CAT 2025 VARC Structure

All three 2025 VARC papers contained 24 questions: 16 RC and 8 verbal ability. The verbal questions comprised two each of summary, ordering, odd sentence and placement. The section had 40 minutes and a raw maximum of 72.

A question asking for the summary of a full RC passage remains an RC question. It is different from a standalone paragraph-summary task. The question maps below use that distinction. The VARC syllabus explains each task.

CAT 2025 VARC Slot 1 Question Map

Slot 1 reading contexts included electronic music, complex systems, historical diagnosis of mental illness and inequality/economic growth. Questions required interpretation of arguments, examples and contextual expressions rather than a fixed list of vocabulary definitions.

The verbal questions were interspersed: paragraph ordering appeared at Q6 and Q13, while summary tasks appeared at Q14 and Q24. Treating the last eight questions as the entire VA component would misclassify this paper.

CAT 2025 VARC Slot 2 Question Map

Slot 2 reading included place in literature, AI-related arguments, cavefish adaptation and scientific instruments. Its question stems included conclusions, contradictions and EXCEPT constructions.

Q1 and Q21 were standalone paragraph summaries. Q14 and Q20 asked for sentence placement, while Q19 and Q23 required paragraph ordering. RC and VA were not separated into two consecutive blocks.

CAT 2025 VARC Slot 3 Question Map

Slot 3 reading included AI and ethical decisions, forest policy, dams and tribal art. Several questions asked for contextual meanings or conclusions that the passage did not support.

Its verbal tasks included sentence placement at Q9 and Q12, ordering at Q11 and Q15, and summary at Q13 and Q24. The task types matched the other slots even though their positions and reading contexts changed.

Reported VARC Difficulty and Score Meaning

IMS's 2025 reviews described the VARC sections as moderate overall. Individual passages varied within each slot, so an overall label did not mean every passage was equally accessible. These are coaching assessments, not official IIM ratings.

The papers also show why a familiar passage topic does not guarantee an easy question. A close option may reverse a qualification or attribute a reported view to the author. The error can be logical even when every word is understood.

Attempt count alone does not establish a percentile. Correctness and response type affect raw marks, while the official result involves score processing and relative performance.

For an original illustration, 10 correct answers of either type and 3 wrong MCQs give 30 - 3 = 27 raw marks. Ten correct answers and 3 wrong TITA answers give 30 raw marks. Both attempts contain 13 responses, but the scores differ.

A reported difficult paper does not tell you a fixed number of marks that will be added during normalization. Nor does a past-year good-attempt estimate establish a current admission threshold. The CAT score calculation and score-versus-percentile guide explain the separate measures.

For a useful VARC practice review, record the time used, correct answers, wrong MCQs, wrong typed responses and blanks. Then identify the reason for each error rather than treating every lost mark as a need to attempt more.

Use the VARC practice papers to compare your answer with the passage and the VARC preparation guide for task-specific review.

1. 2025 VARC Task Mix
2. 2025 Slot 1 Tasks
3. 2025 Slot 2 Tasks

1. 2025 Slot 3 Tasks
2. Review the Answer, Not Just the Attempt Count