TCS · Git & Version Control

TCS Git & Version Control interview questions

Practice Git & Version Control questions specifically asked in TCS interviews – ideal for online test preparation, technical rounds and final HR discussions.

Company: TCSSubject: Git & Version Control83 questions in this page

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TCS · Git & Version Control questions (83)

Go through each question and its explanation. Use this page for targeted revision just before your TCS Git & Version Control round.

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1. What does `git add` do? What’s the staging area?

Difficulty: EasyType: SubjectiveTopic: Staging

`git add` places changes into the index (staging area), a buffer where you curate what will go into the next commit.

2. How do you set the current local branch to track `origin/develop`?

Difficulty: MediumType: MCQ

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TCS Git & Version Control interview questions

Quick overview

1. What does `git add` do? What’s the staging area?

2. How do you set the current local branch to track `origin/develop`?

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3. Which commands remove a merged local branch and then prune remote-tracking branches no longer on the server?

4. You want to discard local changes in `app.js` and reset it to the last commit. Modern command?

5. Which flag creates a GPG-signed commit (assuming GPG is configured)?

6. You made a fixup commit with message `fixup! Parse config`. Which command auto-positions it during rebase?

7. You checked out a commit SHA directly. Which is TRUE?

8. A team wants one commit per PR on main. Which setting fits best?

9. Which command shows a compact, decorated graph of commits for review?

10. What is a remote in Git and why do most repositories have one named 'origin'?

11. Which command both creates and switches to a new branch named `feature/ui`?

12. What does `git stash` do by default?

13. What does `git rerere` help with?

14. What does a squash merge do in a PR workflow?

15. What is Git and why is it widely used?

16. What is the purpose of a .gitignore file? Give two common patterns.

17. Which command pair helps you see staged vs. unstaged changes and actual line diffs?

18. Define a commit in Git. Why are commit messages important?

19. In a freshly cloned repo, what does the name `origin` refer to?

20. What problem does branching solve in Git and why is it cheap compared to other VCSs?

21. Which command merges the branch `feature/ui` into your current branch?

22. What does `git cherry-pick` do? Provide a use case.

23. Which command is safer to undo a public commit on a shared branch?

24. To integrate upstream changes without a merge commit, which command would you use?

25. How do you stage only parts (hunks) of a file interactively?

26. You forgot to include one file in the last commit. Which sequence is correct?

27. Which command unstages a file but keeps its working tree changes?

28. Which command compares staged changes to the last commit?

29. Which statement is TRUE?

30. How do you remove remote-tracking refs that no longer exist on the server when fetching?

31. You need a fast clone of a huge repo without full history. Which option is correct?

32. What is a Git submodule and how do you initialize and update them after cloning?

33. What does `git merge --no-ff feature` do when a fast-forward would be possible?

34. When would you use `git rebase --onto <newbase> <upstream> <branch>`? Give a practical example.

35. What is an octopus merge and when is it appropriate?

36. A team wants a clean linear main branch and to preserve PR context. Which policy fits best?

37. Differentiate between working tree, index (staging area), and HEAD.

38. When should you prefer `git revert` over `git reset`?

39. You need to undo only commit abc123 on main and keep later commits intact. What is correct?

40. How do you revert a range of commits from A (older) to B (newer) in one go?

41. What problems do branches solve in Git and how do they enable parallel development?

42. When does Git perform a fast-forward merge?

43. Compare `git merge` and `git rebase` for integrating main into a feature branch. When would you choose each?

44. Your team enforces a linear history on main. Propose a branch policy and CLI steps to satisfy it.

45. What is an octopus merge in Git?

46. What problems does `git stash` solve in day-to-day work?

47. Why do teams create branches instead of committing directly to main?

48. How do you stash tracked, untracked, and ignored files?

49. Which option pair removes untracked directories as well and bypasses safety prompts?

50. In classical Git Flow, which branches are long-lived?

51. What key elements should a good Pull Request include?

52. When should you open a Draft PR?

53. Why are smaller PRs generally preferred?

54. Which PR description phrase auto-closes a GitHub issue on merge?

55. Which action in `git rebase -i` combines commits while preserving both messages?

56. Which flag adds a Signed-off-by trailer while cherry-picking?

57. You rewrote history and lost commits locally. How can `reflog` help?

58. Why do teams create Git tags and when are annotated tags preferred over lightweight tags?

59. How do you push a single tag named v2.0.0 to origin?

60. In Semantic Versioning MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH, which increment signals backward-incompatible changes?

61. What should high-quality release notes include for a tagged release?

62. How would you design a tagging strategy for a service with weekly releases, hotfixes, and experimental builds?

63. A PR has many 'merge from main' commits. Reviewers ask to clean it up. What do you do and why?

64. List three characteristics of an effective pull request review.

65. A good pull request template typically includes:

66. What is one proven tactic to reduce back-and-forth in reviews?

67. When would you enforce squash merging in a repository and what are the trade-offs?

68. How do you list stash entries and view what changed inside a specific stash?

69. What is the Git Index (staging area) and why does Git use it?

70. Which statement best describes the difference between `git init` and `git clone`?

71. After a merge conflict, which sequence completes the merge?

72. Which command deletes a branch named `feature/login` on the `origin` remote?

73. Differentiate lightweight and annotated tags. When would you prefer each?

74. Compare Git Flow, GitHub Flow, and Trunk-based development. When would you prefer each?

75. What is the effect of using a platform’s “Squash and merge” option on a PR?

76. Which data is lost after `git reset --hard <commit>` (assuming no reflog usage)?

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