IIM CAT Exam 2021 for MBA Admission: 5 tips to ace reading comprehension section

CAT 2021 exam will be held on November 28. Check out these CAT RC tips to strengthen your performance in the reading comprehension section.

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Representation Image (Source: Shutterstock)Representation Image (Source: Shutterstock)

Team Careers360 | October 26, 2021 | 05:38 PM IST

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, is all set to conduct the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2021 for MBA admission on November 28. Hardly 30 days have left for this management entrance test, and the candidates have geared up their CAT preparations. The Reading Comprehension is half the CAT Verbal ability & Reading comprehension (VARC) section and is the first section in the exam holding solid weightage.
Latest CAT exam updates: Catch the live CAT admit card 2021 updates and get CAT admit card download link.

Last year, a total of 18 questions were asked in the CAT MBA reading comprehension section and was assumed to be the toughest section. The CAT RC section seems easy and scoring but on the exam day, it tends to take more time and effort than expected.

MBA CAT 2021 - Important Dates

  • CAT 2021 admit card release date: October 27, 2021

  • CAT admit card release time: 5 PM

  • CAT 2021 exam date: November 28, 2021, Sunday

Expected CAT exam pattern 2021

As per the media reports, CAT 2021 convener MP Ram Mohan has said that this year’s CAT exam pattern is likely to see some changes. The total number of questions in all three sections of the CAT 2021 can be reduced. As per the CAT experts, 3 to 4 questions per section are expected to be reduced.

Details

Important features

Total Reading Comprehension Questions in CAT Exam

26 questions (18 MCQs and 8 TITA)

(Expected to be 23 to 24 questions)

Number of Reading Comprehension passages in CAT exam

4 RC passages with 18 MCQs. Basic topics were para jumbles, para summary, and odd one out.

Scoring pattern for RC questions in CAT 2021

  • +3 for each correct answer

  • -1 for each wrong answer

Maximum marks in VARC section

78 (Expected to be 64 to 66 questions)

Know the expected CAT 2021 exam pattern here.

5 tips to ace Reading Comprehension in CAT 2021

1. The 2 P’s of acing CAT reading comprehension

While reading the comprehension, remember the two P’s that go hand-in-hand: Practice and Patience. Practicing will keep your mind in the flow of reading. Make sure to solve as many CAT mock tests as you can while you prepare for CAT 2021. While preparing, make sure to include light-reading in your schedule throughout the day, like reading the news or 10 pages of your favorite novel every day.

Have patience while you read the CAT comprehension. Reading it in a hurry will actually waste your time instead of saving it because you won’t be able to register anything and will keep coming back to the comprehension to find answers.

2. Build a unique approach

Build your own unique approach to solving the CAT reading comprehension section. Apply this while solving mock tests of CAT 2021 so that when you finally sit for the CAT entrance exam, you know how to go about it. This has two benefits. Firstly, you will have clarity regarding what to do because your thoughts and approach to solving the CAT MBA exam will be organized. This will lead to the second benefit, which is speed. Knowing what to do will automatically improve your speed.

3. Go through the questions and find the keywords first

Before you start reading the CAT comprehension, go through the comprehension questions once and try to look for the keywords in each question. This will give you an understanding of what is being asked in every question. Make a mental note of it and then read the comprehension thoroughly. Applying this strategy will save a lot of time because you will start finding answers to some of the questions in the first read.

4. Solve as many CAT mock tests as possible

While preparing for CAT 2021, make sure to solve as many mock tests as you can. If you are reading and solving new comprehension passages every day, you will get into the flow of it, and solving the actual comprehension of your CAT entrance exam will feel like an everyday habit.

5. Skim through the comprehension before reading It

Before you start reading the CAT comprehension, make sure to skim through the passage quickly. Highlight what you think is important. This will make you understand the essence of the passage and when you actually read it, you will get a better understanding of it.

Best books for reading comprehension in CAT Exam 2021

CAT book name

Author/ publication

30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary Mass Market Paperback

Wilfred Funk & Norman Lewis/ Simon & Schuster

PSC for VA for CAT

Nishit Sinha

How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT

Sharma and Upadhyay

How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT

Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay/Arihant

About CAT 2021

Common Admission Test (CAT 2021), is National level entrance examination conducted by the Indian Institute of Management (IIMs). The test is meant to provide admissions for the candidates into graduate management programs. The CAT exam is held once a year.

Check out 5 tips to ace other MBA entrance exams

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