Reading Comprehension For CAT

Reading Comprehension (RC) For CAT 2022: RC Tips For CAT, RC Questions

Reading Comprehension or RC is the most important topic in CAT exam. It commands highest sectional as well as overall weightage in CAT exam score.  Out of the three sections in CAT exam, the first Section consists of Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) topics. Read below the important of RC based questions in IIM-CAT exam, weightage, Key Trends, what is the composition, how to prepare, how to solve RC based questions and more

Table of Contents

1. What is RC for CAT Exam?
2. RC Questions in CAT: Composition, Details,Weightage
3. Reading Comprehension for CAT Exam: Sectional Composition
4. Reading Comprehension for CAT Exam: Key Highlights
5. CAT Reading Comprehension Questions and Answers
6. How to Prepare Reading Comprehension for CAT?
7. RC for CAT Exam: 4 Steps to Crack
8. How to Solve the RC based Questions in CAT?
9. Reading Comprehension Questions for CAT: Number & Type
10. Reading Comprehension for CAT Books
11. CAT Toppers Reading Comprehension Preparation Strategy  
12. Reading Comprehension for CAT Tips
13. CAT Previous Year Reading Comprehension Vs Current RC based Questioins
14. FAQs on Reading Comprehension preparation for CAT 2022   

1. What is RC for CAT Exam? Components, Types of passages, Questions
Before exploring on how to prepare Reading Comprehension for CAT, we should know what is Reading Comprehension, What is its composition what is the difficulty level, what type of questions are asked on RC Passages.

• Please note that an RC passage in CAT can be based on English literature, current affairs, philosophy, scientific inventions, business, economy, sociology or psychological opinion, historical facts, socio-political point of view or any topic under the Sun.
• The information contained in RC passage must be read with attention as the questions based on it are not direct and have to be answered after properly understanding the passage and contextual meaning of various phrases used in the passage
• The set of 3-4 or 5-6 questions based on RC passages are MCQs which carry 1/3^rd negative marking. So it is very important to understand each part of the RC passage well. Read More on RC Passages

2. RC Questions in CAT: Composition, Details,Weightage
Reading Comprehension test for CAT  is a crucial section in the exam since around 70% of the part in VARC is based on Reading Comprehension Questions and Answers. Improving on Reading Comprehension Questions and Answers  is important because if you do well in the RC for CAT, you will do well in other related questions like Para-jumbles and Para-completion also. 

Common Admission Test (CAT) conducted by IIMs now has reduced number of questions. Earlier there were 100 questions, now the questions have been reduced to 66 which are divided into three major sections, namely VARC, DILR and Quant. Prior to 2015, CAT had 60 questions divided into two sections VALR and QADI. The Logical Reasoning from Verbal Ability & Logical Reasoning (VALR) section is separated now resulting in the lion’s share of questions based on Reading Comprehension for CAT. The revised pattern awards following weightage to Reading Comprehension questions in CAT exam:

3. Reading Comprehension for CAT Exam: Sectional Composition
The CAT exam now begins with the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension as the first section instead of last section. The RC questions for CAT 2022 play an important role to achieve high sectional score as well as in improving the overall CAT percentile. The composition of Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT 2022 is as below: 

4. Reading Comprehension for CAT Exam: Key Highlights

• Reading Comprehension for CAT exam 2022 has a lion’s share in the sectional composition of VARC
• Share of RC questions for CAT in the VARC section has been increased to 80% from 45%
• Total Number of RC Questions for CAT 2022 are 18-19 out of total 24 VARC questions
• Most of the RC questions for CAT 2022 are of MCQ type and carry penalty of 1/3 negative marking
• Although the length & size of RC for CAT exam has been reduced,  there are now tough Reading Comprehension Passages for CAT with rich vocabulary words

5. CAT Reading Comprehension Questions and Answers
Sample RC Passages followed by questions and answers can help more to understand the question pattern and approach how to answer the RC based questions. 

Read More

6. How to Prepare Reading Comprehension for CAT?
Unlike Verbal Ability Reading Comprehension requires different preparation strategy. Let us understand in detail the strategy how to prepare for Reading Comprehension. Following are the most important guiding points on how to prepare Reading Comprehension for CAT Exam:

• Prepare as per latest trends on Reading Comprehension questions in CAT  
• Read the Best books on Reading Comprehension for CAT
• Get Updated CAT  Reading Comprehension Preparation Material of Best Coaching Institutes
• Read CAT toppers’ Reading Comprehension Preparation Strategy
• Take CAT Reading Comprehension Mocks and Analyse Each One.. Read More

7. RC for CAT Exam: 4 Steps to Crack
One thing should however be remembered that Reading comprehension exercises are only expanded form of the Unseen Passages that you used to solve in your matriculation standard.   

Sharing the reading comprehension for CAT tips on how to prepare for Reading Comprehension questions, Experts and toppers suggest the four steps to crack the Reading Comprehension Test for CAT:

• Understand the English vocabulary,
• Continue with Consistent flow of thoughts in RC Passages,
• Read between the lines to cracking the meaning
• Arrive at the correct and decisive answer option for the questions based on Reading Comprehension passages for CAT

8. How to Solve the RC based Questions in CAT?
Before answering the RC passage based questions in CAT, the candidate should put himself/herself into author’s shoes and should understand the central idea what author wants to say. Therefore, you should take following steps while approaching the RC questions in CAT:

• Understand what facts and arguments are given by author in the passage to strengthen his idea in the respective paragraph as well as in the complete passage
• What is the tone of the author? Is he sarcastic, or making fun, or mocking, or angry on the events, or analysing? Each tone carries different meaning of the same phrase, so understand and then answer

9. Reading Comprehension Questions for CAT: Number & Type
While vocabulary, Phrases/idioms remain as the basics for CAT Reading Comprehension, the areas and topics on which Reading Comprehension questions for CAT are prepared as per the Changed type of RC pattern are as under:

Read in detail the CAT Syllabus on Reading Comprehension

10. Reading Comprehension for CAT Books
If you are doing self-preparation for Reading Comprehension for CAT, you cannot deny the  importance of choosing the best Reading Comprehension for CAT books. Most of the CAT toppers who were weak in CAT Reading Comprehension opted for self –preparation after making thorough search on best books for Reading Comprehension. Some of the best books for Reading Comprehension for CAT are:

• How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT’- by Arun Sharma & Meenakshi Upadhyay
• ‘Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT’ - by Nishit K Sinha

Arihant Book on Verbal Ability: Read More

10.1 Best Study Material for Reading Comprehension for CAT
In case you are preparing Reading Comprehension for the CAT with the help of coaching centres, or wish to go for a mix of coaching supported preparation and self preparation to get the best of both in Reading Comprehension Preparation, alongwith the best book for Reading Comprehension for CAT you will be getting the best study material with more Reading Comprehension exercises for CAT.. Read More

11. CAT Toppers Reading Comprehension Preparation Strategy 
Many CAT toppers with 99 and 100 percentile have shared that they found Reading Comprehension was their weak area but they improved a lot in it with consistent preparation. What made CAT toppers improve so much and how they could score so high in Reading Comprehension in CAT? Sharing with MBAUniverse.com, CAT toppers spoke about their preparation strategy for Reading Comprehension and also shared advice to CAT aspirants: Read More

12. Reading Comprehension for CAT Tips
According to CAT preparation experts and past toppers, you need to begin your preparation for VARC much earlier than for other sections. The Reading comprehension in VARC section has become more dominating during past few years.    

Important Reading Comprehension for CAT Tips

1. Make it the regular practice to read the editorials, articles in the news paper.
2. Underline the difficult words-search out their meanings and put them to use in writing, in conversation etc. Tests have shown that the number of unfamiliar words in a passage, if exceeds about one in twenty, the reader will lose track. If the proportion is lower, the reader may skip over the unfamiliar words and grasp, at least the general meaning.. Read More

13. CAT Previous Year Reading Comprehension Vs Current RC based Questioins: Key Trends
The CAT previous year Reading Comprehension questions and Verbal Ability questions till 2019 were 34, but in 2020, the number of questions were reduced to 26 and in 2021 the questions in CAT Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability section were further reduced to 24. The questions on RC for CAT are divided in MCQs and Non-MCQs. Out of it, 70% weightage goes to the RC based questions in CAT and 30% weightage is assigned to Verbal Ability topics. RC questions in CAT exam commands 24% overall weightage.  Trends for CAT Previous Year Reading Comprehension based questions for last seven years are shared below:

It can be observed that despite reduction in total questions in 2020 and 2021, the weightage of RC for CAT has increased.  Earlier, Reading comprehension test for CAT  had only 1/3^rd part in the Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning section as the VA, RC and LR were clubbed together in CAT exams, but now they have been separated focusing oneself to solve only with the verbal bend of mind.

As such, the CAT Reading Comprehension (RC) is the most important part that needs you to score high percentile in the exam. Your skilled and intelligent performance in answering the questions in RC for CAT can get you higher chances for shortlisting by IIMs.

14. FAQs on Reading Comprehension preparation for CAT 2022
Frequently Answered Questions on RC preparation for CAT are given here

Q. How many questions are based on Reading Comprehension in CAT exam?
A. RC based questions in CAT exam are 18-19 out of total 24 questions in VARC section

Q. What is the type of RC questions in the CAT exam?
A. Questions based on Reading Comprehension are of MCQ type

Q. Are there any non-MCQ or no penalty questions based on RC passages?
A. Usually No! Although there may not be any non-MCQ following the RC passage, there may be one or two MCQ without negative marking. In such case, Verbal part may consist of questions with negative marking 

Read More: CAT 2022 - Exam Date, Registration, Syllabus, Preparation, Books