CAT VARC gives you 40 minutes for 24 questions. That is roughly 100 seconds per question, but the right approach is not to allocate time equally. Different question types demand different time investments and the most efficient VARC attempts are built around selective reading, not speed reading.
Spend the first five minutes scanning all 24 questions without answering any. Identify which RC passages look accessible based on their opening sentences. Identify which verbal ability questions you can solve quickly. This survey determines your attempt order and prevents you from spending 12 minutes on a difficult philosophy passage when easier questions are available.
Allocate 25 minutes to the four RC passages. That is roughly six minutes per passage including reading time. Read the passage once fully before looking at the questions. Answer the questions you are confident about immediately. Flag the inference questions and return to them if time permits. Do not spend more than eight minutes on any single passage.
Para jumbles, para summary and odd sentence out typically have eight questions in total. Allocate ten minutes to these. Para summary questions are usually the fastest to solve. Attempt them first within this block. Para jumbles with clear mandatory first sentences can be solved in 60 to 90 seconds. Skip any verbal ability question where you cannot make progress in 90 seconds.
Use the final five minutes to review flagged questions and attempt any skipped questions you have a reasonable guess for. Never leave an MCQ blank if you have eliminated at least two options.
The fastest way to attempt VARC efficiently is to read faster without losing comprehension. GRADFLIX daily reading practice builds exactly this skill.
Start ReadingSpend 5 minutes surveying all questions, 25 minutes on RC passages at roughly 6 minutes each, 10 minutes on verbal ability questions, and 5 minutes reviewing flagged questions.
Aiming for 18 to 20 accurate attempts out of 24 is a strong target. Accuracy matters more than coverage given the negative marking on MCQs.
Not necessarily. If one passage is exceptionally dense, it may be more efficient to attempt three passages fully and skip the hardest one entirely rather than rushing all four.
Six minutes per passage is the target including reading time. Do not spend more than eight minutes on any single passage regardless of difficulty.