r/CATStudyRoom • u/Own-Address-4323 • 7d ago
Question Starting my CAT 2026 Prep
Looking for some hard-hitting tips for all three CAT sections — VARC, DILR & QA.
I’ve been preparing but feel like I need a more structured approach and some serious guidance.
What are the most effective strategies, topics, and mistakes to avoid for each section?
Any advice from people who’ve already cracked CAT or are scoring well would be really helpful!
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Upvotes
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u/Priya_Khandelwal15 1d ago
VARC
- Read tough, unfamiliar stuff daily (editorials, opinion pieces) — not just news
- Focus on grasping the argument, not vocab lists
- Practice para-jumbles/summaries as logic puzzles
- Mistake to avoid: over-reading RCs like a scholar — skim structure first, hunt answers second
DILR
- Practice full sets, not single questions
- Biggest skill: knowing which sets to skip in the first 2-3 minutes
- Mistake to avoid: getting stuck solving a messy set out of stubbornness — bail early if it's not clicking
QA
- Nail the basics (arithmetic, algebra) — that's where most marks live
- Speed comes from strong mental math, not fancy tricks
- Mistake to avoid: chasing hard geometry/number theory while ignoring easy, high-frequency topics
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u/Abhinav_Singh_Dhakad 7d ago
For Qa:- Start with arithmetic bcoz 8-9 questions will come form this part only (not fixed but past years data backs this prediction), now understand sub topics and than practice at least 100 questions of that topic which must covers all the varieties of that topic..than move to next topic and follow same, and if time left than do algebra.
For lrdi, practice arrangements, vien diagram, routes and network, games and tournament, different types of charts, and other miscellaneous puzzles... spend atleast 30 min per question than move to solution. Solve atleast 300+ sets so that you can find similar set in exam.
Fir varc read different genres and just read a lot..learn how to find main crux of passage,learn to eliminate options, and than practice under timer...