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Cognizant Software Developer Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers

Updated 6 Jun 2025

8 Interview questions

A Software Developer was asked
Q. What is the difference between a hashtable and a hash map?
Ans. 

Hashtable is synchronized and does not allow null keys, while hashmap is not synchronized and allows one null key.

  • Hashtable is synchronized, while hashmap is not.

  • Hashtable does not allow null keys, while hashmap allows one null key.

  • Hashtable is thread-safe, while hashmap is not.

  • Hashtable is slower than hashmap.

  • Hashtable is part of the legacy collection classes, while hashmap is part of the Java Collections Framewo...

A Software Developer was asked
Q. What is a linked list?
Ans. 

A linked list is a data structure that consists of a sequence of elements where each element points to the next element in the sequence.

  • Each element in a linked list is called a node.

  • Nodes in a linked list are connected by pointers or references.

  • Linked lists can be singly linked (each node points to the next node) or doubly linked (each node points to the next and previous nodes).

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A Software Developer was asked
Q. What is an array and how is it used?
Ans. 

An array is a data structure that stores a collection of elements of the same type in a contiguous memory location.

  • Arrays are used to store multiple values in a single variable.

  • Elements in an array are accessed by their index, starting from 0.

  • Example: string[] names = {"Alice", "Bob", "Charlie"};

  • Arrays can be used to efficiently store and retrieve data in programming.

  • Arrays can be multidimensional, allowing for mo...

🔥 Asked by recruiter 10 times
A Software Developer was asked
Q. What is polymorphism?
Ans. 

Polymorphism is the ability of a function or method to behave differently based on the object it is acting upon.

  • Polymorphism allows objects of different classes to be treated as objects of a common superclass.

  • There are two types of polymorphism: compile-time (method overloading) and runtime (method overriding).

  • Example: Inheritance allows a child class to override a method from its parent class, exhibiting polymorp...

What people are saying about Cognizant

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a junior software engineer
2w
Job offer in Malaysia - legit or scam?
Hey everyone, I received a job proposal from Mindgraph for a Junior Mainframe Developer position in Malaysia (onsite). Not sure if it's a real deal. They found my resume on Naukri and the offer includes: * Experience: 3+ years on cardlink, VSAM, CICS, JCL * Location: Malaysia (Accenture client in Kuala Lumpur) * Notice: 0-60 days * Benefits: One-way ticket, 1-week stay, medical insurance, visa. Has anyone heard of Mindgraph or had a similar experience? Note : This is a permanent position with Mindgragh and you need to work with our client Accenture - Malaysia (Kaula Lumpur) & we will provide one way Air Ticket from India - Malaysia, 1 Week Accommodation, Medical Insurance and will take care of the Visa process also. Any insights would be appreciated!
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Ask anonymously on communities.
A Software Developer was asked
Q. How does typing speed affect the system?
Ans. 

Typing speed is measured in words per minute (WPM) and affects productivity and efficiency in software development.

  • Typing speed is typically measured in WPM, which indicates how many words a person can type in one minute.

  • A higher typing speed can lead to increased productivity, especially in coding and documentation tasks.

  • For example, a developer typing at 60 WPM can complete tasks faster than one typing at 30 WPM...

A Software Developer was asked
Q. What is a virtual function?
Ans. 

Virtual function is a function in base class that is overridden in derived class.

  • Virtual functions allow polymorphism in C++

  • They are declared using the virtual keyword

  • They are resolved at runtime based on the object type

  • Virtual functions can be overridden in derived classes

  • They are used to achieve runtime polymorphism

A Software Developer was asked
Q. 

Print Name and Age Problem Statement

Create a class named Person with a string variable 'name' and an integer variable 'age', such that these variables are not accessible outside the class. Implement a met...

Ans. 

Create a class Person with private variables name and age, and methods to set and get their values.

  • Create a class Person with private variables 'name' and 'age'.

  • Implement a method setValue to set the variables' values.

  • Implement a method getValue to print the variables' values.

  • Ensure the name is a non-empty string and the age is a non-negative integer.

  • Encapsulate the data and provide a clear interface for setting a...

Are these interview questions helpful?
A Software Developer was asked
Q. 

Encode the Message Problem Statement

Given a text message, your task is to return the Run-length Encoding of the given message.

Run-length encoding is a fast and simple method of encoding strings, represe...

Ans. 

Implement a function to encode a text message using run-length encoding.

  • Iterate through the message and count consecutive characters

  • Append the character and its count to the encoded message

  • Handle edge cases like single characters or empty message

Cognizant Software Developer Interview Experiences for Freshers

26 interviews found

Interview experience
3
Average
Difficulty level
Hard
Process Duration
Less than 2 weeks
Result
No response

I applied via Campus Placement and was interviewed in Oct 2024. There were 2 interview rounds.

Round 1 - Technical 

(2 Questions)

  • Q1. Every single oops concepts
  • Q2. Every sql questions possiible
Round 2 - HR 

(2 Questions)

  • Q1. I attended only technical not yet results announced
  • Q2. I attended only technical not yet result announced
Interview experience
4
Good
Difficulty level
Moderate
Process Duration
2-4 weeks
Result
Selected Selected

I applied via Company Website and was interviewed in Jun 2024. There were 4 interview rounds.

Round 1 - Aptitude Test 

It was moderate good question from Time and Distance, Good verbal question also

Round 2 - Coding Test 

Coding was Easy they ask basic questions prepare well they may ask to show prime number, odd numbers something like this for freshers

Round 3 - Technical 

(2 Questions)

  • Q1. They ask About Oops Concept and also about my college project
  • Q2. They ask me to show 2,3,4,5,6 which one is prime Number share your screen and write coding
Round 4 - HR 

(2 Questions)

  • Q1. About My Hobbies
  • Q2. About location where you want to join

Interview Preparation Tips

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - For freshers Learn basic coding if you are good in C learn basics question about C in whichever language you know learn basics of that too basic means Theory they may ask about that
Interview experience
5
Excellent
Difficulty level
Moderate
Process Duration
Less than 2 weeks
Result
Not Selected

I applied via Referral and was interviewed in Aug 2024. There were 2 interview rounds.

Round 1 - Coding Test 

Asked basic cods like array, string stream api

Round 2 - Technical 

(2 Questions)

  • Q1. Tell me about yourself
  • Ans. 

    I am a passionate software developer with experience in Java, Python, and web development.

    • Graduated with a degree in Computer Science

    • Worked on multiple projects using Java and Python

    • Familiar with web development technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. Spring boot basic

Interview Preparation Tips

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - Learn basic java
Interview experience
5
Excellent
Difficulty level
-
Process Duration
-
Result
-
Round 1 - Aptitude Test 

Quantitative aptitude,reasoning,English

Round 2 - Communication 

(2 Questions)

  • Q1. Read Sentence given below
  • Q2. Listen sentence and given it back
Round 3 - Coding Test 

The coding test contain the 2 Code which are written in Java or python only and there are two SQL query and according to the cluster there are mcq and web development question

Round 4 - Technical 

(2 Questions)

  • Q1. Introduction about your self
  • Q2. Final year be project
Round 5 - HR 

(2 Questions)

  • Q1. Next 5 year plan about your career
  • Q2. How you tackel situation

Interview Preparation Tips

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - Prepare well for technical and coding round and prepare best for aptitude round because of your coding skill are not matter heare

Software Developer Interview Questions & Answers

user image Kalyani Sonawane

posted on 7 May 2025

Interview experience
5
Excellent
Difficulty level
-
Process Duration
-
Result
-
  • Q1. Sql easy question
  • Q2. Easy oops questions
Interview experience
3
Average
Difficulty level
Easy
Process Duration
Less than 2 weeks
Result
Selected Selected

I applied via LinkedIn and was interviewed in Apr 2024. There was 1 interview round.

Round 1 - Technical 

(1 Question)

  • Q1. What is the difference between hashtable and hash map
  • Ans. 

    Hashtable is synchronized and does not allow null keys, while hashmap is not synchronized and allows one null key.

    • Hashtable is synchronized, while hashmap is not.

    • Hashtable does not allow null keys, while hashmap allows one null key.

    • Hashtable is thread-safe, while hashmap is not.

    • Hashtable is slower than hashmap.

    • Hashtable is part of the legacy collection classes, while hashmap is part of the Java Collections Framework.

  • Answered by AI

Interview Preparation Tips

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - Prepare with previous asked questions

Skills evaluated in this interview

Interview experience
4
Good
Difficulty level
-
Process Duration
-
Result
-
Round 1 - Aptitude Test 

Basic to medium aptitude questions

Round 2 - Communication round 

(1 Question)

  • Q1. Test you listening skills audio questions
Round 3 - Technical 

(1 Question)

  • Q1. Basic to medium questions based on your resume

Software Developer Interview Questions & Answers

user image Harsh srivastav

posted on 12 Apr 2024

Interview experience
4
Good
Difficulty level
-
Process Duration
-
Result
-
Round 1 - Technical 

(3 Questions)

  • Q1. What is array how it is used
  • Ans. 

    An array is a data structure that stores a collection of elements of the same type in a contiguous memory location.

    • Arrays are used to store multiple values in a single variable.

    • Elements in an array are accessed by their index, starting from 0.

    • Example: string[] names = {"Alice", "Bob", "Charlie"};

    • Arrays can be used to efficiently store and retrieve data in programming.

    • Arrays can be multidimensional, allowing for more co...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. What is linklist
  • Ans. 

    A linked list is a data structure that consists of a sequence of elements where each element points to the next element in the sequence.

    • Each element in a linked list is called a node.

    • Nodes in a linked list are connected by pointers or references.

    • Linked lists can be singly linked (each node points to the next node) or doubly linked (each node points to the next and previous nodes).

  • Answered by AI
  • Q3. What is polymorphism
  • Ans. 

    Polymorphism is the ability of a function or method to behave differently based on the object it is acting upon.

    • Polymorphism allows objects of different classes to be treated as objects of a common superclass.

    • There are two types of polymorphism: compile-time (method overloading) and runtime (method overriding).

    • Example: Inheritance allows a child class to override a method from its parent class, exhibiting polymorphic b...

  • Answered by AI

Skills evaluated in this interview

Interview experience
3
Average
Difficulty level
-
Process Duration
-
Result
-
Round 1 - Aptitude Test 

Basic simple maths questions

Round 2 - Coding Test 

Asked to solve the two quetions using any language

Round 3 - HR 

(1 Question)

  • Q1. Tell about urself
Interview experience
3
Average
Difficulty level
Easy
Process Duration
Less than 2 weeks
Result
No response

I applied via Campus Placement and was interviewed in Oct 2023. There were 3 interview rounds.

Round 1 - Aptitude Test 

Test was good, and nice experience. It was online.

Round 2 - Coding Test 

Simple questions like BST, Sorting and DBMS very questions.

Round 3 - HR 

(2 Questions)

  • Q1. HR wanted to test communication skill.
  • Q2. What is your fav sports, and what you would do if you become a PM.

Interview Preparation Tips

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - If your communication skill and logical reasoning is good, you will get the job.

Cognizant Interview FAQs

How many rounds are there in Cognizant Software Developer interview for freshers?
Cognizant interview process for freshers usually has 2-3 rounds. The most common rounds in the Cognizant interview process for freshers are Aptitude Test, Technical and Coding Test.
How to prepare for Cognizant Software Developer interview for freshers?
Go through your CV in detail and study all the technologies mentioned in your CV. Prepare at least two technologies or languages in depth if you are appearing for a technical interview at Cognizant. The most common topics and skills that interviewers at Cognizant expect are Java, Spring Boot, Maven, Core Java and Microservices.
What are the top questions asked in Cognizant Software Developer interview for freshers?

Some of the top questions asked at the Cognizant Software Developer interview for freshers -

  1. What is the difference between hashtable and hash ...read more
  2. How typing speed in the sys...read more
  3. What is virtual funct...read more
What are the most common questions asked in Cognizant Software Developer HR round for freshers?

The most common HR questions asked in Cognizant Software Developer interview are for freshers -

  1. Tell Me about Yourse...read more
  2. Where do you see yourself in 5 yea...read more
How long is the Cognizant Software Developer interview process?

The duration of Cognizant Software Developer interview process can vary, but typically it takes about less than 2 weeks to complete.

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Overall Interview Experience Rating

3.7/5

based on 18 interview experiences

Difficulty level

Easy 33%
Moderate 58%
Hard 8%

Duration

Less than 2 weeks 83%
2-4 weeks 17%
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Cognizant Software Developer Salary
based on 7.3k salaries
₹2.5 L/yr - ₹21.8 L/yr
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Company culture

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