In this guide
This is the page to read in the last fortnight, not the first month. It assumes you have already learnt each method from the longer guides and need them in one place: what to do, what to watch for, and how to spend 40 minutes.
Read it once now, then once more the evening before the exam. If a row feels unfamiliar, go back to the full guide on that question type before the exam, not after.
The RC reading method
- Read the first paragraph slowly. Work out the topic and what the author is doing: explaining, arguing, comparing, criticising.
- Map each paragraph in five words as you finish it ("example supporting claim", "objection", "author's answer").
- Mark the author's own view wherever it appears. Signal words: "but", "yet", "in fact", "what this misses".
- Note the turn. Most passages have one point where the argument changes direction.
- Answer from the text. Find the line before you click.
RC question types
| Type | Stem words | Method | Usual trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main idea or primary purpose | "central idea", "primarily concerned" | Match your map of the whole passage | Too narrow: one paragraph's point |
| Detail | "according to the passage", "the author mentions" | Go to the line; read two sentences around it | Right words, wrong relationship |
| Inference | "it can be inferred", "most likely agrees" | One small step beyond the text | Too big a step; outside knowledge |
| Tone and attitude | "tone", "attitude", "the author regards" | Collect judgement words | Too strong a word for a mild text |
| Function | "in order to", "serves to" | Ask what the sentence does for the argument | Describing content instead of role |
| Strengthen or weaken | "strengthens", "undermines" | Find the link between premise and conclusion | Attacks a side point |
| EXCEPT or NOT | "EXCEPT", "cannot be inferred" | Circle the word; find the unsupported option | Picking a supported one |
For the full treatment of each type, see RC question types in CAT.
The five trap options
| Trap | Test |
|---|---|
| Extreme | Does the option say "always", "only", "proves", "entirely" where the text hedges? |
| Too broad | Does it claim more ground than the passage covers? |
| Too narrow | Does it cover one paragraph when the question asks about the whole? |
| Out of scope | Is it true or plausible but not in the passage? |
| Distortion | Does it reuse the passage's words but change cause, direction or degree? |
Tone words, grouped
| Positive | Neutral or balanced | Negative | Mixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appreciative | Objective | Critical | Ambivalent |
| Laudatory | Analytical | Sceptical | Qualified (limited) |
| Sanguine (optimistic) | Descriptive | Dismissive | Cautiously optimistic |
| Reverential | Circumspect (careful) | Sardonic (grimly mocking) | Equivocal (deliberately unclear) |
| Enthusiastic | Didactic (instructive) | Polemical (openly combative) | Nostalgic but critical |
CAT passages are usually written in measured prose. When two tone options are both negative, check the stronger one against the text: pick "scathing" or "contemptuous" only if you can point to scorn, not just disagreement.
Verbal ability methods
| Type | Format | Method | Trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Para summary | MCQ | Write a one-line summary first; pick the option closest in scope and emphasis | The option with most details, not the main point |
| Para jumbles | TITA | Find the opener; lock pairs through pronouns and connectors; read the final order | Ordering by topic instead of links |
| Odd sentence out | TITA | Find the paragraph's thread; the odd one shares keywords but breaks the thread | Removing the sentence with different words |
| Sentence placement | MCQ | Test each gap backward and forward | Fits the line before, breaks the line after |
Connectors and what they signal
| Signal | Words | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast | however, yet, but, whereas, on the other hand | A different idea came just before |
| Addition | also, moreover, further, in addition | A point of the same kind came before |
| Cause and result | therefore, thus, so, as a result, hence | The cause is before; often near the end |
| Example | for instance, consider, the clearest case | A general claim is just before |
| Concession | admittedly, of course, granted | The author is about to push back |
| Restatement | in other words, that is, put simply | Closes a point already made |
| Sequence | first, then, finally, only then | Order in time or in argument |
Time plan
| Block | Time |
|---|---|
| Scan and rank passages | 2–4 minutes |
| Four passages | About 6–7 minutes each, 26–28 in all |
| Verbal ability | 8–12 minutes |
| Buffer for marked questions | 1–2 minutes |
Two rules: cap any passage at about seven minutes unless it is going well, and cap any single para jumble at about two and a half. More in VARC time management.
The marking maths
- On an MCQ, the expected score of an attempt is 4p − 1, where p is your chance of being right.
- A blind guess from four options (p = 0.25) is worth 0 on average. Don't.
- Down to two options with reasons (p ≈ 0.5), the expected score is +1. Take it.
- On TITA, a wrong answer costs nothing. Never leave a read TITA question blank.
The last seven days
| Day | Do |
|---|---|
| 7 | One full mock; analyse VARC by mistake category |
| 6 | Two RC passages from your weakest topic; revise trap table |
| 5 | Verbal ability set: 4 jumbles, 4 odd sentences, 4 summaries |
| 4 | One full mock; analyse |
| 3 | Two passages; re-read your mistake log |
| 2 | Light: one passage, one VA set; this sheet |
| 1 | Read two passages for rhythm; this sheet once; no full mock; sleep early |
Quick self-test
- Your chance of being right on an MCQ is 40%. Is attempting it worth it on average?
- A sentence begins "Admittedly,". What is likely to come next in the paragraph?
- A main-idea question offers an option that summarises paragraph three perfectly. What is the risk?
- In odd sentence out, three sentences discuss sleep and memory; the fourth discusses sleep and diet with a similar vocabulary. Which is odd, and why?
- The passage says a reform "helped some farmers". An option says the reform "benefited farmers". What is wrong with it?
- A placement gap fits the line before it. What must you still check?
Answers:
- Yes. 4 × 0.4 − 1 = +0.6 marks on average.
- A push-back. "Admittedly" concedes a point before the author argues against it.
- Too narrow. It covers one paragraph, not the passage.
- The diet sentence. It shares the word "sleep" but not the thread about memory.
- Too broad. "Some farmers" has become all farmers.
- The line after the gap. It must still follow from the inserted sentence.
What to do next
- Read this sheet now and mark any row that feels unfamiliar; revise that guide this week.
- Copy the trap table and the verbal ability table onto one card for the final week.
- Use the seven-day plan above for your last week, adjusted to your mock schedule.
- After your final mock, re-read your mistake log instead of learning anything new.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the Indian Institutes of Management website .
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