CAT 2027: VARC topics in CAT (Common Aptitude Test) includes Verbal Activity and Reading Comprehension questions are designed to test language proficiency, reading and critical reasoning skills etc. VARC topics are expected to repeat and dominate the CAT 2027.
When reading a long CAT passage, it is a time-consuming section. With hardly 40 minutes' time to complete 24 questions, success in the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section is more about knowing exactly what the examiners wish to repeat year after year. A broad analysis shows it to be remarkably consistent over the past five years: common reading-comprehension-based passages make up about two-thirds of the paper. Very specific question types, like Para Summaries, Para Jumbles, and Specific Detail deductions happen like clockwork. This article, however explains the exact repeating patterns so that you can focus on what's important in your studies.
VARC Section Structure & Question Distribution (2020-2025)
This table indicates the breakdown of the English paper over six years. From the year 2021 onwards, the exam has been using a fixed style of 24 questions. The reading of long story passages constitutes 16 of the total questions, which is 66% of the paper, while relatively short English puzzles form the remaining eight questions.
Related Stories
|
Exam Year
|
Total VARC Questions
|
RC Questions
|
VA Questions
|
RC Share (%)
|
VA Share (%)
|
|
2025
|
24
|
16
|
8
|
66.67%
|
33.33%
|
|
2024
|
24
|
16
|
8
|
66.67%
|
33.33%
|
|
2023
|
24
|
16
|
8
|
66.67%
|
33.33%
|
|
2022
|
24
|
16
|
8
|
66.67%
|
33.33%
|
|
2021
|
24
|
16
|
8
|
66.67%
|
33.33%
|
|
2020
|
26
|
18
|
8
|
69.23%
|
30.77%
|
Reading Comprehension Question Type Distribution (2020–2025)
This table outlines the different types of questions presented from passages on reading. More than half of the questions require finding exact facts or guessing implied meanings from what the author wrote. Then come questions about why an author gave a specific example. The sad thing is that the questions about tone and attitude have nearly been eliminated from the examination.
|
Question Type
|
Total Questions
|
Common Passage Themes
|
Core Skill Evaluated
|
|
Specific Detail
|
29
|
Science, History, Economics, Tech
|
Locating stated facts and checking context
|
|
Inference
|
23
|
Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology
|
Understanding hidden ideas not said directly
|
|
Argument Analysis
|
15
|
Philosophy, Politics, Social Issues
|
Spotting claims, reasons, and assumptions
|
|
Structure & Function
|
15
|
Literature, History, Science
|
Understanding why a writer gives an example
|
|
Main Idea
|
9
|
Philosophy, Literature, Economics
|
Finding the central message of the whole story
|
|
Application
|
8
|
Science, Technology, Environment
|
Using the author's rule in a new situation
|
|
Tone & Author Attitude
|
1
|
Literature, Social Debates
|
Guessing how the writer feels about the topic
|
|
Total Questions Analyzed
|
100
|
All Major Domains
|
Core Reading Comprehension Pool
|
CAT Verbal Ability (VA) Question Type Weightage
This table provides information about the distribution of the eight short English questions. Over 60% of the marks come from summarising the short passage and arranging sentences in the correct order. One of the advantages of these types of questions is that the wrong answers will not contribute negatively to the overall score of this section. The rest of the questions require the participants to either find the odd sentence out or provide the missing sentence.
|
VA Question Type
|
Share in VA Portion
|
Format Type
|
Typical Question Count
|
|
Para Summary
|
31%
|
MCQ / TITA
|
2–3 Questions
|
|
Para Jumbles
|
31%
|
TITA (No Negative Marking)
|
2–3 Questions
|
|
Odd One Out
|
22%
|
TITA (No Negative Marking)
|
2 Questions
|
|
Para Completion / Sentence Insertion
|
16%
|
MCQ / TITA
|
1–2 Questions
|
|
Total VA Section
|
100%
|
Mixed Objective
|
8 Questions
|
CAT 2026: VARC 6-Year Trend Analysis
This table shows how reading passages have changed over six years. The exam has changed to shift from simple story questions into complex themes, such as philosophy, human society, and scientific controversies. Questions have flipped from being memory-testing to one where you find hidden tricks and tricky answers. To get tension-free with these passages, you need to read such tough articles frequently.
|
Year
|
Primary RC Focus
|
VA Pattern
|
Major Characteristics & Themes
|
|
2025
|
Inference & Interpretation
|
Mixed VA formats (Summary + PJ)
|
Dense passages with closely framed, deceptive option traps
|
|
2024
|
Analytical & Conceptual
|
Summary, Odd One Out, Sentence Placement
|
Abstract themes, sociology, environment, and science
|
|
2023
|
Critical Reasoning & Inference
|
PJ, Summary, Odd One Out, Sentence Insertion
|
Economics, literary criticism, philosophy, and history
|
|
2022
|
Fact & Inference
|
PJ, Summary, Odd One Out, Sentence Placement
|
Management, tech policy, anthropology, and humanities
|
|
2021
|
Critical Reasoning & Inference
|
Para Jumbles, Summary, Odd One Out
|
Emerging technology, environment, literature, sociology
|
|
2020
|
Fact & Inference
|
Para Jumbles, Summary, Odd One Out
|
Science, nature, modern history, psychology, tech evolution
|
From past six years, the structure of the VARC section of the CAT exam has remained the same. It includes 16 Reading Comprehension questions taken from 4 passages (two-thirds of the entire score) and 8 Verbal Ability questions. While the reading part asks detailed questions and deep inference questions, almost all of them come from reading comprehension.
On the other hand, Summary and Jumble questions in Verbal Ability form almost 66% of this section and are not subject to negative marking. Overall, the passages remain in the range of 400-500 words, the topics include complex concepts like science, philosophy, and art history.
Check| BLACKI IIMs Admissions 2026: What RTI Data Reveals About Institution Cutoffs?