Cognizant vs PayPal Interview Questions
Cognizant lists 29 LeetCode interview questions while PayPal lists 105. They share 11 problems — 38% of Cognizant's bank and 10% of PayPal's. Focus on the overlap first, then drill into 18 Cognizant-only and 94 PayPal-only questions.
Overview
Preparation Strategy
Step 1 — Shared core: Solve the 11 overlapping problems first. These are the highest-yield questions for candidates interviewing at both Cognizant and PayPal.
Step 2 — Company-specific depth: Add Cognizant-specific problems like Palindrome Number, Count Subarrays of Length Three With a Condition, Smallest Value of the Rearranged Number and PayPal-specific problems from the exclusive lists below.
Step 3 — Difficulty tuning: PayPal skews harder in our data. Budget extra time for Hard problems if you are targeting that company.
Difficulty Comparison
Top Shared Topics
11 Shared Questions
High-priority problems to practice for both Cognizant and PayPal.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Two Sum | Easy |
| Longest Palindromic Substring | Medium |
| Valid Anagram | Easy |
| Maximum Subarray | Medium |
| Valid Parentheses | Easy |
| Median of Two Sorted Arrays | Hard |
| Longest Substring Without Repeating Characters | Medium |
| 3Sum | Medium |
| Happy Number | Easy |
| Move Zeroes | Easy |
| Fizz Buzz | Easy |
Unique to Cognizant (18)
Problems in Cognizant's list that do not appear at PayPal.
Unique to PayPal (94)
Problems in PayPal's list that do not appear at Cognizant.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many LeetCode questions do Cognizant and PayPal share?
Cognizant and PayPal share 11 LeetCode interview questions. 18 problems appear only in Cognizant's list and 94 appear only in PayPal's list.
What topics overlap most between Cognizant and PayPal?
The most common shared topics between Cognizant and PayPal are Array (5 shared questions), String (5 shared questions), Hash Table (4 shared questions), Two Pointers (4 shared questions), Dynamic Programming (2 shared questions). Mastering these areas prepares you for both companies.
Which company asks harder LeetCode questions: Cognizant or PayPal?
Cognizant has 18 Easy, 10 Medium, and 1 Hard questions. PayPal has 19 Easy, 69 Medium, and 17 Hard questions. PayPal has a higher proportion of Hard problems in its interview set.
How should I prepare if interviewing at both Cognizant and PayPal?
Start with the 11 shared problems since they cover what both companies ask most often. Then add 18 Cognizant-specific and 20 PayPal-specific questions to round out your prep.