How to achieve 100 percentile in CAT VARC: Strategy and tips from a 100 percentiler

A 12-year CAT coach and FMS Delhi alumnus who scored 100 percentile in VARC (69/72 raw score) in CAT 2024 has shared one of the more comprehensive frameworks we've come across for excelling in this section. The central principle he emphasises — and one that resonates with what we've seen across student conversations — is falling in love with reading non-fiction analytically, not just reading fast.

His recommendation is concrete: 3-4 hours of reading daily, with a target of completing 30+ high-quality non-fiction books before your exam. Critically, he stresses reading on screens as well as paper, since CAT passages appear on screen and comprehension habits need to be built accordingly.

On exam strategy, his approach is more structured than most aspirants realise. He advises being selective about which RC you attempt first — abstract philosophy or psychology passages should be avoided at the start. His sequencing method involves alternating between RC and VA questions, completing easier paragraph completion and parasummary questions first (targeting 1 RC in 4-6 minutes), and reserving the harder question types — parajumbles and odd-ones-out — for when roughly 20 minutes remain.

He is unambiguous about one thing: speed-reading and skimming techniques actively hurt VARC performance. Slow, comprehension-focused reading is the method. Analytical reading, in his framework, means mentally numbering points within a passage and building a mental map of its content structure as you go.

On mock tests, the number he gives is specific — at least 20-25 full-length attempts. In our experience tracking student preparation patterns, this volume of mocks is where most meaningful VARC improvement actually consolidates.

For anxiety management, he shared something unusually candid: when targeting 100 percentile in the actual exam, he personally used Box Breathing — a technique associated with Navy SEAL training — to manage hyperventilation during the test. It's a reminder that even expert-level preparation has a psychological dimension that needs deliberate attention.

There's a counterpoint worth noting here. A perspective shared by a 99.89 percentile VARC scorer points to a different emphasis — consistent RC practice through structured resources like the VARC1000 course, rather than heavy independent reading, was what worked for them. Both approaches produced elite outcomes; the right fit likely depends on your current reading baseline and how far out you are from your CAT attempt.

The coach himself offers an important caution on score targeting: he advises students against consciously chasing 100 as a goal during preparation. In his observation, excessive pressure around that number tends to backfire, and 99+ scores typically emerge when candidates are in a relaxed, flow-oriented state during the exam.

For aspirants still building the reading habit, his practical recommendations are grounded: start with topics that genuinely interest you, deliberately reduce smartphone usage and short-form video consumption, and use a physical dictionary rather than your phone when you encounter unfamiliar words. The reasoning is specific — looking something up on a phone introduces distraction-driven dopamine hits that break the deep reading state you're trying to build.

The picture that emerges from all of this is that VARC at the 99-100 percentile level is less about technique hacks and more about sustained, honest investment in reading — built over months, not weeks.