CAT 2026: How weak English speakers can still score 99 percentile
Experts say CAT's VARC section tests logic and comprehension, not vocabulary or grammar, so weaker English speakers can still crack it
Lakhs of students dreaming of admission to the country's top management institutes, the IIMs, are preparing day and night for the Common Admission Test, or CAT, which is scheduled for November 29. Candidates from Hindi-medium backgrounds or smaller towns who are not as fluent in English often worry about whether they will be able to crack this difficult exam.
But that worry is based on a misconception. The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, or VARC, section of CAT does not test difficult English vocabulary or heavy grammar. It actually tests logic and the ability to understand a given passage. With the right strategy and about two months of practice, even candidates weak in English can not just clear the exam but score up to 99 percentile.
It is important to understand that the VARC section does not require candidates to write essays or speak English. It involves reading comprehension passages and answering questions based on them, along with questions like para-jumbles and para-summary. This does not require Shakespearean English, just the ability to correctly grasp the meaning and logic of a written sentence.
Candidates should build a habit of reading English for at least 45 minutes to an hour every day. Editorials and opinion articles on websites such as The Hindu or Aeon Essays are recommended. Reading articles on varied subjects such as philosophy, economics, psychology and technology will increase reading speed and gradually build the ability to understand difficult sentences on its own.
Candidates should stop trying to memorise thousands of difficult words with a dictionary. When a new word appears while reading a passage, they should try to understand its meaning from the context of the whole sentence. CAT does not directly ask for the meaning of words but instead checks how well a candidate understands the use of a word in a given situation.
In the VARC section, eliminating wrong options is easier than picking the right answer directly. While taking mock tests, options that are not connected to the passage, are too extreme, or stray from the main point should be eliminated immediately. This elimination method can raise accuracy from 50 percent to as much as 90 percent.
Candidates should take at least two to three sectional mock tests a week and fully analyse them afterward. While analysing, they should check which questions went wrong and why, whether the passage was misunderstood or a mistake was made while choosing an option in a hurry, and note these errors in a diary. Mindset matters more than language in the CAT exam. Devoting two honest hours a day to VARC can turn fear into a candidate's biggest strength by November 29.
