Three key tips to ace CAT Verbal Ability section

What is the best way to prepare for VARC section and how to tackle it in CAT 2024 exam? Read key tips here and make the CAT exam preparation strategy on the basis of same.

VARC is the first section of CAT question paper. Often considered a toughie, this section sets the tone of candidate's performance in the CAT exam because when the test starts on a good note it ends on a good note, but if it starts on a bad note there are high chances of it ending on a bad note too. In case, one falters in the beginning of the CAT exam, it gets difficult prevent it from affecting performance in the other two sections.

In CAT 2023, all the three slots of CAT exam had a moderately tough VARC section. If we are to expect the same this year, CAT 2024 aspirants need to ensure they are well prepared. The number of Verbal Ability (VA) questions will remain more or less the same (10-12). In CAT 2024, we expect Reading Comprehension (RC) to dominate the English section. Not many changes are expected in Reading Comprehension but the number of questions per passage may go up by one or two due to which the passages may be slightly longer. In Verbal Ability, parajumble questions are expected to be on the same lines as previous years.

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What is the best way to prepare for VARC section?

The CAT exam tests students’ aptitude through application-based questions. A student cannot perform well by just mugging up rules and concepts. Most vocabulary questions test the knowledge of usage (rather than just meanings) of words. Most of the questions in grammar go beyond simple rule-based errors and check your knowledge of articles, pronouns, prepositions, etc., which can be enhanced through reading and practice. Verbal Reasoning questions test the candidate’s comprehension, logical ability, objectivity, ability to hypothesize about possible factors that could affect given scenarios, etc.

Reading Comprehension questions are usually the most challenging part of CAT exam as apart from testing verbal reasoning skills, a typical RC question takes more time and requires you to skim and scan, be thorough, and keep a cool head while selecting the correct option.

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• CAT 2024 Preparation Plan For VARC
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• CAT Preparation: Your Love For Reading Can Get You Desired Result
• Verbal Ability (VA) solved questions
• Common pitfalls to avoid while solving RC questions

In the final leg of CAT 2024 preparation, students need to ensure that they are comfortable with all four categories of English questions. They need to widen the scope of vocabulary and grammar preparation by covering as many words and their usages as possible and need to deepen the scope of VA and RC preparation by intensive practice of sample question that ensures higher speed and accuracy. They must remember that VARC preparation will not be complete until they have mastered all four categories.

Also, it is imperative for each student, to diagnose their problem correctly. One should not just keep solving more and more questions without understanding whether the core issue is speed/accuracy/basics/weak application.

How to tackle VARC during the CAT 2024 exam? 

The English section should be used to fetch a lot of marks in less time. If there are 24 English questions (and between 12-14 RC questions), one should allot first attempt all the non-RC questions (that you are confident of) within 15 minutes and then decide how many RC passages are worth attempting. One shouldn’t spend more than two minutes on an RC question in any case.

What are the five basic tips every CAT 2024 aspirant must follow?

• Prepare for CAT 2024 like this is your only chance. Aim to score 99+ percentile, because you don't want to settle for less.
• Analyse each and every CAT mock test to know preparation level and how much more needs to be covered. Learn from your mistakes.
• Make sure to apply to a few colleges that are slightly below your aspirational level, as a back up. You may not want to wait for another year to get into a B-school due to low CAT score.
• Be ready for revising the CAT exam strategy once you see the questions in the exam paper. You should have various plans in place for various possible scenarios.
• Once you have decided upon your strategy for the CAT 2024 exam, you must think only about the question at hand.

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Read more:

• CAT preparation 2024: 10 popular myths busted
• What is the best time to start CAT preparation 2024
• Shortcut techniques for Reading Comprehension
• Reading Comprehension: Common pitfalls to avoid while solving RC questions
• 10 Tips for time management in VARC section
• Verbal Ability (VA) solved questions
• Types of reading comprehension questions in CAT