CAT 2023 VARC Analysis: Slot 2 Breakdown & Strategy

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📋 Table of Contents

• Introduction
• CAT 2023 VARC Slot 2 Structure
• Reading Comprehension Review
• Verbal Ability Breakdown (Mandatory Question & Return of Odd Sentence)
• Ideal Attempt Strategy
• How to Solve Mandatory & Odd Sentence Questions
• FAQs
• Conclusion

🔍 Introduction

The CAT 2023 VARC Slot 2 section featured a combination of readable RCs and familiar Verbal Ability formats. A standout this year was the appearance of a “mandatory” VA question, which had to be attempted by all. This, along with the return of odd-sentence-out questions and the continuation of para-completion, meant that prioritization and time management were crucial. Here’s the full analysis.

📊 CAT 2023 VARC Slot 2 Structure

• Total time: 40 minutes
• Section overall: Easy to Medium

📘 Reading Comprehension Review

RC Topics and Difficulty

Insights

• Two passages were highly scorable: Fashion & Netflix
• Liberalism and History RCs needed sharper comprehension
• Ideal strategy: Solve 3 RCs, skip 1 (likely History)

🧠 Verbal Ability Breakdown (Mandatory Question & Return of Odd Sentence)

Para-jumbles (2 TITA Questions)

• 1 Easy, 1 Medium
• Flow logic + clue-based pairing
• Attempt both—TITA = No penalty

Summary Questions (2 MCQs)

• 1 Easy, 1 Medium
• Close-option elimination needed
• Avoid summaries with extra info or misaligned tone

Para-completion (2 MCQs)

• Both were easy
• Focused on logical continuation
• Must-read sentence flow, test insertion mentally

Odd Sentence Out (2 TITA Questions)

• 1 Easy, 1 Medium
• Identify mismatch in theme or tone
• Return of the format after reintroduction in 2022

⚠️ Mandatory Question

• One VA question (not specified which) marked as mandatory
• System required it to be answered to submit the section
• Strategy: Avoid skipping any question without checking status

⏱️ Ideal Attempt Strategy

Time Allocation

• RCs: 25–27 minutes
• VA: 13–15 minutes
• Attempt all TITA and low-effort VA types (summary, para-completion)

📌 How to Solve Mandatory & Odd Sentence Questions

For Mandatory Questions

• Confirm any ⚠️ marked question before navigating away
• Avoid flagging and skipping—answer all VA if unsure which is mandatory
• Attempt the easiest ones first to avoid last-minute pressure

Odd Sentence Strategy

1. Group 4 of 5 logically (topic, tone, flow)
2. Identify the sentence that disrupts flow or diverges in topic
3. Use connectives and subject match as clues
4. Recheck your grouped paragraph—if it sounds natural, the leftover is likely the odd one

❓ FAQs

1. Was CAT 2023 Slot 2 more difficult than Slot 1? No. It was similar in structure and slightly easier in terms of RC readability.
2. What is a mandatory question in CAT VARC? It’s a flagged question marked as mandatory (⚠️), meaning it must be attempted for the section to be submitted.
3. Should I skip the Historical Fact RC? Only if short on time or struggling with abstraction. Attempt first three RCs for maximum return.

✅ Conclusion

The CAT 2023 VARC Slot 2 paper balanced familiarity and freshness with the mandatory question alert, continued use of para-completion, and odd-sentence-out format. With strategic selection, students could easily push past 95 percentile. Focus on quick RCs, risk-free TITA questions, and alert handling of flagged items.