TCS NQT Aptitude Questions

Numerical Ability Overview

The Numerical Ability (Aptitude) sub-section of the TCS NQT Foundation round tests your quantitative skills. You can expect 20-25 questions covering a wide range of arithmetic and mathematical topics. Speed is critical — most questions are solvable within 60-90 seconds if you know the right shortcuts. Focus on building strong fundamentals and memorizing key formulas.

Key Topics

The following topics appear most frequently in the TCS NQT aptitude section. Prioritize them in your preparation based on the frequency column.

Topic	Frequency	Difficulty	Key Concepts
Percentages	Very High	Easy-Medium	Successive changes, base value shifts
Profit & Loss	High	Medium	Cost price, selling price, markup, discount chains
Time & Work	High	Medium	Efficiency ratios, pipes & cisterns, alternate days
Speed & Distance	Medium	Medium-Hard	Relative speed, trains, boats & streams
Number Series	Medium	Easy-Medium	Arithmetic, geometric, mixed patterns
Averages & Mixtures	Medium	Medium	Weighted averages, alligation method
Ratios & Proportions	Medium	Easy	Direct/inverse proportion, partnership
Simple & Compound Interest	Low-Medium	Medium	Half-yearly/quarterly compounding

Essential Formulas

Memorize these core formulas before attempting practice questions. Having them at your fingertips saves valuable seconds during the exam.

•Percentage change = (Change / Original) x 100
•Profit % = (Profit / Cost Price) x 100
•If A can do a job in x days, A's 1-day work = 1/x
•Speed = Distance / Time
•Simple Interest = (P x R x T) / 100
•Compound Interest = P(1 + R/100)^T - P
•Average = Sum of observations / Number of observations
•If a:b = x:y and b:c = p:q, then a:b:c = xp : yp : yq

Problem-Solving Strategies

Beyond knowing formulas, you need efficient problem-solving strategies to handle the time pressure of the TCS NQT.

•Use percentage multipliers instead of calculating percentages step by step (e.g., 15% increase = multiply by 1.15)
•For Time & Work problems, use LCM method to assign total work units — avoids messy fractions
•In Profit & Loss, assume Cost Price = 100 when no absolute values are given
•For chain discounts, multiply the complement percentages (e.g., 20% then 10% off = 0.8 x 0.9 = 0.72, so 28% total discount)
•Eliminate obviously wrong answer options before calculating — saves time on tricky problems
•Back-substitution from answer choices is often faster than solving the equation directly

Practice mental math daily — being able to quickly multiply, divide, and estimate in your head gives you a significant edge over candidates who rely on written calculations for every step.

Sample Questions

Try these practice questions that reflect the difficulty level and style of actual TCS NQT aptitude questions. Work through them with a timer — aim for 90 seconds per question.

Sample Questions

Question 1

easyPercentages

A shopkeeper increases the price of a product by 25% and then offers a discount of 20% on the new price. What is the net effect on the original price?

Question 2

mediumTime & Work

Ravi can complete a project in 12 days and Sneha can complete the same project in 18 days. They start working together, but after 4 days Ravi leaves. How many more days will Sneha take to finish the remaining work alone?

Question 3

hardProfit & Loss

A trader buys 100 articles at Rs. 50 each. He sells 70 of them at a 20% profit and the remaining 30 articles at a loss. If his overall profit on the entire transaction is 5%, what was the selling price of each of the remaining articles?

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