Tech Mahindra ELQ Syllabus 2026: Sections and Question Distribution

The Tech Mahindra ELQ online test runs three elimination sections in one sitting: 75 aptitude questions across 142 minutes, 26 technical questions across 65 minutes, and roughly 18 communication questions across 20 minutes.

This article maps every section to its syllabus topics, gives the expected question count per sub-area, and explains the negative-marking rules. For worked practice questions on each aptitude topic, the Tech Mahindra aptitude practice guide has the volume. For a full walkthrough of the rounds after the written test, the Tech Mahindra placement process article covers the story-writing round, technical interview, and HR interview in detail.

Three sections, one sitting: the ELQ overview

Tech Mahindra uses the Entry Level Qualification (ELQ) test for fresher hiring, run on a proctored browser-based platform as part of the National Level Test for Hiring (NLTH) framework. All three elimination sections, plus an untimed psychometric section, happen in one session.

Section	Questions	Duration	Negative marking?	Elimination?
Aptitude	75	142 min	No	Yes
Technical	26 (25 MCQ + 1 coding)	65 min	No (partial credit for coding)	Yes
Communication	~18	~20 min	No	Yes
Psychometric	Untimed	Untimed	N/A	No

Each elimination section carries its own independent cut-off. Clearing aptitude alone does not guarantee advancement if the communication or technical cut-off is not met.

The rule on negative marking: the aptitude and communication sections apply no penalty for wrong answers. A wrong answer and an unanswered question both score zero. In the technical section, the 25 MCQs also carry no negative marking; the single coding problem awards partial credit based on how many automated test cases your submitted code passes, with no deduction for failed attempts.

Aptitude section: the 75 questions and how they split

The aptitude block does not publish a fixed per-topic question count in advance. Based on the ELQ format, the 75 questions are distributed across three sub-areas:

Sub-area	Typical question count	Time (approximate)
Quantitative aptitude	20 to 25	~45 to 55 min
Logical and non-verbal reasoning	20 to 25	~45 to 55 min
Verbal English	20 to 25	~40 to 50 min

There is no sectional time limit within the aptitude block. The full 142 minutes is available across all three sub-areas in any order.

Quantitative aptitude syllabus

The quantitative sub-area tests numerical reasoning at a difficulty level consistent with Class 10 to 12 mathematics. Topics that appear regularly include:

• Percentages and profit-loss
• Ratio and proportion
• Time and work
• Time, speed, and distance
• Simple and compound interest
• Averages
• Problems on numbers, including LCM and HCF
• Mixtures and allegations
• Permutations and combinations (basic)
• Probability (basic)
• Data interpretation (bar chart, table, or pie chart)

Questions are multiple-choice with one correct option. Calculation-heavy questions can be finished faster with estimation; data interpretation questions reward column-scanning before reading the question.

Logical and non-verbal reasoning syllabus

This sub-area tests both word-based logic and visual pattern recognition.

Logical reasoning topics:

• Series completion (number series, letter series, alphanumeric series)
• Coding and decoding
• Blood relations
• Seating arrangement (linear and circular)
• Syllogisms
• Analogies
• Direction and distance
• Cause and effect
• Statement-assumption and statement-conclusion pairs

Non-verbal reasoning topics:

• Mirror and water images
• Paper folding and cutting
• Figure matrix and pattern completion
• Series of figures (odd one out)
• Embedded figures

The older Tech Mahindra test format (pre-2021) ran these as two separate sub-sections. The ELQ format folds them into a single logical reasoning block, but both types of questions still appear.

Verbal English syllabus

The verbal sub-area covers reading comprehension and grammar:

• Reading comprehension (1 to 2 passages, 3 to 5 questions each)
• Sentence correction and error spotting
• Fill in the blanks (grammar or vocabulary)
• Synonyms and antonyms
• Para-jumbles (sentence ordering)
• Odd sentence out
• Active and passive voice
• Direct and indirect speech (basic)
• Prepositions, articles, and subject-verb agreement

For a detailed topic-by-topic verbal prep guide with question examples, the verbal reasoning prep guide covers comprehension strategy and grammar patterns specific to the ELQ format.

Technical section: 25 MCQs and the coding problem

The technical section (65 minutes) tests programming fundamentals through 25 MCQs and tests problem-solving ability through one coding exercise.

Technical MCQ syllabus

• C / C++: pointers, memory management, data types, control flow, object-oriented concepts (class, inheritance, polymorphism)
• Java basics: data types, exception handling, collections, OOP concepts
• Data structures: arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, hash tables
• Algorithms: sorting algorithms (bubble, merge, quick, insertion), searching (linear and binary), Big O complexity notation
• Operating systems: process scheduling (FCFS, SJF, Round Robin), memory management (paging, segmentation), deadlock concepts
• DBMS: SQL queries (SELECT, JOIN, GROUP BY, HAVING), normalization (1NF, 2NF, 3NF), ACID properties
• Networking: OSI model, TCP/IP, IP addressing basics

Questions are presented as multiple-choice. A typical MCQ asks for the output of a code snippet, the correct SQL query for a given schema, or the time complexity of a given algorithm.

Coding problem

One coding problem, run in a proctored IDE, follows the 25 MCQs. The difficulty is typically at the easy to medium level on a standard problem-solving scale, involving string manipulation, array operations, or basic sorting and searching. Most candidates using Python, Java, or C++ finish within 20 to 25 minutes.

Partial credit applies to the coding problem:

• If your solution passes 6 of 10 test cases, you receive approximately 60% of the coding problem’s marks.
• Submitting a partial solution is better than leaving the coding window blank.

Communication section: English proficiency and story writing

The communication section is a separately timed and separately scored elimination round. It is not part of the 75-question aptitude block.

The section runs roughly 18 questions in 20 minutes and tests:

• English grammar (multiple-choice questions on sentence structure, tense, and usage)
• Reading comprehension (short passages)
• Story writing or email writing (one essay-format exercise in some test batches)

The story-writing exercise appears in certain batches as part of the communication section or as a standalone round after the online test, depending on the hiring cycle. It typically gives a 3 to 4 word prompt and asks for a coherent story of 150 to 200 words within a time limit.

Because the communication section carries its own cut-off, a strong aptitude score does not offset a weak communication result. Students who focus entirely on quant and logical prep often find the communication round to be the unexpected elimination point.

AI skills and Tech Mahindra’s 2026 hiring direction

The ELQ test’s 75 aptitude questions, 26 technical questions, and roughly 18 communication questions measure foundational skills. That is the entry gate. What is shifting in the 2026 cycle is what happens after that gate.

Tech Mahindra partnered with NVIDIA to launch Project Indus, building a Hindi-first large language model and a domain-specific education LLM that operates across Indian languages. In parallel, Tech Mahindra Careers is actively posting AI Governance Lead and AI Governance Practitioner roles, signalling that AI capability is moving from a niche into a core skill area across the organisation.

Clearing the ELQ cut-offs gets you the interview slot. What routes you toward AI project work inside Tech Mahindra, rather than a maintenance assignment, is demonstrated familiarity with how large language models function. The 2026 AI roadmap for engineering students maps the curriculum from aptitude-pass to that level of fluency. TinkerLLM at ₹499 gives you hands-on prompt engineering and model-interaction practice in 30 to 45 minute sessions alongside your ELQ prep.