CAT VARC Syllabus 2025: The CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section is the first part of the CAT exam. It checks a candidate’s reading skills, language usage, and ability to understand ideas. The CAT 2025 VARC section has 24 questions, with most of them based on reading comprehension (RC). Topics include parajumbles, summaries, sentence correction, and grammar-related questions. Candidates need to build a strong grip on English vocabulary and comprehension. Books like Word Power Made Easy and Arun Sharma’s VARC book are helpful. Regular practice and reading habits can boost your VARC score. Continue reading this blog to know more about the CAT VARC Syllabus 2025.
CAT VARC Syllabus 2025
The CAT VARC section focuses on evaluating candidates' proficiency in English language usage and comprehension. The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section of CAT 2025 includes two sub-sections: Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability. Candidates must prepare RCs from diverse topics like philosophy, psychology, culture, science, and economics. Grammar and vocabulary help solve VA questions. Here's a comprehensive breakdown of the CAT VARC Syllabus 2025:
Important Topics | |
Reading Comprehension | Syllogisms |
Parajumbles | Analogies |
Parasummaries | Antonyms |
Odd One Out | Jumbled Paragraphs |
Sentence Completion | Sentence Correction |
Fill in the Blanks | One Word Substitution |
Para Completion and Inference | Parts of Speech |
Verbal Logic | Preposition |
Verbal Reasoning | Types of Clauses |
Subject-Verb Agreement | Phrases Modifiers |
Different Usage of Same Word | Errors in Tenses |
Grammar | Articles Usage |
Idioms | Foreign Language Words Used in English |
Check CAT 2025 Syllabus
CAT VARC Syllabus 2025: Topic-Wise Weightage
The VARC section typically consists of 24 questions. Reading Comprehension (RC) forms the major portion, accounting for roughly 12-14 questions, which is over 50% of the section. The remaining questions are from Verbal Ability, with Parajumbles, Odd One Out, and Parasummaries, etc. The difficulty level of the VARC section is usually moderate to tough. Here's the expected weightage and difficulty level for CAT VARC 2025:
VARC Topics for CAT | No. of Questions in CAT Exam | Level of Difficulty |
Reading Comprehension | 16 | Moderate to Difficult |
VA-Parajumbles | 3 | Moderate to Difficult |
VA-Odd Sentence | 2 | Easy to Moderate |
VA-Summary | 3 | Easy to Moderate |
Overall | 24 | Moderate to Difficult |
CAT VARC Syllabus 2025: Previous Year Reading Comprehension Topics
Reading Comprehension passages are a significant part of the VARC section, often comprising two-thirds of the questions. CAT usually includes 4-5 long RCs from various topics such as science, environment, culture, and economics, etc. Here are some of the Reading Comprehension topics from previous CAT exams (2018-2024):
CAT RC Passages | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 |
CAT 2024 | Utility & Human Economics | Entertainment/ Netflix | Australian Species, Craftsmanship |
Spice Trade | Unintended Consequences of Technology | Peer Review of Research | |
Carnivore-Human Conflict | Impact of AI Languages | Chinese Moutai | |
Saving outer space and other planets | - | - | |
CAT 2023 | Wolf - Environmentalists vs Farmer | Philosophy - Change in Work Culture | Indian Ocean-based Geographical Literature |
Human Behavior | Garments, Fashion Industry & Pollution | Netflix Dubbing of titles for Europe | |
Liberalism is Dying | Facts & Interpretation in History | Romantic Aesthetics/ Philosophy | |
Cultural Property Law | Nutmeg Curse - Environment Degradation | Rational Thinking | |
CAT 2022 | Ghosts & their mysteries | Chinese Copy of articles | Two levels of emotional thinking |
STOICS | Music | Engineering technology | |
Octopus Philosophy | Social reorganization increasing crime rate | Software (humans not capable to get solutions) | |
Indian history | American migration / urbanization increasing | - | |
CAT 2021 | Mayan Civilization | Utopia and Dystopia | Marshmallow Experiment |
Evolution of Tea as a Drink | Language/ Indigenous People | Why Fiction Trumps Truth | |
Colonialism/Nationalism | Knowledge and Problems of Knowledge | Nanotechnology | |
Language Instinct | Time Accuracy | Entropy | |
Unconscious and Psychoanalysis | - | - | |
CAT 2020 | Anarchism | Migration of Northern Seals | Currency of Tang Dynasty |
Grammar/Vocabulary | Investing in Renewable Energy Technologies | Piracy in International Trade | |
Freudian Models of Aggression | A Study of Visualisation | Travel Writing and Feminism | |
The Need for Economic Literacy | Screen Time and Undercurrents of Social Class | An Analysis of Human Nature | |
CAT 2019 | British Folk Music | Topophilia | Emperor Penguins |
Internet Shopping and Choice Anxiety | Origin of Story of Alladin | Dense Cities | |
Google and Archaeology | Distributing Bureaucracy | Language & Culture | |
British Colonial Policy | - | - | |
CAT 2018 | Genetics | India’s View on its Legacy of Second World War | Plastic Pollution |
Elephant Society | Consumer Behaviour Studies | Grover Snails | |
Meritocracy and Diversified Teams | Use of Technology in Essential Services | Rings of Saturn and Their Age | |
Human Resource and Learning | - | - |
Best Books for CAT 2025 VARC Preparation
The best books for CAT VARC include concept-based, vocabulary, and grammar improvement books. Candidates should focus on books that offer practice questions, solved papers, and language skills. These books generally offer comprehensive coverage of theory, exercises, and previous year's questions. Here is a list of best recommended books for CAT VARC Preparation 2025:
CAT Book Name | Author(s) | USP |
How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT | Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay | An exhaustive guide covering concepts, explanations, tips, exercises, and model questions. It is divided into four parts: RC, VA, VR, and sample papers, providing a structured approach to preparation. |
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension For the CAT | Nishit Sinha | Features the latest topics and exercises for VARC, along with five mock tests, over 2,000 solved questions, and seven years' solved CAT question papers, making it a comprehensive practice resource. |
Word Power Made Easy | Norman Lewis | A one-stop solution for strengthening English vocabulary. It is user-friendly and includes pronunciation, contextual explanations, and usage examples for each word, aiding in effective vocabulary building. |
High School English Grammar and Composition | Wren and Martin | An excellent resource for studying English grammar and usage. It is widely recommended at the school level for building a strong foundation in both spoken and written English, which is beneficial for overall language proficiency required in CAT VARC. |
30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary | Wilfred Funk & Norman Lewis | Great for developing word power and usage, and improving pronunciation through simple exercises and self-tests, offering a focused approach to enhancing vocabulary quickly. |
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CAT VARC Syllabus 2025 Preparation Tips
To score well in CAT VARC, candidates must focus on comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary. RCs carry more than 50% weightage, so reading skills are very important. Consistent practice of various question types will also improve accuracy and speed. Here are some effective preparation tips for CAT VARC 2025:
- Start Early: Begin your VARC preparation well in advance to build a strong foundation, especially in Reading Comprehension.
- Master Grammar Basics: Although direct grammar questions are rare, a solid understanding of grammar rules is important for comprehending passages and solving verbal ability questions like sentence correction and parajumbles.
- Boost Vocabulary: Regularly use an English dictionary and word meaning books. Learning new words, phrases, and idioms will enhance your comprehension and help with various verbal ability questions.
- Develop Speed Reading: RC passages are often long and dense. Practice speed-reading by consistently reading diverse materials like books, novels, magazines, and data-heavy reports from various genres (science, technology, history, philosophy, etc.).
- Practice RC Passages: To understand passages swiftly and choose answers accurately, practice a wide variety of RC passages from CAT mocks and previous years' papers. Focus on identifying the main idea, tone, and inferences.
- Solve Verbal Ability Questions: Solve a large number and wide range of CAT Verbal Ability questions, including parajumbles, parasummaries, odd one out, and sentence completion.
- Analyze Past Papers: Refer to the past 10 years' CAT question papers to understand the patterns and types of reading comprehension and parajumble questions asked.
- Focus on English Usage: Pay close attention to English grammar, correct word usage, and idioms, as these elements are indirectly tested in both RC and parajumbles.
Final Thoughts
The CAT VARC Syllabus 2025 focuses on reading comprehension and verbal reasoning. Candidates should build a strong habit of reading and vocabulary practice. Grammar plays a supporting role in solving parajumbles and summary-based questions. Solving previous year Reading Comprehension passages and focusing on topic-wise practice will improve accuracy. Use the best books and follow a regular study plan for better results in the VARC section.
