Reading Comprehension (RC) plays a crucial role in the CAT exam, forming a major portion of the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section. Since these passages require a balance of reading speed, comprehension, and logical reasoning, students often find them tough to crack. However, with consistent effort and the right strategy, RC can turn into your strongest scoring area.
If you are aiming to get into a top B-school, you must not ignore this section. Whether you’re taking CAT exam coaching in Delhi NCR or preparing with CAT courses online in Delhi NCR, a strong RC strategy is essential.
Why Reading Comprehension Is So Important for CAT
To begin with, RC questions typically account for nearly 70% of the VARC section in CAT. This means that mastering RC is not optional, it’s a must. Not only does it test how fast you read, but it also assesses how well you understand what you read.
Moreover, the questions that follow the passages are usually inference-based rather than factual. Therefore, you need to develop skills like critical thinking, identifying tone, evaluating arguments, and eliminating close options.
Build a Strong Reading Habit First
First and foremost, regular reading is the foundation of strong RC skills. Start by reading English newspapers like The Hindu or The Indian Express. Additionally, make it a point to explore articles from global publications like The Economist, Time Magazine, and The Guardian. This broadens your understanding and exposes you to diverse writing styles.
As a result, you’ll start recognizing sentence patterns, complex structures, and unfamiliar words more easily. If you’ve joined any CAT preparation coaching in Delhi NCR, your mentors will likely guide you towards such resources early on.
Understand Common RC Topics
CAT passages often come from subjects such as history, economics, science, politics, literature, and philosophy. While some may seem complex at first, reading frequently on these topics helps you gradually become comfortable with them.
In fact, most good CAT exam coaching in Delhi NCR or CAT courses online in Delhi NCR include reading lists that cover a wide range of genres. Consequently, when you face a tricky passage during the exam, you won’t panic, you’ll be prepared.
Practice with Real CAT-Level RC Passages
In addition to reading, practice is equally important. Start solving RCs from previous years’ CAT papers. Then, move on to sectional tests and mocks. Not only does this improve your accuracy, but it also trains you to handle time pressure effectively.
Furthermore, when you practice under timed conditions, your brain becomes more efficient at processing information. Coaching centers offering CAT preparation coaching in Delhi NCR usually include such practice drills in their weekly routines.
Focus on Comprehension, Not Just Speed
At this stage, many students make the mistake of trying to read too fast. However, speed without comprehension will only lead to mistakes. Instead, train yourself to read at a steady pace while absorbing key ideas.
To help with this, pause after each paragraph and mentally summarize the author’s point. This technique, although simple, goes a long way in helping you understand complex passages.
Elimination Is the Secret to Accuracy
It’s quite common to find multiple answer options that seem correct. In such cases, the best strategy is to eliminate the ones that are clearly wrong. Look out for options that are too extreme, go beyond the scope of the passage, or contradict the author’s point of view.
With guidance from expert faculty in CAT preparation coaching in Delhi NCR, you’ll learn how to spot and remove incorrect answers more quickly. Consequently, your accuracy will improve over time.
Don’t Ignore Vocabulary and Sentence Structure
Even though CAT doesn’t directly ask vocabulary-based questions, having a good vocabulary helps you understand RC passages faster. Learn new words daily and revise them regularly. Similarly, understanding sentence structures, especially long or complex ones helps you grasp the meaning more quickly.
Many CAT courses online in Delhi NCR come with built-in vocabulary modules and reading drills to support this part of your preparation.
Review Your Mistakes Regularly
Practicing RCs without reviewing your mistakes is a wasted effort. After every test, analyze which questions you got wrong, and why. Did you misread the passage? Did you misinterpret the tone? Were you confused by similar options?
By doing this regularly, you’ll spot patterns in your mistakes and work on fixing them. Additionally, most CAT exam coaching in Delhi NCR offers detailed feedback on student performance, helping you improve faster.
Manage Your Time Smartly
Time management is another crucial aspect of RC preparation. Ideally, you should spend 6–7 minutes per RC passage, including time to answer the questions. If a passage looks too complex, consider skipping it and coming back to it later.
With regular timed practice, your decision-making will improve. This skill is often taught using mock tests and test simulators provided in CAT courses online in Delhi NCR.
Get Expert Guidance for the Right Strategy
While self-preparation has its own benefits, guided learning from experts can save a lot of time and confusion. At Genius Tutorial, we provide personalized coaching for students through CAT courses online in Delhi NCR.
Our programs include:
- Topic-wise practice RCs
- Faculty-led strategy classes
- Real-time test feedback
- Timed assignments
- Customized study plans
Thus, whether you’re a working professional or a college student, our flexible learning options ensure you never fall behind.
Conclusion
To sum up, Reading Comprehension in CAT is all about regular reading, smart practice, strategic thinking, and proper time management. With these elements in place, there’s no reason to fear RC passages.
If you’re serious about your CAT journey, enrolling in CAT exam coaching in Delhi NCR or opting for CAT courses online in Delhi NCR with Genius Tutorial can make a real difference in your preparation.
Start now, stay consistent, and let your reading skills lead you to your college.
