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CLAT vs CAT Reading Comprehension: What Is Different

Preparing for both, or switching from one to the other? Here is how CLAT and CAT reading differ.

Abhishek Leela Pandey13 October 20262 min read
On this page
  1. At a glance
  2. Question styles
  3. Timing
  4. How to adapt

At a glance

  • CAT VARC: 24 questions in 40 minutes, about 16 of them RC across four passages, mostly abstract non-fiction.
  • CLAT English: about 22 to 26 questions, all on passages, and the whole CLAT paper is passage-based.
  • CAT passages are argument-heavy: philosophy, economics, science. CLAT mixes argument with literary fiction.

Question styles

CAT RC leans on inference, author's view and structure, with very close options. CLAT asks more direct main-idea, tone, detail and vocabulary-in-context questions, and its fiction questions ask you to read character and intent.

Timing

CAT gives about 10 minutes per RC passage including questions. CLAT's overall pace is about one minute per question, including reading, so CLAT rewards raw reading speed more.

How to adapt

  • From CAT to CLAT: add fiction and speed work.
  • From CLAT to CAT: add dense argument and option-elimination practice.
  • Practise on both: the CAT RC PYQs and CLAT English PYQs are free and fully solved.

Frequently asked questions

Is CLAT RC easier than CAT RC?

CLAT passages are usually more accessible and questions more direct, but CLAT demands faster reading because every section is passage-based.

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