How To Prepare For VARC In CAT 2026
CAT 2026: The CAT 2026 VARC section comprises 24 questions worth 72 marks to be solved in 40 minutes. Evaluating critical reasoning rather than vocabulary, it features 16 Reading Comprehension questions and 8 Verbal Ability questions. Candidates must cultivate daily reading habits across diverse genres, eliminate distorted options, and practice timed sectional tests.
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CAT 2026: The VARC section is the first section of CAT 2026 and comprises 24 questions which have to be done within 40 minutes per section. It assesses critical analytical thinking skills of candidates rather than just evaluating vocabulary and grammar knowledge. The section has a total of 72 marks (+3 for right answers and -1 for wrong MCQs). The section is bifurcated into two main subsections – Reading Comprehension (RC) with 16 questions (consisting of 4 passages having 4 questions each) and Verbal Ability (VA) with 8 questions. In CAT RC passages, you get topics from different subjects such as philosophy, sociology, economics, art criticism, technology, and even evolutionary biology. You need to focus on themes, tones, logical deductions, and evaluations of arguments.
On the other hand, the Verbal Ability section contains logical reasoning questions without RC. They include Para Jumbles, Para Summary, Odd Sentence Out, and Paragraph Completion. For mastering VARC, one needs to read thick opinion essays like Aeon, The Economist, and Smithsonian regularly. Candidates should prioritize option elimination strategies identifying options that are distorted, overly broad, or out of scope alongside solving previous CAT papers (2017–2025) and taking regular timed sectionals to refine passage selection and accuracy.
VARC In CAT 2026: Preparation Strategy
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Develop Diverse Reading Habits: Develop diverse reading habits through reading diverse articles in publications such as Aeon, The Economist, and Smithsonian on a daily basis.
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Acquire Active Reading Skills: Acquire active reading skills through developing an understanding of the theme, tone, purposes, and arguments of passages within the Reading Comprehension passages.
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Acquire Skill in Eliminating Options: Develop skill in eliminating options through identifying distorted options, over generalizing options, extreme options, and completely irrelevant options in the Reading Comprehension passages.
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Solve Logic for Verbal Ability: Solve non-RC questions such as para jumbles, summaries, and odd sentence out through the use of mandatory pairs, pronouns, and connectors.
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Solve Previous CAT Papers: Attempt past official CAT papers from 2017-2025 to understand the nature of questions, difficulty level, and the pattern trends in real CAT exams.
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Take Mock Tests & Maintain Error Log: Take timed sectional mock tests, maintain an error log and develop passage selection strategy for maximum accuracy.
VARC In CAT 2026: Topics
In Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), there are 24 questions carrying 72 marks which have to be solved in 40 minutes. This part can be further classified into two parts, namely Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability.
1. Sub-Section Weightage & Overview
| Sub-Section | No. of Questions | Marks Weightage | Question Format | Section Share |
| Reading Comprehension (RC) | 16 Questions (4 Passages × 4 Qs) | 48 Marks | Multiple Choice (MCQ) | ~67% |
| Verbal Ability (VA) | 8 Questions | 24 Marks | Mix of MCQ & TITA (Non-MCQ) | ~33% |
| Total | 24 Questions | 72 Marks | 40 Minutes Time Limit | 100% |
2. Verbal Ability (VA) Topics & Question Types
| Topic / Question Type | Expected Questions | Question Nature | Key Skill Tested |
| Para Jumbles | 2 – 3 Questions | TITA (Type-In-The-Answer) | Sentence sequencing, detecting pronoun/noun links, logical flow |
| Paragraph Summary | 2 – 3 Questions | MCQ (+3 / -1) | Extracting core premises, identifying conclusions without distortion |
| Odd Sentence Out | 1 – 2 Questions | TITA (Type-In-The-Answer) | Identifying outlier statements that break central paragraph themes |
| Paragraph Completion / Missing Sentence | 1 – 2 Questions | MCQ (+3 / -1) | Choosing logically seamless conclusion or transition sentences |
3. Reading Comprehension (RC) Genres & Question Types
| Reading Passages (Genres) | Typical Question Question Types | Key Focus Areas |
| • Philosophy & Psychology • Sociology & Anthropology • Economics & Public Policy • Technology, AI & Cybernetics • Arts, Literature & Culture • Science & Environment | • Central Idea / Main Theme • Inference / Implied Meaning • Author's Tone & Attitude • Strengthening / Weakening Arguments • Title / Primary Purpose • Specific Detail Verification | • Critical reasoning over direct scanning • Eliminating options with extreme language (always, never) • Speed and reading stamina across dense texts |
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