CAT VARC Preparation Time Table

The table below listed the Time Table for Reading Comprehension(RC) in VARC:

Time Table to follow for Other Topics:

How to Prepare for CAT RC?

The Reading Comprehension (RC) section of the CAT exam will test the reading habit and analyzing capability of the student. Reading has no Substitution and as soon as you start practicing reading consistently the better your understanding of the section. Candidates can prepare for this section using the following CAT 2025 Preparation Tips & Plan. 

• Pick a passage from a book, magazine, newspaper, novel or any reading material available to you every day to understand your Reading Comprehension abilities. And write the difficult words that you came across.
• Try and read on a variety of topics like business, politics, fiction, etc.
• To boost your vocabulary, enjoy what you read and read with full focus.
• Summarize your readings with clarity and try to focus on the theme of the passage.
• Spell out the passage aloud when you feel tired. You can try taking 5 min breaks in between.
• Read every part of the paragraph you are reading. Do not skip any parts. 
• Discuss what you read and their interpretations with your friends and have rational discussions on the reading and vocabulary. 
• Try and listen to your friend's interpretations of the same paragraph and learn through them.
• For the RC section, practice a lot of RC passages.

Types of Reading Comprehension Passages

 In the CAT exam, Reading Comprehension has three types of passages:

• Analytical RC - As the name suggests, Analytical RC comes with the purpose of checking the analytical ability of the candidate. The passage content has the form of advantages and disadvantages.
• Descriptive RC - Descriptive Reading Comprehensions do not provide all the information explicitly. These types of RCs generally describe metaphors and symbolize non-material concepts. 
• Data-Driven RC - Data-Driven means something that is based on facts and figures. Such RCs will be full of information in the form of numbers of written facts and you need to analyze the data while providing the right answers.

All the types of CAT RC passages cover major topics like economics and business, social science, current affairs, humanities, and sciences. Check out the past 3 years of CAT reading comprehension topics below:

Types of RC Questions Asked in CAT Last Year: CAT 2020 was conducted in three parts. Below are the CAT RC 2020 topics of all three parts:

Syllabus for CAT Reading Comprehension

1. Current Affairs - Current Affairs include the issues affecting foreign relations, social life, governance policies, and old and new schemes such as Covid 19 Pandemic, Triple Talaq, CAA, Clean India Project, migration of citizens country-wise, and worldwide intolerance.
2. Business and Economics - Happenings in the business world such as Environmental-Economic Growth, Indian Demonetization Effect, Global Economic Change, Government Waste Expenditure, GDP, Country's Fiscal Budget, etc.
3. Literature - Paragraphs from various books of English literature written by famous writers, essays written by great thinkers and philosophers, and various speeches of great personalities and politicians like Martin Luther King, Aristotle, Charles Dickens, Mohan Das Karam Chand Gandhi, and Churchill among others.
4. Science and Culture - Developments in Science and Technology, Transition into the modern world, disappearing society with technological advancement.
5. Abstract Topics and Fiction - Such passages are opinion based because they reflect the opinions of the writers and students need to be in their shoes to answer such passages and it requires a lot of critical thinking. 
6. Historical Events - Events leading to social changes such as the World War, the French Revolution, and the War of Roses. Social changes in Indian Culture and thoughts expressed by various activists are still of great relevance.
7. Mythology - Such passages seek to connect mythological events with the actual social system and answers must be given accordingly.

How to Prepare for CAT VA?

CAT VA section comprises the following type of questions: 

• Paragraph Completion, Sentence Rearrangement, Sentence Elimination. 
• Use the apt verbal ability study material while preparing for CAT VARC. You will have to look at sample CAT papers and determine the right book according to the syllabus. 
• To make learning enjoyable, download mobile applications such as Vocabulary Builder, Word by Word, and so on.
• When you learn new words or phrases, use them in your day-to-day communication with friends or family. It will help you remember the use of those words. 

Syllabus for CAT Verbal Ability

CAT VARC Important Topics & Weightage

In the CAT VARC section, a total of 24 questions are asked among which 19 questions are Non-MCQ questions. Majority of questions are asked from Reading Comprehension. Listed below are some of the important syllabus topics for the CAT VARC section:

Type of RCs & Weightage of Questions

CAT VARC Weightage of Other Topics

Quick Link:- CAT VARC Paper Analysis

CAT 2025 VARC Preparation Books

Candidates can check the books mentioned below for CAT VARC Preparation: 

Newspapers & Magazines for CAT VARC Preparation

Quick Links:-

Common Mistakes to Avoid for CAT VARC Section

1. Ignoring details: Do not feel over-confident while reading the passage during the exam and ensure that you do not misunderstand the questions in order to provide the correct answers. 

1. Spending more time on VA Non-MCQs: It is very common for students to spend a large chunk of their answering time attempting VA Non-MCQs. Allot a specific time duration for each question and try your best not to exceed it. 

1. Rushing through RC passage readings: Students often rush the reading of RC passages. This can lead to missing out on important keywords that might be required to give correct answers. Ensure that you read every passage with concentration. 

1. Losing track of sectional time limit: Do not get very immersed in answering VARC questions and forget the sectional time limit which can cause you to risk the loss of many marks.

CAT VARC Question Papers

Candidates can make use of CAT VARC Question papers for the preparation of exam. The following table shows the last three years CAT Question Papers for VARC section: