CAT 2018 VARC Analysis: Slot 1 Breakdown and Strategy

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📋 Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Overall Structure of CAT 2018 VARC Slot 1
• Reading Comprehension Overview
• Verbal Ability Section Breakdown
• Passage-Wise RC Breakdown
• Major Surprises in CAT 2018 VARC
• Best Approach & Strategy
• FAQs
• Conclusion

🔍 Introduction

The CAT 2018 VARC Slot 1 analysis reveals an unexpected relief for many students. The para-jumbles were easier, the RC passages were familiar, and only summary questions posed a serious challenge. In this article, we explore every section in detail, including passage-level insights and strategic takeaways to sharpen your prep.

📊 Overall Structure of CAT 2018 VARC Slot 1

📘 Reading Comprehension Overview

Format

• 5 passages in total:

  • 1 passage with 4 questions
  • 4 passages with 5 questions each

• Word count: ~500–550 words

Key Features

• Moderate difficulty
• Mix of factual and inference-based questions
• Options were not extremely tricky, enabling better accuracy with smart elimination
• Only 4–5 tricky questions in total

🧠 Verbal Ability Section Breakdown

Para-Jumbles (4 Questions)

• All questions had 4 concise sentences
• TITA format (no negative marking)
• 2 were straightforward, while the remaining 2 needed practice in identifying logical flow
• Key Strategy: Identify opening sentences and look for mandatory pairs using connector clues

Odd Sentence Out (3 Questions)

• One easy, one moderate, and one tricky (bumblebee passage)
• Required awareness of paragraph coherence
• Useful technique: identify the outlier by checking sentence roles (contrast, summary, detail)

Summary Questions (3 Questions)

• Short passages (~80 words) but conceptually dense
• Topics involved research methods and academic writing
• Options had overlapping phrasing, increasing difficulty
• Tip: Attempt only if confident in abstract reasoning

📚 Passage-Wise RC Breakdown

🎯 Major Surprises in CAT 2018 VARC

• Easier-than-expected para-jumbles (especially notable after 2017’s tricky ones)
• All para-jumbles had only 4 sentences, making them quicker to solve
• Summary passages were abstract, increasing reading time
• Options were simpler, but passage content made summary questions deceptive
• No prior indication of the number of questions per RC in the instructions

⏱️ Best Approach & Strategy

What Worked in 2018

• Attempt all 4 para-jumbles (no penalty, quick to solve)
• Select 4 RCs based on topic comfort and skip the most abstract one if needed
• Attempt 1 or max 2 summary questions only if confident
• Use POE (Process of Elimination) in RCs to improve accuracy

Ideal Attempts for 90+ Percentile

• Total Attempts: 26–28
• Target Accuracy: 85–90%
• Time Allocation:

  • RCs: 40–42 minutes
  • VA: 18–20 minutes

❓ FAQs

1. Was the VARC section in CAT 2018 Slot 1 easier than CAT 2017? Yes, especially due to simpler para-jumbles and fewer tricky RC options.
2. How many TITA questions were there? There were 7 TITA questions—all in the Verbal Ability section.
3. Should I attempt all summary questions in such papers? No. Attempt them only if the topic feels manageable and logical elimination seems possible.

✅ Conclusion

The CAT 2018 VARC Slot 1 paper brought welcome changes—clearer RCs, easier para-jumbles, and only a few challenging questions. However, the real test lay in smart question selection and time allocation. Learning from this paper helps sharpen your instinct for spotting scoring opportunities and avoiding traps.