Zerodha 2026 aptitude
Quantitative, reasoning, and verbal drills with solutions
Zerodha 2026 Pattern Details
Overview
This page collects Zerodha 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 Zerodha patterns and recent shifts.
Download / jump links
Zerodha 2026 coding
DSA practice aligned to Zerodha online assessments
Zerodha interview experience
Round structure and tips from student reports
Zerodha prep guide
Study plan and weekly schedule
Zerodha 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
Quantitative
If Thursday was the day after the day before yesterday five days ago, what is the least number of days ago when Sunday was three days before the day after tomorrow?
Correct answer: Requires careful day calculation (typically 2-4 days ago)
Quantitative
If the sum of the first 50 natural numbers is S, what is the value of S?
Sum of first n natural numbers = n(n + 1)/2 For n = 50: S = 50 × 51 / 2 = 1275
Reasoning
Series: 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, ?
Perfect squares → 36.
Verbal
Problem: Choose the correct sentence: a) She likes reading, writing, and to dance b) She likes reading, writing, and dancing c) She likes to read, writing, and dancing
Parallel structure requires same form: all gerunds or all infinitives. Option b maintains parallelism with all gerunds.
Quantitative
The average of 6 numbers is 25. If one number is 30, what is the average of the remaining 5 numbers?
Correct answer: 24
Reasoning
If in a certain code, FLOOR is written as EKNQQ, how is TABLE written?
Each letter −1: T→S, A→Z, B→A, L→K, E→D → SZAKD.
Verbal
Choose the correct form: "Neither the teacher nor the students _____ present."
Correct answer: were
Quantitative
A mixture contains milk and water in the ratio 5:3. If 10 liters of water is added, the ratio becomes 5:4. Find the quantity of milk in the mixture.
Let milk = 5x, water = 3x After adding 10 liters water: Milk = 5x, Water = 3x + 10 Ratio: 5x/(3x + 10) = 5/4 20x = 5(3x + 10) 20x = 15x + 50 5x = 50 x = 10 Quantity of milk = 5x = 5 × 10 = 50 liters
Reasoning
All cats are dogs. Some dogs are rats. Conclusions: I. Some cats are rats. II. Some rats are dogs.
II follows from "some dogs are rats". I does not necessarily follow.
Reasoning
How many 9s are there between 1 and 100?
9,19,29,39,49,59,69,79,89,90-99 → 20 nines.
Verbal
A bouquet of flowers _____ on the table.
Bouquet is singular.
Quantitative
If "CAT" is coded as "3120", "DOG" is coded as "4157", then how is "RAT" coded?
Pattern analysis: - C = 3, A = 1, T = 20 → "3120" - D = 4, O = 15, G = 7 → "4157" Pattern: Position of letter in alphabet For "RAT": - R = 18 - A = 1 - T = 20
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
Reasoning
If P means +, Q means −, R means ×, then 18 R 2 P 6 Q 4 = ?
18 × 2 + 6 − 4 = 36 + 6 − 4 = 38.
Verbal
There are two pipes in a tank. Pipe A is for filling the tank and pipe B is for emptying the tank. If A can fill the tank in 10 hours and B can empty the tank in 15 hours then find how many hours will it take to completely fill a half empty tank?
Correct answer: 15 hours
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Zerodha exam pattern 2026
| Section | What shows up | Prep focus |
|---|---|---|
| Online assessment | Coding and/or MCQ filter | Weekly timed mocks |
| Technical rounds | DSA, CS fundamentals, projects | Live problem solving |
| HR / hiring manager | Motivation and communication | Specific, evidence-based answers |
First round: Zerodha Assignment / Interviews
Skills emphasized: DSA, systems, markets curiosity
Languages: Go, Python, JavaScript
Sample Zerodha questions with solutions
These are practice-style questions aligned to patterns students report for Zerodha 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: Boat upstream
Problem: A boat’s speed in still water is 15 km/h and the stream is 3 km/h. How long to cover 36 km upstream?
Solution: Upstream speed = 15 − 3 = 12 km/h. Time = 36 / 12 = 3 hours.
Answer: 3 hours
Q2: Mixture milk
Problem: A mixture has milk and water in the ratio 4:1. If 5 litres of water are added to 20 litres of mixture, what is the new milk:water ratio?
Solution: In 20 L: milk = 16 L, water = 4 L. After adding 5 L water: milk 16, water 9. Ratio = 16:9.
Answer: 16:9
Q3: CI vs SI hint
Problem: Find compound interest on ₹10,000 at 10% per annum for 2 years, compounded annually.
Solution: Amount = 10000 × (1.1)² = 10000 × 1.21 = ₹12,100. CI = 12100 − 10000 = ₹2100. (SI for same period would be ₹2000; the extra ₹100 is interest on first-year interest.)
Answer: ₹2100
Q4: Clock angle
Problem: What is the angle between the hour and minute hands at 3:00?
Solution: At 3:00 the hands are exactly 90° apart (one quarter of the circle).
Answer: 90°
Q5: 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
Q6: 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
Q7: 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
Q8: 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
Coding practice (2026)
Coding Q1: Rotate array
Problem: Rotate an array to the right by k steps. Example: [1,2,3,4,5,6,7], k = 3 → [5,6,7,1,2,3,4].
Approach: Normalize k %= n. Reverse the whole array, reverse the first k elements, then reverse the rest. That yields the rotation in place.
Complexity: O(n) time, O(1) space
Zerodha 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: First unique character
Problem: Find the first non-repeating character in a string and return its index, or -1 if none exists.
Approach: Count frequencies in one pass (hash map or array of 26 for lowercase). Second pass returns the first index with count 1.
Complexity: O(n) time
Zerodha 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: 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
Zerodha 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: 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
Zerodha 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: 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
Zerodha 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: 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
Zerodha 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: 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
Zerodha 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: 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
Zerodha 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 Zerodha
How the Zerodha assignment / interviews usually feels
Students usually say the first round is time-tight - easy marks vanish if you sit too long on one hard question. For Zerodha, skim the paper in a couple of minutes, mark what you can finish cleanly, and protect accuracy. Languages people commonly use: Go, Python, JavaScript.
Topic weight hints
| Area | Why it matters at Zerodha |
|---|---|
| DSA | What usually helps you clear the first round |
| Core CS (OOPs / DBMS / OS) | Technical interview depth |
| Discount Brokerage, FinTech 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