CAT 2026 VARC Strategy to Score 30+ Marks & Get 95+ Percentile
Common Admission Test 2026 ( CAT )
CAT 2026 admit card download
4 Nov '26 - 29 Nov '26
CAT 2026 preparation for VARC should now move into practice mode if you are aiming 95+ percentile in the section. There is no short cut for cracking CAT VARC besides reading voraciously and practicing extensively. Read here how to score 30+ marks & get 95+ percentile in CAT VARC.
How to prepare for CAT VARC
CAT VARC is the first section of the exam and your performance in it, sets the pace of rest of the sections. It is a popular belief that CAT VARC section is the toughest. No doubt it is, but you can crack it with high a high score if you prepare it the right way. More than half of this section is dominated by RCs, so you cannot be ill prepared for it. Out of 16 RC-based questions, you have to attempt 8-10 with maximum accuracy. And because it dominates this section, it can be your biggest aid in scoring 95+ percentile. That is, if you are able to crack it well.
CAT 2026 exam will be held on November 29, so speed up practice sessions of VARC. Now, merely reading won't help. Get hold of most recommended RC topics for CAT and practice them multiple times. You can also check out previous years’ CAT question papers to understand the nature and type of CAT VARC questions, specifically RC passages.
CAT VARC Preparation: RC Topics to Study
Previous years’ CAT question papers will reveal to you the various genres of RC passages and parajumbles. The difficulty level is high mainly because the passages are picked from niche or high specialized fields and many words/terms/expressions are never heard of before. Read books, essay, reports, research papers from the following fields as part of CAT preparation 2026.
- Technology/Industry/Science
- Psychology and Philosophy
- Humans and Culture
- Politics, Law and Crime
- Economy and Business
- Fiction and Others
Only reading is not enough. You should be able to understand every possible interpretation of the given situation. Whether fiction or non fiction, you should be able to understand the message of the entire paragraph as well as individual sentences. Thus, work on vocabulary side by side. Keep a dictionary to understand meaning, usage, synonym, antonym of an alien word you come across. CAT syllabus for VARC also includes VA or Verbal Ability. Questions of this sub section also require control over English comprehension.
Also Read:
- CAT 2026 VARC Strategy to Get 95+ Percentile: Recommended Reading
- CAT VARC: How to Score 30+ Marks
- CAT 2026 VARC Strategy to Get 95+ Percentile
- CAT Reading Comprehension Passages 2024-2025
CAT 2026 VARC Strategy to Get 95+ Percentile: Recommended Reading
Check the table below for novels recommended by MBA experts to strengthen English comprehension for CAT.
| CAT Books |
Author |
Genre |
|---|---|---|
| Seven Habits of Highly Effective People |
Stephen Covey |
Management |
| A Brief History of time |
Stephen Hawking |
Science |
| Cosmos |
Carl Sagan |
Science |
| India in Slow Motions |
Mark Tully |
Politics |
| Capitalism & Freedom |
Milton Friedman |
Economics |
| Maximum City |
Suketu Mehta |
City Life - Mumbai |
| Long Walk to Freedom |
Nelson Mandela |
Autobiography - Politics |
| Wings of Fire |
APJ Abdul Kalam |
Autobiography |
| Shantaram |
David Gregory Roberts |
Autobiography – City Life |
| Around the world in Eighty Days |
Jules Verne |
Adventure |
| The Time Machine |
H G Wells |
Science Fiction |
| Caves of Steel |
Isaac Asimov |
Science Fiction |
| The Hunger Games |
Suzanne Collins |
Dystopian Fiction |
| Three Men in a Boat |
Jerome K Jerome |
Humour |
| Something Fresh |
P G Wodehouse |
Humour |
| Where Eagles Dare |
Alistair McLean |
Fiction |
Also Read:
Now comes the part of CAT VARC preparation, where you have to practice RCs and parajumbles. Being a speed based test CAT, will not allow you time to read the passage at leisure. You will have to read the passages fast and select answer options equally fast. There will be 24 questions in CAT 2026, and nearly 14-16 will be RC based. Every passage will have about 4 questions.
CAT VARC: How to Score 30+ Marks
According to the latest CAT pattern, there are about 14-16 RC questions. If you manage to solve all 14 questions correctly, you will get 42 marks. But it is never possible to solve all the questions correctly. So, aim for 10 questions. If you are better at parajumbles, parasummary and odd sentence, go for these (8-10 questions). If you get 6 questions correctly in VA and even 1-2 passages right, you will score 30+. Reading is the only thing that will help in cracking VARC, so read as much as you can.
CAT 2026 VARC Strategy to Get 95+ Percentile
- Practice RC passages of previous years’ CAT exams in a time bound manner and evaluate your performance on speed and accuracy. In this section of CAT exam speed of reading the para is also critical.
- In the exam, not keep RC for later. The CAT question paper starts with RC passages so should you. Read the passage carefully and note down important points. Focus of sentence breaks. It will help you notice hidden or tricky part of the questions that’ll follow.
- Do not try to attempt all the questions of any RC passage. Attempt only those that you are 100 percent sure of. Do not risk negative marking.
- Calculate how many questions each from VA and RC will take you to your target percentile. Aim for that first, if time permits you can attempt more questions. Again, do not risk negative marking.
- To aim for 30+ marks in CAT VARC, target 10-12 questions with maximum accuracy out of 24.
Explore colleges based on CAT
Want better recommendations?
There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
- Chat with our counselor
- Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
CAT Reading Comprehension Passages 2024-2025
Check below, the Reading Comprehension topics of CAT 2025 and 2024. This will give you an idea what to expect in CAT 2026.
| CAT RC Passages |
Slot 1 |
Slot 2 |
Slot 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAT 2025 |
|
|
|
| CAT 2024 |
|
|
|
Commonly asked questions
CAT is a speed-based test of analytical aptitude, logical reasoning skills, data interpretation and English comprehension. Now, it may sound tough, but these are the skills which we are taught in school so there is nothing new to learn. What is required is to learn these subjects at advanced level. If you are an average student but have studied Science or Commerce in Class-12 and graduation, you will find a lot of familiar topics in Data Interpretation, Quantitative Aptitude and Logical Reasoning. All you will need is brush up the basics and practice the concepts on advanced-level problems.
However, since the competition is so high in CAT and less than 95 percentile can break your dream of joining a top college like IIM, the preparation for CAT requires a lot of focus, dedication, discipline and diligence. If you can do that, despite being an average student, you can crack the CAT exam.
Hope it was helpful!!!
To prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, stick to the traditional path of concepts first and practice later. Study English grammar and Verbal Ability first to understand the concept. Then practice a number of sample questions of different kinds to gain confidence, speed and accuracy. For RC passages, develop the habit of reading from early stages. Read books from all walks of life.
Practicing sample Reading Comprehension passages and questions in a crucial part of VARC preparation. This will help you understand the types of questions and RC passages asked in various entrance exams.
As an aspirant, you will be appearing for more than one entrance exam, thus you need to have the practice of different types of RC passages.
Read More:
Explore more MBA exams with upcoming dates
24 Oct '26
20 Aug '26 - 25 Oct '26
31 Oct '26 - 1 Nov '26
15 Sep '26 - 21 Nov '26
21 Aug '26 - 25 Nov '26
24 Oct '26 - 28 Nov '26
30 Nov '26
12 Dec '26
13 Dec '26
Commonly asked questions
Qualifying CAT cut off percentiles of Iims for Written Ability Test (What) and Personal Interview PI are listed below. Candidates who MET the qualifying CAT cut off, were eligible for What-PI round. These qualifying CAT cut offs are for General Category. The cut offs for Reserved category students are lower:
- IIM Ahmedabad: 95 percentile
- IIM Bangalore: 85 percentile
- IIM Calcutta: 85 percentile
- IIM Lucknow: 90 percentile
- IIM Kozhikode: 85 percentile
- IIM Indore: 90 percentile
- IIM Udaipur: 93 percentile
- IIM Shillong: 75 percentile
- IIM Trichy: 93 percentile
- IIM Visakhapatnam: 80 percentile
- IIM Rohtak: 95 percentile
- 1IIM Nagpur: 85 percentile
- IIM Jammu: 93 percentile
- IIM Ranchi: 90 percentile
- IIM Sirmaur: 92 percentile
- IIM Bodhgaya: 93 percentile
- IIM Sambalpur: 93 percentile
- IIM Kashipur: 94 percentile
- IIM Raipur: 93 percentile
- IIM Amritsar: 90 percentile
For complete details of IIM selection and admission process read this article: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/iim-shortlist-selection-admission-criteria-blogId-18787.
News & Updates
Explore Other Exams
15 Jul '26 - 6 Dec '26 | XAT 2027 Registration |
31 Oct '26 - 1 Nov '26 | XAT 2027 Mock Test 3 |
21 Aug '26 - 25 Nov '26 | SNAP 2026 Registration Process |
7 Dec '26 | SNAP 2026 admit card session 1... |
20 Aug '26 - 25 Oct '26 | NMAT 2026 Scheduling Window |
20 Aug '26 - 25 Oct '26 | NMAT 2026 Registration Window |
17 Oct '24 - 5 Dec '24 | IIFT 2025 registration and app... |
14 Dec '26 | MAT December 2026 PBT Registra... |
17 Dec '26 | MAT December 2026 PBT admit ca... |
18 Jun '26 - 1 Dec '26 | IBSAT 2026 Registration Test 1... |
24 Oct '26 | IBSAT 2026 Mock Test |
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 9 hours ago
Candidates must maintain a dedicated formula sheet for properties of polygons, circle theorems, and mensuration formulas. Instead of memorising blindly, candidates must solve 15-20 problems for each sub-topic to understand how and when to apply each formula.
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 9 hours ago
It is technically possible to get 99 percentile in CAT Quants if a candidates obtains a perfect score in Arithmetic and Algebra. However, it can be highly risky as CAT exam often has Geometry questions aligned with Algebra or Coordinate systems. Sometimes candidates must know two different concepts
D
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 9 hours ago
Triangles (properties, similarity, congruence, and theorems) is the most heavily tested sub-topic in CAT exam. Other high-yield areas include Circles (tangents, chords, and cyclic quadrilaterals), Mensuration (area and volume of 2D/3D shapes), and Coordinate Geometry.
R
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 9 hours ago
Geometry is a an important topic in the Quantitative Aptitude (QA) section. Candidates can typically expect 3 to 5 questions out of the 22 total QA questions, making up roughly 15% to 20% of the section.
B
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
Candidates should first understand basic concepts, including divisibility rules, prime factorisation, HCF and LCM, and remainders. They should then solve topic-wise practice questions and previous years' CAT questions to improve accuracy and problem-solving speed.
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
There is no fixed number of questions from the Number System in CAT. The number of questions varies across exam slots and years. Candidates should prepare the topic along with other important areas of Quantitative Aptitude.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
Yes, the Number System is an important topic for CAT Quantitative Aptitude. Questions may test concepts such as divisibility, remainders, factors, and properties of integers. Candidates should also practise applying these concepts to different question types.
J
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
The CAT Number System covers topics such as divisibility rules, factors and multiples, prime numbers, HCF and LCM, remainders, unit digits, factorials, integers, rational numbers, and properties of numbers.
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
For CAT Data Interpretation preparation, candidates can refer to Arun Sharma's books for CAT DILR. His books cover this topic comprehensively.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 5 days ago
Yes, Data Interpretation is important for CAT as it makes up for 50 percent of the DILR sections, which carries a weightage of 66 marks.
E
Contributor-Level 7
Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8
Read Full Bio