{"id":14614,"date":"2026-10-23T14:02:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T14:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iimtindia.net\/Blog\/?p=14614"},"modified":"2026-10-15T14:07:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T14:07:42","slug":"how-to-increase-score-in-varc-cat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iimtindia.net\/Blog\/2026\/10\/how-to-increase-score-in-varc-cat\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Increase Score in VARC CAT 2026: Improve Accuracy, Reading Speed and Para-Summary Skills"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reading faster does not always mean scoring higher in CAT VARC. You might understand a passage but choose an unsupported inference, confuse the author’s tone or lose marks through uncertain MCQ attempts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Learning <\/span>how to increase score in VARC CAT<\/b> requires more than improving reading speed. You need strong comprehension, effective option elimination, verbal reasoning and consistent accuracy under time pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n

For CAT 2026, the recent CAT 2025 pattern offers a useful preparation benchmark: 24 VARC questions in 40 minutes, including 16 Reading Comprehension (RC) and eight Verbal Ability (VA) questions. The exact 2026 distribution should be confirmed through official examination instructions.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Increase Your VARC Score in CAT 2026<\/b><\/h2>\n

A practical improvement process is:<\/span><\/p>\n

Understand the passage \u2192 Identify the question demand \u2192 Eliminate unsupported options \u2192 Select confidently \u2192 Analyse mistakes \u2192 Practise under timed conditions.<\/b><\/p>\n

Instead of focusing only on attempting more questions, concentrate on converting more attempts into correct answers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Under the recent CAT marking scheme, incorrect MCQs carry negative marks. Therefore, accuracy and question selection directly affect your net score.<\/span><\/p>\n

Understanding the CAT VARC Section<\/b><\/h2>\n

The CAT 2025 VARC section included the following question types:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Question Type<\/b><\/td>\nQuestions<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Reading Comprehension<\/span><\/td>\n16<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Para Summary<\/span><\/td>\n2<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Paragraph Completion<\/span><\/td>\n2<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Odd Sentence Out<\/span><\/td>\n2<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Para-Jumbles<\/span><\/td>\n2<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total<\/b><\/td>\n24<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The section had 40 minutes, including 20 MCQs and four TITA questions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Use this as a recent-paper reference, not a guaranteed CAT 2026 blueprint. Candidates should monitor the<\/span> official CAT website<\/span><\/a> for examination updates.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Is Your CAT VARC Score Not Improving?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Before changing your study routine, identify the underlying problem.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Problem<\/b><\/td>\nWhat It Usually Indicates<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Reading too slowly<\/span><\/td>\nInefficient passage processing<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Reading quickly but answering incorrectly<\/span><\/td>\nWeak comprehension<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Confusion between two options<\/span><\/td>\nPoor elimination or inference<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Too many incorrect MCQs<\/span><\/td>\nOver-attempting<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Too few attempts<\/span><\/td>\nExcessive caution or poor time management<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Inconsistent VA performance<\/span><\/td>\nWeak paragraph-structure reasoning<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Your preparation should address the specific weakness rather than treating every low score as a reading-speed problem.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Improve Reading Comprehension for CAT VARC<\/b><\/h2>\n

CAT Reading Comprehension tests your understanding of arguments, not your ability to memorise sentences.<\/b><\/p>\n

While reading, identify:<\/span><\/p>\n