CAT 2025 VARC good score can range anywhere between 35 and 40 depending on the percentile you are aiming for. Your scores will depend on the overall exam difficulty level and question distribution, percentile goals, speed & comprehension skills, inference ability, vocabulary knowledge, Logical Reasoning skills, etc. If you are targeting a 100 percentile, you must score 33-35 marks in the VARC section. Similarly, 28-30 marks should put you in the 99+ percentile. Notably, since there is a negative marking for incorrect answers, you must avoid random guessing, learn to eliminate options that are clearly incorrect, and identify the questions that you can confidently answer first.
Also Read:
Expected Slot-wise Good Score in CAT 2025 VARC
There will be three slots for the CAT 2025 exam, on November 30, 2025. The following tables summarise the scores required to reach particular percentiles in every slot based on expert forecasts and past trends.
CAT VARC 2025 Slot 1 Good Score
Score Range | CAT Percentile |
|---|---|
33-35 | 100 |
28-30 | 99+ |
22-24 | 95+ |
18-20 | 90+ |
14-16 | 85+ |
12-14 | 80+ |
CAT VARC 2025 Slot 2 Good Score
Score Range | CAT Percentile |
|---|---|
32-34 | 100 |
28-30 | 99+ |
22-24 | 95+ |
18-20 | 90+ |
14-16 | 85+ |
12-14 | 80+ |
CAT VARC 2025 Slot 3 Good Score
Score Range | CAT Percentile |
|---|---|
34-36 | 100 |
30-32 | 99+ |
22-24 | 95+ |
18-20 | 90+ |
14-16 | 85+ |
12-14 | 80+ |
Also Read:
| CAT 2025 DILR Attempts vs Percentile | |
|---|---|
| CAT 2025 VARC Attempts vs Percentile | |
How Many Questions to Attempt in CAT 2025 VARC for a Good Percentile?
Scoring well in CAT 2025 depends on attempting the correct number of questions. Correct answers carry a penalty of one mark, which means you should avoid guessing. Here's a broad rule on the number of questions to try for various percentile levels in the VARC segment.
If you want a higher percentile, for instance, you should concentrate on quality rather than quantity to make sure you fully grasp the questions you decide to try. Conversely, lower percentiles could allow you to use a somewhat more expansive strategy as long as you maintain precision. Practice is absolutely vital; knowing the question patterns will help you boost your confidence and exam performance, and decision-making. In the end, your whole score can be much influenced by your strategy of choosing questions.
VARC Attempts | CAT Percentile |
|---|---|
14-16 | 99+ |
12-14 | 95-99 |
10-12 | 90-95 |
8-10 | 85+ |
How to Achieve a Good Score in CAT 2025 VARC?
Lastly, how do you achieve a good score in CAT 2025 VARC. Let us find that out below:
- Master Reading Comprehension Skills: VARC consists of a great part of RCs. To increase understanding and speed, routinely read varied literature like newspapers, editorials, and essays.
- Strengthen Verbal Skills: Boost your verbal skills by learning vocabulary and grammar norms. Often tested are synonyms, antonyms, and contextual meanings. Get practice spotting these.
- Analyze Past Papers and Mocks: Reviewing past CAT papers and practice exams will allow you to identify question patterns and increase accuracy.
- Time Management: Get yourself paced. To guarantee you don't spend too much time on one section, split the section time between RCs and VA (Verbal Ability).
- Stay Constant: One must be constant. Regular practice and changes can enable you to keep ideas and increase your confidence.
CAT 2025 Score vs Percentile
Percentile/Exam Slot | Detailed Analysis Link |
|---|---|
99 | |
| 98 | |
97 | |
96 | CAT 96 Percentile vs Score Analysis 2025 |
| 95 | |
| 94 | |
93 | CAT 93 Percentile vs Score Analysis 2025 |
92 | CAT 92 Percentile vs Score Analysis 2025 |
College-wise Expected CAT 2025 Cutoff
Name of College | Cutoff Link |
|---|---|
IIM Mumbai | |
| MICA | |
| MDI Gurgaon | |
BIMTECH Noida | CAT 2025 Cutoff Percentile for BIMTECH Noida |
KJ Somaiya | CAT 2025 Cutoff Percentile for KJ Somaiya |
| IIFT Delhi | |
Great Lakes Institute of Management | CAT 2025 Cutoff Percentile for Great Lakes Institute of Management |
FORE School of Management | CAT 2025 Cutoff Percentile for FORE School of Management |
BITS Pilani | CAT 2025 Cutoff Percentile for BITS Pilani |
CAT 2025 Percentile vs Colleges
Percentile | List of Colleges Link |
|---|---|
- | |
| 85 | |
| 99 | |
| 95 | |
| 94 | |
| 93 | |
| 92 | |
| 91 |
Although the CAT 2025 VARC portion can be demanding, with proper preparation and practice, it is controllable. Maximising your chances of a high percentile requires concentrating on developing comprehension skills, vocabulary, and test tactics. A top VARC score will follow from consistent practice, study of simulated tests, and rigorous time management techniques.
For more details about CAT 2025, keep visiting CollegeDekho ! If you have any questions, you can also fill out the Common Application Form (CAF) or call our helpline at 1800-572-9877 (toll-free). You may also use our QnA section to reach out to us and have our professionals resolve your queries.
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FAQs
The CAT VARC cutoff 2025 for IIMs will be different for different categories:
- General category: 80 percentile in VARC and 85 percentile (overall)
- NC-OBC category: 75 percentile in VARC and 75 percentile (overall)
- EWS category: 70 percentile in VARC and 75 percentile (overall)
- SC category: 65 percentile in VARC and 70 percentile (overall)
- ST category: 55 percentile in VARC and 65 percentile (overall)
- PwD category: 50 percentile in VARC and 60 percentile (overall)
Yes, CAT uses negative marking to discourage guessing. 1 mark will be deducted for every incorrect answer, applicable to all Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) throughout sections—including VARC. But Type In The Answer (TITA) questions do not carry negative marking, hence even if doubtful, it is advisable to try them. However, there is no penalty if you leave a question unanswered. To minimize negative marking, you must avoid random guessing, learn to eliminate options that are clearly incorrect, and identify the questions that you can confidently answer first.
The best approach to attend the CAT VARC section in 2025 includes understanding the CAT exam pattern and the weightage of topics asked in the VARC section first. Candidates must make it a habit to read a wide range of passages from various subjects (literature, science, philosophy, etc.) to adapt to different writing styles and answer questions within a set time limit to build efficiency. Aspirants must also brush upon basic grammar rules and expand their vocabulary using tools like flashcards or vocabulary apps.
To improve your score in the CAT VARC section, you must improve your reading speed and comprehension by developing the habit of reading articles from diverse sources like newspapers, journals, and magazines daily; increase your accuracy in RC passages through active reading and trying to understand the author’s main argument, and using the elimination technique; refining your verbal ability skills by practising parajumbles, odd sentence out, para summary, sentence completion, etc; and practising CAT previous year question papers and high quality mock tests.
To score a 90+ percentile in CAT VARC, you must aim to score around 25 to 28 out of a total of 72 marks. A total of 14 to 16 questions in the VARC section, with 10 to 12 RC questions and 4 to 5 VA questions with more than 85% accuracy can fetch you a 90+ percentile.
To score a 95+ percentile in CAT VARC, you must aim to score around 28 to 30 out of a total of 72 marks. An attempt of 16 to 18 questions in the VARC section, with 10 to 12 RC questions and 5 to 6 VA questions with more than 85% accuracy can fetch you a 97+ percentile.
To score a 97+ percentile in CAT VARC, you must aim to score around 30 to 32 out of a total of 72 marks. A total of 17 to 18 questions in the VARC section, with 12 to 13 RC questions and 5 to 6 VA questions with more than 85% accuracy can fetch you a 97+ percentile.
To obtain a 100 percentile in CAT VARC, you must aim to score around 40 to 45 out of 72 marks. For a 99+ percentile, you must score approximately between 35 to 40 out of 72 marks. A total of 18 to 22 questions in the VARC section, with 16 to 18 RC questions and 6 to 8 VA questions with more than 85% accuracy can fetch you a 99 to 100 percentile.
An attempt ranging from 18 to 22 questions out of the total 24 in the VARC section with above 85% accuracy can be considered a good attempt in CAT 2025 VARC. Since approximately 16 questions are asked from Reading Comprehension, candidates must aim to attempt around 12 to 14 RC questions with a high accuracy. Out of the 8 questions asked from VA, candidates must attempt 4 to 6 questions accurately. For securing a 95+ percentile, candidates must attempt 16 to 18 questions, and for a 90+ percentile, they must attempt 14 to 16 questions with high accuracy.
A score ranging from 35 to 40 out of 72 can be considered a good score in CAT 2025 VARC since it corresponds to a 99+ percentile. However, this can vary year-to-year depending on the difficulty level of the VARC section. Candidates obtaining scores within this range can seek admission to top IIMs. A score between 32 to 34 can also be regarded as a good score as it fetches a 98 percentile in the VARC section.
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