The placement season, month by month
Typical cycle timing from recent seasons — exact dates change every year; official portals are the only source for dates
Placement season is a calendar, and most students discover it too late. This is the whole year's rhythm — what typically happens each month, and what you should be doing about it. Your current month is highlighted.
| Month | What typically happens | What you should do |
|---|---|---|
| June–July | Registrations open for the season's first national exams; companies publish eligibility criteria. | Finish aptitude foundations; fix your resume; register on TCS iON, Infosys and Cognizant portals so drive alerts reach you first. |
| August | Season opens: TCS NQT windows typically begin; campus drives start at early colleges; off-campus registrations accelerate. | Write every mock you can; lock your one-page resume; start daily interview practice — the first offers of the season go to the already-prepared. |
| September | Peak exam month — NQT sittings, Infosys/Wipro/Capgemini assessments, first big offer waves on campuses. | Exams weekly. Between them: company-specific prep the day before each (pattern, sections, timing) beats generic grinding. |
| October | Interview season peaks; Cognizant GenC and Accenture cycles run; pooled drives multiply. | Shift from aptitude to interview mode: CS fundamentals, project walkthroughs, HR answers. Practise out loud daily. |
| November | Second-wave exams and upgrade interviews (Digital/Prime/Elevate); semester exams collide with drives. | Attempt every upgrade exam — same sitting, higher package. Plan study hours around drive dates, not the reverse. |
| December | Offer rollouts and document verification; mass recruiters top up remaining seats; off-campus continues. | If placed: complete verification fast, backlogs cleared. If not: nothing is over — off-campus season runs all year; keep writing. |
| January–February | Off-campus drives for the same batch continue; GATE happens (Feb); internship-to-offer conversions for final-years. | Re-register for every open portal; broaden to product companies and startups on LinkedIn/Cutshort; GATE results open the MTech/PSU track. |
| March–April | Late off-campus hiring, startup hiring picks up, next season's internship applications open for third-years. | Third-years: this is YOUR start line — internships convert to offers. Final-years: walk-ins and referrals now beat portals. |
| May | Joining documentation for the new batch; next season's syllabus and pattern updates start leaking. | Graduating: onboarding paperwork, background verification honesty. Juniors: begin aptitude now and next August is easy. |
Whatever month it is, the interview is coming
The students who cruise through the season practised before it started. Phiny's AI runs unlimited free mock interviews — start with this month's exam.
Start a free AI mock interviewFrequently asked questions
When does TCS NQT happen each year?
Registration windows have typically opened around July–August with test sittings from late August through autumn, plus additional cycles later in the year — but exact dates change every season. Register on the TCS iON portal early and rely on its notifications, not on remembered dates.
What if I miss the campus placement season?
Off-campus hiring runs all year — the national exams hold multiple cycles, and companies backfill continuously. A December without an offer is a setback, not an ending; January–April off-campus plus walk-ins place lakhs of students annually.
When should third-years start preparing?
March–April of third year is the ideal start line: aptitude foundations through summer, exam-ready by August of final year. Starting in the season itself means competing against students with a six-month head start.
Do semester exams clash with placements?
Constantly — especially November. Companies don't reschedule for your internals. The only defence is preparation done before the season so drive weeks need revision, not learning.
Prepare for what's next on the calendar
- TCS NQT, Infosys, Cognizant GenC, Wipro NTH — the exams this calendar revolves around.
- Aptitude preparation plan — the pre-season foundation.
- Eligibility checker — confirm your numbers before the season starts.