VARC: The Section I Struggled With the Most
If there is one section in CAT that has humbled me again and again, it’s VARC.
Quant felt logical. DILR felt like a puzzle I could attack.
But VARC? VARC felt personal — like the exam was questioning my brain, my reading habits, and sometimes even my confidence.
This is the story of how VARC became the section I struggled with the most, and how I slowly started to fix it.
Where It All Started Going Wrong
When I began my preparation, I thought VARC would be the easiest section.
I mean, how hard can reading comprehension be?
Then CAT gave me a reality check.
Long passages with dense philosophy, confusing tones, twisted arguments, and answer options that all looked “almost correct” — this was a different game.
Worse, I was slow.
Like, painfully slow.
By the time I read the passage properly, half the timer had already vanished. I used to end up guessing the last few questions because time literally ran away.
The Feeling of Watching Others Solve Faster
In my coaching class, I would see students finishing passages in 6–7 minutes.
And there I was… still reading the second paragraph.
Everyone says, “Don’t compare your prep with others.”
But when you’re scoring single digits in mocks, comparison happens automatically.
I started feeling like maybe I just wasn’t “built” for VARC.
But then something changed.
The Breakthrough I Didn’t Expect
One of my mentors told me something extremely simple:
“VARC isn’t about English. It’s about attention.”
And he was right.
When I really thought about it, the problem wasn’t vocabulary.
It wasn’t grammar.
It wasn’t that I didn’t understand English.
The real issue was that I wasn’t reading the way CAT expected me to read — slow, deliberate, focused, and analytical.
How I Actually Started Improving
1. I stopped reading like a student. I started reading like a detective.
Instead of rushing through passages, I started looking for:
- the author’s purpose
- the main argument
- the structure
- the tone and attitude
- hidden assumptions
This alone made a huge difference.
2. I solved targeted practice instead of random questions.
Especially from resources that actually resembled CAT’s difficulty.
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These helped me the most:
- cat varc practice questions — this became my go-to whenever I needed focused RC/VA practice.
- cat pyq pdf — previous year papers honestly showed me what CAT truly demands
Going through real CAT questions was like learning the “language” of the exam.
3. I started reading 20 minutes every single day.
Nothing extreme.
Just consistent, high-quality reading.
Mostly:
- The Hindu editorials
- Aeon essays
- Psychology articles
- Wired technology pieces
Slowly, my comprehension and stamina started building.
4. I reviewed every mistake as if it was a teacher.
Each wrong answer was a message:
- “You misread the tone.”
- “You focused too much on examples.”
- “You didn’t understand the author’s argument.”
- “You got influenced by your opinion instead of sticking to the passage.”
Mistakes became a map.
The Emotional Side No One Talks About
Struggling with VARC made me insecure in a way Quant never did.
In Quant, when I got something wrong, I knew I could practice more.
But in VARC, when I got something wrong, I felt like:
“Is something wrong with my ability to understand things?”
That’s what makes this section tricky — it attacks your confidence, not just your score.
But once I accepted that VARC is a skill, not a talent, everything felt lighter.
Where I Stand Today
I won’t claim I’ve mastered it.
But I’m not scared of it anymore.
Now when I read a passage, I don’t panic.
I don’t rush.
I don’t fight the text.
I just follow the author.
And somehow, slowly, the answers start making sense.
If You’re Struggling With VARC Too
Here’s what I’ve learned:
- You are not bad at English.
- Your brain just needs training in logical reading.
- Improvement is slow, but it is guaranteed if you stick with it.
- VARC doesn’t require “talent” — it requires patience.
And trust me… if I can get better at VARC, anyone can.
Keep reading.
Keep practicing.
Keep trusting the process.
Your breakthrough will come.
