you just need to get your OBC certificate corrected and need to inform the CAT helpdesk about this error.
Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2026
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
CAT Admit Card Date:05 Nov' 25 - 30 Nov' 25
Reading Comprehension is an important part of the CAT, XAT, and GMAT 2025 exams. However, similar to other sections, this also comes with a varying difficulty level. Many students struggle with understanding passages, finding main ideas, and answering questions accurately. Candidates who master the reading comprehension section can easily add 10 to 15 marks to their CAT 2025 or other MBA exam scores. However, improving Reading Comprehension skills cannot be done overnight, and it requires hard work and practice. In this article, we have discussed repeated RC themes and questions, daily reading habits and tips to maximise score in different MBA exams.
This Story also Contains
Let’s understand from a different major exam point of view, the weightage. Only SNAP is the exam where RC has not been coming for the last few years. In the rest of the papers it is one of the ruling factors like -
Exam | RC (Reading Comprehension) Contribution |
CAT 2025 | RC contributes to about 70% of the Verbal Ability section, making it the most dominant part. |
XAT | RC accounts for nearly 50% of the Verbal and Logical Ability section, with additional questions testing critical reasoning. |
One-third of the Verbal section is RC-based. Unlike CAT 2025 and XAT, GMAT RC is more about reasoning through dense academic text. |
Weak students often find Reading Comprehension (RC) challenging in CAT, XAT, and GMAT 2025 due to limited reading habits, slow comprehension, and poor vocabulary. Difficulty in identifying main ideas, interpreting passages, and managing time reduces accuracy. Focused practice, strategy, and understanding question patterns are essential to improve performance in the CAT Exam 2025.
Students with minimal exposure to diverse reading material struggle to understand complex passages in CAT, XAT, and GMAT 2025. Reading newspapers, journals, and online articles regularly improves comprehension speed and familiarity with varied sentence structures.
Weak vocabulary leads to misunderstanding key terms and concepts in RC passages. Strengthening vocabulary through daily word lists and context-based learning is crucial for CAT, XAT, and GMAT 2025 success.
Many students cannot grasp the central idea or author’s tone, causing errors in comprehension questions. Practising summarisation and inference-based exercises helps weak students tackle RC in the CAT Exam 2025 efficiently.
In CAT, XAT, and GMAT 2025, time-bound RC sections penalise slow readers. Developing skimming and scanning techniques enables students to attempt passages faster without losing accuracy.
Random practice without strategy rarely improves performance. Weak students must follow structured RC practice schedules, solve past CAT, XAT, and GMAT 2025 questions, and analyse mistakes to enhance accuracy and confidence.
Strong reading comprehension is essential for MBA entrance exams like CAT, XAT, and GMAT 2025. Developing daily reading habits improves understanding, vocabulary, and speed, helping aspirants tackle complex passages efficiently. Consistent practice strengthens analytical skills and ensures better accuracy under time constraints.
Expose yourself to newspapers, magazines, research articles, and online content daily. Reading diverse topics like economics, science, and opinion pieces helps you understand varied writing styles and complex sentence structures.
Highlight key points, underline unfamiliar words, and summarise paragraphs in your own words. Active reading improves retention and comprehension for MBA exam passages.
Maintain a daily word journal and learn new words through their usage in articles for CAT 2025. Understanding words in context enhances comprehension and reduces confusion during exams.
After reading, write a 2–3 line summary of the passage. This habit trains your brain to identify main ideas quickly, an essential skill for CAT, XAT, and GMAT 2025.
Set daily reading targets and time yourself while practising comprehension exercises in CAT 2025. Monitoring progress helps improve speed without compromising understanding, crucial for MBA entrance exams.
In the last decade, Reading Comprehension passages in CAT 2025, XAT, and GMAT have shown a strong tendency to revolve around certain recurring themes. Understanding these high-frequency RC topics helps aspirants improve prediction accuracy and reading speed. Practising with important Reading Comprehension Questions in CAT 2025 helps candidates to maximise their scores.
Environment, Climate Change & Sustainability – Passages often discuss climate policies, environmental ethics, biodiversity conservation, and renewable energy trends.
Philosophy, Ethics & Morality – Includes abstract reasoning from philosophers, ethical dilemmas, moral relativism, and theories of human behaviour.
Economics, Trade & Globalisation – Covers macroeconomic trends, trade wars, market structures, and global financial policies.
Science & Technology Developments – Features topics like AI, space exploration, biotechnology, and the ethical implications of innovation.
History, Culture & Civilisation – Ranges from ancient civilisations to cultural anthropology and the evolution of human societies.
Sociology, Politics & Governance – Discusses social structures, political ideologies, public policy reforms, and governance models.
Literature, Art & Aesthetics – Involves literary criticism, art history, and the role of creativity in shaping societies.
Candidates mastering CAT 2025 Reading Comprehension Passages is possible with strong reading skills. Candidates can enhance their comprehension abilities by regularly reading a variety of topics and genres. They can also use techniques such as skimming and scanning to quickly identify important information and improve their reading speed without sacrificing understanding. So, try to solve one RC a day to keep tension away.
Most students face challenges in RC due to:
Lack of consistent reading habits.
Inability to focus during dense or abstract passages.
Poor time management and comprehension speed.
Misinterpretation of question types, especially inference-based ones.
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
Ranked No. 3 Business School in India and no.35 in world by Financial Times MiM 2025 Ranking | Highest CTC: INR 89 LPA
In terms of the number of questions and the number of paragraphs from exam to exam, things vary. As per negative marking and cut off, the set target and strategies to solve this section also vary. From the passage style and language complexity factor, these are the differences -
CAT 2025: Contemporary topics, opinion-heavy writing, and moderate to high complexity.
XAT: Abstract, philosophical, and humanities-based passages with complex vocabulary.
GMAT: Dense, academic writing with a formal tone—common in natural and social sciences.
CAT 2025: From CAT 2025’s perspective, questions are very close to options, and the difficulty increases because of the philosophical touch in them. It is a mix of direct and inferential questions; options can be very close.
XAT: XAT 2026 always prefers a reasoning-based structure. And sometimes, some additional set or pattern of questions is also introduced. Emphasises reasoning and contextual understanding; often multi-layered.
GMAT: Logic is the trade mark over here. Precise language, critical reasoning questions embedded, and trap options are common.
Just like the CAT 2025 exam, practice is necessary while preparing for the XAT exam as well. The RC questions in the XAT exam can also be lengthy. The candidates can refer to the expert-crafted tips and tricks provided below for improving their XAT/CAT 2025 reading preparation.
Pay attention to the author’s viewpoint, biases, or assumptions. Understanding whether the passage is optimistic, critical, or neutral can help answer tone, inference, and evaluation questions more accurately.
After reading each paragraph, pause and summarise its key point in your own words. This reinforces comprehension without writing lengthy notes and helps in quickly recalling information for questions.
Many CAT 2025 passages include cause-effect relationships, contrasts, or comparisons. Mark these mentally or with symbols; recognising logical connections makes it easier to answer reasoning-based questions.
Practice identifying recurring question patterns, like assumptions, conclusions, or application-based queries. Knowing the types of questions that frequently appear allows you to anticipate what to look for in the text.
Expand your reading beyond standard RC practice. Explore research articles, opinion columns, and analytical essays on varied topics. Exposure to different writing styles improves comprehension speed, inference ability, and adaptability to tricky passages.
Contrary to the other Indian management entrance exams, GMAT questions are observed to be slightly more difficult than the other exams. Hence, it demands maximum GMAT preparation. Therefore, the candidates are advised to put in their maximum efforts while preparing for the GMAT examination.
Don’t just passively read the passage. Highlight key points, note transitions, and underline contrasting or emphasised ideas. Active reading improves focus, retention, and helps you quickly locate information when answering questions.
Always identify the main argument or theme before diving into details. Knowing the central idea guides your approach to inference, tone, and main idea questions, reducing confusion and saving time.
Allocate a specific time per passage, typically 3–4 minutes for shorter passages and 5–6 minutes for longer ones in GMAT. Practising under timed conditions ensures you maintain pace without compromising accuracy.
Instead of memorising isolated words, focus on understanding vocabulary in context. Reading diverse materials like business articles, journals, and editorials helps improve comprehension and reduces guesswork on unfamiliar terms.
Maintain a log of questions you get wrong, noting the type of error and why it occurred. Analyse patterns in your mistakes and target those areas during practice to steadily improve accuracy and confidence.
Listed below are a few of the common mistakes in CAT 2025 preparation that candidates must avoid for Reading Comprehension section attempts. The candidates who are about to appear for the various management entrance exams should go through these mistakes, understand them and make sure that they do not repeat the same while attempting the test. The major mistakes are:
When analysing a passage, prioritise understanding the main ideas and overall structure rather than getting stuck on minor details. This approach helps you answer questions more effectively and saves valuable exam time.
Instead of trying to memorise the passage, aim to understand its flow and key concepts. For factual or specific questions, you can always refer back to the text for clarification.
A useful strategy is to glance at the questions first. This lets you know what information to look for in the passage and keeps your focus sharp, avoiding distractions from answer choices.
Having a strong vocabulary is useful but not essential. Focus on grasping the main ideas and arguments of the passage instead of getting caught up on individual words.
If a passage seems too complex, don’t waste too much time on it. Move on to passages you can handle more easily and return to the harder ones later if time permits.
Always rely on the information provided in the passage itself. Avoid being misled by answer options that go beyond the context of the text.
The preparation for the reading comprehension section is nothing short of a journey. It can only be completed successfully with the help of making reading a habit. Some of the most important tricks that the candidates can use to successfully improve their reading habits are listed below:
30 minutes: Editorials and op-eds.
15 minutes: Philosophy or abstract topics.
15 minutes: Practice questions with timed sessions.
Above all, keep in mind that you should start with something that is light and that you like if you are a non-reader. Then slowly target medium and then difficult materials to read. This chain of habits will make you a good reader.
Maintain a reading log with speed and accuracy.
Note difficult words and confusing arguments.
Use apps like ReadTheory or GMAT Club RC tracker.
Target a day every fortnight to revise whatever is written and noted. Because revision is a must.
One well-understood passage is better than five half-read ones.
Reflect on why you chose an answer, not just what you chose.
Reading a small segment is ok, but understanding the whole segment is very important. Keeping some questions open in mind while reading is one of the important traits followed by a regular reader.
Mastering Reading Comprehension (RC) for CAT 2025, XAT, and GMAT requires a strategic approach to maximise accuracy while saving time. Following a clear step-by-step method can help aspirants break down complex passages, avoid traps in answer choices, and maintain high accuracy in competitive MBA entrance exams.
Begin by scanning the passage to understand its overall structure — introduction, body, and conclusion. Pay attention to the author’s tone and purpose, as this sets the direction for the questions.
Before diving into details, determine the main theme or argument of the passage. Recognising the central idea helps in tackling inference and main idea questions with greater accuracy.
As you read, highlight keywords, transitional phrases, and contrasting points. This active reading technique improves focus, aids retention, and makes it faster to locate information when answering questions.
Group the questions into categories like fact-based, inference-based, tone/attitude, or application-based. Each type requires a different approach, so categorisation saves time and improves accuracy.
Instead of directly searching for the right answer, start by ruling out extreme, irrelevant, or contradictory options. This increases the chances of arriving at the correct choice efficiently.
Always return to the passage to confirm your selected answer, especially for inference or tone-related questions. Verification reduces the risk of misinterpretation.
Distribute your time wisely — spend about 6–8 minutes on shorter passages and 9–10 minutes on longer ones in CAT 2025 and XAT. Adjust accordingly for GMAT timing norms.
An RC error log is a powerful tool for CAT 2025, XAT, and GMAT aspirants to track mistakes, identify recurring weak points, and improve accuracy. By maintaining a structured log, you can analyse your performance and develop targeted strategies to strengthen your Reading Comprehension skills.
After each mock test or practice session, write down every wrong answer along with the question type, passage theme, your chosen option, and the correct one. This creates a personal error log that helps you spot recurring mistakes.
Organise your mistakes into groups such as misinterpreting the passage, ignoring important keywords, making wrong inferences, facing time pressure, or struggling with vocabulary. Categorisation makes it easier to see patterns in your errors.
Go deeper and ask yourself why the mistake occurred. Was it due to rushing, not revisiting the passage, or misunderstanding the author’s tone? Identifying the real cause is the first step to avoiding the same error in future.
Notice which types of questions you miss most often. If inference-based or tone-related questions show up repeatedly in your error log, make these your priority areas for extra practice.
Design a focused plan to address weak spots. For example, practise daily inference drills, tone-identification exercises, or timed RC sets depending on your error categories. Targeted practice ensures steady improvement.
Set aside time each week to review your error log. Track whether the same mistakes are repeating or reducing. Over time, you should notice significant progress and fewer errors in your high-frequency weak areas.
There are different types of RC questions asked in the management entrance examinations, such as CAT 2025. It is necessary for any candidate preparing for the reading comprehension section to know about the types of RC passage questions and structure their preparations accordingly.
Fact-Based Questions: These questions require candidates to find direct answers from the passage.
Inference Questions: Candidates must derive logical conclusions based on the passage’s content.
Vocabulary-Based Questions: These questions test the understanding of word meanings in context.
Tone and Attitude Questions: Candidates need to assess the author's perspective and writing style.
Main Idea Questions: These questions ask candidates to determine the central theme of the passage.
Logical Structure Questions: These questions examine the flow and organisation of the passage.
Out of all these, the Main idea-based question is the most important one. If someone lags in retrieving data regarding this question, they will fall behind for the rest of the questions. So, the first target should be to understand the main idea of a passage.
A strong vocabulary is one of the biggest assets for mastering Reading Comprehension (RC) in management entrance exams like CAT 2025, XAT, and GMAT. Vocabulary is not just about memorising words—it’s about understanding their meaning, usage, and nuances. In these competitive exams, candidates can expect vocabulary-based questions in the form of synonyms, antonyms, idioms, and phrases, often embedded within RC passages.
So, how do you improve vocabulary for CAT 2025, XAT, and GMAT? Here are expert-backed strategies that work:
Create structured vocabulary word lists for CAT 2025, XAT, and GMAT and pair them with flashcards. This technique ensures systematic learning, easy revision, and long-term retention. Self-quizzing with flashcards before RC practice sessions can significantly boost accuracy.
The best way to learn new words is to see them in action. Read newspapers, business magazines, and editorials to enhance RC vocabulary for CAT 2025 and GMAT. Observing how words are used in context helps you understand meaning naturally, which is crucial when tackling RC passages under time pressure.
Vocabulary doesn’t have to be dull. Engage in word games, crosswords, and apps designed for GMAT and CAT 2025 vocabulary practice. Additionally, try using new words in daily conversations or writing short notes—this reinforces active recall and boosts exam performance.
A powerful strategy for XAT, GMAT, and CAT 2025 vocabulary building is learning root words, prefixes, and suffixes. Once you understand the building blocks of words, you can decode the meaning of unfamiliar terms quickly—an invaluable skill when faced with tricky RC passages.
Choosing the right books for Reading Comprehension can make a big difference in CAT 2025, XAT, and GMAT preparation. The CAT 2025 best books not only build strong reading habits but also sharpen speed, accuracy, and critical analysis. Go through the section below to get the best books for Reading Comprehension for CAT 2025 XAT GMAT. Below are the best books recommended for RC preparation:
Exam | Book Title | Author / Publisher | Why It’s Recommended |
CAT 2025 | How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT 2025 | Arun Sharma & Meenakshi Upadhyay | CAT 2025-specific RC strategies, level-appropriate passages, and practice questions. |
Word Power Made Easy | Norman Lewis | Builds vocabulary, improves comprehension speed, and aids inference-based RC. | |
Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension for CAT 2025 | Nishit K. Sinha | Detailed practice sets with CAT 2025-style RC passages and explanations. | |
XAT | Wiley’s Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning for CAT 2025 & Other MBA Exams | Arun Sharma (Wiley) | Useful for XAT as RC and verbal are tougher than CAT 2025, with critical reasoning coverage. |
A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning | R.S. Aggarwal | Helps with para-completion and inference-heavy XAT RC. | |
Previous Years’ XAT Papers (Verbal & Decision Making Sections) | Various publishers | Essential for practicing the unique RC + reasoning blend of XAT. | |
GMAT | The Official Guide for GMAT Review | GMAC | Authentic RC practice passages with detailed answer explanations. |
The Critical Reader: The Complete Guide to GMAT Reading Comprehension | Erica L. Meltzer | Highly focused on GMAT RC patterns, with proven strategies. | |
GMAT Verbal Review | GMAC | Extra RC sets for targeted practice beyond the main OG. |
Insights from toppers are always helpful in setting the right direction for the preparation. While it is not necessary to follow the same pattern followed by the toppers, seeking inspiration from them and understanding how they tackled the difficult concepts can be extremely helpful. The three important questions that we should figure out from the preparation of the topper are:-
Question 1 - What did they do differently in their Preparation?
• They prioritised extensive reading in the early stages, nurturing their minds with a wealth of knowledge and insights.
• As they grew in confidence, they courageously tackled more complex passages, embracing challenges as opportunities for growth.
Question 2 - How they handled tough and abstract passages?
• They engaged with the text through thoughtful annotation, transforming reading into an active exploration of ideas.
• By adopting a “structure-first” strategy, they deftly mapped out the essence of each passage, unlocking deeper understanding and clarity.
Question 3 - What they read and how they practised?
• Their reading journey was rich and varied, drawing from diverse sources that sparked curiosity and broadened their horizons.
• With unwavering commitment, they practised diligently through weekly mock exams and sectional tests, honing their skills and building resilience for the challenges ahead.
Careers360 provides students with a range of GMAT, XAT and CAT 2025 best study material to strengthen their verbal skills. They offer practice exercises, sample questions, and expert tips on grammar, comprehension, and vocabulary. These materials help learners build confidence, improve accuracy, and perform better in competitive exams.
Title | Download Link |
CAT 2025 Mastery: Chapter-wise MCQS for Success for VARC, DILR, Quant | |
500+ Idioms And Phrases List With Meanings & Examples For MBA Entrance Exams | |
CAT 2025 Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) Study Material | |
CAT 2025 VARC: 3000+ Most Important English Words | |
300+ Phrasal Verbs List for CAT 2025 Exam, Types With Examples & Practice |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Improving Reading Comprehension for CAT, XAT, and GMAT 2025 requires daily reading practice, understanding passage structures, and learning new vocabulary. Regular exercises help aspirants enhance speed, accuracy, and comprehension skills for better exam performance.
Daily habits like reading newspapers, journals, and online articles, summarising passages, and noting unfamiliar words can strengthen RC skills. Consistent practice prepares candidates for CAT, XAT, and GMAT 2025 comprehension sections.
Strong vocabulary helps aspirants understand passages quickly and answer questions accurately. Learning context-based words and using flashcards improves comprehension in CAT, XAT, and GMAT 2025 exams
Yes, practising previous years’ RC passages exposes candidates to question patterns, improves speed, and builds confidence. Familiarity with repeated question types enhances performance in CAT, XAT, and GMAT 2025.
Weak students should start with short passages, focus on understanding main ideas, and gradually increase difficulty. Structured practice, time management, and summarising exercises help improve Reading Comprehension for CAT, XAT, and GMAT 2025.
Strong vocabulary helps, but comprehension and reasoning matter more. Learn words in context rather than memorising long lists.
On Question asked by student community
The three key formulas that can solve almost all Profit & Loss problems are:
Profit/Loss % = (Profit or Loss / Cost Price) × 100%, where CP is the cost price.
Discount % = (Discount / Marked Price) × 100%, where MP is the marked price.
Mark up % = (Mark up Value / Cost Price) × 100%, where CP is the cost price.
These formulas can be adapted for problems involving discounts, marked price, or successive gains/losses.
For detailed examples and variations, you can from the article
With a 70 percent in CAT Examination, you can go for various B-Schools or private collages. The S. K. Patel Institute of Management in Gandhinagar is an option for those who score 70-80 percent in their CAT examination or The Gujarat Institute of Management (GIM) in Goa with a cutoff of 60-80 percentage. These are the collages you can look for in Gujarat or nearby.
Collage in other regions: BA Colleges Accepting 70-80 Percentile in CAT 2025
Thank You.
Hello dear candidate,
NO. your application for CAT will not rejected for wrong gender small mistake in the OBC NCL certificate. You will be considered as an OBC candidate.
you just need to get your OBC certificate corrected and need to inform the CAT helpdesk about this error.
Hello,
Here are some top MBA colleges in India with fees under Rs. 2 lakh and their exam/cutoff details:
SIMSREE, Mumbai – Fee around Rs. 1.3–1.4 lakh for 2 years. Accepts CAT, CMAT, MAH-CET, MAT, ATMA. Cutoff is very high, usually 99+ percentile in CAT/CMAT.
PUMBA (Dept. of Management Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University) – Fee around Rs. 1.2–1.3 lakh. Accepts CAT, CMAT, MAH-CET, ATMA. Cutoff approx. 75+ percentile in CAT, 90–95+ percentile in CMAT, high scores in MAH-CET.
TISS, Mumbai (MA HRM & other management-related programmes) – Fee around Rs. 1.7–1.9 lakh. Accepts CAT for some courses. Qualifying cutoff is around 60–70 percentile, but final selection cutoffs are higher.
These are the main government institutes where the full MBA/PG programme fee is within Rs. 2 lakh. Cutoffs vary slightly each year and by category, but SIMSREE and PUMBA generally need high scores, while TISS has its own process along with CAT shortlisting.
Hope it helps !
Hey! With a NEET score of 344 in the ST category, it is highly unlikely to get admission in any government BDS college in Delhi through the All India Quota. The cutoff for government BDS seats in Delhi usually falls around 400–450 for ST category, so your score is below that range.
You can consider private dental colleges, state quota seats in other states, or reattempt NEET next year to improve your chances.
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
AACSB, NBA & SAQS Accredited | H-CTC 41.55 LPA | Merit Based Scholarship
IBSAT 2025-Your gateway to MBA/PGPM @ IBS Hyderabad and 8 other IBS campuses | Scholarships worth 10 CR
Ranked No. 3 Business School in India and no.35 in world by Financial Times MiM 2025 Ranking | Highest CTC: INR 89 LPA
1 Exam accepted by 17 Top Symbiosis Institutes for 29 MBA programmes.
AMBA & BGA ACCREDITED | Top Recruiters-Microsoft, Bain, HSBC, Deloitte, Barclays and many more