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Vocabulary is of the essence in the CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section. Vocabulary-based questions are frequently asked in the CAT VARC, such as Reading Comprehension questions, paragraph summary, paragraph completion, and paragraph jumble questions. Since the VARC section holds the highest weightage in the CAT, possessing a good vocabulary knowledge will help candidates better understand CAT VARC questions during the CAT examination. While the CAT exam may not directly test vocabulary, having a strong grasp of CAT vocabulary will help candidates in many ways, such as understanding the Reading Comprehension passages. Hence, the candidates are expected to have a good understanding of the CAT vocabulary and learn new words each day during their CAT 2025 preparation and use them in daily practice. This article from Careers360 focuses solely on the effective CAT preparation strategies for building the vocabulary for the CAT 2025 examination.
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CAT aspirants with low language skills often face a lot of challenges under the CAT VARC section. This adversely affects their CAT scores. It is important to identify the significant role played by vocabulary in determining the CAT success of the candidates. A few of the reasons why the candidates should prioritise their CAT vocabulary preparation are listed below.
When it comes to the CAT reading comprehension section, the candidates can expect passages from various types, such as dense academic passages, abstract passages and so on. Each passage will be 400-600 words in length. Going through the passages might be time-consuming, but what makes it more challenging is the presence of confusing words. Hence, it is important that the candidate has a compelling vocabulary so that they can understand the various concepts discussed in the passage. This will help the candidates in a quicker grasp of tone, inference, and the author’s intent.
To solve the CAT para jumble questions and para competition questions, the candidates should have a solid understanding of the sentence structure concepts. This helps the candidates to establish a connection between the statements, which is crucial for solving such questions. Having access to a sound vocabulary, coupled with efficient grammar knowledge, will help the candidates immensely in answering the CAT verbal ability questions. The candidates can expect around 8 questions from these topics.
Going through the CAT Reading Comprehension passages can be confusing at times due to the length of the passages. This may sometimes make it difficult for the candidates to remember the key ideas of the passage, eventually leading them to forget a lot of the information necessary for answering the questions. Good vocabulary eliminates the possibility of getting confused and helps the candidates to maintain the flow while attempting the CAT RC section.
How to improve vocabulary for CAT 2025? This is a very common question asked by candidates during their CAT preparation. The very first step towards enhancing one’s CAT vocabulary is to attend an online assessment to check the existing vocabulary knowledge of the candidate. This will help the candidates to understand the areas where they need to improve and devise a proper CAT timetable for themselves. A few of the best CAT preparation strategies for improving the CAT vocabulary are listed below.
Reading is the best and most effective way to improve one’s vocabulary. There are several sources from which the candidates can learn new words and use them effectively in their CAT preparation. The candidates are strongly recommended to go through the editorials of newspapers such as The Hindu, Indian Express, Mint, etc. This will help them to gather a lot of new words to enhance their CAT vocabulary, and also will be particularly useful during the CAT GDPI sections to answer the general awareness questions. Apart from the newspapers, the candidates are also encouraged to go through various important magazines such as The Economist, TIME, and Harvard Business Review. The candidates can also go through various books belonging to categories such as non-fiction, philosophy, economics, and literature, which can not only improve their vocabulary but also enhance their imagination.
Consistency is the key while preparing for the vocabulary area of the CAT examination. The candidates should always note their progress while preparing for the CAT vocabulary section. They are encouraged to always keep track of their progress. The candidate should note down the new words that they come across while reading. They should note down the word, its meaning, followed by an example sentence in which the word is used. Every week, the candidate should go through the notebook and revise the newly learnt words. If necessary, the candidates can also use applications such as Anki, Quizlet, or WordUp for spaced repetition.
One of the common CAT preparation mistakes made by candidates while preparing for the vocabulary section of the CAT examination is that they tend to learn the large definitions associated with the word. While this can be helpful, there is a chance that the candidate might forget or get confused in the long term. Hence, it is advised that the candidate should learn the words by putting them in a sentence and remember instead of memorising the definitions. The candidates are advised to read full sentences and passages to understand the application, which will help them to remember the words without getting confused.
One of the most effective ways to learn and memorise new words is by using mnemonics and word roots. For this, the candidates should split the words into prefixes and suffixes, such as bene = good → benefit, benevolent. This will help the candidate relate the meaning of a word even if they are not familiar with it. Creating mental associations for tricky words will be very helpful for the candidates when it comes to remembering complex words. Given below are a few mnemonics and word roots for the reference of the candidates.
Word | Mnemonic | Root Word | Meaning of Root |
Abstain | "Abstain from stain" (avoid something dirty) | ab- | away, from |
Amicable | Sounds like "amigo" (friend in Spanish) | ami/amic- | love, friend |
Benevolent | Bene = good → “benevolent dictator” = kind ruler | bene- | good, well |
Circumspect | Circle + Inspect → look around carefully | circum-, spect- | around, look |
Dictate | The dictator speaks, and others follow | dict- | speak, say |
Eloquent | An eloquent speaker flows words elegantly | loqu/locut- | speak |
Generate | A generator creates electricity | gen- | birth, produce |
Homicide | Homo (man) + cide (kill) | -cide | kill |
Illuminate | Illuminate a room = throw light | lum/luc- | light |
Malicious | Mal = bad → malicious = evil intention | mal- | bad, evil |
Nominate | The nominee is the name proposed | nom/nym- | name |
Pseudonym | Pseudo = false, nym = name → pen name | pseudo-, -nym | false, name |
Revoke | Re (back) + voke (call) = take back | re-, voc- | back, call |
Submarine | Sub = under, marine = sea → underwater | sub-, mar- | under, sea |
Tangible | Something you can touch | tang/tact- | touch |
Visionary | Vision = see, visionary = forward thinker | vid/vis- | see |
Chronology | Chrono = time → order in time | chron- | time |
Thermometer | Thermo = heat + meter = measure | therm-, meter | heat, measure |
Philanthropy | Philo = love, anthro = human → love of humanity | phil-, anthrop- | love, human |
Autograph | Auto = self, graph = write → self-signature | auto-, graph- | self, write |
When it comes to the CAT preparation, one of the most common strategies devised by the CAT toppers is to use the vocabulary flashcards. This will help the candidates to practice the most common words. The candidates are strongly recommended to use the subject-specific words and curate them according to their requirements. The candidates are strongly recommended to practice 10–20 words daily, revise weekly.
With the CAT exam set to be conducted in November 2025, it is essential for the candidates to start their CAT vocabulary practice as soon as they can. To help the candidates stay motivated throughout their CAT vocabulary practice journey, Careers360 has designed a CAT preparation timetable for a month for the effective preparation of the candidates.
Week | Focus Areas | Daily Tasks |
Week 1 | Word Roots + Mnemonics | - Learn 10–15 high-frequency words/day - Break them down using root words - Create funny mnemonics to remember the meaning |
- Maintain a vocabulary notebook - Revise the previous day’s words | ||
Week 2 | Thematic Vocabulary + Contextual Usage | - Learn 15 words/day based on themes (law, finance, emotion, etc.) - Read editorial articles and highlight new words |
- Practice usage in sentence blanks - Start a Quizlet deck for revision | ||
Week 3 | Synonyms, Antonyms & Word Families | - Group words by synonyms/antonyms - Learn 2–3 word families per day (e.g., act, action, active) - Attempt short vocab quizzes |
- Revise Weeks 1 & 2 words - Focus on commonly confused words (e.g., affect vs effect) | ||
Week 4 | Revision + Mock Practice | - Daily revision of 50–75 old words - Practice RC passages with vocab questions - Attempt vocab-only mini mocks (20-30 questions) |
- Create a final condensed word list - Do peer quizzes or group revision | ||
Final 2 Days | Light Review + Confidence Building | - Revise only high-frequency and confusing words - Practice application in real RC/para-summary contexts |
A few of the best CAT preparation books to enrich the candidate’s vocabulary section are provided below for the reference of the candidates. Along with it, a set of applications that the candidates can refer to is also included. The candidates are advised to go through them and improve their CAT vocabulary preparation.
Category | Resource Name | Description / Use |
Books | Word Power Made Easy – Norman Lewis | Classic vocabulary builder using root words and structured exercises |
30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary | Daily vocab-building plan with contextual usage | |
All About Words – Rosenblum & Nurnberg | Explains etymology and Greek/Latin roots | |
Apps | Magoosh Vocabulary Builder | Flashcards, quizzes, spaced repetition system |
Vocabulary.com | Learn words through usage, examples, and adaptive tests | |
Anki Flashcards | Customizable flashcards with spaced repetition | |
Practice-Based | Arun Sharma’s Verbal Ability Book | CAT-level vocabulary questions integrated with RCs, para-jumbles, etc. |
Real RC and VA questions to see how vocabulary is tested |
A few of the most repeated CAT mistakes while preparing for the CAT vocabulary section are listed below for the reference of the candidates. Candidates are advised to go through the mistakes and ensure that they do not repeat the same on the CAT exam day to ensure that they secure a good CAT percentile under the CAT VARC section.
Candidates always seem to memorise the definitions of new words instead of using them in a sentence to remember them. This will make them forget the words in the long run when they learn other new words. Hence, the candidates should always use them in a sentence to not forget them when required.
A lot of students also do not revise the new words learnt and instead continue to other CAT topics of quantitative aptitude and Data Interpretation, and Logical Reasoning. This is a very common mistake and can lead to the candidates forgetting a lot of key words that they had learnt. Hence, a consistent weekly revision is necessary.
Skipping unfamiliar words while reading. While preparing for the CAT VARC section by going through journals for new words, the candidates are often seen to avoid new complex words instead of learning their meaning and memorising them. This should not be encouraged, and the candidates should always understand and note down the meaning of the words.
Not practising vocabulary in writing or speaking. Merely understanding the meaning of a word is not enough; the candidate must also put in effort into understanding and using the new words learnt in day-to-day life, such as while writing an article or speaking with others.
The CAT aspirants can download the various CAT resources exclusively for the CAT vocabulary preparation designed by subject experts of Careers360 using the links given in the table below.
eBook Title | Download Links |
3000+ Most Important Words - Vocabulary Builder | |
500+ Most Important Idioms and Phrases | |
300+ Most Important Phrasal Verbs |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Candidates often just memorise definitions, skip unfamiliar words, avoid revision, and fail to use new words in real contexts. Avoiding these mistakes is essential for building a durable and usable vocabulary base.
Reading editorials and quality publications, using a vocabulary tracker or app, learning words in context, and applying mnemonics and word roots are highly recommended. Consistency and application in writing or speaking are key to long-term retention.
Vocabulary is crucial for tackling Reading Comprehension, para jumbles, para completions, and summary questions—collectively forming a major part of the VARC section. A better vocabulary enables quicker comprehension, sharper sentence structure analysis, and improved retention.
While the CAT exam may not test vocabulary directly, a strong vocabulary significantly enhances your understanding of Reading Comprehension, paragraph jumbles, and summaries. It helps grasp tone, inference, and complex academic passages faster and more accurately.
On Question asked by student community
Hello Amgothu
With 305 marks in ICAR PG and being from ST category, your chances of getting an AIEEA (CAT) seat is good, especially in plant sciences and less competitive subjects
Hello
As you said you by mistakenly done that, you don't need to get worry regarding that ,
Just inform the help desk and carry the correct certifications , the state certificate will not disqualify you .
The steps you can follow is -
1. You can check if the correction window is available or not
2. Contact the CAT desk immediately.
Hope this helps
In CAT registration, you cannot create a new user ID with the same mobile number, even if you use a different email ID. Each mobile number and email can be linked to only one account. If you already registered once, the system will not accept a duplicate with that number. To register again, you must use a new mobile number and new email ID. If you lost your old login, you can recover it through the forgot password/user ID option on the CAT portal.
Yes, you can fill the CAT form even if you currently have a backlog. CAT eligibility requires you to be in your final year of graduation or already graduated backlogs don’t stop you from applying.
While filling the form:
Enter the aggregate percentage/CGPA of marks you have obtained up to the latest semester for which results are declared (in your case till 4th semester).
There will be an option to mention that you have a backlog.
If you clear the backlog later, you’ll just need to show the updated marks during admission.
Hello Aspirant,
Yes, you can apply for the CAT exam as a final-year student. You must declare your backlog on the online application form. You do not write about it on the final-year student certificate; that document is to certify your enrollment status. You must clear all backlogs before the final admission process to any MBA college.
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