03 — Test Strategy
How to sit the Infosys Systems Engineer test. Every fact is tagged; the evidence is in research/03-pattern-synthesis.md. The 2027-batch test has not been reported yet, so treat the section figures as the last known pattern (Oct 2025), not a guarantee.
1. Facts that shape the strategy
| Fact | Consequence | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| Seven sections, 60 questions, 120 minutes, 75 marks + an essay | Pace by section, not by the clock | [LIKELY] |
| Each section has its own cut-off (value unknown) | A zero in one section can end your chances however well you do elsewhere | [CONFIRMED] |
| Sections are timed and cannot be revisited | Time saved in one section is lost; time overspent in one costs only that section | [LIKELY] (one account says otherwise) |
| No negative marking reported | Answer every question; never leave a blank | [LIKELY] |
| No calculator; rough paper and stationery allowed | Mental arithmetic and written working only | [CONFIRMED — official] |
| In-person proctoring in college labs; switching windows is tracked; login window 15 minutes | Arrive early; never leave the test screen | [CONFIRMED — official] |
| Pseudocode, puzzle and grammar carry 2 marks a question | 14 questions are worth 30 of the 75 marks | [LIKELY] |
| No coding in the Systems Engineer test | Do not spend preparation hours on coding problems | [CONFIRMED] |
2. Time per question and what to do when it runs out
| Section | Q | Minutes | Seconds a question | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Reasoning | 15 | 25 | 100 | Easy ones first within the section only if you can see all questions; if not, move on after 150 s and guess |
| 2 Technical (maths) | 10 | 35 | 210 | The most generous section. Use it: write working, check the data-interpretation base, re-check arithmetic |
| 3 Verbal | 20 | 20 | 60 | Reading comprehension costs most; do the short items first and the passage last |
| 4 Pseudocode | 5 | 10 | 120 | Draw a trace table. A wrong trace is worth 0, a slow right one is worth 2 |
| 5 Puzzle | 4 | 10 | 150 | Fit the rule on line 1, confirm on line 2, apply on line 3. Cap at 2.5 minutes, then guess by last digit |
| 6 Grammar | 5 | 10 | 120 | Read the passage once, then fix each blank from the words on both sides |
| 7 Writing | 1 | 10 | 600 | Plan 1 minute, write 7, proofread 2 |
When to guess. With no negative marking, a blank is always worse than a guess. When the section timer is at its last 15 seconds, fill every unanswered question with the same letter you have used least.
When to move on. If you have no rule after the per-question limit above, mark your best guess and go. One puzzle should never take the time of two.
3. Marks at stake by effort
Expected marks per study hour (data/analysis-tables.md §6) say where each hour pays most: Grammar and Puzzle first (10 + 10 marks, 2–3 marks a question), then series, coding and data interpretation, then the English reading and error-spotting items. Writing is a gate: a poor essay can fail a section whose marks are not even published.
4. What to do first in the room
- Carry your original college ID card and a government photo ID. Both are mandatory throughout
[CONFIRMED — official]. - Login within the first 15 minutes of the slot; after that the login closes and you lose the test
[CONFIRMED — official]. - Close every other program; phones, smart watches and calculators stay outside
[CONFIRMED — official]. - Do not wear headphones, do not talk to anyone, follow the dress code
[CONFIRMED — official]. - Use the 60 seconds before the first section to write on your rough sheet:
EJOTY = 5 10 15 20 25(letter anchors), squares 11–25, and the rule ladder for puzzles. - Read the on-screen instructions once; the section structure may differ from the planning model, and the screen is the authority.
5. Section by section
Reasoning (100 s). Coding-decoding: try the letter sum, then the position rule, then reverse-and-shift. Series: write the differences, then squares/cubes, then two interleaved series. Operator logic: divide-then-digit-sum, digit products. Blood relations: translate symbols to words, draw. Data sufficiency: solve statement I alone, then II alone, then both.
Technical (210 s). Data interpretation first if the table is clear: it is the topic coaches say appears every time. Percentage change uses the old value as the base. Heads-and-legs: assume all one kind. Mensuration: solve for r first.
Verbal (60 s). Error spotting: read each part for agreement, tense, preposition. Para-jumbles: decide the opener, then follow the pointer words. Critical reasoning: find the conclusion first.
Pseudocode (120 s). Read the declarations. Treat / as integer division, mod as remainder, ++/-- as Java. Write the variable values after each loop pass. Check the last pass twice.
Puzzle (150 s). The rule is the same on every line. Try product-based rules before sums; try the column when the numbers are big. If two options survive, compare the last digit.
Grammar (120 s). Read the passage once. Since/for, a/an, singular/plural subject, had + V3, passive. Re-read the sentence with your choice.
Writing (10 min). Four paragraphs, about 190 words, present tense. For an email: subject, purpose, details, request, close.
6. Mistakes that cost the most
| Mistake | Cost | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Leaving a section for the end of its timer | Lost marks cannot be recovered after the timer | Answer as you go |
| Ignoring puzzle and grammar because they are “small” | 20 marks and two cut-offs | Practise them first |
| Spending 3 minutes on one reasoning question | Two other questions go unanswered | 150-second limit |
| Changing windows or talking | Application cancelled | Never |
| Over-trusting a leaked “answer key” | Published keys are often wrong | Re-derive |
7. The night before and the morning of
Pack the two IDs and a pen. Eat. Read 91-CHEATSHEET.md once, then stop. Arrive early enough to log in within the window. After the test, note any questions you remember: they are the only Infosys evidence that does not exist yet for the 2027 batch (see research/03-pattern-synthesis.md §10).