We hope that you are all geared up in your preparation for CAT 2021 because now we’ve entered what I can call as the final leg of CAT Preparation. From now till the final exam, the time is absolutely crucial and every effort made by you counts! It is the time to brace yourselves for the ride ahead instead of giving up on your preparation so close to the exam. This article shares with you a few tips that you can use to prepare for the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section of the CAT Exam.
Number of questions to answer
One of the important things to remember is that it is okay to NOT attempt all questions in the CAT exam. The same is also true for the VARC section. You do not need to answer all the questions in the VARC section to get to your desired percentile, even if it 99.xx%le. Whenever you feel uncertain about a question, it is advisable to skip that question because incorrect answers will definitely lower your score and hence your percentile.
Make sure that you apply this trick while taking mocks so that you become comfortable with the art of skipping questions.
The last two options dilemma
What to do if have eliminated two of the four answer options and you cannot choose between the remaining two? There will always be a subtle difference between these remaining two options. People who are setting the paper contrive this dilemma by throwing an appealing incorrect option. There are also chances that both the options that you have narrowed down to are correct. What should you do in such a situation ? Look out for the option that goes along the context of that particular question. Go back to the question, assimilate it fully and then come back and see which option best suits the question.
If nothing of the above works, do not fret! Skip the question and move on! There is no point spending a lot of time on merely one question. Remember, you cannot screw the entire paper to get one VARC question correct.
R.E.A.D.
Nothing goes above the basic principle of reading. Read regularly and read religiously. Reading is everything. Read for the joy of reading. Take up anything that interests you. Check out Bharath’s reading list for your daily reading needs. The ideas and concepts within article will help you hone your reading abilities and simultaneously broaden your knowledge base.
Time limit per passage
There is absolutely no particular time limit in which you should finish reading a passage and mark the answers to the questions that follow. Your aim when reading a passage should be to understand and assimilate the idea conveyed in the passage. Read with your regular speed. Increased speed helps in drastically reducing the understanding and thus reduces your marks. The only mantra to increased speed is Reading. The more you read, the better your speed becomes.
Watch the below video to know how to read effectively.
Last ten minutes
Do NOT start an RC passage in the last ten minutes of the VARC section of the CAT exam. Use this time to fix marked questions or answering other verbal ability questions.
Taking up a new passage in the final minutes of the sections has two disadvantages:
- You screw up the VARC section. The RC Passage in particular. This is because 10 minutes is not enough time for you to absorb what is written in the passage. You hurriedly go through the passage and end up marking incorrect answers with the clock ticking right on your head.
- You screw up your next section as well. You end your VARC section in a state of panic. Which means that by the time you start your next section, you are in the panic mode itself. Starting a section with a clear head is really important to ace that section.
Overall, in the final leg of your VARC Preparation, make sure that you read daily. Reading will help you gauge ideas better and understand passages when solving Reading Comprehension passages. It is also okay to skip questions. It is better to skip than to mark an answer you are unsure of.
Cheers and Best Wishes!
Vibhuti Sharma works with 2IIM as a Product head.
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