How to improve reading habits for CAT?
- 30/03/2024
- Posted by: Yashita
- Category: CAT Preparation
Reading Comprehension tips for CAT:
The CAT (Common Admission Test) entrance exam for MBA is a portal to the topmost B-Schools and IIMs in India. The exam consists of 3 sections:
Verbal ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)
Quantitative Ability (QA)
A major problem that CAT aspirants suffer from is, reading comprehension. The VARC section in the CAT exam consists of various questions of grammar, para jumbles, para completion, etc. It also consists of reading comprehension based questions. Reading comprehension marks as an important section of the exam. Students can score well in this section, and some students may find difficulty in quick reading and comprehending. A special guidance is needed in improving the reading habits. If you have the question ringing on “How to Improve reading habits?” You can refer to the following points to improve your skills in reading and analyzing.
There are mainly three three types of Reading Comprehension passages for CAT exam:
- Analytical
- Descriptive
- Data Driven
The topics on which CAT Reading Comprehension passages are based include business & economics, science, humanities, social sciences, and current affairs.
Why are reading Comprehension skills important for CAT
Reading Comprehension can provide a number of benefits. It can improve your communication skills in your personal and professional life. It also aids in boosting knowledge in several areas and helps in gathering information faster.
Some other benefits of improving Reading Comprehension skills for CAT exam are
- Ability to analyze and respond to written documents, especially in the workplace.
- Improvements in ability to write clearly
- Ability to grasp current events that are in forms of newspaper articles.
- Increase in focus on reading for an extended period of time.
Tips on improving your reading habits
Some of the following tips will definitely help you in solving the Reading Comprehension question in CAT Exam and resolve your doubts regarding “How to improve reading habits for CAT?”
Look for keywords:
While reading you can scan the passages for words like hence, therefore, however, though, unlike, meanwhile. All of these words mark the starting of an important highlight and contradictory points in a paragraph that can often be used to catch the student’s attention to specific information. This helps you save time from reading the unnecessary lines or para.
Highlighting important lines:
A very traditional form of improving reading skills is to highlight the important lines or the lines you find difficulty in understanding, so that you can focus on them later after completing the whole reading session . This way those lines remain marked in your brain as cognition and you can come back to revise them easily. This way you can practice well without spending much time in scanning each line for important texts again and again. You can easily save your time off thorough readings and can easily utilize that time for practicing other topics that you find difficult.
Improving eye span:
Reading span or eye span as you may call it, is the number of words you can read in a minute and comprehend the meaning of the sentences. Reading thoroughly with a speed is a much required skill in management students which is high in demand. You can improve upon your eye span by reading articles, essays, books or newsletters by setting a time limit and regular reading. The average reading speed is around 280 to 300 words per minutes but CAT requires a minimum of 450 to 500 words per minute. You can use tracing your finger with the lines you read that may help you focus as well.
Skipping the passage completely:
A very common method used among students is skipping the passages completely and directly attempting the questions given below. When the questions are based on the data provided it is advisable to take a quick scan through the passage and go for the keywords that direct you towards information you need to solve the the questions below. This method saves your valuable time that you can acquire for practicing and learning other topics.
Developing a reading habit:
Reading not only helps you in improving your analytical skills but also provide you knowledge and additional information about the subject. Keeping the previous exam pattern in mind, the passages for RC were picked from Literature, Philosophy, Art, History, Science and Technology. Expanding your reading network by opting for different genres. Consistency in reading will help you develop a habit and give you a sharp eye for details.
Reading comprehension is an important section to score in your CAT exam. Hence, doing well in RC will require a lot of reading practice and comprehending skills. Steady practice, patience can help you make your management dream come true. With the help of aforementioned tips, CAT aspirants can easily improve their reading speed and attempt the CAT reading comprehension questions easily.
Must see:Â https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/reading-comprehension-tips/