CAT Preparation 2024: Know 10 Tips for Time Management in VARC section
Common Admission Test 2024 ( CAT )
CAT VARC section often turns out to be the spoiler for most of the aspirants. Since this section is dominated by RC passages one tends to lose crucial time in reading and re-reading them. So, how to best utilise 40 minutes of VARC? Read 10 tips for time management in CAT VARC.
VARC section of the CAT exam poses challenges to aspirants during preparation because it requires time and patience. During the CAT VARC preparation, it is not enough to read only novels and books. It is important to know how to utilise the knowledge gained during preparation, in the exam. It is important to know how to manage 12-14 RC questions and 10-12 Parajumble questions in the CAT VARC section within 40 minutes.
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There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.CAT exam is all about speed and accuracy. These two are inter-dependent. You can't waste time in order to ensure accuracy and you can't ignore accuracy to save time. Thus, it is very important to have a tried and tested time management strategy before the CAT exam. By now, you must have completed the CAT 2024 syllabus. Now, that you are well versed with the topics, start with applying time management strategies during practice sessions.
Q: What is the CAT 2024 exam date?
Q: Will CAT exam 2025 also be conducted in three shifts?
Yes, the CAT 2025 exam will be conducted in three shifts. Until 2019, CAT was conducted in two shifts and the exam duration used to be 180 minutes. However, in 2020, the number of shifts were increased to three and exam duration was reduced to 120 minutes in order to follow the social distancing guidelines for COVID-19. Since the COVID-9 pandemic appropriate behaviour had to be followed at public places and gatherings, the examination authorities increased the number of exam slots to ensure a limited number of candidates can be accommodated at any exam centre in a given exam slot by following social distancing and seating arrangement with gap. Since then, the CAT is conducted in three shifts - morning, afternoon and evening. In CAT 2025 too, there will be three slots which will be allotted to applicants in no particular order. The CAT exam slot timings will be - 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
Q: What are the CAT exam slot timings?
You must know that the time management strategy for all the three sections of CAT 2024 exam has to be different and in line with the nature of the sections. For example, Quantitative Aptitude is calculation specific so the strategy should be to develop speed in calculation. Similarly, the VARC section has long Reading Comprehension (RC) passages so the strategy should focus on how to read the passages quickly or how to spot key points in a passage quickly.
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The CAT 2024 exam pattern will be same as last year. The total time duration will be 120 minutes. The VARC section will have 24 questions and the sectional time-limit will be 40 minutes. So, what you need to along with studies in that focus on time management strategy for VARC so that you are able to solve the CAT question paper in the stipulated time.
Also Read:
- Section-wise CAT syllabus 2024
- Changes in CAT exam over last 10 years
- Common pitfalls to avoid while solving RC questions
- CAT 2024 exam: 10 popular myths busted
Work on how to attempt the CAT 2024 question paper with maximum accuracy in minimum time. Which type of questions will need more time? Which questions to attempt and which ones to skip? In short make a plan for sectional time management.
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There are two strategies for time management:
- One for entire CAT question paper
- One for each section separately
Many candidates are unsure how to approach Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) section in CAT. With a majority of the CAT test takers being engineers, many are scared of VARC. This section is often tough and lengthy because of long and dense RC passages. However, if you plan and study according to the requirement, you can crack RC.To help students in time management, Shiksha.com has prepared this list of 10 valuable tips on time management for CAT VARC. Read below:
10 tips for time management in CAT VARC section
- VARC is the first section of CAT. Read all the questions carefully and start with the questions which are easy to solve.
- Use a two-step strategy for VARC. Consider Reading Comprehensions (RC) as section one; and the remaining portion i.e. verbal ability as section two. Solve these two sections as separate entities.
- Try to solve Verbal Ability questions first. VA and Grammar are easy and scoring. Move to RC passages after finishing Verbal Ability and English Grammar.
- RCs come with a different difficulty level. They have about 4-5 questions each and are time consuming. RCs in CAT are usually inference-based. Therefore, it is advisable to read a passage carefully in one attempt. Reading over and over again will not help.
- Verbal Ability generally consists of lighter questions. Most students like to attempt them first. Accuracy is expected in this part. Therefore, they are called refreshments. Use these questions as fillers during the exam. Try attempting these questions in maximum of four minutes.
- In CAT VARC, do not stick to a question. Learn to say ‘NO’ even if you are tempted to attempt it. If you are not able to find an answer, move to the next questions. Do not risk negative marking.
- Candidates who are not so good with reading should go with the following strategy: Attempt RC and VA questions alternatively. Start with one RC question and then do one or two questions of VA. This will maintain the mood and tempo. Candidates will not lose focus in the exam.
- But, if you are confident about your reading speed, start with two or more questions of RC. Once you start feeling stuck or think that you are losing focus, use fillers (VA) questions. This can be quite helpful, as you are done with the lengthy and difficult part of your exam in the first half. The grammar portion, if there is any, works as a refreshment before you move on to DILR section.
- The strategy of using fillers between RC questions can also be combined with parajumbles. This too will maintain the tempo in the exam. The combination of light and dense question is really helpful.
- For students who do not have good reading skills, go with the strategy of solving easy questions first. However, do not keep dense and difficult questions for the end. You will end up losing marks and time. It is difficult to attempt RCs correctly with an exhausted mind.
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Check Out:
- CAT 2023 Question Paper: Download Free PDF
- CAT 2022 Question Paper: Download Free PDF
- CAT 2021 Question Paper: Download Free PDF
- CAT 2020 Question Paper: Download Free PDF
- CAT 2019 Question Paper: Download Free PDF
- CAT 2018 Question Paper: Download Free PDF
- CAT 2017 Question Paper: Download Free PDF
These were just a few tips from our side. You can make your own CAT 2024 preparation strategy while practicing. Do not forget to experiment with different techniques while preparing. However, don’t gamble. Do not attempt questions that you are not sure of answering with accuracy. There is negative marking in CAT and you would not want to lose crucial marks by taking chances.
In CAT 2024, keep a check at the clock. Stay calm. Stay cool.
All the Best!
Read More:
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The CAT exam is always conducted on the last Sunday of November every year so the CAT 2024 exam is expected to be conducted on Nov 24, 2024. Official announcement of the CAT 2024 exam date will be made by the convening IIM on Jul 30, 2024. The announcement will be made at the iimcat.ac.in website as well as in all the national dailies across India. We at Shiksha also notify the aspirants through our communication channels. Registrations cum application process for CAT 2024 will begin from the first week of August and end in the third week of September 2024.
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