Reading fiction is enjoyable. It builds vocabulary, sustains attention, and makes reading a daily habit. But does it prepare you for CAT RC? The honest answer is partially, and you need to understand where it helps and where it does not.
Fiction builds reading stamina. If you can read for 90 minutes without losing focus, you will not run out of energy during the VARC section. Fiction also builds vocabulary in context, which is more durable than memorising word lists. And it makes reading enjoyable, which makes it easier to maintain a daily habit.
These are real benefits. They are not nothing. Aspirants who read fiction regularly tend to have better reading stamina than those who do not read at all.
CAT RC passages are almost entirely non-fiction. They are analytical, argument-driven, and dense with ideas. The skill of following a complex non-fiction argument through multiple paragraphs is different from the skill of following a narrative. Fiction trains you to track character, plot and emotion. CAT RC tests your ability to track argument structure, author's position and logical inference.
A review of CAT papers from 2017 to 2025 shows that literary or fiction passages are rare. The dominant genres are philosophy, economics, science and history, all of which are non-fiction forms. Reading only fiction leaves you underprepared for the actual genre distribution of the exam.
If you enjoy fiction, keep reading it. Use it to maintain your reading stamina and make the habit sustainable. But add non-fiction reading specifically for CAT RC preparation. One Aeon essay or one GRADFLIX essay per day, in addition to whatever fiction you are already reading, is enough to build the non-fiction comprehension skill that CAT actually tests.
GRADFLIX essays are written in the exact style of CAT RC passages. If you replace your fiction reading with GRADFLIX for two weeks, you will notice the difference in how you approach CAT passages almost immediately.
GRADFLIX essays are written exactly like CAT RC passages. One essay daily, with questions. Free to start.
Read Today's EssayNovels build reading stamina and vocabulary but CAT RC passages are almost entirely non-fiction. Fiction alone is not sufficient preparation for the analytical, argument-driven passages that appear in the exam.
Long-form non-fiction across the five main CAT genres: philosophy, psychology, science and technology, history and civilisation, economics and society, arts and literature, politics and governance, nature and environment, culture and identity, and education and knowledge. Sources like The Economist, Aeon, Smithsonian and The Atlantic match the actual difficulty and style of CAT RC passages.
Yes. Fiction builds reading stamina and makes the habit sustainable. Add at least one non-fiction article or essay per day specifically for CAT RC preparation.
Animal Farm, 1984, and non-fiction adjacent books like Malcolm Gladwell's work are sometimes recommended. But the direct return on time invested is lower than reading from verified CAT RC sources.