How to overcome time pressure in VARC section?

Overcoming VARC time pressure requires building reading speed through daily practice on high-quality text and mastering strategic question selection. The OP of this IIM Mumbai thread scored 99+ in VARC thrice and said the foundation is active reading on challenging material (Economist, New Yorker essays, academic journals). For candidates scoring 17-18 correct in CAT VARC but only 13 on time-pressured mocks, the issue is reading speed; add 2 hours of daily reading on challenging material.

Strategic question selection: attempt all RCs first (they're worth 24+ marks in CAT VARC), move to VA (para jumble, summary, critical reasoning). Skip mostly nothing; CAT VARC rewards attempting all 24 questions. Use buffer time (if any) to review VA answers you were less sure of.

1. Train reading speed on complex passages: read 100+ dense paragraphs weekly, summarize each in 30-50 words. Active reading techniques: (
2. identify author's thesis within first 100 words, (
3. mark keywords, transitions, and evidence, (
4. note the author's tone (positive, neutral, critical, skeptical), (
5. anticipate question angles before reading them. Don't skim; CAT VARC punishes superficial reading through trap options.

For critical reasoning, master the structure: premise, conclusion, assumption, weaken/strengthen. Practice 3-4 GMAT CR questions daily; they're harder than CAT CRs and calibrate your mental framework. Avoid tricks and shortcuts; they fail 30%+ of the time.

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