I categorised all 360 VARC questions from CAT 2021-2025. One question type makes up 33% of the entire section.
RC Inference alone is 50% of all RC and 33% of VARC -- 119 questions across 2021-2025. The shift happened in 2022 and has held every year since. Para Jumble and Para Summary are tied at 38 questions each. Full breakdown inside.
The data
All 360 VARC questions from CAT 2021-2025, tagged by type and question subtype. Split: 67% Reading Comprehension, 33% Verbal Ability (Para Summary, Para Jumble, Sentence Insertion, Odd Sentence Out).
Topic breakdown
| Topic | Questions | % of VARC |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 240 | 67% |
| Para Jumble | 38 | 11% |
| Para Summary | 38 | 11% |
| Sentence Insertion | 28 | 8% |
| Odd Sentence Out | 16 | 4% |
Questions by topic (360 total)
Reading Comprehension: 240 questions (67%)
4 passages per slot, 4 questions each = 16 RC questions per slot. Breakdown by question type:
| Question Type | Questions | % of RC |
|---|---|---|
| Inference | 119 | 50% |
| Detail / Factual | 43 | 18% |
| Main Idea / Primary Purpose | 20 | 8% |
| EXCEPT-type | 13 | 5% |
| Vocabulary in Context | 13 | 5% |
| Weaken / Critical Reasoning | 10 | 4% |
| Purpose / Structure | 6 | 3% |
| Application | 5 | 2% |
| Author's View | 4 | 2% |
| Tone & Attitude | 3 | 1% |
The headline number: Inference is 50% of RC and 33% of the entire VARC section.
The shift that happened in 2022
Year-by-year Inference as a share of RC questions:
| Year | RC Questions | Inference | Inference % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48 | 15 | 31% |
| 2022 | 48 | 28 | 58% |
| 2023 | 48 | 21 | 44% |
| 2024 | 48 | 30 | 62% |
| 2025 | 48 | 25 | 52% |
RC Inference as % of RC questions -- year by year
2021 had the lowest Inference share at 31%. From 2022 onwards Inference has been the majority RC type every single year. If your practice is based on 2019-2021 papers you are practising the wrong mix.
Three things that surprised me
1. Inference is not just "important" -- it is the single most tested skill in the entire CAT paper.
119 questions out of 1,002 total = nearly 12% of the complete exam. Treating it as one RC type among many is a calibration mistake.
2. Para Jumble and Para Summary are exactly tied at 38 questions each.
Both have 38 questions across 5 years. Para Summary has a consistent, learnable pattern (eliminate extremes, pick the balanced summary) and the skill transfers to RC Main Idea. Para Jumble prep time is frequently over-allocated relative to the payoff.
3. Sentence Insertion has grown to 8% of VARC.
28 questions across 15 slots, nearly 2 per slot. This format is growing and consistently under-prepared. Odd Sentence Out (16 questions, 4%) is smaller and less frequent.
Suggested time allocation (100 hours for VARC)
| Focus area | Hours | Why |
|---|---|---|
| RC -- Inference specifically | 38 | 119 questions; single largest skill in the paper |
| RC -- all other types | 22 | Detail, Main Idea, Vocabulary, Tone, EXCEPT |
| Para Summary | 14 | 38 questions; learnable pattern; transfers to RC |
| Sentence Insertion | 12 | 28 questions; growing trend |
| Para Jumble | 8 | 38 questions; consistent but plateau'd |
| Odd Sentence Out | 6 | 16 questions; overlaps with Para Jumble skills |
RC deserves about 75% of VARC hours. The 50/50 RC/VA split seen in most coaching schedules is inconsistent with where the actual marks come from.
Put this into practice
Solve CAT VARC PYQs — filtered by topic, with full solutions.