CAT (Common Aptitude Test) is a fierce and tough competitive exam, known for its vast syllabus. It comprises three different sections,i.e, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) and Quantitative Aptitude (QA). In this blog, we will discuss CAT VARC Preparation Strategy 2026. If we talk about the CAT Exam 2026, a candidate will have to answer 68 questions in a span of 120 minutes. The VARC section will consist of 24 different questions from the easy, moderate, to advanced categories. On the other hand, QA and DILR will consist of 22 questions from each section. In 2026, the CAT exam will take place on 30th November 2026, and we believe that if you’re appearing for the same, you must have begun your preparation early to achieve a high score and percentile. 

However, our research indicates that most of the CAT aspirants get stuck in the QA or VARC section during their preparation timeline. Candidates who lack conceptual clarity and speed are unable to solve questions from the quants section. Whereas, there’s another bunch of candidates who often get stuck in the VARC section, as they have no idea about the CAT VARC Preparation Strategy. If you’re facing this often, then it’s time to join iQuanta – to strengthen your grip on the four important components of VARC,i.e, vocabulary, verbal reasoning, grammar and reading comprehension. Subsequently, iQuanta experts will also build your foundational knowledge on the quants topics, which will eventually boost your conceptual clarity. 

For now, we will focus on highlighting the CAT VARC Preparation Strategies for your better understanding and reference. In addition, we will also put a light on the teaching methods followed by iQuanta for the VARC section, along with the course features. Continue reading further and implement these tips in your preparation game for successful results. 

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Everything You Must Know About Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

Before we discuss CAT VARC Preparation Strategies with you, here is an overview of the VARC section. As the name suggests, it stands for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension. For the CAT Exam 2026, this section will hold a significant weightage and will be a mix of para jumbles, sentence completion, critical reasoning, reading comprehension and more. Let us make it clearer to you. In simple terms, 12% weightage will be given to the VA (Verbal Ability) section, whereas RC (Reading Comprehension will hold 24% weightage. Just like QA and DILR, it’s mandatory to achieve a decent score in VARC. It’s considered to be the easiest section where candidates can easily score the maximum marks to elevate their overall percentile. 

Although it’s often seen that candidates neglect this section and don’t prepare well, this leads to low scores. Furthermore, engineering candidates not fluent with English grammar and pronunciation also face this pitfall if they don’t receive proper guidance about CAT VARC Preparation Strategy or follow a balanced study approach to enhance their knowledge about the topics included in the VARC section. To resolve these prominent issues, we are here to help you out through this informative content piece. Take a glance at the VARC Exam Pattern and Syllabus for the CAT Exam 2026 and then move to the preparation strategies shared by our experts.

CAT Exam 2026 – Detailed VARC Exam Pattern and Syllabus 

IIMs – the conducting body for the CAT exam, judge the language skills and reading ability of the candidates through the VARC section. Topics included in the RC sections are quite tough and complex. Starting from literature, science, technology, literature to social and cultural issues and economics, there’s a diversified range of topics you must cover to ace the RC section in your first attempt. The VA section is a combination of error spotting, odd one out, complete the sentences, fill in the blanks and various other types of pattern questions through which the language abilities of a candidate are assessed by the IIMs. Here’s a detailed description of the VARC Exam Pattern and Syllabus for the CAT Exam 2026.

CAT 2026: VA & RC Exam Pattern 

Section	Total No. Of Questions	Marking Scheme	Duration	Weightage
Verbal Ability	24	+3 For Correct Attempt and -1 For Incorrect Attempt	40 Minutes	12%
Reading Comprehension				24%

Complete VARC Syllabus For CAT Exam 2026

Section	Syllabus
Verbal Ability	Odd One Out, Sentence Completion, Para Jumbles and Para Summary.
Reading Comprehension	RC Passages & Critical Reasoning (Core Topics: Psychology, Science, Society and Culture, History, Politics, Abstract, Miscellaneous, Mixed Genres.

Common Problems Students Face During VARC Preparation

Candidates appearing for the CAT Exam misinterpret the VARC section questions. Lack of information and guidance about the CAT VARC Preparation Strategies eventually lands the student in major trouble. Even those candidates who are proficient in the English Language have agreed that the VARC section is challenging for them. Below, we have outlined the fundamental reasons that indicate that even the best candidates find the VARC section a tough nut to crack if they don’t have a perfect roadmap for CAT VARC Preparation Strategies to follow for spectacular results.

• 40-minute deadline: There are 24 questions in the VARC section. Each question is distinct from the others. Candidates often get stuck on one question or take too much time to solve it. Clearing the RC section gets extremely difficult if a candidate is not efficient with skimming and quick passage reading. 
• Slow Reading Speed: Those who don’t exhibit reading habits or haven’t practised enough reading for the RC section stumble a lot. Due to poor reading ability, the candidates struggle to read and understand the complete passage within the stipulated timeline.
• Non-Identical Questions: Every section you try to attempt in the VARC section will be different from the previous one. With every passing year, the complexity level is soaring high. Most of the time, candidates get confused while providing assumptions, adhering to the author’s tone and style and giving insightful inferences. 
• Bad Vocabulary: Inability to pronounce certain words acts as a major hindrance for the candidates who are not familiar with them. Less reading practice and not indulging in constant revision for improvement result in poor vocabulary.
• Complicated & Lengthy Passages: Passages in the RC section are designed to test the critical-thinking and analytical skills of the candidate. It requires rigorous reading practice and in-depth analysis. A lack of proper reading style will prohibit the candidate from providing crucial implications, presenting abstract ideas and interpreting the passage while adhering to the author’s tone and original meaning.
• Providing an Accurate Passage Summary: Lastly, candidates face issues while summing up a passage that has a similar perspective as the author. In most cases, they are unable to compile precise points without getting diverted from the main topic and tend to mention unwanted opinions. It’s because one doesn’t have any guide to follow for CAT VARC Preparation Strategies. 

Balanced Preparation Strategy For CAT Verbal Ability 

When it comes to sharing the CAT VARC Preparation Strategies, our first objective is to focus on the Verbal Ability section. Implementation of this section is primarily done to test the logical ability of the candidates for proper sentence arrangement, error identification, and application of grammar rules. As most VA questions are TITA type with no negative marking, it’s suggested that you attempt every question with a vision of scoring high. Tips to elevate your CAT VARC Preparation Strategies are as follows:

• Begin your reading practice. The more you read, your grammar and vocabulary will improve. 
• Select the best books for preparation. You can also join iQuanta to utilize the iConcept material for study purposes.
• Solve past year questions from all topics. Set a timer according to the CAT exam level and aim to resolve the question before the deadline.
• Curate a personal dictionary of new, repetitive and complex words. Make the best use of the thesaurus for synonym identification and understanding the actual meaning of that particular word.
• While solving questions from the odd one out category, try to locate the sentence that doesn’t match logically with the remaining paragraph.
• Before solving a question from the PS topic, get a fair idea of the passage theme by identifying the vital points, supporting examples and counterarguments. 
• Use your language to summarise the passage and avoid rambling off from the main concept.
• Build a habit to practice logical deductions so that it’s easier to identify and eliminate sentences that don’t adhere to the passage’s theme or sentence. 

CAT VARC Preparation Strategies To Score Well In RC Section 

Only those candidates who demonstrate a consistent reading habit can excel in the RC section effortlessly. Even if you hold a good command of the English Language, it’s still mandatory to indulge in continuous reading to achieve a good score. Follow these tips to improve your reading ability while you’re preparing for the CAT to secure admission into renowned business schools like IIMs, FMS Delhi, etc. 

• Start reading numerous passages on topics from the arts, literature, humanities, social sciences, history, technology, business, economics, and philosophical ideas to get an overall understanding of every passage type.
• Dedicate more than 2 hours every day to reading a huge variety of passages. By doing so, you will be prepared in advance to handle and answer passages from every category.
• Dive into deep practice for excellent performance. Solve RC passages on various topics while sticking to the original exam duration. With this proactive approach, you will master the art of resolving the passage with more accuracy in less time.
• Regular passage reading will introduce you to new words, phrases and idioms. Develop a practice to pronounce those words to strengthen your grammar and vocabulary. Search for the meanings and jot down the trending or common words in a single notebook.

How iQuanta Can Help in VARC Section Preparation for CAT Exam 2026?

At iQuanta, we believe in enhancing the basic understanding of the candidates for every topic from the VARC, QA and DILR sections. When it comes to the VARC section, we have a unique module for candidates hailing from an engineering background. Each video is informative and elevates conceptual knowledge. Go through the highlighting features of our informative VARC modules and make the best decision to enrol at iQuanta to take your CAT Exam 2026 Preparation at a higher level. Upon joining iQuanta, you will receive continuous assistance, 24*7 doubt solving and valuable CAT VARC Preparation Strategies for achieving a satisfactory score in the VARC section.

• 40 videos on crucial RC topics like society and politics, science and culture, psychology/philosophy, arts and culture, environment, business and economics, science and technology, history and miscellaneous.
• A set of 12 different videos on VA topics (Para Jumbles, Para Summary, Sentence Completion, Odd One Out, Fill in the Blanks and Critical Reasoning) with 10 different questions from every particular topic. 
• 7 distinct videos where iQuanta experts share useful strategies to increase the reading speed, option elimination and the right method to solve questions from the Fill in the Blanks, Para Jumble, Para Summary, Complete the sentences, and Critical Reasoning topics. 
• Watch 10-15 minute small videos to brush up your knowledge on assumptions, inferences and the right method to understand the author’s tone and style while solving the passages from the RC section.

Conclusion

Implement the CAT VARC Preparation Strategies shared in this blog by iQuanta experts to succeed in the CAT Exam 2026. Apart from this, you can also join our preparation courses where you will receive endless benefits to clear the VARC section in CAT 2026 hassle-free. Students who join us are taught from scratch, and there are more than 60+ videos on diversified VARC topics. Above all, we suggest that the CAT aspirants should pay equal attention to all three sections, as there’s a sectional weightage for VARC (36%), QA (32%) and DILR (32%), respectively. Remember that it’s mandatory to achieve an excellent score in the VARC section because it has the highest weight in the CAT question paper, but you cannot ignore the QA and DILR sections. 

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