In this guide
VARC is the section where time vanishes without warning. There is no long calculation to warn you that you are stuck. You re-read a paragraph, then an option, then the paragraph again, and six minutes have gone on a single question.
Because the section is timed on its own and you cannot return to it later, those minutes cannot be recovered. This guide gives you a plan for the 40 minutes, checkpoints to know whether you are on track, a rule for when to move on, and a worked example of what one stuck passage actually costs.
The constraints
In recent CAT papers, VARC has had 24 questions in a 40-minute section, most of them from four RC passages and the rest verbal ability: para summary, para jumbles and odd sentence out. Each section is locked to its own time. When the 40 minutes end, the paper moves to the next section, and you cannot go back.
A 40-minute plan
Here is a plan that fits the recent pattern of about 16 RC questions and 8 verbal ability questions.
| Block | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal ability | About 8 | 10–12 minutes |
| RC passages | About 16 (four passages) | 26–28 minutes, about 6–7 per passage |
| Buffer | Marked questions | 2 minutes |
Time per question type
| Type | Target time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RC passage reading | 3–4 minutes | Read once, carefully, with a paragraph map |
| RC question | About 1 minute | Longer for inference, shorter for detail |
| Para summary | About 1.5 minutes | Write your own summary first |
| Para jumble | 2–2.5 minutes | Longest VA type; TITA, so always answer |
| Odd sentence out | About 2 minutes | TITA, so always answer |
Which order: verbal ability first or RC first?
Both work. What matters is choosing in mocks, not in the exam hall.
| Order | Advantages | Risks |
|---|---|---|
| VA first | Quick TITA answers are banked early; a calm start | Jumbles can eat time if you don't cap them |
| RC first | Fresh mind for the longest reading; VA fills leftover time | A slow passage can squeeze VA into a rushed final few minutes |
| Easiest passage first | Early confidence and marks | You must scan quickly and not overthink the choice |
Try each order in at least two mocks. Keep the one that gives you better accuracy, not the one that feels more comfortable. For how to rank passages quickly, see choosing which RC passage to attempt.
Checkpoints
A plan helps only if you check it during the section. With VA first, these are the checkpoints to hold:
| Section timer shows time used | You should have finished |
|---|---|
| 10 minutes | All verbal ability questions |
| 17 minutes | First passage |
| 24 minutes | Second passage |
| 31 minutes | Third passage |
| 38 minutes | Fourth passage |
| 40 minutes | Marked questions reviewed |
If you are more than three minutes behind at any checkpoint, cut the next block short. Do not try to win the time back by rushing reading; you will lose it in wrong answers.
The two-minute rule
If a question has taken two minutes and you still cannot settle on one option:
- If you have eliminated two options with clear reasons, pick between the remaining two and move on. On an MCQ with +3/−1, a genuine 50-50 has a positive expected score: 0.5 × 3 − 0.5 × 1 = +1.
- If you have not eliminated anything with confidence, leave it (on MCQs) and mark it for review.
- On TITA para jumbles and odd sentence out, type your best answer, since there is no negative marking, and move on.
What one stuck passage costs: a worked example
Suppose an aspirant reads three passages at a comfortable pace and gets 75% of those questions right. The fourth passage is dense. Compare two ways of handling it. Assume the VA questions answered wrongly in scenario A are TITA (no penalty), and in scenario B one is a para summary MCQ.
| Scenario A: no cap | Scenario B: cap at 7 minutes | |
|---|---|---|
| Three readable passages (21 min) | 9 right, 3 wrong | 9 right, 3 wrong |
| Hard passage | 14 min: 4 attempted, 2 right, 2 wrong | 7 min: 2 attempted from specific lines, 1 right, 1 wrong |
| Verbal ability | 5 min: 3 attempted, 2 right, 1 wrong (TITA) | 12 min: 7 attempted, 5 right, 2 wrong (one MCQ, one TITA) |
| Total right | 13 → 39 marks | 15 → 45 marks |
| Negative marks (MCQ wrongs) | 3 + 2 = 5 | 3 + 1 + 1 = 5 |
| Score | 39 − 5 = 34 | 45 − 5 = 40 |
Both scenarios use 40 minutes. The only difference is where the minutes went, and it is worth 6 marks. The extra seven minutes on the hard passage added 2 marks (4 instead of 2). The same seven minutes in verbal ability added 8 (14 instead of 6).
Common time traps
- Reading the passage twice. One careful read with a map beats two fast ones. See how to read a CAT passage.
- Re-reading options in circles. Go back to the text instead.
- Letting one para jumble run to five minutes. Cap it at 2.5.
- Leaving VA for the end with no time fixed for it. If you go RC first, stop RC at a fixed time.
- Checking the timer too often. Check at the checkpoints only.
Timed drills
| Drill | Setup | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Single passage | One passage with four questions, 7 minutes | Finish with 30 seconds spare |
| VA sprint | Eight VA questions, 10 minutes | All TITA answered, accuracy above 60% |
| Half section | Two passages plus four VA questions, 20 minutes | Hit both checkpoints |
| Full sectional | 24 questions, 40 minutes | Follow your chosen order and checkpoints exactly |
What to do next
- Write your chosen order and checkpoint times on a card and use them in your next three mocks.
- After each mock, note the one question where you lost the most time and why.
- Do one single-passage drill every day for two weeks, and read VARC mock analysis to review your timing properly.
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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