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Entrance exams

VARC for CAT

The first section: 24 questions in 40 minutes in recent years. It is mostly reading comprehension, plus verbal ability questions such as para jumbles, summaries and odd sentence out. Some verbal questions are TITA, with no penalty for a wrong answer.

10 guides·Conducted by Indian Institutes of ManagementOfficial website

Study in this order

  1. 1A VARC plan for CAT: six months to steady accuracyVARC opens the CAT paper and is the slowest section to improve. What it tests, why reading matters more than tricks, a six-month plan, a 40-minute section plan and a review method that builds accuracy. 7 min read
  2. 2Building a reading habit for CAT that actually improves VARCThe best VARC preparation is reading: widely, regularly and actively. What to read, how much, how to read so comprehension improves, and a four-week schedule to build the habit. 6 min read
  3. 3How to read a CAT RC passage: structure, map and evidenceA CAT passage is not read like a newspaper. How to read for structure, track the author, build a paragraph map, decide between questions-first and passage-first, and answer from evidence, with a full worked passage. 8 min read
  4. 4CAT RC question types: how to recognise and answer each oneMain idea, detail, inference, tone, purpose, application and "all except" questions each need a different method. One original passage, one worked question of each type, the traps behind wrong options and a practice set. 8 min read
  5. 5Inference questions in CAT RC: how far is too far?Inference questions ask what the passage implies. A method for judging how much support an option has, the traps that catch most candidates, and original passages with every wrong option explained. 8 min read
  6. 6Tone, purpose and the author's view in CAT RCWhat does the author think, and why did they write this sentence? How to read tone and purpose in CAT passages, a graded list of tone words, an original worked passage and short tone drills with answers. 7 min read
  7. 7A worked CAT RC passage: every option explainedAn original CAT-style passage with four questions, a paragraph map and an explanation for every option, plus a second timed passage to try on your own. 8 min read
  8. 8Para summary questions in CAT: method, traps and worked examplesChoose the option that best captures a paragraph's essence. A three-part method for writing your own summary, the four traps that make wrong options look right, and original worked examples. 7 min read
  9. 9Para jumbles in CAT: a method that finds the one right orderArrange four or five sentences into a coherent paragraph and type the sequence. How to find the opener, lock mandatory pairs, build blocks and check the flow, with original worked sets. 7 min read
  10. 10Odd sentence out in CAT: how to find the one that does not belongFive sentences, four of which make a paragraph. How to build the paragraph first, spot the sentence that shares a keyword but shifts focus, and avoid the traps, with original worked sets. 6 min read

New VARC guides are added regularly. Back to all CAT guides