Miss Shweta advises in her youtube video to finish reading the passage in 2-3 mins and keep the rest 5-6 mins (out of total 8 for each RC passage) for solving questions.
Please give me advice on how to come through on that. People are solving RC passages in 4-5 mins, and I barely finish reading by minutes 4th or 5th. I've tried a lot to increase my reading speed. But with clear comprehension, I can only manage to read one-two paragraphs in one minute (two is a stretch).
Would appreciate any help. Thanks.
6 Answers
Hemanth · 2026-10-19 · 3 helpful
It mean just to skim and go through entire rc for once . 2-3 mins is comfortable sufficient to skim.
Don't try to understand each and every sentence in a single take it won't be possible for any one .
Refer to specific paragraph in detail after reading the questions.
Shillpiiiiiiii · 2026-10-19 · 2 helpful
its impossible for me to read 700 words in 2 mins btw
Markiv · 2026-10-19 · 2 helpful
You're not meant to read every word, skip examples, don't focus too much on retaining specific details like names places etc. Just get an idea of the the passage para by para. Keep a note where factual information is given eg para 1 or 2 so you can go back to it.
Aarav · 2026-10-19 · 2 helpful
reading in 2-3 mins is a skill that builds over 4-6 weeks, dont stress if you’re at 4-5 mins right now. few things that actually help.
first, stop subvocalising, that inner voice reading each word out slows you by 40%. train yourself to read in chunks of 3-4 words at a time instead of word by word. use your pen or cursor as a pacer, move it slightly faster than comfortable while reading, forces your eyes to keep up.
second, dont read for full comprehension on first pass. your goal in 2-3 mins is just the main idea of each para in 3-4 words, not every detail. details you fetch during questions. this one mindset shift saves 2 mins instantly.
third, practice daily with non CAT material too, read 2 editorials from the hindu or indian express every morning in a fixed time. this builds overall reading muscle. for CAT material, do 1 RC daily with a strict 3 min reading timer.
also, dense RCs (philosophy, abstract) will always take 4 mins even for 99 scorers, so dont expect 2-3 mins on everything
Shreya Garg · 2026-10-19 · 2 helpful
I have been Cracku for VARC and accordingly , they suggest to read an RC completely in 4-5 mins (max) , then solve questions. When you read an RC properly, you have a proper hold on it, you can handle the questions even if you attempt 2/3/4 , the main idea is that the accuracy should be close to 80%. And honestly , skimming doesn't work for me, i have to come back to the RC again and again so I don't do that way
Rahul · 2026-10-19 · 1 helpful
I read in less than 4 min and 4 min for solving
My do 2 or 3 right