Serious CAT 2026 aspirants must have taken the first step towards CAT 2026 VARC Preparation. If you’re not an avid reader, then the VARC section can be quite challenging for you. Hereby, you will need access to a unique CAT 2026 VARC Strategy for Non-Readers to gain 99%ile+ in the CAT 2026. Once you start your CAT 2026 Preparation, your ultimate goal should be to solve at least 18-20 questions out of 24 questions. Solving questions with this accuracy rate will yield you +3 positive marks, due to which you will touch the necessary sectional cut-off. In-depth theoretical understanding, the art of interpreting RC passages and providing an up-to-the-point solution are the crucial parameters to clear the sectional cut-off in the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section of the CAT. 

This specific blog is an exclusive resource that contains the list of the best resources and techniques to prepare for the CAT VA & RC section. Shabana Ma’am (CAT VARC- 99.5%iler) has once again built a valuable pool of resources for VARC, which will be your masterstroke to obtain a high score in 2026. From sharing about the most useful resources like (Aeon, Scientific American, Smithsonian, etc for informative articles to sharing the vocabulary building strategies for the unique words from Word Power Made Easy, Barron’s List, etc, she has made VARC preparation just as easy as ABC for you. Her strategies consist of nice, sensitive and useful points which will accelerate your preparation journey for the VARC section. Steal this valuable blueprint to deliver an outstanding performance in the CAT VARC 2026. 

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Why Should You Follow This CAT 2026 VARC Strategy for Non-Readers?

In short, you will have a higher edge over other candidates with this CAT 2026 VARC Strategy for Non-Readers. Additionally, you will get to enhance your communication, grammar and vocabulary, which will result in building a firm foundation on the CAT VARC topics. Now, understand that VARC is a language. College students and working professionals often assume that just by speaking fluent English, writing a bunch of fancy love letters and chatting the entire day on WhatsApp can help them crack the VARC section in the CAT 2026. Unfortunately, this is where they make a significant mistake. 

Clearly, the VA & RC section from the Common Admission Test (CAT) is more about intelligence, testing your language ability and proficiency across 4 different passages and additional questions from this section. Every CAT aspirant must have a solid understanding of the right techniques to read the passages. In the upcoming sections of this article, we will address the essential RC strategies to level up your game in one go. Subsequently, you can also download the CAT VARC Cheatsheet below, which will smooth your CAT 2026 VARC preparation. 

3 Key Pointers For CAT 2026 RC Preparation 

Firstly, start building up your reading skills and then make your next move to upgrade your interpretation level and vocabulary abilities. Are you wondering how you should proceed towards this journey with a strategic approach? Check out the advantageous roadmap below, which Shabana Ma’am has specifically built from scratch. 

Stage 1: Improve Your Reading Skills

Shabana Ma’am suggests picking articles for upgrading your reading skills, even if you have been fond of reading fictional novels in the past. Why? Well, CAT 2026 is a national-level entrance exam to gauge your understanding of aptitude, logical reasoning and reading comprehension. You have to dive deep into the CAT syllabus to hit 99%ile+ in this entrance examination. There will be 4 RC Passages in the CAT VARC section from a diversified range of topics like science, politics, geography, arts, literature, psychology, society & culture, history, abstract, miscellaneous and mixed genres. Go through the complete list of useful resources, which will aid you in strengthening your command on the different types of language and words in the RC passages. 

Top Platforms For CAT RC Passage Preparation

• Scientific American 
• Aeon
• Open Magazine 
• Atlantic 
• Philosophy Today 
• Mint 
• Guardian 
• Economist 
• New York Times
• Smithsonian 

Important Pointers For CAT RC Passages

• Aeon essays range around 4300-4500 words. In a short span of time, most candidates start facing difficulty while reading passages from here. They undergo extreme stress, fear and tension due to which they pause going through the Aeon passages. To avoid such major circumstances, we advise you to adhere to this informative chart and then pursue your CAT VARC preparation for 2026.  
• Scientific American, Smithsonian and Aeon Essays are the go-to sources for the CAT RC passages. In most of the previous CAT examinations, the majority of the essays tend to appear from these articles.
• According to Shabana Ma’am, you can read Philosophy Today for simple philosophical articles that consist of articles on phenomenology and contemporary philosophy reviewed by peers. 
• The homepage of the New York Times and The Guardian is full of political stuff, which won’t be beneficial for you. Reading articles from such popular resources requires a strategic approach. 
• If you come across any difficult topic from these newspapers, like Aeon Essays, Scientific American, then pick up that topic and put it on Google Search. For Example: “Topic” Scientific American. 
• Alternatively, you can search for dense topics on the official website, too. This will help you develop a habit of reading relevant articles. This approach will also help to save time, effort and comprehend the articles at a faster rate. 

CAT 2026: Most Popular Resources For General Reading 

A broad range of books and resources is available for general reading across the internet. However, here are a few favourites from Shabana Ma’am’s personal collection, which will speed up your reading skills in the blink of an eye. The top 3 books, which constitute most of the topics and points in the CAT RC passages, are Animal Farm, 1984 and How Democracies Die. Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, and Midnight Children are some of her other favourites, too. 

She also emphasises reading A Fine Balance and To Kill a Mockingbird (must-read) to get useful insights. Lastly, Kite Runner (Author-Khaled Hosseini) is the book that she refers to those candidates who most likely stay away or get bored with reading too easily. This book will change your entire perception and will make you a complete bookworm for the future phases of your remaining life. Most of the students experience a spark to read more and get hooked after reading this book. 

General Reading Books & Authors 

Name of the Book	Author Name
Animal Farm	George Orwell
1984	George Orwell
To Kill a Mockingbird	Harpan Lee
Fahrenheit 451	Ray Bradbury
The Road to Serfdom	Friedrich Hayek
The Origins of Political Order	Francis Fukuyama.
A Fine Balance	Rohinton Mistry
Brave New World	Aldous Huxley
Why Nationals Fail	Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson
The Righteous Mind	Jonathan Haidt
Never Let Me Go	Kazuo Ishiguro
How Democracies Die	Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
The Righteous Mind	Jonathan Haidt
Beloved	Toni Morrison
The Kite Runner	Khaled Hosseini
The Book Thief	Markus Zusak
Midnight Children	Salman Rushdie

Stage 2: Improve Your Interpretation Level

You are most likely to lose marks and make mistakes if your interpretation game does not meet the expectations of the CAT 2026 exam level. One wrong analysis and boom, you will encounter complexities while solving the RC passages in the CAT. Henceforth, keep your passage interpretation game strong and abide by these tips shared by the IPMAT CAT expert faculty itself.

• Make a list of simple and fundamental concepts from political, philosophical and psychological categories. 
• If you join iQuanta, Shabana Ma’am will share a compilation of 300-400 words around which you will have to read articles on those concepts and points. 
• Ask ChatGPT to share a simple article on those points and read it. You can also watch explanatory videos on that particular topic for a detailed understanding. 

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Stage 3: Improve Your Vocabulary 

Inference-based questions will always hold a substantial portion in the question paper of the CAT 2026. If your vocabulary is poor. To solve questions from this category, you will first have to take that point from the relevant topic and rephrase it, alongside rewriting it. If you struggle with a poor vocabulary, you will be unable to understand the art of rephrasing, which has been followed in the RC passages. Some of the trustworthy resources to boost your vocabulary are Word Power Made Easy, Barron’s List. 

Focus on studying idioms and phrases, and always understand their main context and usage. You can forget the meaning of the particular word, but you will remember the entire phrase. The moment you see that word, you will remember the phrase and can break down whether it’s in a positive or a negative context. Make the best use of these tips to uplift your vocabulary and maintain consistency throughout the CAT 2026 VARC Preparation.  

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Final Words 

At iQuanta, we have a separate CAT VARC Strategy for Non-Readers. We understand that not everyone is a bibliophile. Henceforth, we opt for smart and interesting teaching methodologies that make the candidates fall in love with reading editorials, magazines, newspapers, books, etc. If you’re an aspiring candidate for the CAT 2026 and have been facing frequent issues in the VARC, QA or DILR section, then register for our online preparation course, which will level your preparation, sectional cut-off and overall percentile with best practices. 

We have 3 courses for CAT 2026 aspirants, which are the CAT 2026 Full Course, the CAT 2026 Pro Course and the CAT 2026 + IIM ABC Course. Connect with our counselling experts for a free 1:1 counselling session and select an online course for CAT 2026 preparation depending on your calibre and requirements. Hurry Up! Enrol now to get the title of 99%ile+ achiever in the CAT exam, which will tentatively take place in November 2026. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

How many questions will come from VARC in the CAT 2026?

The CAT 2026 question paper will be of 68 marks. There will be 24 questions in the VARC section, which will be a mix of multiple-choice questions and Type-in-the-Answers. The total weightage of the CAT VARC syllabus will be 36% with the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension as its main components. 

What will be the marking pattern for the VARC in the CAT Exam 2026?

IIMs follow a simple and structured CAT marking scheme 2026. There will be +3 positive marks for a correct response and -1 for every wrong attempt. For TITA, there will be no negative marking in the CAT 2026 for any question from the VARC, QA and DILR. Nor will there be any deductions for the unattempted questions. 

Is There Any CAT 2026 VARC Strategy for Non-Readers?

First, you have to select the high-quality resources for RC passages. Editorials must be read from the Scientific American, Aeon, The New York Times, The Guardian, etc. To strengthen your general reading habits, you can follow books like The Kite Runner, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984, The Animal and a lot more. CAT 2026 aspirants must follow the Word Power Made Easy and Barron’s List to build their vocabulary. 

When should I start my CAT 2026 VARC Preparation?

Ideally, you should start your CAT VARC preparation 10-12 months in advance. It will include topics like Para Jumbles, Odd One Out, Para Summary, Sentence Completion, RC Passages, Author’s Tone and Critical Reasoning. Start with basic conceptual understanding first, and then revise daily along with regular assignments. 

What are the best resources to prepare for the CAT 2026 VARC section?

Undoubtedly, Aeon Essays, Scientific American and Smithsonian are the three best resources for reading articles from different categories. You will get a good start, and with time, your reading skills will improve like rocket science. Animal Farm, 1984, To Kill a Mockingbird Bird and The Kite Runner are the top-notch resources applicable for general reading only.