CAT VARC Practice Paper PDFs

Use the same year and slot when pairing a question paper with an answer key. Reading tasks are sensitive to the exact wording of both the passage and options; a topic summary cannot replace the original passage.

For the other subjects, the CAT paper archive lists the wider collection. The files here belong to completed examinations, not the upcoming November 2026 test.

VARC Skills to Practise

VARC practice needs both complete passages and short paragraph tasks. The 2025 papers had 16 RC and 8 verbal-ability questions, including summary, ordering, odd sentence and placement. That historical mix is not a guaranteed 2026 quota.

A passage about science may test the author's argument rather than a scientific fact. A summary option can use the same words as the passage yet change its meaning. The VARC syllabus separates the skills from the subject of a passage.

How to Compare Close Answer Choices

Read the question as a task before comparing options. A question asking what strengthens an argument is different from one asking what the passage explicitly says. An EXCEPT question reverses the usual selection: three options may fit while one does not.

Original illustration: a museum reports that weekend visits increased after it extended opening hours, but does not measure visitor spending. The statement that visits increased is supported. The statement that every visitor spent more is not: it changes both the measure and the population.

For paragraph summaries, compare the option with the main claim and its qualification. For sentence placement, read on both sides of the proposed gap. A sentence can connect to the preceding line and still make the following line incoherent.

The original rooftop-garden passage below uses a different situation to test main idea, evidence and unsupported conclusions. The answers remain hidden until submission.

VARC Timing, Marking and Set Accuracy

The CAT rule is +3 for a correct answer, -1 for a wrong MCQ and zero for a wrong typed answer or blank. The format of the response determines the penalty, not the subject.

The original practice set on this page reports correct answers and set accuracy, not CAT raw marks or a percentile. A short drill has too few questions and too narrow a skill range to represent a complete section.

For a full section, use the standard 40-minute timer. PwBD extra time is shared equally across the three sections. The CAT exam pattern gives the full timing and accessibility rules.

RC and verbal questions share the VARC timer. A personal decision to spend more time on passages is not a separate official RC time allowance.

Review a VARC Answer Properly

After a wrong answer, identify the exact word or relationship that made it fail. An option may be too strong, too broad, causal without support, or an accurate detail that does not answer the question.

The practice result separates correct, incorrect and unanswered items. Retry mistakes narrows the next attempt to the missed items; restart brings back the full passage set. Neither action turns a short drill into a full section score.

Compare your reading with the VARC paper analysis and use the VARC preparation guide for timed passage work.

1. VARC Paper Downloads
2. Reading and Verbal Tasks
3. Check a Close Option

1. Try a VARC Passage
2. Timing and Marking
3. VARC Error Review