TCS Strategic Leadership Program
TCS SLP Case Quest 2026
Lead. Think. Transform.
From insight to impact. From strategy to leadership. An exclusive business transformation challenge for India's sharpest minds.
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About the Challenge
A consulting challenge,Where technology meets business — and ideas become impact.
The TCS SLP Case Quest is an exclusive business transformation challenge for the most promising management students from IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta.
Step into the role of a strategic leader driving change at the intersection of technology and business. Reimagine how enterprises grow, operate, and compete in a digital-first world — moving beyond advice to real, implementable transformation.
You'll work the way future leaders do: cutting across strategy, operations, technology, and customer experience to design solutions that actually scale. Bring bold thinking, sharp business judgement, and a builder's mindset — and defend it in front of senior TCS leaders.
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Stages — from qualifier to finals
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Team size in the Case Challenge round
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Partner institutes — IIM A, B & C
Powered by the Strategic Leadership Program
Where leaders are built.
The Strategic Leadership Program (SLP) is TCS' flagship initiative focused on developing future leaders of TCS. SLP associates partner with global clients to solve critical business challenges and drive transformation — and this challenge is built in that same image.
✓Solve complex business challenges across functions and industries
✓Exposure to strategy, digital transformation, and innovation
✓Interact with senior TCS leaders and gain practical business transformation insights
✓Accelerated growth through apprenticeship-driven learning
Why participate?
Build the kind of thinking transformation demands.
Case Quest is designed to feel close to real strategic work: ambiguous problems, practical decisions, and ideas that have to stand up to leadership-level scrutiny.
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Work on real transformation themes
Explore how enterprises grow, operate, and compete when technology, data, customer experience, and business strategy come together.
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Think beyond frameworks
Move from analysis to judgement: structure the problem, make choices under ambiguity, and shape recommendations that can scale.
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Gain leadership exposure
Present your thinking, receive visibility, and interact with senior TCS leaders through a challenge built around business transformation.
Case Theme
Real transformation. Real ambiguity. Real leadership.
This year's challenge puts you where real transformation happens — where technology, strategy, and customer impact collide. Expect open-ended, real-world problems with no tidy answer, the kind future business leaders are hired to solve.
You'll think beyond frameworks, make calls under ambiguity, and defend your thinking to senior TCS leaders. If you want to shape how enterprises grow and reinvent themselves — not just advise from the sidelines — this is built for you.
Eligibility
India's sharpest minds.
This challenge is open exclusively to a select group of institutes — it is not a general open-entry competition.
IIM Ahmedabad
IIM Bangalore
IIM Calcutta
Open to PGP first-year and second-year students from IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta only. PGP1 and PGP2 participants compete on separate case tracks.
Age & Education
- Age 18–28 at the time of the TCS selection process
- Only full-time courses considered — part-time/correspondence courses are not eligible
- Highest qualification must be the flagship 2-year full-time PGP in Management from an IIM
- Class X/XII via NIOS (open schooling) is accepted, provided all other qualifications were completed full-time
- Minimum 60% aggregate across Class X, Class XII, Diploma (if applicable), Graduation, and/or Post-Graduation — CGPA converted per TCS's internal criteria where the institute has no official conversion factor
Academic Continuity
- Any gap in education or work experience must not exceed 24 months, and is permissible only for valid, declared reasons
- All courses must be completed in the first attempt, within the stipulated duration, with no backlogs
- Extended education in any form is not permitted
Work Experience
- Total work experience must not exceed 36 months
- Any prior work experience must be disclosed in the application with specific employment dates, regardless of duration
The Competition Journey
Three stages. One outcome: excellence.
Each stage raises the bar — from individual analytical rigor to leadership-level presence. Detailed instructions are shared at the start of every stage.
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Qualifier
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Case Challenge
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Finals
Demonstrate your analytical edge
An individual, MCQ-based online assessment.
FormatIndividual
TypeMCQ-based
ModeOnline
What happens in this stage
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Microeconomics
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Financial Accounting
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Marketing
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Generative AI
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Insight from Data
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Structured Problem Solving
Ground rule: The Qualifier is individual participation only, with questions across Easy, Difficult, and Very Difficult levels.
Structure the chaos
Shortlisted teams tackle a real-world consulting case.
Team size2
CaseReal-world
Submission window5 days
What happens in this stage
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Shortlisted applicants form teams of 2 within their institutes
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Teams of 2 receive a real-world consulting case
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Download the case problem statement
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Submit the structured solution deck
Submission guidelines
- Not more than 5 slides
- Format: PDF (converted from PPT)
- No appendix
- Submission deadline: 22 Sep 2026
Ground rules: Teams of 2 from the same institution. One submission per team.
Own the room
Present to TCS senior leadership and SLP consultants.
FormatVirtual
IncludesQ&A
AudienceTCS Panel
What happens in this stage
01
Shortlisting of entries by TCS panel
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Virtual presentation to TCS panel
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Announcement of final winners
Guidelines: Both team members must present. Format: virtual, over video call, including Q&A. Audience: a TCS panel of senior leaders. Schedule to be announced by TCS.
Key Dates
The road to Case Quest 2026
Mark the key milestones for the 2026 challenge.
1Registration deadline10 Sep 26
2Assessment date13 Sep 26
3Case release18 Sep 26
4Submission deadline22 Sep 26
5Virtual presentation01 Oct 26
6Final results06 Oct 26
What We Evaluate
Clarity. Rigor. Impact.
Participants are assessed on five dimensions as given below.
The five dimensions
Breaking the problem into a clear, logical (MECE) framework before diving into analysis — the discipline that anchors the Case Challenge round.
Depth of analysis and the insight it surfaces — letting evidence, not assumption, drive the thinking. Core to the Qualifier.
Practical, feasible recommendations shaped by business judgement, trade-off thinking, and a clear sense of who has to act on them.
Clarity of the written deck and the verbal defense — explaining complex ideas concisely, on paper and in the room. Decisive in the Finals.
Originality of thinking, and the composure to make sound calls when information is incomplete.
What's In It For Me
More than rewards — a career gateway.
Tap any card to flip it.
Career Fast-track — Pre-Placement Interviews (PPI)
Summer internship and final placement opportunities, plus a direct pathway into TCS SLP.
Pre-Placement Interviews (PPI)
- Opportunity for Summer Internships (PGP first year)
- Opportunity for Final Placements (PGP second year)
- Direct pathway into the TCS Strategic Leadership Program
Signature Experience
An exclusive opportunity to interact with TCS leaders and gain business transformation insights.
Signature Experience
- Interact with TCS leaders and gain valuable business transformation insights
- Build exposure to strategic leadership conversations and real-world enterprise challenges
Recognition
Visibility that travels — campus and national recognition, plus leadership exposure.
Recognition
- Campus-level and national-level winner announcements
- Leadership interaction, visibility, and business transformation exposure
- Recognition among top MBA talent
Results published
Final Results
Congratulations: TCS SLP Case Quest 2026 Winners
Celebrating the students selected through the TCS Strategic Leadership Program Case Quest journey.