CAT 2026 VARC Weightage: Reading Comprehension vs Verbal Ability

CAT 2026 VARC section is expected to have 24 questions — 16 from Reading Comprehension (RC) and 8 from Verbal Ability (VA) — based on the pattern followed consistently since CAT 2022.

The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section is the first in the CAT paper and is conducted for 40 minutes. Understanding the topic-wise distribution helps you allocate study time effectively and target the right question types for a strong percentile. RC is MCQ-based with negative marking; VA is entirely TITA (Type in the Answer) with no penalty — a distinction that should shape your attempt strategy from day one of preparation.

• Reading Comprehension contributes 66.7% of VARC — 16 questions across 4 passages (approximately 4 questions each).
• Verbal Ability contributes 33.3% of VARC — 8 TITA questions covering Para Jumbles, Para Summary, and Odd Sentence Out.
• Total VARC marks: 72 (each correct answer earns +3 marks).
• VA questions carry no negative marking; all 16 RC MCQs carry a –1 penalty for wrong answers.
• Scoring 40 or above in VARC is associated with a 95+ percentile based on CAT 2022–2024 trends.

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CAT 2026 VARC Section Overview

VARC is the first of three timed sections in CAT, allocated 40 minutes out of the 2-hour paper. Based on the pattern from CAT 2022 through CAT 2024, the section is expected to retain 24 questions in CAT 2026. It tests English language comprehension and reasoning ability through both MCQ (RC) and TITA (VA) formats.

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Reading Comprehension (RC) Weightage and Topic Distribution

RC accounts for 16 out of 24 VARC questions — roughly 67% of the section. All RC questions are MCQ with a –1 negative marking penalty. CAT 2026 is expected to feature 4 passages with 4 questions each, based on trends from CAT 2022–2024. Passages are typically 400–700 words and span diverse genres; no single genre has a fixed slot, but the distribution below reflects what has appeared most frequently.

The most commonly tested RC question types in CAT are:

• Inference-based questions — testing what can logically be drawn from the passage without being explicitly stated.
• Main idea and primary purpose — identifying the central argument or the author’s intent across the passage.
• Author’s tone and attitude — analysing whether the author is critical, appreciative, sceptical, or neutral toward the subject.
• Fact-based questions — retrieving directly stated information; usually the quickest to answer.
• Vocabulary in context — the meaning of a specific word or phrase as used within the passage, not its dictionary definition.

Inference and tone questions typically carry the most errors in RC. After reading each passage, summarise the author’s core argument in your own words before looking at options — this reduces the chance of being misled by answer choices that are factually true but outside the passage’s scope.

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Verbal Ability (VA) Weightage and Topic Distribution

VA contributes 8 questions to VARC — all in TITA format with no negative marking. Because there is no penalty for wrong answers, you should attempt every single VA question regardless of confidence level. Based on CAT 2022–2024 trends, three question types appear consistently in VA, each with a distinct skill set.

Key characteristics of each VA question type:

• Para Jumbles — 4–6 sentences are given out of order and you type the correct sequence. The opening sentence typically introduces a concept or entity with no pronoun references; the closing sentence is usually a conclusion, consequence, or summary. Transition words (however, therefore, in contrast) and pronoun-antecedent chains are your navigation tools.
• Para Summary — a short paragraph is given and you pick the option that best captures the central idea. Eliminate options that are too narrow (focus on just one example), too broad (go beyond the passage’s scope), or directly contradicted by the passage.
• Odd Sentence Out — four sentences are given and you type the number of the one that does not belong. Look for abrupt topic shifts, a mismatch in tone (formal vs. informal), or a pronoun with no clear antecedent in the surrounding sentences.

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Year-wise VARC Question Distribution (2022–2024)

The table below shows how VARC was structured in recent CAT exams. CAT 2026 VARC is expected to follow the same 24-question format given the unbroken consistency across the past three cycles. Note that before 2022, the question count was higher (26 questions), and the exam authority may revise the structure — always check the official notification at iimcat.ac.in once CAT 2026 is announced.

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VARC Marking Scheme and Scoring Strategy

Each correct answer in VARC earns +3 marks. All 16 RC MCQs carry a –1 penalty for wrong answers; all 8 VA TITA questions carry no penalty. The maximum VARC score is 72. The table below shows expected score-to-percentile benchmarks based on CAT 2022–2024 trends — figures are indicative and will vary with the difficulty of the paper.

A good attempt count in VARC is 18–20 questions with an accuracy of 80% or above, which translates to roughly 40–45 marks. Avoid random guessing on RC MCQs — a string of wrong answers can erase an entire passage’s worth of correct answers. Since VA carries no penalty, always attempt all 8 VA questions even if you are unsure.

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CAT 2026 VARC Preparation Tips by Topic

Since RC carries two-thirds of VARC weightage, it deserves the most preparation time. VA questions are TITA with no negative marking — consistent practice here adds 15–24 guaranteed marks to your score without the risk of a negative-marking penalty.

• RC — Read across genres daily: Practise abstract philosophy (Aeon, The Atlantic), economics (The Economist), and science writing (Scientific American). Aim for one to two long-form passages per day to build reading speed and active comprehension.
• RC — Master inference and tone questions: After reading a passage, write a one-sentence summary of the author’s central argument before looking at any options. This habit reduces susceptibility to answer choices that are factually correct but outside the passage’s scope.
• Para Jumbles — Learn sentence-role identification: Every jumble has exactly one opening sentence (no back-reference, introduces a new idea) and one closing sentence (conclusion or consequence). Identifying these two anchors first reduces the problem to arranging only the middle sentences.
• Para Summary — Eliminate ruthlessly: The correct summary captures the main idea without distorting it. Rule out options that focus on a single example, introduce outside information, or contradict the passage’s tone.
• Odd Sentence Out — Look for coherence breaks: The misfit sentence often shifts the subject, uses a contradictory tone, or contains a pronoun (he, she, it, they) whose antecedent does not appear in the other sentences.
• Time management: With 40 minutes for 24 questions, allocate 8–10 minutes per RC passage and 1.5 minutes per VA question. If a passage is too dense in the first paragraph, skip it and return after completing the remaining passages and all VA questions.

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