Vocabulary vs. Comprehension
Which one matters more In VARC For CAT 2025?

Vocabulary vs. Comprehension
Which one matters more In VARC For CAT 2025?

Vocabulary and comprehension go hand in hand when it comes to achieving high CAT scores. One cannot do ample justice to the CAT without having a good vocabulary, especially in the verbal section.

However, because RC questions make up the majority of the VARC section on the CAT exam, proficiency in reading beyond vocabulary takes precedence.

Here is a detailed description of it:

Predominantly Reading Comprehension:

Reading Comprehension (RC) has a huge portion of the number of questions in the VARC section, so it is expected to test you mainly on Reading Comprehension.

RC Weightage:
Around 66% of the weightage in VARC is regarding RC, which means that about 16 questions are based on RC, out of the 24 questions.

Vocabulary's Relevance:
Although there will not be many vocabulary questions in the VARC section, having a good vocabulary is critical for understanding and answering comprehension questions.

Focus on Comprehension Skills:
So, for a good score in VARC, one must work on reading comprehension skills like grasping the main ideas quickly, picking up the key arguments, and inferring possible conclusions from the text.

Practice and strategies for further prep:

Read different passages and practice the various RC questions and strategies to tackle them efficiently.

VARC Section Topics:

Reading Comprehension, Para Jumbles, Para Summary, and Odd One Out are some topics covered in the VARC section.

How to Improve Vocabulary?

The vocabulary portion of the CAT exam can be approached through etymology, or understanding root meanings. Knowing the meaning of a Latin root, such as 'loqui', allows you to understand words like eloquent, loquacious, soliloquy, ventriloquize, circumlocution, grandiloquent, magniloquent, etc. When you combine your understanding of roots with the meanings of prefixes and suffixes, you will have considerable control over your vocabulary.

However, at the next level, you must seek a thorough understanding of word connotations and collocations by encountering words in their proper contexts. Contextual word learning also helps you remember words by forming associations based on the context.

Strategies to improve vocabulary for CAT 2025

#1. Practice Reading
Reading is a great way to increase your Vocabulary. Read the best book for Vocabulary for CAT, newspapers, magazines, and any other source of information that can help you discover new words. The more you read, the more words you will learn.

#2. Take Vocabulary Tests/ Mocks
Take online vocabulary tests to assess your current knowledge and track your progress. This will help you identify your weak areas so that you can focus on those specific words.

#3. Play Word Games
Word games such as crossword puzzles, anagrams, and Scrabble can be great fun and effective in improving your CAT exam vocabulary. Use a dictionary: Make sure to use a good dictionary to look up the meanings of unfamiliar words. This is also a great way to track your progress and better understand the words you are learning.

How to Tackle Grammar?

There are two approaches to solving English grammar questions—one is the classical approach wherein you go by rules and learn the various parts of speech and their usages and the second one is – you practice the type of questions that are asked and you take an approach of learning the type of errors which lead to questions based on error detection or sentence correction.
Once there is familiarity with the error types, a lot of practice helps you cross the line. Understanding English Grammar has a significant impact on solving other Verbal questions on the CAT such as Para Jumbles, Logical Continuation, Summary, and even RC questions because some option eliminations can be done using grammar rules.

The most common questions in CAT VARC are about error detection, sentence correction, word usage, and fill in the blanks.

How to Win on Reading Comprehension?

Your reading comprehension skills can make or mar your verbal score! Reading skills can be developed in three phases:

Habit cultivation: First, cultivate the reading habit. Read, read and read. Start with simple fiction, newspapers and blogs. The components of reading include sustained concentration and retention of information.

Speed Building: Because speed of reading is an important component of any aptitude exam, you must cultivate it. Target nothing less than a reading speed of about 300 words per minute, depending on the level of the text.

Diverse Reading: Read more but read diverse. Choose to read those topics that are out of your comfort zone.

CAT 2025: Proven strategies for mastering vocabulary and comprehension

Excelling in the Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) section of the CAT exam requires a combination of strong reading skills, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies. Here are some tips to help you succeed:

A few critical factors in Comprehension preparation:

Reading on diverse topics regularly and trying to analyze the logic and arguments put forth in the passage

Spending an additional 5-10 min after reading the topic/passage in summarising the reading. This helps in concentrating on various essential aspects - trying to identify the tone, inferences, assumptions, assertions, etc. which, when done for an RC passage, will be of great help in answering the questions better and with more accuracy

During the Test: Ideally, not more than 8–10 minutes are to be spent per passage, and it is to be ensured that all passages are looked at

Prioritize all direct questions, followed by partially inferential ones.

Pick the passages that are closest to one's area of comfort in terms of topic and style of writing.

Ending
You can improve your chances of success by improving your vocabulary and comprehension for the CAT entrance exam. Resources such as flashcards, online vocabulary games, and books can help you quickly learn and remember new words. Reading extensively in different CAT subject areas can also help expand your vocabulary and comprehension skills.

Sambhavi Prakash