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6 Strategies to Crack Any RC in CAT 2025

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Content Writer | Updated On - Nov 28, 2025

The Reading Comprehension or RC section of CAT 2025 continues to be the most decisive part of the VARC section. It contributes nearly 70% of the total VARC score.

CAT RC is considered a moderately difficult but scoring section by the experienced candidates.

RC Accuracy alone determines whether you land at 90 percentile or cross 99 percentile in CAT exam. Check CAT 2025: VARC Strategy to Score 99 Percentile
Solving RC with smart strategy includes assessing passage difficulty level quickly in the first 10 minutes, picking up the most scoring RCs and minimising errors that can affect the accuracy up to 40%. Check CAT VARC Preparation Tips

With RC becoming more abstract, lengthy, and inference-heavy in recent years, questions like how to solve RC in CAT and mastering proper step-by-step strategies is now essential. Below are highly effective 6 strategies to crack any RC in CAT 2025.

Also Read:

CAT VARC Paper Analysis	CAT VARC Practice Paper

Types of RC in CAT Exam

The core difficulty of RC passages does not change much, with some repetitive vocabulary and idioms. However, the main theme and central ideal of the passage may shift depending on the latest context. Below is a clear explanation of the type of RC in CAT 2025 that candidates can expect:

Type of RC Questions in CAT	Expected Number of Questions	Important Features
Reasoning questions	4–5	Based on statements, assumptions, true/false ideas, inferences, and judgments.
Vocabulary-based questions	5–6	Finding the similar meaning of a word or phrase used in the passage.
Opposite-meaning questions	2–3	Choosing the option that gives the opposite meaning of a word/phrase from the passage.
Thought-based questions	3–4	Summarising the main idea or message expressed in the passage.
Fact-verification questions	2–3	Selecting the answer that agrees or disagrees with what the author has stated.

Also Read:

Ques: How many RC passages should I attempt in CAT 2025?

Ans: Depending on the difficulty level, candidates can attempt 2 full RCs and selected questions from 1 more. Trying to solve all RCs can lower the accuracy. Candidates should choose the Passage wisely.

Ques: What is the ideal RC accuracy to target for CAT 2025?

Ans: RC accuracy above 70% is excellent. Even 60% accuracy can lead to 89-90 percentile. It should be noted that high accuracy is far more important than high number of attempts.

6 Strategies to Solve any RC in CAT 2025

Based on previous years’ trend, Scoring 99 percentile in VARC usually needs around 40-45 marks, which depends on achieving 80-90% accuracy in RC. However, many aspirants still score below 30 marks because they struggle to quickly scan and understand passage under the time pressure.

Let’s understand some most popular strategies for solving RC, which will help you improve RC accuracy and score in the competitive percentile:

Strategy 1: Start with Quick Read, Not a Line-by-Line Approach

“Never start reading an RC line-by-line” - this is one consistent pattern seen in toppers’ discussion. Instead of reading line-by-line, take a quick scan and skim for:

Central Theme
Author’s Tone
Structural Flow (Intro - Idea - Example - Opinion)

This strategy helps form a mind map, improving RC accuracy in inference-based questions.

Strategy 2: Identify Passage Type before diving in

The type selection affects the performance more than the difficulty level:

Science passages are usually factual and structured.
Philosophy passages are abstract and dense.
Economics passages often require conceptual clarity.
Sociology passages depend on opinions and tone.

Different candidates have different strengths and weaknesses and therefore, choosing the right passage first increases confidence and reduces cognitive load.

RC Genre	Difficulty based on experienced candidates	Accuracy Trend	Notes
Science & Tech	Easy–Moderate	High	Structured argument; good for early attempts
Economics	Moderate	Medium	Requires conceptual clarity
Sociology	Moderate–Tough	Medium–High	Opinion-based, requires tone detection
Philosophy	Tough	Low	Abstract; many skip initially

Source: Reddit

Also Read:

CAT VARC Previous Year Paper

Strategy 3: Avoid looking at Questions before reading the Passage

Reading questions first can build bias, lead to panic if questions seem tough, and reduce comprehension of actual themes. CAT RCs are designed in a way that you cannot answer most questions without understanding the whole passage. Thus, top performers always start by reading the passage first and not the questions.

Source: Reddit

Strategy 4: Master Elimination Rather than Selection

About 65-70% of top performers have increased accuracy in RC through the elimination of wrong choices. This strategy works particularly well in Inference questions or Author’s tone questions. A reliable elimination strategy includes:

Avoid options with extreme words like “always”, “never”, or “completely”.
Eliminating answers that generalise the passage.
Remove answers that contradict evidence.
Avoid options that do not match the author’s tone.

Source: Reddit

Strategy 5: Build Speed without Compromising Accuracy

Speed matters in RC, but accuracy matters more. Attempting 14-18 RC questions with 70-80% accuracy is better than attempting 22-23 questions with low accuracy.

Average reading speed among 99 percentiles: 260-300 words/min.
Average reading speed among 80-90 percentiles: 180-200 words/min.

Speed vs Accuracy for RC-

Reading Speed (WPM)	Attempt Rate	Expected Accuracy	Observed Percentile
150–180	Low	40–50%	70–80
180–220	Medium	55–60%	85–90
230–260	High	65–75%	95+
270–300	Very High	75–85%	98–99+

Source: Reddit

Also Read:

CAT 2025 Preparation Tips	CAT Question Papers	CAT 2025 DILR Preparation Tips

Strategy 6: Develop a clear Attempt order or Pecking order

Your RC attempt order determines performance far more than the number of questions attempted. A clear and consistent sequence reduces panic and fatigue. Selecting random RCs wastes time and also hampers accuracy. The recommended order strategy as per experts and top performers, is:

Easiest RC, checked through a quick scan in the first 10 minutes.
Second easiest RC
VA questions (paragraph summary and sentence rearrangements)
Return to the remaining RC if time permits

Ques: How do I manage tough RCs in CAT 2025 like Philosophy-based Passage?

Ans: Skip them initially. Many experts avoid abstract passages until the end. If your mock test results show poor accuracy in philosophy, you should not prioritise it.

Ques: Should I increase reading speed artificially?

Ans: No. Forced speed reduces comprehension. Speed increases naturally with consistent reading.

Ques: What are good attempts for RC section in CAT 2025?

Ans: The good attempts for CAT VARC and DILR sections as well is tabulated below:

Overall Good Attempts	VA & RC Good Attempts	DI & LR Good Attempts	QA Good Attempts	Raw Score	Expected Percentile
51–53	17–20	13–15	16–18	105	99.5
45–50	15–17	12–14	14–16	95	99
41–44	12–15	9–12	10–14	92	97
32–35	11–14	6–9	8–12	72	95
21–23	8–12	5–8	6–10	50	90

Therefore, cracking RC in CAT 2025 demands appropriate strategy, backed by smart selection and presence of mind. With 3 lakh+ competitors, your edge lies in 80%+ accuracy in each section.

Also Read: CAT 2025 College Predictor

CAT 2024 RC Question Paper PDF

CAT 2024 Exam Slot	VARC Question Paper PDF	Solution PDF
CAT 2024 VARC Question Paper with Answer key (Slot 1)	Download PDF	Check Solution
CAT 2024 VARC Question Paper with Answer key (Slot 2)	Download PDF	Check Solution
CAT 2024 VARC Question Paper with Answer key (Slot 3)	Download PDF	Check Solution