The CAT VARC 2025 Question Paper difficulty level was different for each slot. The slot 1 was moderately challenging while the Slot 2 was difficult than slot 1. The Slot 3 exam was moderate to difficult.
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The CAT 2025 Slot 1 Exam is over. The paper analysis for the CAT VARC section for each slot has been shared below. There were about 24-26 questions in the paper. The CAT VARC section difficulty level was MODERATE. The topic wise and slot wise difficulty level for the same and pveious year exam has been listed below.
The CAT 2025 Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section tests the candidate on the following: reading and comprehension, vocabulary of the candidate and the capability of the candidate to answer within a time constraint. Aspirants should learn about the trends of the exam of the previous year and the difficulty slots-wise. This article provides a CAT VARC 2025 question paper review and difficulty level, number of good attempts, slot-wise analysis, score and percentile analysis.
CAT VARC 2025 Overall Difficulty Level
The level of difficulty of the CAT VARC 2025 was challenging, similar to the current trends that have been observed in the past tests of CAT. The VARC area was moderately challenging in recent years, mainly because of passages of RC and tricky VA questions. It consisted of questions with tough passages to understand and different difficult slots. The table below shows the CAT exam anaysis of VARC.
|
Section Component |
Difficulty Level |
|
Reading Comprehension |
Moderate to High |
|
RC Passage Length |
450–550 words |
|
RC Themes |
Moderate academic + logical reasoning-based passages |
|
Verbal Ability |
Moderate |
|
Expected Number of RC Passages |
4 passages |
|
Expected Number of VA Questions |
10 questions |
|
Overall VARC Difficulty |
Moderate |
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Previous Year VARC Difficulty Comparison
It is important to know the difficulty levels of the section in the past years. Changes in the type of passages, tone of reading comprehension, and difficulty of questions on verbal ability have indicated moderate changes in the section of VARC in CAT. The examination of the last few years could help to comprehend the overall trend and what the candidates can possibly anticipate regarding the level of difficulty, the types of questions and the chances of getting a certain score. The following table shows the previous year's VARC difficulty levels.
|
Year |
Overall VARC Difficulty |
Reading Comprehension Difficulty |
Verbal Ability Difficulty |
|
2024 |
Moderate–Difficult |
Moderate |
Difficult |
|
2023 |
Moderate |
Moderate |
Moderate |
|
2022 |
Moderate–Difficult |
Difficult |
Moderate |
|
2021 |
Moderate |
Moderate |
Moderate–Difficult |
|
2020 |
Moderate–Difficult |
Difficult |
Moderate–Difficult |
CAT VARC Slot Wise VARC Analysis
The analysis of the VARC section of the CAT 2025 Exam has been provided below. The exam is held in three slots and the pattern of questions are different in each of them. However, there is no major difference among them.
CAT VARC Slot 1 Difficulty Level 2025
Slot 1 of CAT 2025 VARC was typically found moderately challenging, and the reading comprehension passages were slightly more challenging than normal. The majority of questions of verbal abilities were not very difficult, whereas the ones based on inference, because of RC, demanded time and careful reading. The table shown below gives an analysis of Slot 1 VARC difficulty level.
|
Particulars |
Details |
|
Total Questions |
24 (22 MCQs + 2 TITA) |
|
Reading Comprehension Passages |
4 passages (16 RC questions) |
|
Other Verbal Questions |
8 questions (para summary, para completion, odd-one-out) |
|
Difficulty Level |
Moderately difficult — more challenging than typical years, especially RCs with inference-based questions. |
|
Good Attempts Estimate |
13–15 questions (out of 24) |
|
Note |
No para-jumbles and heavier RC-based focus. |
CAT VARC Slot 2 Difficulty Level 2025
The difficulty level of Slot 2 of CAT 2025 VARC was moderate, and the proportion of reading comprehension and questions of verbal ability was equal. This slot contained more difficult questions than Slot 1, with a few easier RC questions, so that the candidates could attempt more questions. The table below gives an analysis of Slot 2 VARC difficulty level.
|
Particulars |
Details |
|
Total Questions |
24 (22 MCQs + 2 TITA) |
|
Reading Comprehension Passages |
4 passages (16 RC questions) |
|
Other Verbal Questions |
8 questions (para summary/completion, odd-one-out) |
|
Difficulty Level |
Moderate — somewhat easier than Slot 1, with balanced RC and verbal ability questions. |
|
Good Attempts Estimate |
10–12 questions |
|
Note |
A mix of medium-level RC passages, with more manageable verbal ability questions compared to Slot 1. |
CAT VARC Slot 3 Difficulty Level 2025
Slot 3 CAT 2025 VARC had been reported to be easy to moderate. The passages were uncomplicated to read, and questions requiring verbal skills were comparatively easy, therefore not as tough as the previous slots. This slot was able to allow the students to have increased chances of responding to the questions properly and within the time frame. The table below provides an overview of Slot 3 VARC analysis.
|
Particulars |
Details |
|
Total Questions |
24 (22 MCQs + 2 TITA) |
|
Reading Comprehension Passages |
4 passages (16 RC questions) |
|
Other Verbal Questions |
8 questions (para summary/completion, odd-one-out) |
|
Difficulty Level |
Easy to Moderate overall — less dense RC passages, fewer inference-heavy questions. |
|
Good Attempts Estimate |
12–14 questions |
|
Note |
RC passages were more straightforward, the verbal ability part was more balanced, and the harder sections were limited. |
VARC Score vs Percentile 2025 vs Previous Year
Knowing the correlation between the VARC score and the percentile of the past years assists those who are estimating the percentage that is expected to be attained. Through the examination of previous year score-to-percentile correlations, the applicants are able to assess a relative number of successful attempts and marks to a particular percentage range, which helps them improve training and aiming.
The table below gives the previous year's VARC score and percentiles.
|
VARC Score |
CAT 2025 Percentile |
CAT 2024 Percentile |
|
45–50 |
99.7–99.8 |
99.8–99.9 |
|
40–45 |
99.5–99.7 |
99.3–99.7 |
|
35–40 |
98–99 |
98–99 |
|
30–35 |
96–97 |
95–97 |
|
25–30 |
90–92 |
90–94 |
|
20–25 |
80–86 |
80–89 |
|
15–20 |
68–80 |
65–79 |
What is a Good Score in CAT VARC 2025?
A good score in CAT VARC is relative in terms of general difficulty, slot and aspirant objectives. The understanding of a strong score in VARC is important to enable the candidates to have the right goals, schedule, and to balance speed and accuracy in the exam. In the table below, the ranges of scores are given.
|
Percentile Target |
Approx. VARC Score Range (raw/marks) |
What It Means |
|
99+ |
35–41 marks |
Strong performance; competitive even for top IIMs, assuming similar performance in other sections. |
|
95–98 |
30–34 marks |
Solid score, good chance at good non-IIM B-schools or backup schools if other sections are decent. |
|
90–94 |
24–29 marks |
Decent score, may fetch seats at state-level or private institutes, depending on competition. |
|
85–89 |
20–23 marks |
Moderate performance, useful if combined with strong QA/DILR or good profile. |
|
80–84 |
18–20 marks |
Lower end, might limit options, but still acceptable for certain colleges or specializations. |
Conclusion
The level of difficulty, type of questions and trends of the previous year must be understood for CAT VARC 2025. Aspirants will be able to strategically plan how they will prepare by researching slot-wise analysis, good attempts prediction, and score-to-percentile standards. For the exam practice, time management and accuracy are of value to maximize the performance in the VARC section and also the overall CAT percentile.
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