From “Let’s Just Try” to a Prime Offer — My TCS HackQuest S10 Journey

Hi, I’m Captain Rogers (Vinayak Prajapati), a cybersecurity enthusiast and engineering student who enjoys exploring different areas of cybersecurity, solving CTF challenges, and sharing what I learn along the way.

This article shares my experience preparing for and participating in TCS HackQuest Season 10.

I’m writing this mainly for students who are interested in cybersecurity and may consider participating in HackQuest in the future. While the format or difficulty may change slightly every year, the preparation approach and learning process remain largely similar, so I hope this journey gives future participants a clearer idea of how they can approach the competition.

I first heard about HackQuest through my college when someone mentioned that HackQuest Season 10 was going to take place and that the competition would follow a CTF (Capture The Flag) format.

At that time, I had no real experience with CTF competitions.

Still, I decided to register. My thinking was simple — even if I didn’t perform well, it would still be a good opportunity to understand how these competitions work and learn something new.

At that moment, I had no idea that this small decision would eventually lead to securing a Prime offer.

Getting Started with CTFs

I registered for HackQuest in October, and Round 1 was scheduled for December. That gave me some time to start preparing.

Since the competition followed a CTF format, I needed to first understand how CTF challenges actually work. I started practicing on picoCTF, beginning with the easy challenges to understand the structure of problems and how flags are discovered.

At the same time, I was also preparing for the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification.

My preparation mainly involved:

• Solving CTF challenges on picoCTF
• Practicing labs on TryHackMe
• Solving vulnerable machines from VulnHub
• Studying cybersecurity concepts through CEH preparation

By the time December arrived, I had solved around 100 CTF challenges, mostly easy ones and a few medium-level problems.

One important thing that helped me was consistency. Even solving a few challenges regularly helped me improve my thinking process and familiarity with CTF problems.

Round 1 Experience

Round 1 took place on 13 December.

The structure of Round 1 was:

• 10 AM — 4 PM: Solve challenges and submit flags
• 4 PM — 6 PM: Submit a report explaining the solutions

Round 1 was not proctored, so participants could work in their own environment.

There were 14 challenges in total, and I managed to solve 8 of them, scoring around 2500 points.

For me, that result felt good. However, I honestly didn’t expect to move forward in the competition.

After the round ended, I went back to focusing on my internship and job search.

Preparing for Round 2

On 7 January, I received an email saying that I had qualified for Round 2.

That was the moment I realized I should start taking the competition more seriously.

Round 2 was scheduled for 17 January, which meant I had about 10 days to prepare.

I set a goal to solve 100 additional CTF challenges in those 10 days. In reality, I managed to solve around 50 more challenges, which still helped improve my speed and confidence.

One important suggestion for anyone preparing for HackQuest is to review previous year questions (PYQs). Some challenges follow similar patterns, so solving past questions can provide a clear idea of what to expect.

Round 2 Experience

Round 2 was significantly more strict compared to Round 1.

It was a 3-hour proctored competition (10 AM — 1 PM) with strict monitoring.

The setup included:

• Screen sharing enabled
• Laptop camera turned on
• A phone camera placed in the corner of the room to ensure no one else was assisting

Some restrictions were also applied:

• Social media was not allowed
• AI tools were allowed but monitored
• Specialized hacking or pentesting AI tools were restricted

The round started with five challenges.

Within the first two hours, I managed to solve four of them. After refreshing the page, three additional challenges appeared.

With only one hour left, I focused on the highest-value challenge worth 500 points, and I managed to solve it before time ran out.

My final score in Round 2 was around 1300 points.

I don’t remember the exact questions now, but you can easily find write-ups online that explain the types of challenges asked in HackQuest.

The Interview

Around one month later, I received an email inviting me for the interview.

My interview was scheduled in Pune at the Hinjewadi campus of Tata Consultancy Services.

Interestingly, there were only two HackQuest candidates present that day. Most of the other candidates were appearing for interviews through the TCS National Qualifier Test.

Initially my panel was not available, so there was some waiting.

Later I was asked to enter a cabin where two interviewers joined through Microsoft Teams:

• One technical interviewer
• One managerial interviewer

The interview started with the usual introduction and resume discussion.

Gradually, the questions became more technical. A few questions were challenging and some went over my head, but overall the discussion went well.

This was also my first in-person interview, which made it an important learning experience.

Managerial and HR Rounds

The managerial round was more conversational.

During the discussion, my YouTube channel and cybersecurity articles were mentioned, which created a positive impression because it showed that I actively work on learning and sharing knowledge.

After that, there was a short HR round, mainly focused on:

• Eligibility verification
• Document checks
• Basic HR questions

The process was straightforward and mainly formal.

The Result

After the interview, I went back home and continued searching for internships.

Then on 8 March, late at night, I received an email asking me to upload documents.

The next day at 8 PM, I received my offer letter.

What surprised me the most was that I received a Prime offer, even though my interview had been conducted for the Digital role.

That moment felt extremely satisfying, especially because the journey had started with no CTF experience at all.

Key Takeaways for HackQuest Preparation

For anyone planning to participate in HackQuest in the future, these points may help:

• Start practicing CTF challenges early
• Use platforms like picoCTF and TryHackMe
• Practice vulnerable machines
• Focus on understanding concepts rather than memorizing solutions
• Review previous year questions (PYQs)

Consistency and curiosity are the most important factors.

Connect With Me

If you are interested in cybersecurity, CTF competitions, or HackQuest preparation, I regularly share learning resources and experiences through my platforms.

You can connect with me here:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinayak-prajapati/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sh13ldsecurity
• Telegram: https://t.me/sh13ldsecurity

If this article helps someone start their cybersecurity journey or prepare better for HackQuest, it will be worth it.