*;


public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Scanner sc = new Scanner(System.in);
        int n = sc.nextInt();
        long k = sc.nextLong();
        Map<Long, Integer> seen = new HashMap<>();
        long pairs = 0;
        for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            long x = sc.nextLong();
            pairs += seen.getOrDefault(k - x, 0);
            seen.merge(x, 1, Integer::sum);
        }
        System.out.println(pairs);
    }
}

Answer: O(n) time and O(n) space. The pairs in the example are (1,5), (1,5) and (7,-1), so 3. A nested-loop O(n²) version may pass only some test cases, which still earns partial marks.

Full 2025 set: Cognizant 2025 papers.

Cognizant 2024 question paper (three-section GenC spine)

In 2024 the three-section aptitude spine was already the core of the paper, and coding was what separated the higher tracks. Technical MCQs on programming, DBMS, OOPs, SQL and OS showed up in the role-based papers.

Q: Reasoning. Find the next term: 3, 8, 15, 24, 35, ?

The differences are 5, 7, 9, 11, so the next difference is 13. Or note each term is n² - 1 for n = 2, 3, 4 and so on.

35 + 13 = 48.

Answer: 48

Q: Reasoning. If COMPUTER is written as DPNQVUFS, how is GENC written?

Each letter moves one step forward: C→D, O→P and so on. So G→H, E→F, N→O, C→D.

Answer: HFOD

Q: Aptitude. The average of 5 numbers is 42. When one number is removed, the average of the rest is 40. Which number was removed?

Total of 5 = 5 × 42 = 210. Total of 4 = 4 × 40 = 160.

Removed = 210 - 160 = 50.

Answer: 50

Q: Technical MCQ. A subclass gives its own version of a method already defined in the parent class, with the same signature. What is this called? (a) Overloading (b) Overriding (c) Encapsulation (d) Abstraction

Same name and same signature in a child class is overriding, resolved at runtime. Overloading is the same name with different parameters in the same class.

Answer: (b) Overriding (runtime polymorphism)

Q: Coding. Check whether two lowercase strings are anagrams. Example: “listen” and “silent” give YES.

Count letters up for the first string and down for the second. Every count must end at zero. C++:

#include <bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;


int main() {
    string a, b;
    cin >> a >> b;
    if (a.size() != b.size()) { cout << "NO"; return 0; }
    int cnt[26] = {0};
    for (char c : a) cnt[c - 'a']++;
    for (char c : b) cnt[c - 'a']--;
    for (int x : cnt) if (x != 0) { cout << "NO"; return 0; }
    cout << "YES";
    return 0;
}

Answer: O(n) time, O(1) space (26 counters). Sorting both strings also works in O(n log n).

Full 2024 set: Cognizant 2024 papers.

Section-wise topics that repeat

Cognizant repeats question families more than exact questions. If you can finish a 2024 or 2025 set cleanly under the GenC timers, a 2026 paper feels familiar even when the coding prompt is new.

Section Topics that keep coming back How many Qs
Aptitude Percentages, ratios, time and work, number systems, interest, pipes, probability, DI tables 16
Verbal Reading comprehension that eats time, sentence completion, grammar and error spotting 25
Reasoning Coding-decoding, series, critical reasoning (statement and assumption), arrangements, direction sense, data sufficiency 16
Coding (Pro / Next) Medium array and string work, hashing, light data structures. First-submit correctness matters 2
Technical (Skill Cluster) OOP, SQL joins and grouping, DBMS, OS, HTML/CSS/JS basics for Cluster 1 Varies by drive

The trap in every year is the same. Quant is rarely hard, but Verbal at 25 questions in 25 minutes leaves about one minute per question, and a single long RC passage can eat 10 minutes.

How to use one paper in a timed sitting

  1. Run Aptitude for 25 minutes on 16 questions. That is about 90 seconds each. Skip any DI set that stalls and come back.
  2. Run Verbal for 25 minutes on 25 questions. Hold a hard one-minute budget. Read the RC questions before the passage.
  3. Run Reasoning for 25 minutes on 16 questions. Skip sticky arrangements on the first pass.
  4. If you are aiming for GenC Pro or GenC Next, take a short break and then run 2 coding problems in 45 minutes. Get one full pass on the first problem before you touch the second.
  5. Score it, then write five lines: did Verbal finish, which quant topic slowed you, one full AC or two partials, which Skill Cluster topic you would fail cold, and your 45-second Why Cognizant answer.
  6. Repeat with the next year’s set. Three reviewed papers beat ten skimmed ones.

FAQs

Is there a Cognizant previous year question paper PDF?

Yes. The free Cognizant 2026 placement paper PDF is here, and the 2024, 2025 and 2026 year pages carry more solved questions. They are practice sets rebuilt from candidate reports in the GenC pattern, not official or leaked papers.

What is the Cognizant GenC exam pattern?

Candidate-reported for 2025-2026 GenC drives: Aptitude 16 questions in 25 minutes, Verbal 25 questions in 25 minutes and Reasoning 16 questions in 25 minutes for everyone, plus 2 coding problems in 45 minutes for GenC Pro and GenC Next consideration. Platforms and mixes vary by drive.

Which papers should I practise for GenC Pro or GenC Next?

Do the same aptitude, verbal and reasoning sets as GenC, then add timed coding: 2 medium array, string or hashing problems in 45 minutes. GenC Next also needs the CGPA floor the drive lists and skill-cluster depth, so add SQL and Java practice for Skill Cluster 1. See GenC Pro and GenC Next.

Is there negative marking in the Cognizant online assessment?

Negative marking is not commonly reported for the Cognizant GenC assessment, so attempt every question. Check the instructions screen on the day.

Which Cognizant paper year should I start with?

Start with 2024 for the core aptitude and reasoning families, then 2025 for compound interest, pipes, probability and medium coding, and finish with the 2026 PDF as a full timed run under the 16/25, 25/25, 16/25 GenC timers.

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