VARC preparation is critical even for candidates with strong QA and LRDI—sectional cutoffs mean weak VARC kills overall percentile regardless of other section scores. A candidate with 99+ QA and 99+ LRDI but only 87 VARC still hits 99.93 overall—but VARC at 80 or below would have failed IIM sectional cutoffs.
Most IIMs require 80%+ VARC sectional percentile for shortlist, and IIM A requires around 85%+. For VARC-weak candidates, the target is to score 25-30 marks (not 40+) to clear sectional cutoff. Strategy: focus on RCs (Reading Comprehensions) rather than Verbal Ability questions—RCs are more reliable for accuracy.
A candidate aiming for just sectional clearance should solve 3 RCs thoroughly (9-12 questions correct) and attempt 1-2 VA questions. Skip para-jumbles and para-summaries if they trip you up—accuracy matters more than attempt volume. Read The Hindu editorials, Mint, Aeon essays, Economist articles daily to build reading speed and inference.
Word Power Made Easy and Aeon collections help vocabulary. Do not waste time improving VARC from 80 to 90 at the cost of QA/LRDI—maintain sectional clearance and focus other sections for overall percentile gain. For those with VARC 87+ baseline, target 90-95 for overall percentile boost.
The sectional cutoff math: VARC 80 percentile = approx 29-32 raw marks needed. Check your eligibility at collvera.