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Home > News & Articles > Preparation Tips for Reading Comprehension for CAT: Pattern, and Reference Books
Prachi Bhatia
Updated on 13th September, 2024 , 6 min read
Preparation Tips for Reading Comprehension for CAT: Pattern, and Reference Books
Understanding the complexities of a language requires the capacity to read, comprehend its context and meaning, absorb the information offered, and retain the information given. There is no better way to evaluate this skill than to include a reading comprehension question on an exam. This ability is essential to communicating.
As a result, there is usually a portion of reading comprehension in the majority of competitive examinations in English-speaking countries or for courses that use English as their primary language. This component frequently appears with the verbal ability portion or the critical reasoning section, both of which are crucial for assessing our capacity to read something, understand its meaning, and make conclusions for the CAT Exam.
Understanding CAT Reading Comprehension
According to the CAT Exam Pattern, the Reading Comprehension portion is weighted as follows:
Total No. of Questions | Number of Questions | Weightage Awarded |
Total Number of Question in CAT | 100 | |
Total Number of Question in Reading Comprehension Section in CAT | 24 | 24% of the Total CAT Questions |
Total Number of Question in VARC Section | 34 | 70% of the Sectional Weightage is given to RC [24 Questions] 30% of the Sectional Weightage is given to VA [10 Questions] |
How to Ace the CAT 2024 Reading Comprehension Section?
Applicants must practice and become proficient in the Reading Comprehension (RC) component of the CAT since it plays a significant role in raising their CAT score. The candidates might develop a strategy for mastering the RC portion by considering the following criteria.
Understanding the meaning
While it is necessary to read the material quickly, it's just as critical that you comprehend what it is trying to say. As a result, you should connect each line to the one before it and continually reflect on and assess what was addressed in the line above. You must eliminate the irrelevant or insignificant material and save the crucial data.
Start with the following exercises to get into the flow of reading and interpreting:
- Identify the central idea of the passage
- Draw the necessary inferences
In addition to the above, candidates can use skimming and scanning techniques to analyze and comprehend the passages quickly. To understand what skimming and scanning mean, read ahead.
Skimming - Definition and How to Use
In Reading Comprehension passages may find it difficult to read such lengthy passages and then spend time finding the answers to the asked questions. In this case, candidates should use the skimming technique. Skimming means that you break down the passage into smaller bits and understand the meaning of it. Typically, the first and last lines of the paragraph carry the entire jist of the paragraph. Focus on reading those lines, and then focus on the terms that you think are crucial to the paragraph. Keep in mind the following while applying this technique:
- During the CAT exam, instead of looking at individual sentences, focus on the first and last sentences of the paragraphs.
- Break down the passages in small sentences.
- While reading the first and last sentences, also look at the crucial words in the passage. This will help you identify the key ideas of the passage.
- Based on the above steps, form a quick summary of the passage
Scanning - Definition and How to Use
Scanning is effective when you go back to the passage to scout for information or answers. This is the ideal way to go about it:
- Identify the key terms or idea or concept in the question asked
- Go back to the passage and look for those terms in the text
- Also look for words related to the key term in the passage
- On the basis of the above steps, you’ll be able to quickly reply to the questions
Speed
You would have one hour to complete this component of the CAT exam. We must comprehend how difficult it will be to attempt around 5 readings in addition to the 10 Verbal Ability problems. Therefore, it is essential that we speed up so that we have enough time to answer the question and maintain interest in the chapter. Since there is no quick fix for improving your speed, frequent and comprehensive reading will be helpful. To determine your reading speed and track your progress over time, count the words in each section you read and record the time it takes you to finish it.
Vocabulary
Even though it may seem obvious, vocabulary is really important. Follow these guidelines to increase your vocabulary:
- Realize the value of reading, read the newspaper's editorial section, and regularly answer passages. When reading anything new, highlight the term right away and look up its definition.
- Write the new term and its meaning in a language that is convenient for you, such as your mother tongue. It aids in memory retention and establishes a link with the term.
- Make a phrase with the new word after writing and learning at least five synonyms and antonyms for it. You might then recognize the word based on how it is used. Ultimately, you want to be able to understand the word whenever you encounter it in CAT reading comprehension.
Grammar
Grammatical tools, their purpose, and the relationship one thing has with another all play a role in interpreting a passage. Start by reading grammar books while practicing reading comprehension for the CAT. Your fundamental understanding of topics like nouns, pronouns, adjectives, articles, punctuation, prepositions, clauses, etc. will be clarified by them. You can start reading extensively once you have a general understanding of the subject. By doing this, you would acquire a grasp of language and its syntax and automatically internalize its functions.
Understand the Question Pattern
Sample RC Passages followed by questions and answers might assist candidates better comprehend the format of the questions and the strategy for responding to RC-based questions
Reading Comprehension passages for CAT | Number of Questions | Type of Questions |
Long Passage 1 - Usually moderate based on facts | 6 | MCQs with ⅓ negative marking |
Long Passage 2 – Moderate to Difficult, Rich Vocabulary, more literary and opinion-based | 6 | MCQs with ⅓ negative marking |
Long Passage 3 – Difficult-based on abstract topic/opinion based/literature-based, may contain too much unknown vocabulary words | 6 | MCQs with ⅓ negative marking |
Short Passage 1 – Moderate to difficult, business – economy/geography-based | 3 | MCQs with ⅓ negative marking |
Short Passage 2 – Sometimes difficult, based on historical facts, opinion, future plans | 3 | MCQs with ⅓ negative marking |
Short Passage 3 – may be more difficult than the other two; usually on an abstract topic | 3 | MCQs with ⅓ negative marking |
How To Attempt Reading Comprehension in CAT 2024?
The exam covers a broad range of subjects, including editorial, social, and economic issues. Articles from foreign newspapers, websites, and other sources are frequently included.
- Before beginning the question-attempting process, read the following tips below:
- Choose the topic with which you are most familiar.
- Examine the pretty straightforward and direct questions first because they will take less time.
- The main clue for the entire work is provided in the first few phrases of the RC passage. Additionally, the first question will frequently be derived from the first few phrases, and so on.
- When addressing RC's queries, always keep to the passage.
- It will save you time if you properly read the passage before answering the question.
- Remember that each incorrect response will result in a 1/3 reduction in your final score before continuing.
Also Read: CAT Preparation Tips
Also Read: How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT?
Also Read: How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT?
Preparation Books for Reading Comprehension
The top books for studying for the CAT Reading Comprehension are listed below. Candidates can develop a strong vocabulary and become accustomed to different sentence structures and usage by reading books.
Book Title | Author/Publisher |
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT | Nishit Sinha |
High School Grammar and Composition | Wren and Martin |
How to Prepare for Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability for the CAT | Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay |
Word Power Made Easy | Normal Lewis |
In addition to the books mentioned above, candidates can study newspaper and magazine articles to prepare for the RC for CAT.
News and Journals | |
The Hindu | Times of India |
The Stateman | Business Week |
The Economist | Newsweek |
The National Geography | Fortune |
Business World | The Telegraph |
In conclusion, start studying for the RC section if you want to ace this section, which not only requires the use of your English language proficiency but also your logical comprehension and capacity to interpret material and access it accordingly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How to improve RC for CAT?
To improve conceptual clarity for the questions, try to adhere to the reading comprehension CAT recommendations provided by professionals. Your understanding of RC for the CAT test will be strengthened if you once again clarify the questions.
What to read for CAT RC?
There are no fixed books from where the CAT RC questions are prepared. So, follow daily habits of reading newspapers, business magazines, and good novels to prepare yourself.
What topics should be covered for CAT RC preparation?
For CAT RC preparation, the aspirants must follow books on economy, art & culture, philosophy, psychology, sociology, science, astronomy, history, geography, literature, fiction novels, autobiographies, and biographies.
Is it necessary to practice RC sample questions for the CAT exam?
Yes, practicing RC sample questions for the CAT exam is really required to develop accuracy, solving speed, and avoid negative marking.
Are the CAT reading comprehension questions too difficult to solve?
Not at all. If you follow a strategic preparation strategy and have a good grasp of English vocabulary, then you can easily solve CAT reading comprehension questions.