Cognizant Assessments

Prepare for the Cognizant recruitment process with tailor-made practice materials.

Getting A Job At Cognizant

Founded in 1994, Cognizant is a global consultancy firm providing clients with digital transformation services and IT solutions. It employs some 318,000 people worldwide, with offices across North and South America, Europe, India, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

A leading name in innovation for the digital age, Cognizant's services include:

  • Artificial intelligence
  • Business process services
  • Software product engineering
  • Intelligent process automation
  • Digital strategy
  • Quality engineering and assurance
  • Cloud enablement

It provides these services to clients across a broad range of industries, such as:

  • Banking
  • Education
  • Consumer goods
  • Retail
  • Manufacturing
  • Healthcare
  • Travel and hospitality

The diversity and depth of Cognizant's operations present an exciting opportunity for those looking to launch or progress a career in the world of tech.

Cognizant Values

Cognizant works by a set of core values that define its culture, and how its people work together to deliver results. These values are:

  • Start with a point of view
  • Seek data, build knowledge
  • Always strive, never settle
  • Work as one
  • Create conditions for everyone to thrive
  • Do the right thing, the right way

As an aspiring Cognizant employee, it's important that you demonstrate these values throughout your application, and show a commitment to the inclusive, supportive, performance-driven culture the company promotes.

Types Of Roles At Cognizant

Cognizant offers employment opportunities at various stages, from student and early career openings to professional and executive-level posts.

Early-stage openings exist at undergraduate, graduate and Master's degree level, and can be found in a number of professional fields, including:

  • Technology and engineering
  • Sales and marketing
  • Consulting
  • Business processes
  • Digital
  • IT infrastructure
  • Delivery management

All programmes come with full training and support, with plenty of scope for professional development.

Hiring Process At Cognizant

Whilst the exact process may vary slightly depending on the entry path and role applied for,

Cognizant hopefuls should prepare themselves for a competitive, multistage hiring process.

The typical structure of this includes an initial application, pre-employment testing, and one or more formal interviews.

Cognizant Online Application

On identifying a suitable role, the first step is to complete the Cognizant online application. Here you'll upload your CV, fill out some standard personal details, and complete some initial screening questions.

Make sure your CV is tailored to the specific role and highlights the key skills laid out in the job description. You should also refer back to Cognizant's core values, incorporating them into the answers you give to the screening questions asked.

The strength of your online application will determine whether you progress to the next round, so make sure it's well polished before you submit it.

Cognizant Aptitude Tests

If the hiring team considers you a strong candidate based on your application, you'll be invited to complete an online aptitude test.

This is typically split into four sections, each measuring a set of core skills and abilities. Each section is timed, and whilst the questions themselves may not be of an advanced difficulty level, the time pressure makes these online assessments a challenging task.

Cognizant Quantitative Aptitude

The quantitative section is a measure of your numerical reasoning ability and your grasp of key mathematical concepts. You'll be required to evaluate and draw conclusions from sets of data and apply standard calculations to solve business-related problems.

Topics covered include probability, profit and loss, averages, decimal fractions and power, and logarithms.

Cognizant Logical Reasoning Test

The logical reasoning section of the test looks at your critical thinking and analytical skills. A strong performance in this section shows Cognizant that you are quick to process information - a skill that influences both your problem-solving ability and your capacity for learning.

Questions are a combination of deductive and inductive reasoning and may include word problems such as syllogisms and inferences, number series, and pattern recognition tasks.

Cognizant English Comprehension

This part of the aptitude test looks at your vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension and verbal reasoning ability. Questions will ask you to analyse passages of text and answer questions relating to them, which may involve drawing conclusions, evaluating arguments, or identifying assumptions.

Other tasks include error checking, sentence completion, word selection and tenses. Your score in this section tells Cognizant whether you have the language skills needed for effective communication, and how well you're able to process written information.

Cognizant Code Debugging

The final section of the aptitude test takes a practical nature and is actually more of a skills-based test. For each question, you'll be given lines of code in which errors are purposefully present. You'll need to identify these errors and fix them.

The questions you face will largely be based on data structures, number and string operations, and basic search and sort algorithms.

Cognizant Programming Test

In some cases, you may also be required to sit a specific coding test. This is typically split into four tasks - two of intermediate difficulty and two advanced - and looks to assess your programming skills in greater depth.

Tasks may revolve around input-output, pattern programming, identifying least common multiples (LCM) or greatest common divisors (GCD).

Cognizant Interview

If you successfully pass the required tests, you'll be invited to interview - the nature and number of which will depend on the role you've applied for.

For roles of a technical nature, both a technical interview and an HR interview will be held. The former will focus on your programming knowledge and capability, the latter on competency-based questions, personal strengths and weaknesses, and career aspirations.

What Is It Like To Work At Cognizant?

Cognizant cites itself as a diverse and inclusive community of top talent. It supports employee development through education and training initiatives and optional job rotations.

Competitive salaries are complemented by benefits packages and health care plans, and the company actively encourages a 'give back' culture through community-based and environmental projects.

Top Tips For Getting Hired At Cognizant

Be Proficient In One Particular Programming Language

For technical roles, your performance in the programming test will hold significant weight over your application. At present, this must be completed in either Java or Python, so it's advisable to focus on proficiency in either one of these programming languages.

Show A Desire To Learn

Cognizant is all about innovation, and it looks for talented minds that are eager to explore new ideas and approaches. Throughout the application process, and in particular, at the interview, show a keen interest in your own personal and professional development, and do your best to articulate how your desire to grow aligns with the company's strategic objectives.

Practice For The Cognizant Assessments

For both the programming skills and the aptitude test, plenty of practice is vital. If you've never come across them before, aptitude tests can be daunting, and the best way to overcome that is to familiarise yourself with the format and the different types of questions you'll encounter.

Try taking practice tests under timed conditions, as balancing speed with accuracy is perhaps the most challenging aspect of this type of assessment.

Sample Cognizant Assessments question Test your knowledge!

Score: /5

Which conclusion can be drawn from the statement: 'All our project managers handle at least three projects each quarter, and some project managers are also department heads. However, no department head handles more than two projects each quarter.'

  • All department heads are project managers.
  • Some project managers handle exactly three projects each quarter.
  • No department heads are project managers.
  • Not all project managers are department heads.

A project team allocates 30% of its budget to marketing, 50% to development, and the rest to quality assurance. If the total budget is $120,000, how much is allocated to quality assurance?

  • $20,000
  • $24,000
  • $36,000
  • $60,000

During a planning meeting, a global consultancy firm has to decide in which order it will prioritize client projects. Four clients have projects with different values and urgency. Use the information below to determine which project should be dealt with last. Client A's project is urgent but worth less than Client C's project. Client B's project is the least urgent but more valuable than Client D's project. Client C's project is more urgent than Client B's project but less valuable than Client D's project.

  • Client A
  • Client B
  • Client C
  • Client D

If an analyst's reports are consistently submitted by the deadline, which of the following logical inferences can be made?

  • The analyst is the only one who submits reports on time.
  • The analyst values punctuality.
  • Reports that are submitted after the deadline are not valuable.
  • The analyst never makes errors in the reports.

A passage from an executive's speech reads: 'In today’s fast-paced market, it is imperative for us to adapt to the changing needs of our clients and leverage our global network to deliver unparalleled solutions. Through innovation and collaboration, we will continue to exceed expectations and thrive in the digital era.' What is the main objective of the speech?

  • To discuss the importance of punctuality and discipline in the market.
  • To highlight the need for traditional approaches in client management.
  • To encourage proactive client services and innovation within the company.
  • To introduce cost-cutting measures to avoid leveraging the global network.

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Cognizant Assessments Tips

Get Familiar with the Format

Let's start with the basics: getting to know the test format. With Cognizant placing a strong emphasis on innovative solutions, it's likely their assessment process will include problem-solving and critical thinking tests. By taking practice exams on Techtest, you’ll become familiar with the types of questions you might face. This means no surprises on test day and a cool, collected mind ready to tackle those problems.

Understand the Industry Context

It pays to remember that at Cognizant, your potential future projects could span across a myriad of tech-driven initiatives. Use Techtest to simulate not just the test environment but also to get insights into the kind of industry-specific scenarios you might encounter. Brush up on key trends in digital transformation and IT services that are relevant to Cognizant's work – this kind of contextual understanding can give you an edge.

Time Management is Key

Timing can make or break a test session. On Techtest, practice tests aren't just about getting the right answer, but also about getting it within the right timeframe. Get into the habit of pacing yourself and develop strategies for more efficient problem-solving under time constraints. That way, when you’re sitting for the actual Cognizant exams, managing the clock will be second nature.

Review and Reflect

After each practice test on Techtest, take the time to review your answers – especially the ones you got wrong. Reflection is a powerful learning tool. Try to understand not just what the right answer is, but why it’s right and how you can apply this in future tests. This will exponentially increase your learning curve and prepare you for the types of logic and reasoning questions Cognizant may throw your way.

Stay Calm and Confident

Remember, practice is meant to build your confidence, not just your skill set. The more practice exams you complete on Techtest, the more confident you’ll become in your abilities. This self-assuredness will shine through during the actual Cognizant test, helping you to remain calm and collected, so you can deliver your best performance. So take a deep breath – you got this!

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Cognizant Assessments FAQs

Is It Hard To Get Hired At Cognizant?

Like any leading company in the tech space, demand for jobs at Cognizant is high, particularly for its early career programmes. The level of competition, combined with a stringent recruitment process, makes landing a job at Cognizant a challenge, but not an impossible one. Provided you put in the groundwork and have the relevant skills, you stand every chance of success.

How Do I Prepare For A Cognizant Interview?

There are two sides to this. If it's likely you'll attend a technical interview, you should brush up on the relevant practical skills, and practice conveying complex ideas in simple terms. For the HR interview, look back at your experience to find strong examples of soft skills in action like teamwork, communication and problem solving, so you're prepared to draw in these when a relevant question comes up.

Is Cognizant A Good Company To Work For?

Cognizant has a reputation worldwide as a good employer, most notably for the training and development opportunities it provides. However, it's always a good idea to do your research before you apply to make sure it's the kind of company you'd be happy to work for, and if what's on offer meets your own personal and professional needs.