CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Syllabus 2023: Topics, Preparation Tips

Hafsha Qureshi

Updated on - Mar 18, 2024

CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension syllabus 2023 consists of two sections as the name suggests. CAT Verbal Ability syllabus primarily comprises para jumbles, odd sentences, and para summary, while the CAT Reading Comprehension is all about Reading Comprehension of passages.

Both are the two units of the CAT VARC section. The entire CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension syllabus 2023 will be covered in 8 questions. The aspirants

Table of Content

• What is VARC in CAT 2023?
• CAT Verbal Ability Syllabus Topics 2023
• CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Syllabus 2023: Highlights
• How to Master Reading Comprehension for CAT 2023?
• How to Prepare Verbal Ability for CAT 2023?
• Best Books for CAT Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension Syllabus Preparation
• Newspapers/Magazines for CAT VARC Preparation 2023

What is VARC in CAT 2023?

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) is one of the three sections in the CAT question paper with questions to test the vocabulary, grammar, Reading Comprehension and verbal reasoning skills of the candidates.

This questions in this section are broadly divided into Verbal Ability (VA) and Reading Comprehension (RC). The aspirants of CAT find this section difficult as it tests the candidates' English knowledge and proficiency under time constraints which demand speed and accuracy.

CAT Verbal Ability Syllabus Topics 2023

The first section of the CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension syllabus 2023 is the Verbal Ability part. CAT Verbal Ability syllabus covers grammar and verbal reasoning, error correction, facts, inference or judgment, comprehensions, vocabulary, para summary, and related topics.

The topics cover for the Verbal Ability section under the CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension syllabus 2023 are provided below for the candidates.

CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Syllabus 2023: Highlights

The below table shows the highlights of the CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension syllabus 2023, which the students should be aware of if they aspire to write the exam.

It includes information about the time allocation, negative marks, the total number of questions, etc.

How to Master Reading Comprehension for CAT 2023?

The section of Reading Comprehension (RC) in the test is very crucial in boosting the CAT score of the candidates and hence it is important that they practice to master RC. The following points will help the candidates to build an approach towards mastering the RC section.

• Candidates should cultivate a habit of reading from various sources to increase their reading speed while also being able to retain the important points.
• Since the RC passages are wordy and big, candidates must be able to read the passage and understand it completely in one read to answer the questions in less time.
• Vocabulary of the candidates is integral to their performance in the RC section as the knowledge of words will aid them in understanding the passages whereas poor vocabulary will make the candidates answering process slower as they will have to pause at every unknown word. 
• The reading skills and improved vovabulary of the candidates will help them immensely in increasing their reading and answering speed which is vital for the RC section of CAT 2023 as the long passages tend to consume more time of the candidates.
• Even if unknown words come up in the exam, try to understand the contextual and underlying meaning of the words.
• Candidates must make sure to refrain from reading the questions and options given before reading the RC passage as it will distract them from understanding the passage in its entirety.

How to Prepare Verbal Ability for CAT 2023?

Studying according to the CAT Verbal Ability syllabus is not the only thing you can do. The students who wish to appear for the CAT VARC exam can prepare for the exam following the tips given below.

• The sample papers and expert advice can help the candidates get to know what topics are to be asked from the CAT Verbal Ability.
• A few topics in the CAT Verbal Ability syllabus are vital and are repeated yearly in the question paper differently. So revising them will do good in the exam.
• Improving vocabulary by reading newspapers and novels will help crack the CAT Verbal Ability section.
• Attend mock tests and solve sample papers to get a gist of the questions likely to be asked in the exam.
• Focus on time management while preparing for CAT VARC section.
• Try watching English movies with subtitles to make the exam preparation more effective.

Best Books for CAT Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension Syllabus Preparation

Here are some of the best books to prepare for CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension syllabus 2023. Reading books can make the candidates rich in vocabulary and familiar with various sentence construction and usage.

Newspapers/Magazines for CAT VARC Preparation 2023

As said earlier, books and newspapers will add more to the efficiency of your CAT VARC preparation. Here is a list of the names of newspapers and magazines you can read daily to achieve better results in the examination.