Where Do CAT RC Passages Come From, Check Year-wise Analysis

CAT RC Sources: The Reading Comprehension (RC) section forms the majority of the CAT VARC section, with almost two-thirds of the questions. Thousands of aspirants have been asking themselves this question about CAT passages every year, whether they are written specifically for the CAT test or taken from previously published material. Follow this article to know more!

Check the pdf below for Sources of CAT RC Passages from 2020-2025

Download CAT RC Passage Sources PDF

CAT VARC Section Overview

The CAT Reading Comprehension (RC) is a key part of VARC, testing your ability to understand, interpret, and analyze diverse passages. The table below provides a quick overview of the VARC section including weightage.

With RCs accounting for 67% of the Verbal section, knowing the sources of RC passages will be very useful for CAT aspirants.

What are the Most Common CAT RC Passage Sources?

Aeon Essays features articles of varying length about topics in philosophy, psychology, science, history and culture, which is one of the most common sources. It is very reflective and is similar in complexity to CAT RCs.

Another popular source is The Economist, which frequently has articles on technology, business, global affairs, politics, and economics. Likewise, a handful of sections have been contributed over the years from publications like The Guardian, The Atlantic, The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, TIME or Prospect Magazine. In the same way, CAT has selected extracts from books, academic journals, encyclopedias and research papers that provide a lot of analysis.

Also Read: CAT VARC Cheat Sheet PDF by Sayali Mam, Download Now

Most Frequently Asked CAT RC Topics Over the Years

A major misconception of the aspirants appearing for CAT exam is that they have to learn all the topics before the exam. In practice, the main assessment of CAT will be based on the student's reading ability and not on their knowledge of the subject. Regardless, there are some recurring motifs.

Philosophy is still a frequently tested area. Ethics, human action, freedom, morality, reason and political philosophy have been constant features. The questions are often hard to read because of the philosophical jargon in the passages, but the questions are rarely asking for a philosophical knowledge.

There are also a number of CAT RCs devoted to science and technology with topics like artificial intelligence, biotechnology, astronomy, climate, nature preservation, renewable energy, neuroscience or evolution.

Another frequent category is history and sociology. Previously, there have been papers addressing colonialism, migration, archaeology, civilizations, language change, urbanization and cultural change. Likewise, literature, art, music, psychology, economics and business management features prominently, keeping the RC section intellectually interesting.

Source-Wise Analysis of Previous CAT RC Passages

The reading sources are clearly identifiable from an analysis of the CAT previous year papers of the last few years. Aeon Essays has become one of the most reliable sources on topics of philosophy, psychology, sociology, and culture. The publication's detailed and argumentative prose is very similar to that which is required to understand what CAT wants to assess.

Another source that is regularly used is the Economist. There are some CAT RC passages which have been mainly about economics, technology, politics, environmental issues and business trends.

The Guardian and The Atlantic regularly focus on social, political, environmental and public policy issues. Smithsonian Magazine is often featured in passages on history, archaeology, wildlife and scientific discoveries, while Scientific American features articles written in an easy-to-understand manner.

The passages have also been taken from books, encyclopedias, university publications, research journals, and specialized magazines like Cambridge Core, Britannica, and MIT Press and other academic journals. The diversity means that pupils cannot expect to learn from one source (the newspaper) and so have to learn to cope with different styles of writing and different levels of difficulty.

Also Read: CAT VARC Preparation Guide for Beginners with Practice Plan

Following are the Sources of RC Passages for Last 2 years:

Sources of CAT RC Passages in 2025

Sources of CAT RC Passages in 2024

How to Build a CAT RC Reading Habit Using These Sources

Here are some tips:

• Start with two or three sites. Newcomers might find it easier to read articles in The Guardian or Smithsonian Magazine. Once you're confident, start reading more advanced ones like Aeon Essays and The Economist.
• Outline the main idea, determine the tone of the author, mark the supporting details, and summarize the idea in each sentence. Once you have completed an article, attempt to explain its main ideas in your own words without referring to the article.
• Build a habit of reading CAT Daily Articles. Record new words, make notes on interesting arguments and provide a summary of each article in 4-5 sentences.
• Solve previous year paper RC questions where you'll notice common trends in writing, types of questions that are frequently asked, and the little tricks that the answer choices play.

CAT RC Sources: Conclusion

Aspirants can build these skills by reading publications that have inspired CAT RC passages in the past and practicing active comprehension daily. With consistent effort, they'll gradually gain the confidence and analytical ability needed to handle even the toughest RCs on CAT exam day.