The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension is one of the most crucial sections in CAT 2025 exams and students must be fully aware of all the basic concepts to score higher in this section. The exam of CAT 2025 consists of a total of three sections including Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA). Students are provided with CAT VARC strategy on this page to prepare them for this particular section of the exam.
The VARC section of CAT 2025 comprises numerous important concepts such as Reading Comprehension (RC), Para Jumbles, Para Summary, Odd Sentence Out, Sentence Elimination, Critical Reasoning, and Vocabulary & Grammar. The section has 24 questions, around 12 to 14 of which are related to Reading Comprehension. Even though the CAT does not have direct grammar questions, the whole preparation process should be aimed at improving reading comprehension skills.
Recommended: CAT Syllabus 2025: Section-Wise Topics, Weightage and Exam Pattern
CAT VARC Strategy - Concept Wise
The following table contains preparation strategies for the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section of CAT 2025.
Focus Area | Preparation Plan |
Reading Comprehension | Read daily from diverse sources (editorials, essays, journals) - Practice RCs regularly - Focus on inference, tone, and main idea |
Para Jumbles | Identify connectors, chronology, and pronouns - Practice without options (TITA style) |
Para Summary | Eliminate distractors - Choose options that cover all key points - Maintain tone consistency |
Odd One Out | Identify theme and logical flow - Spot the sentence that breaks coherence |
Vocabulary & Grammar | Learn new words in context - Maintain a vocabulary notebook - Brush up on basic grammar rules |
Reading Habit | Read 30–45 mins daily - Focus on comprehension over speed |
Practice & Revision | Attempt 2–3 VARC sectionals weekly - Solve previous CAT papers - Analyze every mistake thoroughly |
Mock Tests & Timing | Take full-length mocks weekly - Allocate ~40 mins to VARC in mocks |
CAT 2025 Syllabus: VARC
Check out the CAT syllabus 2025 for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) available in the table below.
VARC Syllabus Topics | ||
Fill in the blanks | Para completion and inference | Verbal logic |
Verbal reasoning | Subject-verb agreement | Parajumbles |
Sentence completion | Foreign language words used in English | Different usage of same word |
Grammar | Reading comprehension | Idioms |
Syllogisms | Analogies | Antonyms |
Jumbled paragraphs | Sentence correction | One word substitution |
Parts of speech | Preposition | Types of clauses |
Phrases modifiers | Errors in tenses | Articles usage |
Note: The VARC part of the CAT examination syllabus relevant to MBA research includes a number of topics related to Verbal Reasoning and Reading Comprehension. However, to properly tackle Reading Comprehension and Parajumbles, test-takers need to focus on their knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary as well.
Mistakes to Avoid While CAT VARC Preparation
- Stagnation due to Reading Neglect: Without prior reading, solving RC questions impedes comprehension growth.
- Over Focus on Grammar Over Evaluation Guidelines: Direct grammar evaluation isn’t done in the CAT, so any focus on this will squander preparation time.
- Ignoring TITA Fills (Jumble Puzzles): Because TITA questions lack options many candidates skip them which lowers the overall scoring for VA.
- Guessing In RCs Without Eliminating Options: Making guesses at random diminishes the likelihood of success. First, removing 2-3 options can help.
- Inaccurate Reading Speed: Reading at high speeds leads to lack of understanding and increased error chances while reading too slowly can consume a lot of exam time.
- Ignoring question types such as Odd Sentence Out: This question type is often neglected but with some practice can be scored very well.
- Failure to Review Mock Outcomes: Not reviewing outcome analysis makes mocks unhelpful in improving mock related issues.
- Using Only One Resource: Over relying on one book or site to prep limits exposure to various levels of difficulty or style.
- VA and RC Pose as a single entity: Distinct strategies are needed for each as they focus on different skills.
- Vocab enhancement under rating: Using or having poor vocabulary limits understanding of context, especially in RC.
Also Check: CAT 2025 Study Material
