CAT 2025 VARC Pattern

CAT 2025 VARC had 24 questions for 72 marks. The standard section time was 40 minutes; PwD candidates had 53 minutes and 20 seconds. Reading comprehension carried 48 of the 72 marks.

An RC question may ask for the summary of a passage. Standalone paragraph-summary questions are counted under verbal ability. The VARC syllabus explains these question types.

CAT 2025 VARC Slot 1 Analysis

Slot 1 passages covered electronic music, complex systems, mental-illness diagnosis, and inequality and economic growth. Questions asked about the author's argument, the purpose of examples and the meaning of phrases in context.

Para jumbles appeared at Q6 and Q13, while standalone summaries appeared at Q14 and Q24. RC and verbal-ability questions were mixed throughout the section.

CAT 2025 VARC Slot 2 Analysis

Slot 2 passages covered place in literature, AI, cavefish adaptation and scientific instruments. Questions included conclusions, contradictions and EXCEPT questions. In an EXCEPT question, the required option is the one that does not fit the condition in the question.

Standalone paragraph summaries appeared at Q1 and Q21. Sentence-placement questions were Q14 and Q20; para jumbles were Q19 and Q23.

CAT 2025 VARC Slot 3 Analysis

Slot 3 passages covered AI and ethical decisions, forest policy, dams and tribal art. Questions tested meanings in context and asked which conclusions were not supported by the passage.

Sentence-placement questions appeared at Q9 and Q12, para jumbles at Q11 and Q15, and summaries at Q13 and Q24.

CAT VARC Difficulty and Marking

VARC was reported as moderate in all three slots. In Slot 1, the complex-systems passage was among the harder passages. In Slot 2, the passages on place in literature and science and culture were difficult. The tribal-art passage was a harder part of Slot 3.

Close answer options can change the scope of an argument. For example, if a passage says a policy benefits some communities, an option claiming that it benefits every community goes further than the passage. A view quoted from a critic is also not necessarily the author's own view.

Raw marks depend on correct answers and wrong MCQs. A correct answer earns 3 marks, a wrong MCQ loses 1 mark, and wrong typed answers or blanks receive zero.

For example, 10 correct answers and 3 wrong MCQs give 27 marks: (10 × 3) − 3. With 10 correct answers and 3 wrong typed answers, the score is 30.

The CAT score calculation explains raw marks and scaled scores. The score-versus-percentile guide shows how marks have compared with percentiles in earlier exams.

For an incorrect RC answer, find the sentence that supports the correct option. Then check whether your choice changed the author's view, missed a condition or added an idea absent from the passage.

The VARC practice papers include passages and verbal-ability questions with solutions. The VARC preparation guide covers passage selection and timed practice.

1. CAT 2025 VARC Questions
2. Slot 1 Question Types
3. Slot 2 Question Types

1. Slot 3 Question Types
2. Common VARC Errors