CAT VARC Tasks and Timing

VARC is the first CAT section and has 40 minutes of standard time. RC and verbal-ability questions share that timer; there is no separate official RC allowance. PwBD extra time is divided equally across sections.

The 2025 VARC papers had 24 questions: 16 reading-comprehension questions and eight verbal questions. The verbal tasks included summary, ordering, odd sentence and placement. This is the completed 2025 pattern, not a fixed 2026 question quota.

The VARC syllabus separates the reading skills from passage subject matter. A science or economics passage is primarily a comprehension task, not a test of a separate science or economics syllabus.

Read the Argument, Not Just the Topic

After each paragraph, identify its role: presenting a claim, supplying evidence, qualifying an earlier statement or discussing another view. A list of memorable facts does not show how those facts support the argument.

Original example: a library records more visits after extending its evening hours. The author welcomes the increase but says a simultaneous change in bus timings may also have affected attendance. The claim is qualified: longer hours may have helped, but the passage does not establish them as the only cause.

A short passage map could read: "visits increased; two changes occurred together; the cause remains uncertain". It preserves the argument more accurately than memorising only the new closing time.

For an inference question, stay within what follows from the passage. Outside knowledge may make an option plausible without making it supported.

Eliminate Options by Scope and Strength

Compare what an option claims with what the passage actually establishes. Words such as all, only, necessarily and never can change a qualified claim into an absolute one. They are not automatically wrong; they need sufficient support.

In the library example, "visits rose after evening hours were extended" reports the sequence. "Longer hours alone caused the increase" adds a causal certainty the author expressly avoids. "All visitors preferred evenings" adds a claim about every visitor.

For summaries, choose the option that preserves the central argument and its limitation. A detailed example can be accurate but still too narrow to summarise the passage. For EXCEPT questions, identify the one option that does not fit the requested relationship.

The VARC practice page includes an original passage with answer explanations that distinguish these close choices.

Solve Verbal Questions Through Connections

Paragraph tasks need more than matching repeated words. A pronoun may refer to a previous idea, a contrast may reverse an earlier claim, and an example usually depends on the general point it illustrates.

For an odd-sentence question, read the remaining sentences as one paragraph after removing your choice. A sentence can share the topic yet interrupt the argument. For placement, test the connection on both sides; fitting the preceding line alone is insufficient.

For ordering, keep a strong sentence pair together when one defines a term or claim the other refers to. Then test where the pair belongs in the full progression. A plausible pair is a starting deduction, not proof of the entire order.

Review a Timed VARC Section

Use the section timer for mixed RC and verbal work after you have practised the methods without time pressure. During review, separate misunderstanding the passage from choosing the wrong option despite understanding it.

Record the exact textual reason for rejecting an option. "Too broad: passage says some libraries, option says every library" is more useful than "silly mistake". For a correct answer reached by guessing, verify the supporting lines before counting the method as secure.

CAT awards 3 marks for a correct answer and deducts 1 for a wrong MCQ. A wrong typed answer or a blank scores zero. The response format, not whether the task is RC or verbal ability, determines the penalty.

Use the VARC slot analysis to compare the tasks in a dated paper. A difficult passage topic does not automatically make every question attached to it difficult.

1. VARC Practice Tasks
2. Map a Passage
3. Compare Close Options

1. Verbal Question Methods
2. Review a VARC Attempt