CAT VARC 2026 Pattern: 24 Questions, 40 Minutes, Marking and Every Question Type
The VARC section rewards aspirants who know exactly what is coming. Here is the pattern recent CAT papers have followed, question type by question type.
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Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension is the first section of CAT. It sets the tone for the whole paper: a calm, well-paced 40 minutes here makes DILR and quant easier, and a rushed one follows you into them. The good news is that the section has been remarkably stable over the last few papers, so you can prepare for its exact shape.
This guide uses the pattern of recent CAT papers. The conducting IIM confirms the final pattern each year, so check the official notification, but no large change is expected for CAT 2026.
The CAT VARC pattern at a glance
| Feature | Recent CAT papers |
|---|---|
| Questions | 24 |
| Time | 40 minutes, no switching between sections |
| Reading comprehension | 4 passages, 4 questions each (16) |
| Verbal ability | 8 questions |
| Maximum marks | 72 |
| Correct answer | +3 |
| Wrong MCQ | −1 |
| Wrong TITA | 0 (no negative marking) |
Two-thirds of the section is reading comprehension. That single fact should shape your preparation: VA questions matter, but RC decides most VARC scores.
Reading comprehension: what the 16 questions test
Passages are usually 400 to 600 words, drawn from philosophy, psychology, economics, history, science, culture and literature. They are dense, argument-driven and often written in a measured academic tone, which makes the author's position easy to misread. The questions return to a small set of types:
- Main idea or primary purpose: what the whole passage is doing
- Inference: what must be true given the passage, not what could be true
- Specific detail: why a phrase, example or comparison is there
- Author's attitude or tone: measured, critical, sceptical, appreciative
- EXCEPT questions: three options are supported, one is not
- Strengthen or weaken: which new fact would most help or hurt the author's claim
The wrong options are rarely absurd. They are usually too extreme, true of only part of the passage, or a reasonable idea the author never states. Learning to name these traps is most of the work.
Verbal ability: the 8 questions
| Type | Format | Negative marking |
|---|---|---|
| Para-jumbles | Type in the order (TITA) | No |
| Odd sentence out | Type in the number (TITA) | No |
| Para-summary | 4 options | Yes, −1 |
| Sentence placement | 4 options | Yes, −1 |
Para-jumbles give four or five sentences to arrange into a coherent paragraph. Odd sentence out gives five sentences, four of which form a paragraph. Para-summary asks for the option that best captures a short passage. Sentence placement gives a sentence and asks where it fits in a paragraph with marked gaps.
Because TITA questions carry no negative marking, it almost always pays to attempt every para-jumble and odd-one-out, even with a best guess.
How the interface affects your score
CAT runs on a specific test interface, and small details cost real time if you meet them for the first time on exam day. An answer is recorded only when you press Save & Next or Mark for Review & Next. Answers that are marked for review and also saved are evaluated. TITA answers are entered on an on-screen keypad. The question palette shows your status in colour, and the timer counts down in the corner.
Practise on a screen that behaves the same way, so that on the day all of your attention goes to the passages.
A practice plan built on the pattern
- Read one dense long-form essay a day, and write its main idea in one line.
- Solve two RC sets a day from past CAT papers, timed at 8 to 9 minutes each.
- Do four VA questions a day, mixing all four types.
- Take two full VARC sectionals a week in the CAT format, and analyse each one the same day.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are there in CAT VARC?
Recent CAT papers have had 24 VARC questions: 16 reading comprehension questions from 4 passages and 8 verbal ability questions.
How much time do you get for the VARC section in CAT?
40 minutes, with no option to switch between sections.
Is there negative marking in CAT VARC?
Yes, −1 for a wrong multiple-choice answer. Type-in-the-answer questions such as para-jumbles and odd sentence out have no negative marking.
What is the maximum score in CAT VARC?
72, since there are 24 questions worth 3 marks each.
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