Tips to Crack the Reading Comprehension for CAT

The ability to read, grasp its context and meaning, process the information given and recall the information provided is a crucial skill to understand the intricacies of a language. This ability is fundamental to communication and what is better than testing this arena through the reading comprehension section in an examination. Hence, most of the competitive exams in English speaking nations or for courses whose medium is English, there is always have a Reading Comprehension section. A lot of times this section is coupled with the verbal ability section or critical reasoning which are both indispensable while testing our ability to read something, comprehend its meaning and drawing inferences. Hence, through this blog, we will explore the section of Reading Comprehension for CAT and provide you with some tips and tricks to help you navigate through this section swiftly and efficiently. 

Understanding Reading Comprehension for CAT

The weightage given to the Reading Comprehension section in CAT Exam Pattern is as follows: 

Eligibility Criteria	Number of Questions	Weightage Awarded
Total Number of Question in CAT	100
Total Number of Question in Reading Comprehension Section in CAT	24	24% of the Total CAT Questions
Total Number of Question in VARC Section	34	70% of the Sectional Weightage is given to RC [24 Questions]  30% of the Sectional Weightage is given to VA [10 Questions]

Also Read: How To Crack CAT In First Attempt

Tips and Tricks to Ace the Reading Comprehension

Since this section has an equal weightage to that of the other two sections and the cut off for this VARC section is higher, it is rudimentary for us to put forth our best foot forward to ace in this section. Hence, we have created a list of some tips that would help you to crack the Reading Comprehension for CAT

Speed

In the CAT examination, you would have one hour to attempt this section. So, it is important for us to understand that attempting approximately 5 passages apart from 10 Verbal Ability questions is itself a challenging task. So, it is imperative for us to improve our speed to have adequate time to answer the question as well as not lose interest in the passage. There is no overnight solution to enhance your speed, hence, constant and extensive reading would help. So, whenever you read a passage, take a look at the number of words in that passage and time the time you took to read it to calculate your speed and check your performance over time. You can also make use of techniques like Scanning and Skimming through which you can quickly scan through the passage and pay heed to significant words and details only. 

Comprehend the Meaning

As crucial as it is to move swiftly through the passage, it is equally important that you understand the meaning that the passage conveys. So, you should link each line to its preceding one and constantly think and evaluate what was discussed in the line above. You must weed out the unimportant, or inconsequential information and retain the key information. In the flow of reading and interpreting, start with the following practices: 

• Identify the central idea of the passage
• Draw the necessary inferences.

Vocabulary

[optin-monster-shortcode id=”xf2mlnjiouddzrshykdb”]

As repetitive as it may sound, vocabulary is of paramount value. To improve your vocabulary follow these practices:

• Realise the importance of reading and read the editorial section of the newspaper and solve passages on a regular basis. Whenever reading something new, underline the word then and there and find its meaning. 
• While writing the new word and its meaning, write its meaning in a language of your convenience like your mother tongue. It helps in establishing an association with the word and helps in retention. 
• Write and learn at least 5 synonyms and antonyms of the new word and make a sentence with it. That way, you would be able to identify the word in terms of its usage. And eventually, your goal is to be able to comprehend the word whenever you come across it in your reading comprehension for CAT. 

Grammar

Grammatical tools, their function and the relationship one thing has with the other has a significant spot when understanding a passage. So, when practising reading comprehension for CAT, start out by reading grammar books. They would clear your basics of the concepts such as nouns, pronouns, adjectives, articles, punctuation, prepositions, clauses, etc. once, you have an idea of the basics, you may proceed to read extensively. By this, you would naturally ingrain the functions of language and its grammar and get a hold of it. 

Also Read: Beginners Guide to GMAT Reading Comprehension

Questions and Answer Pattern 

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. 

Reading Comprehension passages for CAT	Number of Questions	Type of Questions
Long Passage – 1 Usually moderate based on facts	6	MCQs with ⅓ negative marking
Long Passage 2 – Moderate to Difficult, Rich Vocabulary, more literary and opinion-based	6	MCQs with ⅓ negative marking
Long Passage 3 – Difficult-based on abstract topic/opinion based/literature-based, may contain too much unknown vocabulary words	6	MCQs with ⅓ negative marking
Short Passage 1 – Moderate to difficult, business – economy/geography-based	3	MCQs with ⅓ negative marking
Short Passage 2 – Sometimes difficult, based on historical facts, opinion, future plans	3	MCQs with ⅓ negative marking
Short Passage 3 – may be more difficult than the other two; usually on abstract topic	3	MCQs with ⅓ negative marking

Solved Sample for Reading Comprehension for CAT 

Practice Samples for Reading Comprehension for CAT

Books for Reading Comprehension for CAT

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 CAT – by Nishit K Sinha

Hence if you want to ace in this section, that not only involves the employment of English Language Proficiency but also demands your logical understanding and the ability to comprehend information and access it as per the need and situation, then, get to studying for it. And if you need any other tips and tricks, then, lend yourself the support of Leverage Edu’s expert counsellors who can help you with any roadblock that you are having and give you a direction.