Publicis Sapient 2026 aptitude
Quantitative, reasoning, and verbal drills with solutions
Publicis Sapient 2026 Pattern Details
Overview
This page collects Publicis Sapient 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 Publicis Sapient patterns and recent shifts.
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Publicis Sapient 2026 coding
DSA practice aligned to Publicis Sapient online assessments
Publicis Sapient interview experience
Round structure and tips from student reports
Publicis Sapient prep guide
Study plan and weekly schedule
Publicis Sapient 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
How many 9s are there between 1 and 100?
9,19,29,39,49,59,69,79,89,90-99 → 20 nines.
Reasoning
Find the next number: 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, ?
Prime numbers → 29.
Quantitative
The ratio of the ages of two persons is 4:3. After 6 years, the ratio becomes 9:7. What are their present ages?
Let present ages be 4x and 3x After 6 years: (4x + 6)/(3x + 6) = 9/7 7(4x + 6) = 9(3x + 6) 28x + 42 = 27x + 54 x = 12 Present ages: 4×12 = 48 years, 3×12 = 36 years
Reasoning
Statements: 1. Some cats are dogs, 2. All dogs are animals, 3. No animal is a bird
From statements 1 and 2: Some cats are animals (I follows) From statements 2 and 3: No dog is a bird (II follows) From I: Some animals are cats (III follows)
Quantitative
A number is first increased by 25% and then decreased by 20%. Find the net percentage change.
Let number = 100 After 25% increase: 100 + 25 = 125 After 20% decrease: 125 - 20% of 125 = 125 - 25 = 100 Net change = 0%
Reasoning
If South-East becomes North, North-East becomes West, then what does West become?
Directions rotate 135° anticlockwise; West → South-East.
Verbal
If the cost price of 20 articles is equal to the selling price of 15 articles, find the profit percentage.
Let CP of 1 article = ₹1 CP of 20 articles = ₹20 SP of 15 articles = ₹20 (given) SP of 1 article = ₹20/15 = ₹4/3 Profit = ₹4/3 - ₹1 = ₹1/3 Profit % = (1/3)/1 × 100 = 33.33%
Verbal
Fill in the blank: She _____ to the office every day by metro.
Third-person singular present tense takes "goes".
Verbal
Synonym of "Candid":
Candid means frank or straightforward.
Quantitative
In what ratio should water be mixed with milk costing ₹20 per liter to get a mixture worth ₹15 per liter?
Correct answer: 1:3
Quantitative
Identify the error: "Each of the students have submitted their assignments."
Correct answer: Subject-verb agreement error
Quantitative
The following table shows the sales of a company over 5 years. Find the average annual growth rate. | Year | Sales (in crores) | |------|-------------------| | 2020 | 100 | | 2021 | 120 | | 2022 | 150 | | 2023 | 180 | | 2024 | 200 |
Correct answer: 19.03%
Verbal
Problem: Find the antonym of "BRILLIANT": a) Bright b) Dull c) Shining d) Smart
Brilliant means very bright or intelligent, so "Dull" is the antonym.
Reasoning
Complete the series: AZ, BY, CX, ?
First letter +1, second −1 → DW.
Quantitative
The average of 5 numbers is 42. If one number 32 is removed, the new average is:
Sum = 210. New sum = 178. Average = 178/4 = 44.5.
Your score
0/15(0%)
Review
Publicis Sapient exam pattern 2026
| Section | What shows up | Prep focus |
|---|---|---|
| Aptitude / logical | Quant, reasoning, sometimes verbal | Timed sectional accuracy |
| Coding / programming logic | Easy-medium DSA or output-style MCQs | Handle tricky inputs |
| Technical interview | OOPs, DBMS, OS, projects | Explain aloud |
| HR | Fit, location, intent | A few real examples ready |
First round: Publicis Sapient Assessment
Skills emphasized: Coding, case thinking, communication
Languages: Java, JavaScript, Python
Sample Publicis Sapient questions with solutions
These are practice-style questions aligned to patterns students report for Publicis Sapient 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: Percentage recover
Problem: If 30% of a number is 150, what is the number?
Solution: 0.3x = 150 → x = 150 / 0.3 = 500.
Answer: 500
Q2: Average after replace
Problem: The average of five numbers is 20. One number 30 is replaced by 10. What is the new average?
Solution: Old sum = 5 × 20 = 100. New sum = 100 − 30 + 10 = 80. New average = 80 / 5 = 16.
Answer: 16
Q3: Series n(n+1)
Problem: Find the next term: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?
Solution: Pattern: 1×2, 2×3, 3×4, 4×5, 5×6, 6×7. Next = 6 × 7 = 42.
Answer: 42
Q4: Deck probability
Problem: What is the probability of drawing an ace from a standard 52-card deck?
Solution: There are 4 aces in 52 cards. Probability = 4/52 = 1/13.
Answer: 1/13
Q5: Net percent change
Problem: A number is increased by 20% and then decreased by 20%. What is the net percentage change?
Solution: Start with 100 → 120 → 96. Net change = 4% decrease. Formula: successive +a then −a gives −(a²/100)% = −4%.
Answer: 4% decrease
Q6: Consumption cut
Problem: If the price of an item rises by 25%, by what percent should consumption fall so that expenditure stays the same?
Solution: Required reduction = r/(100+r) × 100 with r = 25. = 25/125 × 100 = 20%.
Answer: 20%
Q7: Compound mark-discount
Problem: An article is marked 40% above cost and sold after a 10% discount. Find the profit percent.
Solution: SP = CP × 1.4 × 0.9 = 1.26 CP. Profit = 26%.
Answer: 26%
Q8: Loss to profit shift
Problem: An article sold at 10% loss would give 5% profit if sold for ₹60 more. Find the cost price.
Solution: 0.9P + 60 = 1.05P 60 = 0.15P P = 60 / 0.15 = ₹400.
Answer: ₹400
Logical reasoning (2026)
Q1: Odd one out
Problem: Find the odd one out: 3, 5, 7, 9, 11
Solution: 3, 5, 7, and 11 are prime. 9 = 3×3 is composite, so it is the odd one out.
Answer: 9
Q2: Coding letter shift
Problem: If CAT is coded as DBU, how is DOG coded in the same way?
Solution: Each letter moves +1 in the alphabet: C→D, A→B, T→U. D→E, O→P, G→H → EPH.
Answer: EPH
Q3: 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
Q4: 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
Coding practice (2026)
Coding Q1: 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
Publicis Sapient 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: 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
Publicis Sapient 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: 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
Publicis Sapient 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: 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
Publicis Sapient 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: 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
Publicis Sapient 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: 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
Publicis Sapient 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: 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
Publicis Sapient 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: Top K frequent elements
Problem: Given an integer array and an integer k, return the k most frequent elements. Order among equals can be arbitrary unless the problem says otherwise.
Approach: Count frequencies with a hash map, then use a heap of size k (or bucket sort by frequency) to extract the top k keys.
Complexity: O(n log k) with a heap
Publicis Sapient 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 Publicis Sapient
How the Publicis Sapient assessment usually feels
Students usually say the first round is time-tight - easy marks vanish if you sit too long on one hard question. For Publicis Sapient, skim the paper in a couple of minutes, mark what you can finish cleanly, and protect accuracy. Languages people commonly use: Java, JavaScript, Python.
Topic weight hints
| Area | Why it matters at Publicis Sapient |
|---|---|
| Coding | What usually helps you clear the first round |
| Core CS (OOPs / DBMS / OS) | Technical interview depth |
| Digital Business Transformation 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
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