CAT 2026 preparation for VARC should start now if you are aiming 95+ percentile in the section. There is no short cut for cracking CAT VARC besides reading voraciously. Read here how to score 30+ marks & get 95+ percentile in CAT VARC.
How to prepare for CAT VARC
CAT VARC often turns out to be the most challenging section of the exam, due to its long and dense Reading Comprehension passages. Since, more than half of this section is dominated by RCs, you cannot even skip them. But, 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.
So start early and read voraciously. CAT 2026 exam will be held on November 29, so this is the right time to start reading for VARC. Get hold of most recommended RC topics for CAT and get going. 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.
- Technology/Industry/Science
- Psychology and Philosophy
- Humans and Culture
- Politics, Law and Crime
- Economy and Business
- Fiction and Others
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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.
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 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 |
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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
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.
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.
The CAT cut offs for IIM Bangalore hovers between 97-100 percentile. The qualifying CAT cut off required for being eligible for IIM Bangalore's Written Ability test (What) and Personal Interview PI is 85 percentile for General category students, whereas for SC candidates, it is 70 percentile. For ST candidates, it is 65 percentile and for PwD candidates it is 60 percentile. Given below are the sectional and overall qualifying CAT cut offs for IIM Bangalore.
- General category: 80 VARC 75 DILR 75 Quantitative Aptitude 85 (Overall)
- NC-OBC category: 75 VARC 65 DILR 65 Quantitative Aptitude 75 (Overall)
- EWS category: 70 VARC 65 DILR 65 Quantitative Aptitude 75 (Overall)
- SC category: 65 VARC 60 DILR 60 Quantitative Aptitude 70 (Overall)
- ST category: 55 VARC 55 DILR 55 Quantitative Aptitude 65 (Overall)
- PwD category: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 Quantitative Aptitude 60 (Overall)
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 11 hours ago
Uttaranchal University MBA CAT syllabus comprises of three sections. They are as follows:
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, where students must learn about English Comprehension.
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, where students must deal with raw data and solve puzzles.
- Quantitative Ap
M
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 13 hours ago
Yes, students can get admission at Uttaranchal University for MBA course without CAT entrance. To get admission, students can opt for any entrance exam among these CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT, etc. However, if any student has missed the entrance can apply for UU Entrance Exam.
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You can still apply for an MBA at Chanakya University by taking the university's internal entrance exam, the Chanakya University Pravesha Pareeksha (CUPP). The university's Chanakya University Admissions portal allows applicants who missed CAT or MAT to use CUPP and a personal interview to fulfill t
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Answered 3 days ago
Securing a seat in Techno India University MBA department requires a valid score in management entrance tests. You can submit results from exams like CAT, MAT, or CMAT. State-level entrance tests like JEMAT or TNJEE are also fully accepted here. The admission cell reviews your overall profile. Do no
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Answered 5 days ago
Yes, candidates can get admission in IIM Indore without CAT for two programmes: Integrated Programme in Management (IPM) and Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management (EPGP). Admission into IPM is based on the IPMAT (Integrated Program in Management Aptitude Test), followed by a Written Abilit
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Answered a week ago
Yes, candidates can get admission in CGC University, Mohali without taking CAT based on valid score in CGCUET which is conducted by the university if they also fulfill the eligibility criteria.
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Answered a week ago
Yes. CUSAT has two main campuses offering B.Tech: the main campus in Kochi (School of Engineering) and the Kuttanad campus (CUCEK). The main campus cutoffs are significantly tighter than those for CUCEK.
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Contributor-Level 8
Answered a week ago
No, CAT is not compulsory to get admission in MBA at SVNIT Surat. The college considers a valid score in entrance exams such as: CAT/GMAT/GRE/XAT/CMAT/MAT for admission into MBA. Other than this, the institute also conducts its own exam for MBA admissions.
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Yes, CAT is one of the compulsory exams to be eligible for MBA course at Assam Institute of Management. The institute offers admission to MBA programme based on score of national-level entrance exam (CAT/CMAT/MAT/XAT/ATMA). CAT exam being one of it becomes essential to take admission in the same col
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Christ Delhi NCR does accept CAT scores for admission in MBA programme. However, aspirants with MAT, CMAT, ATMA or any other Management entrance exam scores can also get admission. Selected candidates also need to pass GDPI, written assessment and micro-presentation rounds.
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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
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