Cognizant Eligibility Criteria for Freshers & Experienced 2025

Cognizant is an American multinational technology services and consulting firm, founded in 1994 and headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey, USA. It offers various services, including digital, technology, consulting, and operations. Cognizant aims to help companies transform their businesses using technologies like cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics. The company provides services to healthcare, financial services, retail, and manufacturing sectors to enhance business efficiency, customer experience, and innovation.

Cognizant has expanded exponentially through strategic partnerships and acquisitions, establishing its global presence with delivery centers in several countries. It is dedicated to employee development and corporate social responsibility and has a reputation for innovation and sustainability leadership. Through recent years, the company continues to evolve, focusing on next-gen technologies and solutions aligned with today's businesses' digital aspirations.

Cognizant offers a wide range of benefits and opportunities that make it a desirable workplace for professionals seeking career growth and development. Below is an overview of why joining Cognizant could be the right choice:

Career Growth and Mobility

• Flexible career paths allow employees to explore various functions, industries, and geographies.
• Structured programs like Dovetail, Career Compass, Fast Forward, and Aspire guide employees in advancing their careers.

Diverse Workforce

• Cognizant promotes a diverse culture with a firm commitment to inclusivity.
• Collaborates with best-in-class talent in a challenging and constructive work culture.

Global Exposure

• Exposure to projects in countries around the globe in industries like healthcare, finance, retail, and technology.
• More than 100 locations globally, with exposure to diverse markets and clients.

Training and Development

• As many as 3,000 training courses, ranging from classroom training to web seminars and certifications.
• Development programs focus on leadership, technical skills, engagement execution, and thought leadership.

Competitive Compensation

• Attractive salary packages with annual performance bonuses.
• Additional perks include stock options, paid time off, health insurance, maternity leave, and employee discounts.

Fast-Growth Opportunities

Rapid global expansion offers employees chances to grow alongside the company by solving new challenges for clients.

Work-Life Balance

• Flexible working arrangements, including remote work opportunities.
• Employee assistance programs and mentoring initiatives support personal well-being.

Here are some of the job roles available at Cognizant:

• Software Engineer
• Business Analyst
• Data Scientist
• IT Consultant
• Cloud Architect
• Solution Architect
• Project Manager
• DevOps Engineer
• Systems Analyst
• Cybersecurity Specialist

Here is the cognizant general eligibility criteria for freshers and experienced:

The recruitment process at Cognizant includes various stages to evaluate candidates' technical capabilities, problem-solving capacity, and cultural fit into the company. 

Stages of the Recruitment Process

Here are the stages of the recruitment process:

1. Online Application: Candidates must apply through the Cognizant career portal or campus recruitment drives. They must upload their resumes, academic documents, and ID proof along with the application.

2. Aptitude Test: Shortlisted candidates must take an online aptitude test that measures logical reasoning, quantitative skills, and verbal abilities.

3. Technical Interview: Selected candidates are invited to a technical interview, during which they will be tested on programming skills, other technical concepts, and their problem-solving ability.

4. HR Interview: The final interview assesses personality, communication skills, and culture fit. Candidates will also learn more about the role and work culture at Cognizant.

5. Offer and Onboarding: Successful candidates will receive the offer letter; after that, onboarding takes place with document verification and preparation to join.

Cognizant On-Campus Placement

Cognizant has on-campus placement drives mainly for engineering students who are graduating in the year 2025. The procedure usually involves the following steps:

• Registration: Students must register for the placement drive either through college placement cells or Cognizant's official recruitment web portal.
• Screening Round: The first phase is a shortlisting process based on students' academic records and resumes.
• Communication Test: Candidates are tested to ascertain their English language skills, i.e., reading, writing, and speaking.
• Aptitude and Technical Tests: This test evaluates both aptitude and technical skills.
• Technical Interview: The shortlisted individuals from the tests will undergo a technical interview during which they will be questioned on their technical competency and problem-solving ability.
• HR Interview: The last step involves an HR interview to determine cultural fit and compensation, and benefits.
• Offer Letter: The candidates who make it through all the rounds are given an offer letter to join Cognizant.

Off-Campus Recruitment at Cognizant

Cognizant also organizes off-campus recruitment campaigns, through which candidates from different backgrounds can apply independently by visiting their careers website. The procedure is as under:

• Application Submission: Candidates can apply for vacant posts by submitting their application through an online application form on the Cognizant careers website or by becoming a member of the Talent Community to get future alerts.
• Initial Screening: The recruiters screen applications to check against job specifications.
• Interviews: Like the on-campus process, the candidates can undergo technical and HR interviews, depending on their profiles.
• Skill-Based Assessments: Depending on the job, the candidates can be asked to undergo skill-based assessments related to the job they have applied for.
• Offer and Onboarding: Shortlisted candidates are provided with an offer and onboarding processes.

Registration Process Step-by-Step 

Here is the registration process to submit an application through Cognizant career portals:

i) You will be redirected to the following page attached below. First, upload your resume’ then click on ‘Save and Continue’.

ii) Now, enter your personal details such as name, address and other details mentioned below:

iii) In this section, you need to add your edcuation and experience deatils. In the experience section, freshers can enter ‘NA’ or ‘Not Applicable’.

iv) Upload all the documents required in the attachments section.

v) In this section you need read all details mentioned by company then enter your email and full name and click on ‘Save and Continue’.

vi) You will be displayed with all the details, ensure they are correct or not. If any details are incorrect click on the section and edit. Finally review it and submit the application.

Mandatory Documents for Registration

Candidates applying through campus drives or other recruitment channels to register by providing the following documents:

• Resume with a passport-size photograph (not more than two pages).
• College identity card.
• All academic documents such as:
• Diplomas and semester marksheets from third-party college.
• Proof of government-issued identity like:
• Aadhar card.
• PAN card or passport, if available.

These documents are to be uploaded in a single PDF format during registration, as instructed by the college TPO (Training and Placement Officer).

Here are the cognizant recruitment stages of each round:

1. Written Test

The written test is divided into various sections such as Aptitude, Technical, etc. The exact sections that you need vary based on the role that you’re applying for, but a common structure looks like the following:

• Aptitude Test: This part of the exam assesses your logical reasoning, quantitative skills, and verbal ability.
• Technical Test: The second part of the assessment is technical. This part may differ depending on the role (GenC, GenC Elevate, GenC Next).

Syllabus for Aptitude Assessment

Here is the syllabus for aptitude, questions can be asked from the topics mentioned below:

Syllabus for Technical Assessment

Here is the syllabus for the technical assessment. Questions can be asked from the topics mentioned below:

2. Technical Interview

Cognizant technical interview tests problem-solving, coding, and technical expertise. It emphasizes core subjects like — data structures, algorithms, OOP concepts and proficiency in programming language and application of technical skills to solve real-world problems.

Questions Asked During Technical Interview

• Discuss OOP principles (Encapsulation, Inheritance, Polymorphism, Abstraction).
• What is the difference between a Stack and a queue?
• Write a reverse a string using Java/C++/Python?
• What is the time complexity of QuickSort?
• What is the difference between a linked list and an array?
• What is a binary search tree?
• What are SQL JOINS, and what are the different types of SQL JOIN?
• What is garbage collection, and how does it work in Java?
• What is multithreading, and what are its implementation ways?
• Create a program that finds out the factorial of any given number.
• We have been using a HashMap in Java.
• What is a difference between interface and between abstract class?
• Explain how recursion works with an example.
• What is the role of constructor in Object-Oriented Programming?
• How do you optimize a program for better performance?

3. HR Interview

In Cognizant HR interview, an individual is assessed based on his/her personality, communication skills and suitability for the company culture. The accent on strengths, weaknesses, icings, and ambitions, evaluating flexibility, flexibility, and willingness to operate and change settings.

Questions Asked During HR Interview 

• Tell me about yourself.
• What are your reasons for wanting to work at Cognizant?
• What is your greatest strength and weakness?
• What are your plans for 5 years?
• Why should we hire you?
• Describe a challenge you’ve faced in your life.
• How do you cope with stress or pressure?
• Tell me about a time when you were on a team.
• Are you willing to relocate?
• Would you be able to work shifts?
• What motivates you to work hard?
• Any questions for us?

Documents to be Carried for Interview

Interview candidates have to bring with them the following:

• Resume with a passport-size photo of high resolution.
• College ID card.
• Academic documents, diplomas, and semester grade sheets.
• Aadhar card (issued by the government).
• PAN or passport,

Prepare all documents before the interview process and ensure no last-minute rush.

Effective preparation tips for the Cognizant Recruitment Process are as follows:

1. Know the Stages of Recruitment

Have an idea about Aptitude Test, Technical Interview, and HR Interview. Depending on the job role, there might also be a coding round or group discussion.

2. Brush Up on Core Subjects

Ensure to cover the fundamentals of tech work, such as Data Structures, DBMS, OOP, OS, and Networking.

3. Practice Aptitude & Reasoning Questions with Solution

The online assessment consists of different types of questions varying from quantitative aptitude to logical reasoning and verbal ability, which need to be prepared by Cognizant candidates.

4. Prepare for Coding Questions

For Genc Next and digital roles, solve coding problems in C/C++/Java/Python — basic to intermediate level. Concentrate on strings, loops, functions, and arrays.

5. Work on Communication Skills

During HR and managerial rounds, the most important things is good spoken English and confidence. Participate in mock interviews and mock group events.

6. Know the Company Well

Based on the role, the company and specific interviews you have attended, research about Cognizant work culture, latest news, services, values, etc. Be prepared to answer why you want to work at Cognizant and where you see yourself fitting in.

Here is the average salaries of freshers and experienced offered by cognizant:

Rohit Sharma, a B.Tech (CSE) graduate, shared his Cognizant Genc Elevate journey as smooth and rewarding. He registered on his college portal and appeared for an online assessment consisting of an aptitude section, a verbal section, and two coding questions. For the technical interview, they asked him about his final year project, Java basics, and simple coding logic. His HR round was informal, and he was only interested in discussing his strengths, relocation options, and what he wanted to do in his career. His offer letter arrived within a week. He attributes his success in cracking the process to regular coding practice and an excellent understanding of the core subjects.

In conclusion, the cognizant eligibility criteria for candidates possess in their academic backgrounds and qualification to work at Cognizant's GenC program. Candidates, currently freshers from the 2025 batch, should have secured a minimum of 60% in their academic qualifications and shouldn't have any active backlogs or gaps that span a significant duration of time. The company also considers candidates with at least 2 years of work experience for some positions. The program is for full-time degrees, and only domestic candidates(Indian) or those of Indian origin can apply. By following these guidelines, Cognizant recruits the best talent for its diversified roles.

1. Who can apply to Cognizant?

Cognizant branches are open to full-time graduates from B.Tech/B.E, M.Tech, M.E., M.C.A., and M.Sc. Candidates from all engineering streams, but having a minimum aggregate of 60% throughout their academic career-XII, UG and PG-can apply. The program is for freshers and up to two-years of work experience.

2. How you get selected for Cognizant?

To get selected at Cognizant, candidates must clear an online assessment that includes aptitude, reasoning, and technical rounds, the skills of an apt student student are checked. In the interview, provided that the candidates have denoted proper eligibility criteria such as marks with no backlogs, allowed selection, etc.

3. Who is eligible for a CTS exam?

The CTS exam is open to all full-time graduates of B.Tech/B.E., M.Tech/M.E., M.C.A., and M.Sc. programmes. To be eligible for the CTS examination, candidates must secure a minimum aggregate of 60% in all academic qualifications with no active backlog and an education gap not exceeding two years.

4. What is the minimum percentage for Cognizant?

The minimum percentage required for Cognizant is 60% throughout academic qualifications of Class X, XII, and undergraduate/postgraduate degrees. Candidates must support their claims to this percentage across all subjects.