VARC (Verbal and Reading Comprehension)

Table of Contents

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension or VARC is that section of MBA entrance exams which cannot be mastered overnight. You cannot crack it by memorising formulae like Quantitative Aptitude or by solving a series of sample questions like Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, either. The key to win in this area of any MBA entrance exam is long-term planning, understanding the fundamentals and consistent practice.

VARC section of the CAT exam is considered the toughest among all the MBA entrance exams in India. This is usually because the Reading Comprehension passages of CAT exam are mostly inference based unlike CMAT or IIFT whose passages are fact based. Similarly, in XAT the RC section includes a poem.

The biggest worry of MBA aspirants at the time of VARC preparation is how to handle Reading Comprehension. It is impossible to develop and master the art of reading in six months, so those who have the habit of reading have an upper hand in handling RC preparation without hassle.

Let us understand Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension to discuss how to tackle this section of MBA entrance exams.

VARC Syllabus: Highlights

VARC syllabus of all MBA entrance exams is same but the structure of VARC section of each exam varies. For example, in CAT, the VARC section is majorly comprised of reading comprehension and para jumbles, whereas in XAT there’s a good number of fill in the blanks and grammar questions. We have listed down some key highlights of VARC syllabus for MBA preparation:

VARC section of MBA entrance exams is mandatory and carries a good amount of weightage
VARC syllabus requires long term planning for preparation. Especially for those candidates who do not have a good command over English
Having a good command over English comprehension and vocabulary is the key to crack this section
Candidates preparing for CAT, XAT or GMAT must start VARC preparation much before as this requires developing the habit and interest of reading
VARC is usually the first section of MBA entrance exam. That is because the section could be time taking due to dense and lengthy passages. The best time to solve questions on RCs is at the beginning of the test as the candidate’s mind is fresh at that time.
The key to crack VARC section is practice and eye for detail. Candidates must practice as many number and variety of RC passages (including poems). They must be aware of all possible types of passages of MBA entrance exams.
Also, one not only needs to be fluent in spoken English but know correct English.
Questions asked in VARC section can be tricky if you are not aware of the rules of English grammar. Thus, it is very important to focus equally seriously on English grammar while preparing for an MBA entrance exam. There may be only few Grammar based questions, it will be extremely helpful in solving RCs and parajumbles.

What is Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension?

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension has four main components:

Vocabulary
Grammar
Verbal Reasoning
Reading Comprehension

Let’s take a brief look at each one of the sections one-by-one.

Vocabulary: This section is mainly dominated by questions related to sentence completion, fill in the blanks, one word substitution, etc. Having a good vocabulary is key to this section. While the book ‘Word Power Made Easy’ is highly recommended for building vocabulary, a good reading habit makes it easy to develop good vocabulary.

Grammar: Questions like mistakes in one of the sentences or in a part of the sentence and word substitution are most common Grammar questions in MBA entrance exams. Prepare Grammar like Maths. There is no other way of acing questions based on English Grammar but by having conceptual clarity of the fundamental rules.

Verbal Reasoning: This sub-section of VARC usually has questions on paragraph completion, paragraph sequencing, ranking and arrangement, so it is important to have a good command over language comprehension. Other question types in this area include identifying the best summary of the given passage. Along with good control on the language, there is a need for practice of solving logic-based sample questions to score well in this sub-section of VARC.

Reading Comprehension: There is no substitute for reading. To score well in RC, you should be able to read over 600 words passages in less than a minute. This can happen only if you read, read and read more throughout the year. Since most of the MBA entrance exams are now conducted in online mode, practice reading on the computer screen. Also, make sure you read on a variety of topics – politics, science, philosophy, economics, literature, biography, geology, folklores, architecture, history, current affairs, art, psychology or even abstract topics.

Out of these four sections, Reading Comprehension has more weightage than rest of the three in CAT, XAT and IIFT, thus making it the most crucial sub-section. The only way one can ace this section is to develop reading habit and improve upon it.

How to Prepare for CAT VARC Section?

The VARC section of CAT has over the years, evolved from being an English language test to English usage test. Earlier, the Vocabulary and Grammar questions were straightforward. Either you knew the answer or you didn’t. However, over the years it has been seen that the emphasis has moved from testing the knowledge of English to contextual understanding of the language. Now, the CAT VARC section tests candidates on their understanding of the following:

The nuances of the given word
The subtleties of the given word (context/usage)
Correct syntax, structure and formation of sentences
Identify the complex ideas presented in the paragraph

The preparation of CAT VARC requires time, dedication and discipline. The most crucial aspect of VARC preparation is buildng vocabulary and improving English comprehension skill, which can be done by developing the habit of reading. The Verbal Ability questions can be conquered by adequate practice of sample questions and mock tests.

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) Syllabus for MBA Exams

Listed below are the topics included in the VARC syllabus for MBA entrance exams. Give yourself two to three months to tackle these topics one by one.

VARC Topics for CAT and other MBA Entrance Exams
Fill in the blanks	Para completion and inference	Verbal logic
Verbal reasoning	Contextual usage	Different usage of same word
Sentence completion	Foreign language words used in English	Idioms
Subject-verb agreement	Clauses	Articles
Tenses	Reading comprehension	Parajumbles
Noun/pronoun	Conjunctions and Prepositions	Phrases Modifiers
Syllogisms	Analogies	Antonyms
Jumbled paragraphs	Sentence correction	One word substitution

VARC Weightage in Top MBA Entrance Exams

Listed below are some of the top MBA entrance exams and weightage of their Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension section.

MBA Entrance Exam	Number of VARC Questions	Total Marks
CAT	26	78
XAT	26	26
IIFT	35	105
CMAT	25	100
MAT	40	40
SNAP	34	51
ATMA	60	60
MAH-CET	50	50

Best Books for VARC Preparation

Some of the most recommended books for CAT VARC preparation are mentioned below:

High School Grammar and Composition Wren and Martin
Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
How To Prepare For Verbal Ability And Reading Comprehension For CAT by Arun Sharma, Meenakshi Upadhyay
The Pearson Guide to Verbal Ability for the CAT and Other MBA Entrance Examinations by Sujit Kumar
The Pearson Guide to Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning for the CAT by Nishit K Sinha

To improve reading comprehension one must read English novels, newspaper editorials, business and current affairs magazines, science journals, biographies, etc.

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