JobHuntDaily
I

IBM India Placement Papers

2025 & 2026 — Questions, Answers & Tips

Medium Difficulty60 Questions75 minutes3 Sections

Year-wise Papers

IBM 2026 Paper →IBM 2025 Paper →

About the IBM Placement Test

IBM 2026 hiring uses an updated IPAT with additional questions on data science and AI literacy. IBM is aggressively hiring for its AI and cloud transformation practices in India. New entry role: 'AI Associate' for freshers with ML coursework on their resume.

Section-wise Breakdown

Cognitive Ability

24 Questions
Numerical ReasoningLogical ReasoningVerbal ReasoningFigural Reasoning

English Comprehension

20 Questions
Reading ComprehensionVocabularyGrammarSentence Correction

Technical

16 Questions
C/C++/Java BasicsData StructuresDBMSOSNetworking

Sample Questions

Cognitive Ability

Q1. Which figure completes the pattern? Row 1: circle, square, triangle. Row 2: circle, triangle, square. Row 3: triangle, square, ___

A. square
B. circle
C. triangle
D. pentagon

Explanation:

Each row contains one circle, one square, and one triangle. Row 3 has triangle and square, so the missing shape is circle.

Q2. 23 is to 8 as 47 is to?

A. 11
B. 10
C. 12
D. 9

Explanation:

2+3 = 5... actually 2×3+2 = 8. Test: 4×7-17 = 11. Pattern: multiply digits and add/subtract constant. 2×3+2=8; 4×7-17=11.

Q3. Which number replaces the question mark? 4, 9, 25, 49, ?

A. 81
B. 121
C. 100
D. 64

Explanation:

Sequence of squares of prime numbers: 2²=4, 3²=9, 5²=25, 7²=49, 11²=121.

Q4. If A=1, B=2, C=3...Z=26, what is the value of INDIA?

A. 45
B. 47
C. 42
D. 40

Explanation:

I=9, N=14, D=4, I=9, A=1. Sum = 9+14+4+9+1 = 37... recalculate: I(9)+N(14)+D(4)+I(9)+A(1) = 37. Answer closest is none; direct sum = 37.

Q5. Statements: All cats are animals. Some animals are dangerous. Conclusion: Some cats are dangerous.

A. True
B. False
C. Insufficient data
D. Partially true

Explanation:

We know some animals are dangerous, but those dangerous animals might not be cats. The overlap between 'cats' and 'dangerous animals' is not established.

English Comprehension

Q1. A can do a piece of work in 10 days and B can do it in 15 days. In how many days will they finish the work together?

A. 4 days
B. 6 days
C. 5 days
D. 8 days

Explanation:

A's rate = 1/10, B's rate = 1/15. Combined = 1/10 + 1/15 = 3/30 + 2/30 = 5/30 = 1/6. So they finish in 6 days.

Q2. If the selling price of 12 articles equals the cost price of 16 articles, what is the profit percentage?

A. 20%
B. 25%
C. 33.33%
D. 28%

Explanation:

SP of 12 = CP of 16. Let CP of each = 1. CP of 12 = 12, SP of 12 = 16. Profit = 4. Profit% = (4/12) × 100 = 33.33%.

Q3. The simple interest on ₹5000 at 8% per annum for 3 years is:

A. ₹1000
B. ₹1200
C. ₹1500
D. ₹800

Explanation:

SI = (P × R × T)/100 = (5000 × 8 × 3)/100 = 120000/100 = ₹1200.

Q4. A train 150m long passes a pole in 15 seconds. How long will it take to pass a platform 300m long?

A. 30 seconds
B. 45 seconds
C. 25 seconds
D. 35 seconds

Explanation:

Speed = 150/15 = 10 m/s. Distance to cover = 150 + 300 = 450m. Time = 450/10 = 45 seconds.

Q5. What is 35% of 80% of 500?

A. 120
B. 140
C. 130
D. 160

Explanation:

80% of 500 = 400. 35% of 400 = 140.

Technical

Q1. What is the output of: int x = 5; printf('%d', x++);

A. 5
B. 6
C. 4
D. Compiler error

Explanation:

Post-increment: x++ returns current value (5) then increments. So printf prints 5, and x becomes 6 after the statement.

Q2. Which SQL clause is used to filter groups after GROUP BY?

A. WHERE
B. HAVING
C. FILTER
D. CONDITION

Explanation:

WHERE filters individual rows before grouping. HAVING filters groups after GROUP BY. Example: GROUP BY dept HAVING COUNT(*) > 5.

Q3. What data structure is used for BFS (Breadth First Search)?

A. Stack
B. Queue
C. Tree
D. Heap

Explanation:

BFS uses a Queue (FIFO) to explore nodes level by level. DFS uses a Stack (LIFO) or recursion to explore depth-first.

Q4. What is the time complexity of binary search?

A. O(n)
B. O(n²)
C. O(log n)
D. O(n log n)

Explanation:

Binary search halves the search space at each step. With n elements, it takes at most log₂(n) comparisons. Time complexity = O(log n).

Q5. In OOPS, what is method overloading?

A. Defining same method in child class
B. Multiple methods with same name but different parameters
C. Using a method from parent class
D. Making a method private

Explanation:

Method overloading (compile-time polymorphism) allows multiple methods with the same name but different parameter types or count. Example: add(int,int) and add(double,double).

How to Crack IBM Placement Test

  • 1.AI Associate role: basic Python and Jupyter notebook skills expected
  • 2.Data science questions: mean, median, mode and basic probability in Cognitive
  • 3.Cloud basics: IBM Cloud and Red Hat OpenShift fundamentals in Technical
  • 4.Numerical reasoning: financial ratios and percentage change questions added
  • 5.IBM Skills Build certifications give application shortlist preference in 2026

Other Company Papers

T

TCS

Medium

I

Infosys

Medium

W

Wipro

Easy

C

Cognizant

Medium

Cleared the Test? Get Matched to IBM Job Alerts

JobHuntDaily notifies you the moment IBM and similar companies open fresher applications — before it goes viral on LinkedIn.

Get Job Alerts — Start for ₹2