We are just a few days away from the CAT paper and working on our weaker sections/topics is as important as capitalizing on our strengths. Practicing PYQs, Mocks, and sectionals you will have an idea of where you stand in each of the sections. In this article, we have shared tips to take your VARC game to the top if you struggle with RCs or Verbal Ability. Most students face the problem of retaining the RC text and option elimination. Boost your CAT 2024 VARC score in 60 days with our targeted strategies.
A normal RC passage has 500-700 words, which is not long. The passage's difficulty level and complexity make text retention and comprehension difficult. When you can not decode what the passage means or which text belongs to which para the time taken to solve an RC automatically increases.
Read RC’s first and then proceed with questions. I was reading questions before sets a biased tone while going through the passage.
Read longer articles or essays from Aeon, Guardian, and these sources, and then try to summarize them in your own words. You can try this exercise for a week.
Problems with Accuracy
Option Elimination is a better technique than marking an option right in one go. It is recommended by most of the CAT mentors. Try this trick while solving your next RC or Summary question for VA to eliminate incorrect options first: B-A-N-E.
Broad: Mention generic terms/generalize the subject.
Alien: Introducing something new altogether.
Extreme: Words such as will, should, and must that are not suggested by the author.
Narrow: Misses out on important points—Opposite of B.
Improving reading speed
Another way to improve your overall score or mitigate the problems of accuracy is to maximize your attempts. If you are not able to solve even an RC and half of VA questions your reading speed is quite low. Try to skim the passage by avoiding unimportant words such as fillers, prepositions, examples, and repeated names. Set a timer to practice daily articles apart from the RCs you solve.
Solving Pattern
The skimming technique mentioned above can be used to quickly go through the entire paper and choose the RC you will be solving first. Check your comfort level as well as Accuracy vs Attempts for different attempting patterns like solving either RCs or VA first or going with a combination of RC and VA questions. For example Summary-RC-then back to TITA type Para Jumbles. All the best for your CAT 2024!Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions do I need to attempt for a 99%tile in VARC?
Ans. Around 40 marks in the VARC section can fetch you a 99 percentile in the exam. For this, you need to solve 13-14 correct answers. The total number of actual questions depends on your accuracy but 16-18 is a good attempt.2. How do I improve my score in VARC?Ans. You should focus on option elimination technique, accuracy of answers, reading speed, and passage retention to aim for a high score in VARC.Also Read: