Accenture Interview Questions and Answers: 60 Solved Practice Questions for Freshers
This guide is for engineering and other graduates in India preparing for Accenture fresher hiring, such as the Associate Software Engineer (ASE) role in campus and off-campus drives. In recent drives the process has included technical, coding, behavioural and cognitive, and communication assessments, followed by an interview, but formats change, so check the official notification for your drive. The 60 practice questions here were written by CoreHRx in the style of those stages: the process and HR basics first, then solved aptitude, pseudocode, networking, cloud, coding and fresher technical questions, and finally harder logic, scenario and offer questions. They are not actual exam questions. Work each one yourself before reading the answer.
- 60 questions, 3 levels
- Updated
- CoreHRx Jobs
Practice questions written by CoreHRx in the style of recent Accenture drives. CoreHRx is not affiliated with or endorsed by Accenture, and these are not actual exam questions.
The Accenture fresher hiring process in recent drives
- Registration: in recent drives, an email or placement-cell notice has carried a sign-up link to Accenture's official campus portal, and the details you enter are used to check eligibility. Check the official notification for your batch and role.
- Technical assessment: common applications and MS Office, pseudocode, fundamentals of networking, security and cloud, and basic programming concepts.
- Coding assessment: programming problems solved on an online platform in a language you choose, checked against test cases.
- Behavioural and cognitive assessment: a personality questionnaire plus reasoning and numerical tasks, some of them in a game-style format.
- Communication assessment and interview: a spoken and written English test, then an interview covering technical basics, your project and HR questions.
How to prepare in four weeks
- Week 1: revise programming basics in one language, OOP, DBMS and SQL, operating systems and networking, and learn to trace pseudocode on paper.
- Week 2: practise easy and medium coding problems on arrays, strings and numbers every day, writing complete programs that read input exactly as specified.
- Week 3: add aptitude and reasoning practice, cloud and security basics, and common MS Office features such as formulas, cell references and lookups.
- Week 4: read English aloud daily, prepare your introduction and project explanation, rehearse HR answers and take full timed mock tests.
Rules and checks for the assessment day
- Use a laptop or desktop with a webcam, microphone, current Chrome browser and stable internet, and finish any system-check test early. Check the official notification for the exact requirements.
- Accenture's official careers pages say external AI tools are not permitted in assessments; a built-in assistant may appear in some coding questions, and using it is your choice.
- Take the communication assessment in a quiet room with nobody else present, and keep your admit card and government photo ID ready for the interview.
- No one is ever required to pay for a job at Accenture. Treat any request for a fee, a deposit or an OTP as a scam and report it.
Accenture interview questions: Easy questions
20 questions1. What are the stages of the Accenture Associate Software Engineer (ASE) hiring process?
In recent drives the ASE process has had an online technical assessment, a coding assessment, a behavioural and cognitive assessment and a communication assessment, followed by an interview for candidates who clear them. Registration and an eligibility check come first, and an offer follows a successful interview. The order, the format and which stages eliminate candidates can change from one drive to the next, so check the official notification and the emails for your own drive before you plan your preparation.
2. What does the Accenture technical assessment cover?
In recent drives the technical assessment has covered common applications and MS Office, pseudocode, the fundamentals of networking, security and cloud, and basic programming concepts. Expect items such as what a spreadsheet formula does, the output of a short pseudocode loop, what a firewall is for, or the difference between public and private cloud. It rewards broad basics more than depth, so revise every area rather than only your favourite one, and check the official notification for the current syllabus.
3. What is the behavioural and cognitive assessment in Accenture drives?
In recent drives this stage has had two parts. The behavioural part is a personality questionnaire about how you usually work and react; there are no right answers, so reply honestly and consistently instead of guessing what the company wants to hear. The cognitive part tests reasoning and numerical thinking and has included short game-style puzzles. Practise general aptitude and logical reasoning, read every tutorial screen carefully, and check the official notification for the current format.
4. What happens in the Accenture coding assessment?
In recent drives candidates have solved programming problems on an online platform in a language of their choice, with options that have included Java, Python and SQL. Your code is run against test cases, including hidden ones, so it must compile, read input in exactly the format given and handle edge cases. Practise easy to medium array, string and number problems in one language until you can write them without help, and check the official notification for the languages and rules of your drive.
5. What is the Accenture communication assessment?
In recent drives this has been a separate online test of spoken and written English, sent in its own email with its own login. It has scored areas such as pronunciation, fluency, active listening, grammar and etiquette, through tasks like reading or repeating sentences aloud, answering spoken prompts and writing short replies. Take it in a quiet room with nobody else present and a working microphone. Treat it as seriously as the technical rounds, and check the official notification for its rules.
6. What happens in the Accenture interview for freshers?
In recent drives the interview has usually been one conversation with a panel member, mixing technical basics, your final-year project and HR questions such as relocation and why you chose Accenture. Candidates have booked a slot, received the details by email or message, and had their admit card and government photo ID checked. Revise everything on your resume, be ready to explain your code and project choices, and check the official notification to see whether your interview is online or in person.
7. What are the basic eligibility rules for Accenture fresher roles?
Rules differ by role and batch, so always check the official notification. In recent drives they have asked that you complete your degree within its standard duration without gaps, have no active backlogs when you apply or when you join, and be an Indian citizen or hold valid permission to work in India. People already working at Accenture, or who went through its recruitment process very recently, have not been eligible. Enter your marks and dates exactly as on your marksheets, because they are checked.
8. How do you register for an Accenture campus or off-campus drive?
In recent drives registration has started with an email or a placement-cell notice carrying a sign-up link to Accenture's official campus portal. You fill in personal, academic and contact details, which are used to check eligibility, and eligible candidates receive an admit card and then an invitation to the online assessments. Use an email address you check daily, keep your details identical to your documents, and note that in India you may hold only one active application at a time. Check the official notification for dates.
9. What computer setup do you need for Accenture online assessments?
In recent drives the assessments have needed a laptop or desktop, not a phone or tablet, with a working webcam and microphone, an up-to-date Chrome browser and a stable internet connection. Candidates have also been asked to complete a short mock or system-check test to confirm the setup. Close other apps, keep the charger plugged in, sit in good light, and do the system check a day early so there is time to fix problems. Check the official notification for the exact requirements of your drive.
10. Can you use ChatGPT or other AI tools during an Accenture assessment?
No. Accenture's official careers pages say that using external AI tools during assessments is not permitted, and in recent drives the tests have been monitored through your webcam. The same pages note that some coding questions may include a built-in AI assistant that is clearly shown on the platform, and you can choose whether to use it. Outside help risks disqualification and leaves you unprepared for the interview, where you must explain your own code. Check the official notification for your drive.
11. How can you tell a fake Accenture job offer from a real one?
Accenture states on its official careers pages that no one is ever required to pay for employment there. Be wary of any message that asks for a registration fee, training deposit or payment for a laptop, comes from a personal email address or only over a chat app, or promises a job without any assessment or interview. In recent drives real invitations have come through the placement cell, the official campus portal or the careers site. Check the official notification, and never share bank details or OTPs.
12. How should a fresher answer "Tell me about yourself" in an Accenture interview?
Keep it to about a minute and follow a simple order: who you are, what you studied, one project or internship and what you built, your strongest skills, and why you are applying for this role. For example: "I am a final-year computer science student from Nagpur. My final-year project is a hospital appointment app in Java and MySQL, where I built the booking module. I enjoy writing code that solves real problems and want to start my career in a large technology services company." Do not recite your whole resume.
13. Why do you want to join Accenture?
Give reasons that are specific and true for you rather than general praise. Good points are the chance to work on projects for clients across many industries, exposure to technologies such as cloud, data and AI, training for new joiners, and a large presence in India with room to grow. Link one point to yourself, for example: "My project used a cloud database, and I want to build on that with real client work." Read recent news on Accenture's official website so that your answer sounds current, not memorised.
14. Are you willing to relocate to any city in India?
Fresher roles in large IT services companies are usually filled across several Indian cities, and the location depends on project needs, so interviewers check whether you are flexible. If you can relocate, say so clearly and positively: "Yes, I am open to any location, and moving will also make me more independent." If you have a real constraint, such as caring for a parent, mention it honestly and ask whether a preference can be noted, but do not set conditions. Check the official notification for the locations listed for your role.
15. Are you comfortable working in shifts or on weekends when needed?
Many client projects support users in other time zones, so some roles involve early, late or rotating shifts, especially in support and operations work. Answer honestly and show flexibility: "Yes, I understand that project timings depend on the client, and I am comfortable adjusting." If you have a genuine limitation, say so politely and early rather than agreeing now and leaving later. Do not ask about shift allowances in the interview; such details are explained by HR after selection.
16. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Pick two strengths that matter in a software role and back each with a short example, such as learning quickly (you picked up React in a week for your project) or being dependable (you managed the code repository for your team). For the weakness, choose a real but manageable one and show what you are doing about it: "I used to hesitate to speak in groups, so I joined the college debate club and now present our project reviews." Avoid fake weaknesses like "I work too hard", which interviewers have heard many times.
17. Where do you see yourself in five years?
Show ambition that fits the company rather than a plan to leave. A good answer: "In five years I want to be a strong developer who has delivered several client projects, holds a certification or two in cloud or data, and has started guiding new joiners." Avoid saying that you plan an MBA abroad, a start-up or a move to a product company, even if you might. Keep the focus on the skills you will build and the responsibility you will take on, not on job titles or pay.
18. What do you know about Accenture?
Show that you did your homework in a few clear lines. Accenture is a global professional services company that helps businesses with strategy and consulting, technology, operations and digital change, for clients in industries such as banking, retail, health and telecom. India is one of its largest employee bases, with delivery centres in several cities. Before the interview, read the About and News pages on the official website and mention one current area of focus, such as cloud or AI, in your own words.
19. What should you ask when the interviewer says "Do you have any questions for us?"
Always ask one or two short, genuine questions; saying you have none can sound uninterested. Good options for a fresher: "What does training for new joiners in this role usually include?", "Which technologies do freshers commonly work on in their first project?" or "What helps a new Associate Software Engineer do well in the first year?" Avoid questions whose answers are on the website, and keep questions about pay, leave and joining dates for the HR discussion after an offer.
20. Will you work on any technology the project needs, even one you did not study?
In large services companies, freshers are often trained and placed in technologies based on project demand, which may differ from what they studied. Interviewers want to hear that you are adaptable: "Yes. My basics in programming and databases carry over to any stack, and I learn new tools quickly; for my project I learnt Flask in two weeks." You may mention a preference, such as Java or cloud, but make it clear that you will give your best to whatever you are assigned.
Ready to check yourself? Take the free Accenture mock test
Accenture interview questions: Medium questions
20 questions21. Sample numerical question: a price is cut by 20% and then by a further 10%. What single discount is this equal to?
Use multipliers. A 20% cut leaves 0.80 of the price, and a further 10% cut leaves 0.90 of that, so the final price is 0.80 x 0.90 = 0.72 of the original. The single equal discount is 100 - 72 = 28%, not 30%. The shortcut for successive changes is a + b + ab/100, with decreases taken as negative: -20 - 10 + 200/100 = -28. Numerical items in recent drives have tested this kind of thinking, so practise percentages until such steps feel automatic.
22. Sample reasoning question: if COLD is coded as DPME, how is WARM coded?
Compare each letter with its code: C becomes D, O becomes P, L becomes M and D becomes E, so every letter moves one place forward in the alphabet. Apply the same rule to WARM: W becomes X, A becomes B, R becomes S and M becomes N, giving XBSN. Always test a rule on every letter before using it, because some codes shift alternate letters differently or reverse the word. Reasoning practice of this kind helps with the cognitive part of recent drives.
23. Sample English question: correct the error in "Each of the students have submitted their project report."
The subject is "Each", which is singular, so the verb must be singular too: "Each of the students has submitted..." The words "of the students" do not change the subject. For the pronoun, formal grammar prefers "his or her project report", though "their" is widely accepted in modern usage. The same rule applies to every, either, neither and one of: "One of my friends is a developer." Grammar like this is scored in the communication assessment in recent drives.
24. How should you approach game-style puzzles in the cognitive assessment?
In recent drives the cognitive part has included short game-style tasks that measure skills such as spotting patterns, memory and quick numerical judgement. Read every instruction screen and use any practice round fully, because the rules are explained there and not repeated later. Aim for accuracy first and let speed come with rhythm; random tapping usually lowers the score. Sleep well before the test, keep solving general reasoning puzzles to stay sharp, and check the official notification for the current format.
25. Sample pseudocode question: what does this code print?
Trace the loop one pass at a time and write the value of s after each pass. Start with s = 1. When i = 1, s = 1 * 2 + 1 = 3. When i = 2, s = 3 * 2 + 2 = 8. When i = 3, s = 8 * 2 + 3 = 19. When i = 4, s = 19 * 2 + 4 = 42. The loop then ends and the code prints 42. Pseudocode items in recent drives reward exactly this habit: keep a small table of variables on rough paper instead of trying to hold every value in your head.
Integer s = 1
for (each i from 1 to 4)
s = s * 2 + i
end for
print s26. Sample pseudocode question: what is printed when n is 1230?
The loop takes the last digit with n mod 10, appends it to r, and drops it from n with integer division. Pass 1: digit 0, r = 0, n = 123. Pass 2: digit 3, r = 3, n = 12. Pass 3: digit 2, r = 32, n = 1. Pass 4: digit 1, r = 321, n = 0, so the loop stops. The output is 321, not 0321, because a leading zero has no value in an integer. That is the trap to watch for: the code reverses the digits but loses any trailing zeros of the input.
Integer n = 1230, r = 0
while (n > 0)
r = r * 10 + (n mod 10)
n = n / 10 // integer division
end while
print r27. What is the difference between TCP and UDP?
Both are transport-layer protocols. TCP is connection-oriented: it sets up a connection with a three-way handshake, numbers the data, resends lost packets and delivers everything in order, so it is used for web pages, email and file transfer. UDP is connectionless: it sends packets without setup or delivery guarantees, which makes it faster and lighter, so it suits live video, voice calls, online games and DNS lookups. A one-line summary for the interview: TCP is reliable, UDP is fast.
28. What do DNS and DHCP do in a network?
DNS (Domain Name System) translates names that people remember, such as a website address, into the IP addresses computers use to find each other; without it you would have to type numbers to reach every site. DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) automatically gives a device an IP address, subnet mask, default gateway and DNS server when it joins a network, which is why your phone joins the college Wi-Fi without any manual setup. Remember: DNS finds addresses, DHCP hands them out.
29. What are IaaS, PaaS and SaaS? Give an example of each.
They are cloud service models that differ in how much the provider manages. IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) gives you virtual machines, storage and networks, while you manage the operating system and apps; Amazon EC2 and Azure Virtual Machines are examples. PaaS (Platform as a Service) also manages the runtime, so you only deploy code; Google App Engine is one. SaaS (Software as a Service) is a complete app used over the internet, such as Gmail. Also know the public, private and hybrid cloud models.
30. What is the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption?
Symmetric encryption uses one shared secret key to both encrypt and decrypt, so it is fast and suits large amounts of data; AES is the usual example. Its weakness is sharing that key safely. Asymmetric encryption uses a key pair: a public key that anyone can use to encrypt, and a private key that only the owner uses to decrypt; RSA is the usual example. HTTPS uses both: asymmetric keys to agree on a secret safely, then fast symmetric encryption for the actual data.
31. In Excel, what does $A$1 mean, and what does VLOOKUP do?
A reference like A1 is relative: copy the formula to the next row and it becomes A2. Dollar signs, as in $A$1, make it absolute, so it stays fixed when copied, which suits a tax rate kept in one cell. VLOOKUP finds a value in the first column of a range and returns a value from another column in the same row: =VLOOKUP(102, A2:C50, 3, FALSE) finds ID 102 and returns column 3, where FALSE means an exact match. MS Office basics have been part of the technical assessment in recent drives.
32. Write a function to check whether a string is a palindrome, ignoring case.
Use two pointers, one at each end, and move them towards the middle while the characters match; if any pair differs, it is not a palindrome. Converting to lower case first lets "Madam" pass. This runs in O(n) time and O(1) extra space. In Python the shortcut s == s[::-1] also works but builds a reversed copy. In a coding assessment, read the problem carefully: if it says to ignore spaces and punctuation, filter them out with isalnum() before comparing the characters.
def is_palindrome(s):
s = s.lower()
i, j = 0, len(s) - 1
while i < j:
if s[i] != s[j]:
return False
i += 1
j -= 1
return True
print(is_palindrome("Madam")) # True33. Find the second largest element in an array in a single pass.
Keep two variables: the largest and the second largest seen so far. If an element is bigger than the largest, the old largest becomes the second and the element becomes the largest. Otherwise, if it differs from the largest and beats the second, it becomes the second. This is O(n) and avoids sorting, which is O(n log n). Handle the edge cases that hidden tests often check: an array with one element, or with all elements equal, has no second largest, so return what the problem asks, such as -1.
def second_largest(arr):
first = second = None
for x in arr:
if first is None or x > first:
second = first
first = x
elif x != first and (second is None or x > second):
second = x
return second # None when there is no second distinct value
print(second_largest([12, 35, 1, 10, 34, 1])) # 3434. How do you prepare for the spoken English part of the communication assessment?
Practise the task types seen in recent drives: reading sentences aloud, repeating what you hear and answering a short spoken prompt. Read an English newspaper article aloud every day and record yourself, then listen for unclear words and fillers such as "umm". Speak at a steady, moderate pace; clarity matters far more than accent. In listening tasks, take in the whole sentence before you repeat it. Test your microphone, sit alone in a quiet room, and check the official notification for the rules.
35. What are the four pillars of object-oriented programming?
Encapsulation keeps data and the methods that use it together in a class and hides the data behind private fields: a BankAccount class lets its balance change only through deposit and withdraw. Abstraction shows only what is needed, like a car showing a steering wheel and not the engine. Inheritance lets a class reuse another, as SavingsAccount extends BankAccount. Polymorphism lets one method name behave differently, through overloading at compile time or overriding at run time. Prepare your own example for each.
36. Write an SQL query to find the second highest salary in an Employee table.
The first query finds the highest value in a subquery, then takes the maximum of everything below it, which is the second highest; it returns NULL when no second value exists. The second query sorts distinct values in descending order and skips one row. DISTINCT matters, because two people sharing the top figure would otherwise make the second row equal to the first. LIMIT and OFFSET work in MySQL and PostgreSQL, while other databases use TOP or FETCH. Be ready to explain both approaches.
SELECT MAX(salary) AS second_highest
FROM Employee
WHERE salary < (SELECT MAX(salary) FROM Employee);
-- or, for the Nth highest (here N = 2):
SELECT DISTINCT salary
FROM Employee
ORDER BY salary DESC
LIMIT 1 OFFSET 1;37. What is the difference between DELETE, TRUNCATE and DROP?
DELETE is a DML command that removes chosen rows with a WHERE clause, or all rows without one; it works row by row, fires triggers and can be rolled back inside a transaction. TRUNCATE removes all rows at once, is faster, resets auto-increment counters in most databases and in MySQL cannot be rolled back, but the table structure stays. DROP removes the whole table, including its structure, indexes and data. An easy way to remember it: DELETE removes some rows, TRUNCATE empties the table, DROP removes the table.
38. What is the difference between a process and a thread?
A process is a program in execution with its own memory space, files and resources; one process cannot directly read another's memory. A thread is a smaller unit of execution inside a process, and threads of the same process share its memory and resources while each keeps its own stack and registers. Threads are lighter to create and switch, which is how a browser can download a file while you scroll. The catch is that shared memory needs synchronisation, such as locks, to avoid race conditions.
39. In Java, what is the difference between == and equals() for strings?
The == operator compares references, that is, whether two variables point to the same object in memory. The equals() method of String compares the actual characters. String literals with the same text are stored once in the string pool, so a == b is true, but new String() creates a separate object, so a == c is false even though the text matches. Always use equals() to compare string content, and equalsIgnoreCase() when case should not matter. This is one of the most common fresher Java questions.
String a = "hello";
String b = "hello";
String c = new String("hello");
System.out.println(a == b); // true (same pooled object)
System.out.println(a == c); // false (different objects)
System.out.println(a.equals(c)); // true (same characters)40. How should you explain your final-year project in the interview?
Prepare a short structure: the problem, your solution, the technology and why you chose it, your own part, one challenge you solved and what you would improve. For example: "We built a canteen pre-order app in Flutter with Firebase to cut queues. I wrote the order status module and fixed duplicate orders by using a transaction." Expect follow-up questions on every tool you name, such as why Firebase and not MySQL. Be honest about what teammates built, because interviewers often probe deeper.
Ready to check yourself? Take the free Accenture mock test
Accenture interview questions: Hard questions
20 questions41. Sample pseudocode question: what does this code print for x = 12 and y = 10?
Write both numbers in binary: 12 is 1100 and 10 is 1010. AND keeps a 1 only where both bits are 1, giving 1000, which is 8. OR keeps a 1 where either bit is 1, giving 1110, which is 14. XOR keeps a 1 where the bits differ, giving 0110, which is 6. Shifting 12 right by one bit gives 0110, which is 6, the same as dividing by 2. So the output is 8, 14, 6 and 6. Bitwise operators have appeared in pseudocode items in recent drives, so practise binary conversion of small numbers.
Integer x = 12, y = 10
print (x & y) // bitwise AND
print (x | y) // bitwise OR
print (x ^ y) // bitwise XOR
print (x >> 1) // right shift by one bit42. Sample pseudocode question: what value does fun(6) return?
Do not expand the whole call tree; build the values from the bottom up. For n below 3 the function returns 1, so fun(0), fun(1) and fun(2) are all 1. Then fun(3) = fun(2) + fun(0) = 2, fun(4) = fun(3) + fun(1) = 3, fun(5) = fun(4) + fun(2) = 4 and fun(6) = fun(5) + fun(3) = 4 + 2 = 6. So fun(6) returns 6. A small table like this is faster and safer than tracing recursive calls, and it also shows why such recursion repeats work that memoisation would save.
Integer fun(Integer n)
if (n < 3)
return 1
end if
return fun(n - 1) + fun(n - 3)
end function43. Sample pseudocode question: how many times does the inner statement run when n = 5, and what is the general count?
For i = 1 the inner loop runs n times, for i = 2 it runs n - 1 times, and so on down to once for i = n. The total is n + (n - 1) + ... + 1 = n(n + 1)/2. For n = 5 that is 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 15, so the code prints 15, and the running time grows as O(n squared). An inner loop that starts at i is common in pair-counting code, and spotting the triangular sum saves you from tracing every pass by hand under time pressure.
Integer count = 0
for (each i from 1 to n)
for (each j from i to n)
count = count + 1
end for
end for
print count44. Move all zeros in an array to the end while keeping the order of the other elements.
Keep a write index, pos, for the next place a non-zero value should go. Scan the array once: copy every non-zero value to arr[pos] and move pos forward, which keeps the original order. After the scan, fill everything from pos to the end with zeros. This runs in O(n) time with O(1) extra space, which beats building a new list or sorting. Test the edge cases a hidden test may include: an empty array, an array with no zeros, and an array made only of zeros.
def move_zeros(arr):
pos = 0 # next place for a non-zero value
for x in arr:
if x != 0:
arr[pos] = x
pos += 1
for k in range(pos, len(arr)):
arr[k] = 0
return arr
print(move_zeros([0, 4, 0, 3, 12])) # [4, 3, 12, 0, 0]45. Find the first non-repeating character in a string.
Make two passes. The first pass counts how often each character appears, using a dictionary, or an array of 26 counters for lowercase letters. The second pass walks the string in its original order and returns the first character whose count is 1. For "swiss" the counts are s = 3, w = 1 and i = 1, so the answer is w at index 1. This is O(n) time. A nested-loop solution that compares every character with all others is O(n squared) and may time out on large hidden inputs.
from collections import Counter
def first_unique(s):
freq = Counter(s)
for i, ch in enumerate(s):
if freq[ch] == 1:
return i, ch
return -1, None # every character repeats
print(first_unique("swiss")) # (1, 'w')46. Check whether any two numbers in an array add up to a given target, in linear time.
For each number x, the partner it needs is target - x. Keep a set of the numbers seen so far: if the partner is already in the set, a pair exists; otherwise add x and move on. A hash-set lookup takes constant time on average, so the scan is O(n), against O(n squared) for checking every pair with two loops. Adding x only after the check stops a number from pairing with itself. If the array is already sorted, two pointers moving in from both ends also work in O(n) with no extra memory.
def has_pair(arr, target):
seen = set()
for x in arr:
if target - x in seen:
return True
seen.add(x)
return False
print(has_pair([8, 4, 1, 6], 10)) # True (4 + 6)47. Check whether a string of brackets is balanced, such as "{[()]}".
Use a stack. Push every opening bracket. For every closing bracket, the stack must not be empty and its top must be the matching opening bracket; pop it and go on, or return false. At the end the stack must be empty, or some brackets were never closed. "{[()]}" passes, while "([)]" fails because the round bracket closes while the square one is on top. This runs in O(n) time. Say why a stack fits: the last bracket opened must be the first one closed.
def balanced(s):
pairs = {')': '(', ']': '[', '}': '{'}
stack = []
for ch in s:
if ch in '([{':
stack.append(ch)
elif ch in pairs:
if not stack or stack.pop() != pairs[ch]:
return False
return not stack
print(balanced("{[()]}"), balanced("([)]")) # True False48. How do you avoid failing hidden test cases in an online coding assessment?
Read the input and output format twice and match it exactly, including spaces and new lines, because an extra prompt like "Enter a number" can fail a correct solution. Before submitting, test edge cases yourself: empty or single-element input, negative numbers, duplicates, values large enough to overflow an int, and the biggest allowed input size, which exposes slow O(n squared) code. Use long or a wider type when sums can grow. Submit a simple working version first, then improve it if time remains.
49. What happens when you type a website address into a browser and press Enter?
The browser first checks its cache, then asks a DNS resolver to turn the domain name into an IP address. It opens a TCP connection to that server and, for HTTPS, performs a TLS handshake to agree on encryption keys. It then sends an HTTP request; the web server or application builds a response, perhaps after querying a database, and returns HTML. The browser parses the HTML, fetches the CSS, JavaScript and images, builds the page and renders it. Walking through these layers in order shows real networking understanding.
50. Write a short email to a client explaining that a delivery will be one day late.
A good business email is short, polite and specific. For example: "Subject: Update on the reporting module. Dear Ms Rao, the reporting module planned for Friday will reach you on Monday. In final testing we found an issue with the date filter and are fixing it, so that you receive a reliable version. All other modules are on track. I will share the build by Monday noon and am happy to join a call. Regards, Arjun." Give the news first, the reason briefly, and then the next step.
51. Your lead gives you a task in a technology you have never used, with a tight deadline. What do you do?
Show that you will neither panic nor stay silent. First, confirm the exact requirement and deadline with the lead. Then learn just enough to start: the official documentation, a short tutorial and any existing code in the project. Break the task into small parts and deliver the simplest working part early. If you are stuck after a fair attempt, ask a teammate a specific question rather than saying "it is not working". Tell your lead early if the deadline is at risk, with the reason and a revised plan.
52. You find a bug in your code after it has been delivered to the client. What do you do?
Report it to your lead at once; hiding a bug is far worse than having written one. Explain what you found, which users or data it affects and how serious it is. Suggest a fix or a temporary workaround, and follow the project's process for raising and testing the fix instead of patching the live system yourself. Afterwards, add a test that would have caught it and share the lesson with the team. Interviewers are checking honesty, ownership and respect for process, not a record of zero mistakes.
53. A teammate is not doing their share of the work and the deadline is near. How do you handle it?
Start by talking to the teammate privately and without blame; there may be a reason, such as being stuck or unwell. Offer help, for example pairing on the hard part, and agree on clear tasks and a time to check progress. If nothing changes and the deadline is at risk, inform the lead with facts about the work, not complaints about the person, and keep your own work on track meanwhile. Use a real example from a college project if you have one, and end with what you learnt about teamwork.
54. What do you do if you disagree with your manager's technical decision?
Disagree respectfully and with evidence, in private or in the right meeting, never in front of a client. Say what worries you and why: "If we skip input validation here, bad data could break the monthly report, and adding it takes half a day." Offer an alternative and listen to the reasons behind the original choice, because your manager may know about client limits that you do not. If the decision stands, commit to it fully. Escalate further only for ethical, legal or security concerns.
55. Tell me about a time you failed.
Choose a real, moderate failure from college and explain what happened, what you did about it and what you changed afterwards, using the STAR method: situation, task, action, result. For example: "In a hackathon we tried to build too many features and our demo crashed. We cut the scope to one feature that worked well. Since then I plan the smallest working version first." Avoid a failure that shows dishonesty or no effort, and do not blame others. The interviewer is judging how you learn.
56. What are your salary expectations as a fresher?
In fresher and campus drives the pay for a role is usually fixed by the company and shared in the official notification or the offer letter, so a long negotiation is not expected. A good answer: "As a fresher, my priority is learning and a strong start to my career, and I am comfortable with the standard offer for this role." Do not quote a number heard from friends or compare companies in the interview. Once you have the offer letter, read it carefully and ask HR in writing about anything unclear.
57. What should you check before accepting an Accenture offer letter?
Read the whole letter, not just the first page. Check that your name, role and work location are correct, then the conditions: documents to submit, background verification, clearing all backlogs and passing final exams by the stated date, and any training to complete. Note the deadline to accept and the joining steps. Confirm the letter came through an official Accenture channel, and never pay any fee. If anything is unclear, ask HR in writing, keep copies of every email, and compare it with the official notification.
58. If you get a better offer from another company before joining, will you still join Accenture?
Be honest but show commitment: "I applied to Accenture because of the client exposure and training it offers. If I accept your offer, I will honour it and plan my career here." Avoid saying you will take whichever offer pays more, and do not promise what you do not mean. Many colleges have rules on how many offers a student may hold, so know your placement policy. If you later decide to decline, tell Accenture politely and early, so the place can go to someone else.
59. How do you explain a backlog, low marks or a gap year on your resume?
First, check the eligibility rules in the official notification, because recent drives have required a degree finished within its standard duration without gaps, and no active backlogs. If you are eligible, answer briefly and honestly, then move to what you did about it: "I had a backlog in Maths in my second year because I underestimated it. I cleared it in the next attempt and changed how I prepare." Never hide a fact that your documents will show, since they are verified. Show learning, not excuses.
60. What if the interviewer asks about a skill on your resume that you know only a little?
The best defence is a resume you can fully support, so before the interview remove anything you cannot explain at a basic level. If you are asked about something you know only a little, say exactly where you stand: "I used Docker once in my project to run MySQL. I understand images and containers, but I have not written a Dockerfile myself." Then say how you would learn more. Bluffing is easy to expose with a couple of follow-up questions and damages trust in all your other answers.
Practice questions for November 2026
New every month3 questions from the Accenture mock test, the way they appear in it. A new set comes on the 1st of every month. Pick your answer, then open it.
-
What is the average of 19, 97, 56, 85 and 79?
- 70.2
- 69.2
- 68.2
- 67.2
Show the answer
Answer: 67.2. Sum = 336, count = 5, average = 336/5 = 67.2.
-
Statement: K ≥ E ≤ F ≥ Q. Conclusions: I. Q < F II. F < E. Which is true?
- Either I or II is true
- Only I is true
- Neither I nor II is true
- Only II is true
- Both I and II are true
Show the answer
Answer: Neither I nor II is true. I: Q < F is not certain: for example Q = 0 and F = 0 fit the statement. II: F < E is not certain: for example F = 0 and E = 0 fit the statement. A link is strict if any sign on the path is strict, and opposite signs break it.
-
Which spelling is correct: Maintenence, Maintainance, Maintenance, Mantenance?
- Maintainance
- Maintenance
- Maintenence
- Mantenance
Show the answer
Answer: Maintenance. The correct spelling is 'Maintenance'.
Ready to apply?
Browse the open jobs on CoreHRx. Create a free profile once and apply with it.