PracticeRCCAT · RC selection
How to choose RC passages in CAT
In recent CAT papers, VARC has four RC passages with four questions each - 16 of the 24 questions in the section. You will almost never have the luxury of skipping one outright, so RC selection is mainly about order: which passage you read first, which you save for last, and which questions inside a passage you leave until the end. Get the order right and the easy marks are banked before the clock gets tight. Here is a 60-second test for ranking passages, and what to do with the one you like least.
Why order beats skipping
Every RC question is worth three marks, the same as any Verbal Ability question. Dropping a whole passage gives up as many as twelve of those marks, and in most papers even the hardest passage has one or two questions - often main idea or a direct detail - that a careful reader can answer. So the default plan is to attempt all four passages, in the order that suits you, and to save the hardest questions of the hardest passage for last. If time runs out, it runs out on the questions you were least likely to get right anyway.
The 60-second scan
At the start of VARC, open each passage and spend about fifteen seconds on it - a minute for all four. Do not read it. Look for five signals and give each passage a quick rank from 1 (do first) to 4 (do last).
| Signal | Easier passage | Harder passage |
|---|---|---|
| Topic | A subject you read about for fun | A field where every term is new to you |
| Opening lines | States a claim or a problem plainly | Opens inside an argument you have to reconstruct |
| Language | Concrete examples, names, dates, cases | Abstract nouns, long sentences, many qualifiers |
| Structure | Paragraphs with clear jobs (claim, example, objection) | One long block, or many voices without markers |
| Question stems | Main idea, detail, "the author mentions X to..." | Several "EXCEPT", "if true, would weaken" or "most likely agree" |
Topic is the weakest of these signals, even though it is the one most people use. An economics passage written plainly is easier than a literature passage written densely, whatever your background. The strongest signals are the language and the question stems: they tell you how much work each mark will cost.
Glance at the questions before you read
Before reading a passage, click through its four question stems (not the options). Twenty seconds is enough. You learn what the questions care about - a particular paragraph, the author's view, a named example - and you read with those targets in mind. It also tells you in advance which question in the set is the long one, so you can plan to leave it until last.
Which questions to leave for last inside a passage
Within a passage, do the questions in order of how directly the text answers them:
- First: detail questions and "the author mentions X in order to..." - the answer sits in one or two lines you can find.
- Next: main idea and paragraph-purpose questions - quick once you have the passage's structure.
- Then: inference and tone questions - one careful step beyond the text.
- Last: "all of the following EXCEPT", strengthen/weaken and "the author would most likely agree" questions - they need you to test all four options against the passage.
The last group is where time disappears. If you are behind pace, it is also where a smart skip costs you least, because these are the questions you are most likely to get wrong under pressure. For how each type works, see RC question types explained.
A time plan that makes selection automatic
With 40 minutes for VARC, a common split is about 28 to 30 minutes for the four passages and the rest for Verbal Ability. That is roughly 7 minutes per passage. Give your first-ranked passage a little less and your fourth a little more. Check the clock after each passage, not after each question. If you are more than two minutes behind after the second passage, switch the fourth passage to "easy questions only" mode. Our RC pacing guide breaks down how to split reading and answering time.
When dropping a passage does make sense
There are two situations where leaving most of a passage is the right call. The first is time: with under four minutes left and a full passage untouched, read only the first and last paragraph and answer the main-idea and any direct detail question. The second is accuracy: if, in mocks, your accuracy on one kind of passage is below about 50 percent, the −1 marking means full attempts there barely add to your score. Attempt only the questions you can back with a line from the text, and work on that passage type in practice until the number climbs.
How to practise RC selection
Selection is a judgement, and judgement comes from volume across genres. Read and rank passages from philosophy, history, economics, science and the arts, not just the ones you like. In every practice set, write your rank before you start and check it against your actual accuracy afterwards. After a few weeks your ranking will predict your scores well, which is exactly what makes it useful on exam day.
PracticeRC gives you that volume: pick a curated essay from the library, paste any article, or use the Chrome extension on a page you are already reading, and get a timed CAT-style set - four questions, four options, an explanation for every option. Make a point of picking essays from the genres you would rank fourth.
Frequently asked questions
Which RC passage should I attempt first in CAT?
The one that will give you marks for the least time. Spend about fifteen seconds on each of the four passages at the start of VARC and rank them by language (concrete or abstract), structure (clear paragraphs or one dense block) and question stems (direct or EXCEPT-heavy). Topic familiarity matters less than these signals.
Should I skip an RC passage in CAT?
Usually not. The four passages carry 16 of the 24 VARC questions, so a full skip gives up as many as 12 marks. It is almost always better to do the hardest passage last and answer only the questions you can support from the text. Drop most of a passage only when time forces it, or when your accuracy on that kind of passage is below about 50 percent.
Should I read the questions before the RC passage?
Read the question stems, not the options. Twenty seconds on the stems tells you which paragraph or idea the questions care about and which question will take longest, so you read with a purpose. Reading all the options first costs time and can plant wrong ideas before you have read the passage.
How much time should I spend on each RC passage in CAT?
About 7 minutes on average if you give 28 to 30 minutes of the 40-minute VARC section to the four passages. Give your easiest passage a little less and your hardest a little more, and check the clock after each passage rather than after each question.
Which RC questions are the hardest in CAT?
Questions that make you test every option against the passage: all of the following EXCEPT, strengthen or weaken, and what the author would most likely agree with. They are the right ones to leave for last in a passage, because they take longest and are the most likely to be wrong under time pressure.
Rank, read, review - on a fresh passage every time
Pick an essay from any genre, generate a CAT-style set, and write down your rank before the timer starts. Explanations for every option show you whether your read of the passage was right.