CAT 2012@ Reading Comprehension for CAT 2012: What they check & how to prepare

In the previous article of MBAUniverse.com, you have known about the common six categories of questions which are asked in the Verbal Ability section of CAT, in the grammar portion. Other major areas in the CAT include Reading Comprehension, English Usage and Verbal Reasoning. If you are preparing for CAT 2012 and find Verbal Ability your weak area, fret not. MBAUniverse.com will guide you throughout your preparation journey for CAT 2012.

In this article of MBAUniverse.com, we will guide you on Reading Comprehension preparation, which is an integral part of the Verbal Ability area. Reading Comprehension is given 35 to 45 per cent weight in among the other questions of this area.

With the change in the pattern from paper pencil based test to the computer based test, the Reading Comprehension passages have also undergone some changes. S K Agarwal, Author & Verbal Ability expert – MBAUniverse.com mentions that the length of the passages have reduced from 1200 words to 700 to 800 words.

What does Reading Comprehension check?

The Reading Comprehension section basically checks your understanding of English language, word power and how well you can comprehend a given passage. RC is the ability to read and understand unfamiliar materials and to answer questions about them. Your focus while reading should be NOT to READ fast but to COMPREHEND fast.

Expert Suggestion

One of the most tried and tested method to excel in Reading Comprehension or the entire section is to read as much as you can with proper understanding and implementing the knowledge you acquired while reading. As Gautam Puri, Vice Chairman, Career Launcher states, “Merely reading is not enough; you must read the right books, newspapers, magazines and journals to prepare for the questions on Verbal Ability.” He also adds, “Understanding the English language and its nuances can only be inculcated with regular reading. Read on a variety of subjects and get comfortable with them; national and international dailies, the edit page, the finance section, famous speeches, English literature, all should be given some amount of time.”

Arks Srinivas, CEO, VistaMind Education and ex Director, T.I.M.E. suggests, “For Reading Comprehension, get familiar with the type of questions and paragraphs is the key. Make sure that you spend at least half hour every day on this area so that you are either taking a slip test or reviewing one.”

Practice is the key for excelling in Reading Comprehensions, “There is no limit to practice. Suppose we draw a line from zero preparation to say, a certain level of preparation leading to CAT 2012. The student, who is going to appear in CAT 2012 has at least, an idea of his level of preparation. Grammar, Vocabulary, comprehension passages and other practice exercises should become a part of the regular study till the result of the examination to the desired level is not received,” says S K Agarwal.

Improve your reading Speed
Speed reading is one of the tried and tested methods which help in improving the performance in Reading Comprehension area. “For Reading Comprehension, increasing speed of reading by around 50 words per min from whatever the present state you are in should be the target,” says Srinivas.

To read the other articles on Verbal Ability, click on the following links:

Verbal Ability for CAT 2012: Know the common errors in the Grammar questions & the ways to tackle

Verbal Ability for CAT 2012: Past years trends & preparation techniques