CAT VARC Exam Analysis 2022 (Out): Check Section-wise Analysis, Difficulty Level, & Weightage
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Content Writer | Updated On - Nov 28, 2022
CAT VARC Exam Analysis 2022 is updated here for slot 1, slot 2, and slot 3. No surprises have been seen in CAT 2022 exam pattern. The total number of questions in CAT 2022 VARC was 24. CAT 2022 VARC section was rated of easy to moderate level difficulty with 4 Reading Comprehensions with 4 questions each, 3 summary questions, 3 para completions, and 2 para jumble questions.
CAT 2022 VARC paper saw 21 MCQs and only 3 TITA questions in slots 1 and 3, while slot 2 had 18 MCQs and 6 TITA questions. Based on the overall analysis, attempting 17-19 questions is a good attempt to score 99+ percentile. Check CAT 2022 Cut off
CAT 2022 DILR was rated moderate but time consuming. CAT quant paper was reported to be the toughest in 2 years. Check CAT 2022 Exam Analysis in detail
Candidates must go through the detailed CAT VARC Exam Analysis provided below to get an idea of CAT VARC 2022 paper.
CAT VARC Exam Analysis 2022
CAT VARC Exam Analysis 2022 for slot 1, slot 2, and slot 3 is updated below. The exam analysis of the VARC section of CAT 2022 includes the difficulty level, distribution of questions, number of TITA questions, important topics, and good attempts.
| CAT Exam Slot | CAT Slot Time | CAT 2022 VARC Exam Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| VARC Slot 1 | 8:30 to 10:30 AM | Check Here |
| VARC Slot 2 | 12:30 to 2:30 PM | Check Here |
| VARC Slot 3 | 4:30 to 6:30 PM | Check Here |
CAT 2022 VARC Slot 1 Analysis
Based on the initial reaction of test-takers, CAT 2022 Slot 1 VARC Analysis is provided here
- 21 MCQ and 3 TITA-type questions were asked in VARC slot 1 paper.
- As per experts, the good attempts for CAT 2022 slot 1 VARC paper could be around 17-19.
- 3 questions were asked para summary.
- 4 RC passages on the topics mentioned below
| Passages | Topics |
|---|---|
| Passage 1 | Chinese Art |
| Passage 2 | Stoicism- Greek Philosopher |
| Passage 3 | Ghosts & Mystery |
| Passage 4 | Supernatural phenomenon |
Quick Links:
CAT 2022 VARC Slot 2 Analysis
Based on the expert analysis, CAT 2022 Slot 2 VARC Analysis is provided here
- There were 18 MCQ and 6 TITA questions in CAT 2022 VARC slot 2 paper.
- 3 questions were asked para summary and 3 from para completion
- Para jumble was limited to only 2 questions this year.
- 4 RC passages having 4 questions each.
| Passages | Topics |
|---|---|
| Passage 1 | Octopus |
| Passage 2 | Music |
| Passage 3 | Technology |
| Passage 4 | Philosophy |
CAT 2022 VARC Slot 3 Analysis
Based on the intial feedback of candidates, CAT 2022 Slot 3 VARC Analysis was rated to be easier than the previous 2 slots.
- There were 21 MCQ and 3 TITA questions in CAT 2022 VARC slot 3 paper.
- Inference-based questions and those of the type “If True” were asked
- 4 RC’s were there having 4 questions each.
| Passages | Topics |
|---|---|
| Passage 1 | Human Automation/ Technology |
| Passage 2 | Indian History |
| Passage 3 | Philosophy |
| Passage 4 | Crime Rate |
CAT VARC Exam Analysis 2021 Slot 1
Based on the initial reaction of test-takers, CAT 2021 Slot 1 Exam Analysis of VARC is provided below.
- Maximum number of questions had been asked from RC i.e. a total of 4 sets of RC with 4 questions each were there in Slot 1 paper.
- Along with that 19 MCQ and 5 TITA-type questions were asked in VARC slot 1 paper.
- As per experts the good attempts for slot 1 VARC paper could be around 16 to 18 questions.
- Other than that, 3 questions each were asked from Para jumbles and para summary.
CAT VARC Exam Analysis 2021 Slot 2
Based on the initial reaction of test-takers, CAT 2021 Slot 2 Exam Analysis of VARC is provided below.
- A total of 4 sets of RC with 4 questions each were there in Slot 2 paper.
- 8 questions were from Verbal Ability.
- Like Slot 1 paper, this slot also had 3 questions each were asked from Para jumbles and para summary.
- 2 questions were asked from odd one out topic.
| Passages | Topics |
|---|---|
| Passage 1 | British Colonies – India’s Reaction (History-Based) |
| Passage 2 | Truth and Power (Philosophy Based) |
| Passage 3 | Knowledge – How you perceive it |
| Passage 4 | Languages – Linguistic |
CAT VARC Exam Analysis 2021 Slot 3
Based on the initial reaction of test-takers, CAT 2021 Slot 3 Exam Analysis of VARC is provided below.
- Like slot 1 and 2, slot 3 also had 4 sets of RC with 4 questions each.
- 2 RCs were rated difficult while the other two were doable and easy.
- Again, 3 questions each were asked from Para jumbles and para summary.
Must Read:
CAT 2020 VARC Slot 1 Analysis
| Topic | Number of Questions | Type of Question | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 18 | MCQ | Medium to Difficult |
| RC-1: Currency in the Tang Empire | 4 | MCQ | Easy to Medium |
| RC- 2: Elephant Seal Migration | 5 | MCQ | Medium to Difficult |
| RC-3: the importance of Grammar | 5 | MCQ | Easy to Medium |
| RC-4: Subsets of Anarchist philosophy | 4 | MCQ | Medium to Difficult |
| Verbal Ability | 8 | MCQ and TITA | Medium |
| Out of Context sentence | 2 | TITA | Easy to Medium |
| Para Jumbles (4 sentences) | 3 | TITA | Medium to Difficult |
| Summary | 3 | MCQ | Easy to Medium |
CAT 2020 VARC Slot 2 Analysis
| Topic | Number of Questions | Type of Question | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 18 | MCQ | Medium to Difficult |
| RC-1: Piracy in International Waters | 4 | MCQ | Easy to Medium |
| RC- 2: Renewable Energy Technologies | 5 | MCQ | Medium to Difficult |
| RC-3: The Study of Visual Culture | 5 | MCQ | Easy to Medium |
| RC-4: Aggression - Theories and Models | 4 | MCQ | Medium to Difficult |
| Verbal Ability | 08 | MCQ & TITA | Medium |
| Para Jumbles | 3 | TITA | Medium to Difficult |
| Out of Context Sentence | 2 | TITA | Easy to Medium |
| Summary | 3 | MCQ | Easy to Medium |
Quick Links:
- CAT RC Tips: Types of Passage, Pattern and Tips
- How to Prepare for CAT Para Completion?
- How to Prepare for CAT Para Jumbles?
CAT 2020 VARC Slot 3 Analysis
| Topic | No. of Questions | Ideal Attempt |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 18 (5+5+4+4) | 14-15 |
| Verbal Ability - Parajumbles | 3 | 3 |
| Verbal Ability - Summary | 3 | 3 |
| Verbal Ability - Parajumbles (Odd-sentence out) | 2 | 2 |
CAT 2019 VARC Slot 1 Analysis
Considering the overall performance and difficulty of the section, an ideal attempt could have been 24-26 questions with 90% accuracy. A rough score of 55-60 marks could fetch a percentile between 97-99. Also check Syllabus for CAT 2022
| Composition of section | Number of questions | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
| RC passage-1: Story of Aladdin-as shared by Antonio Galland in 1712, learnt from Syrian story teller Diyab | 5 MCQs | Reasonably Difficult |
| RC Passage-2: Idea of Folk | 5 MCQs | Tricky sentence formation and difficult vocabulary |
| RC Passage-3: Emperor Penguins in Antarctica- Covering heating, radiation, convection | 4 MCQs | Reasonably Difficult |
| RC passage-4: Topophilia, the affective bond between people and place by Yi-Fu Tuan | 5 MCQs | Moderate to Difficult |
| RC Passage-5: Contemporary Internet Shopping - Few choices are better than many options | 5 MCQs | Reasonably Difficult |
| Parajumbles | 4 Questions (Non-MCQs) | Reasonably Difficult |
| Para Summary | 3 Questions (Non-MCQs) | Reasonably Difficult |
| Odd sentence Out | 3 Questions (Non-MCQs) | Reasonably Difficult |
For the last few years, CAT has been dedicatedly asking 5 RCs. So, the first step is to maximize your efficiency in RCs. Verbal Ability part consists of mostly para summaries/ para completion (3-4), para jumbles (3-4) and odd sentences (3-4), at times including questions related to grammar or sentence corrections. Out of these 10 questions, around 6-7 would be TITA (Text Input Type Answer) type questions. Read the article to know more about the VARC trend in CAT in previous years.
CAT 2019 VARC Slot 2 Analysis
In Slot 2 of CAT 2019, VARC had 34 questions, with 10 non-MCQ questions without any negative marking. The section began with RC Passages and concluded with questions on Verbal Ability. The ten questions on Verbal Ability were of Non-MCQ nature.
| Composition of section | Number of questions | Difficulty Level |
|---|---|---|
| RC passage-1: British Colonialism | 5 MCQs | Reasonably Difficult |
| RC Passage-2: Museums, Arts | 5 MCQs | Difficult with tricky sentence formation and vocabulary |
| RC Passage-3: Central Governments & Decentralization | 5 MCQs | Reasonably Difficult |
| RC passage-4: Ecology | 5 MCQs | Moderate to Difficult |
| RC Passage-5: Cultural Identity & Language – Egyptian | 4 MCQs | Reasonably Difficult |
| Parajumbles | 4 Questions (Non-MCQs) | Reasonably Difficult |
| Para Summary | 3 Questions (Non-MCQs) | Reasonably Difficult |
| Odd sentence Out | 3 Questions (Non-MCQs) | Reasonably Difficult |
CAT 2018 VARC Slot 1 Analysis
- Students who sat for CAT 2018 Slot 1 found the VARC section to be a replica of CAT 2017 in terms of the question types. Questions on Grammar and Vocabulary were clearly not visible.
- RC had 4 passages, each with 5 questions; and 1 passage with 4 questions, making it a total of 24 questions. There were around 5 questions in RC that looked more like Critical Reasoning/Application. The passages were long, ranging around 450-800 words.
- About 6 questions were direct and easy. Questions based on inferences were easy to medium on the difficulty level scale. A major deviation was noticed in Paragraph Jumbles wherein 4 sentences were asked to rearrange instead of 5, making the paragraph jumbles section relatively easy.
- Of the 10 VA questions (Shuffled), 7 were descriptive questions and 3 were MCQs. The 3 Out-of-context sentence questions were descriptive, 4 paragraph jumbles were descriptive, whereas 3 questions from paragraph summary/author’s opinion were MCQ based with negative marking.
| Area / Questions | No of Qs. | Type | Level of Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 24 | MCQ | Overall: Easy to Medium |
| RC-1: Happiness and Economics. Approx. 500 words | 5 | MCQ | Easy – Medium |
| RC- 2: Human elephant relationship Approx. 500 words | 5 | MCQ | Easy |
| RC-3: Absence of WWII memorials in India Approx. 500 words | 5 | MCQ | Easy |
| RC-4: Problem of single use plastic. Approx. 800 words | 5 | MCQ | Easy |
| RC-5: Influence of parental gene in mice. – Approx. 600 words | 4 | MCQ | Medium |
| Verbal Ability | 10 | MCQ & TITA | Overall: Easy to Medium |
| Parajumbles ( 4 sentences) | 4 | TITA | 2 Medium; 2 Easy |
| Out of Context sentence | 3 | TITA | 1 Easy; 2 Medium |
| Summary | 3 | MCQ | 1 Easy; 1 Medium; 1 Difficult |
CAT 2018 VARC Slot 2 Analysis
The difficulty level of VARC section Slot 2 was similar to that of Slot 1. RC had 4 passages, each carrying 5 questions; and 1 passage with 4 questions - majority of the questions were based on critical reasoning type and inference questions.
| Area / Questions | No of Qs. | Type | Level of Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 24 | MCQ | Overall Easy to Medium |
| RC-1: Evolution of white lipped snails Approx.- 550 words | 4 | MCQ | Easy |
| RC- 2: Saturn’s rings and several of its moons –Approx. 600 words | 5 | MCQ | Easy to Medium |
| RC-3: Evaluation based on metric fixation- Approx. 500 words | 5 | MCQ | Easy |
| RC-4: Access of the poor to government Services – Approx. 700 words | 5 | MCQ | Easy to Medium |
| RC-5: – Fallacy of Meritocracy- Approx. 650 words. (The same passage was a part of SimCAT6) | 5 | MCQ | Easy to Medium |
| Verbal Ability | 10 | MCQ & TITA | Overall Easy to Medium |
| Parajumbles | 4 | TITA | 4 Easy |
| Out of Context sentence | 3 | TITA | 2 Easy; 1 Medium |
| Summary | 3 | MCQ | 1 Easy; 2 Medium |
VARC Questions Analysis of Previous Years
If one analyses the trend of VARC section of the past 3 years after CAT 2018, one can understand that the difficulty level of the section throughout the three years has remained more or less the same. The major change was seen in the question pattern as there were no MCQ questions until 2016.
| Details | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Easier than 2016 with common topics ranging from Economy, Culture, Technology, Business, Finance | Easy vocabulary but lengthy passages with few tricky questions. Topics were mostly from Economics, Environment and Linguistic Studies | Simple Content with Tough and Tricky Questions and Options. It was a surprise since it did not have Grammar and Vocabulary questions |
| Word Limit | 300 - 650 | 300 - 650 | 600 - 800 |
| Question Break up | Moderate : 8 Easy :16 | Tough: 2-3 Moderate: 8-9 Easy: 14-15 | Moderate: 8-10 Easy: 14-15 |
| Overall Difficulty | Reasonably Difficult | Reasonably Difficult | Reasonably Difficult |
Verbal Ability Question Analysis
Of all the questions that had appeared in CAT Verbal Ability in 2015, 2016, 2017, given below is the question distribution and their level of difficulty.
| Details | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Para-Jumbles | Tricky and Time Consuming | 1 - Easy ; 3 Tough | Tough |
| Summary | Tough | 2 - Easy; 1 - Tough | Reasonably Difficult |
| Out of Context | Easy | Easy | Reasonably Difficult |
| Overall | Tough | Easy - Moderate | Tough- Moderate |
Overall Percentile in VARC
In order to get a good 97-98 percentile a candidate must make sure he/she has a minimum number of attempts such as:
| Good Number of Attempts | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| VA | 18-21 | 17-18 | 20-22 |
| RC | 8-9 | 5-6 | 7-8 |
| Overall | 27-29 | 22-24 | 27-30 |
Must Read Top Colleges Accepting CAT Score
CAT VARC Paper Analysis 2022 FAQs
Ques. While attempting CAT VARC paper what should be my good attempt based on previous years paper analysis?
Ans. Between 18-20 questions attempted with good accuracy can be considered a good attempt for CAT VARC section. If the accuracy rate of answering the questions is very low then it would affect the overall scores.
Ques: Based on CAT VARC paper analysis what are the important topics or the topics with maxaimum weightage in final CAT exam?
Ans. All the topics in VARC are equally important but some of the topics with high weightage in the exam are verbal reasoning, para jumbles, summary, and reading comprehension.
Ques. How many TITA questions are asked in CAT VARC paper?
Ans. Around 5-6 TITA questions are asked in CAT VARC paper. There is no negative marking for TITA questions hence candidates can attempt all such questions.
Ques. What is the benefit of CAT VARC Exam Analysis for preparation?
Ans. Candidates can use the CAT VARC Paper Analysis for preparation. Candidates can check the weightage of questions, type of questions, difficulty level of paper by carefully analyzing the previous years CAT paper analysis.
Ques: How many questions should I attempt to get a 95+ percentile in VARC?
Ans. To get 95+ percentile in VARC, you must attempt 17+ questions with 95% accuracy.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.
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Answered Questions
If you are aiming for old IIMs such as IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, you will need to score above 99 percentile in CAT. For IIMs and other top-tier B-Schools in India, the CAT cutoff stays above 90 percentile.
If you have a good profile, and 99+ CAT score, you can expect to get calls from old IIMs, XLRI, JBIMS, IIFT, FMS, etc.
Here are some of the things that you will realize after appearing for the CAT examination.
- Spend the first few minutes going over the papers before diving in. Browse through the problems and start with the ones that you know you can solve in one go. CAT prioritizes solving not sequence.
- If you aren’t sure about an answer, leave it. Concentrate on other problems. You shouldn’t spend more than 2-3 minutes on a single problem.
- Don’t use the elimination method, if you can solve the problem in less than 1 minute. Do rough work thoroughly. Don’t answer any questions, just by guessing.
- There will be a few lengthy questions. Try to ignore these. Even CAT toppers don’t score the full marks.
CAT doesn’t test your knowledge. The only thing matters are how much you score. So, try to attempt as many questions as you can correctly.
Take a look at the below table to know what CAT score will fetch what CAT percentile, for 2022.
| Percentile | Score VA-RC | Score DI-LR | Score QA | Overall Score |
| 90% | 29 | 1 | 26 | 72 |
| 95% | 32 | 20 | 29 | 81 |
In 2021, for 90 percentile the required score was 59 and for 95 percentile the required score was 72.
