XAT Reading Comprehension Preparation 2023: Exam Pattern, Best Books, Difficulty Level

XAT Reading Comprehension is part of the XAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section which comprises of total 26 questions in Part I of XAT. Candidates will be allotted a total of 165 minutes for Part I which will consist of two other sections- Decision making and Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation. There is no sectional time limit. Reading Comprehension is an important part of XAT Syllabus 2023 with passages expected from economic issues, fiction, psychology, history, social issues, technology, philosophy, etc. Check XAT Exam Pattern 2023. 

• The difficulty level of Reading Comprehension in VARC is often compared with the VARC section of CAT. The passages are smaller but the difficulty level is higher.
• Based on the previous year's trends, the overall Verbal Ability section of XAT had an easy to moderate difficulty level with 18-22 questions considered as good attempts. Check XAT Exam Analysis 2022
• The Reading Comprehension includes passages with around 3-4 questions in each. Due to the dynamic nature of the topics in Reading Comprehension, candidates should follow a well prepare strategy for this section. Check XAT Verbal Ability Preparation 2023

XAT Reading Comprehension Difficulty

In XAT 2022, the Verbal Ability section had an overall difficulty level of easy to moderate. The total number of questions in this section was 26. 

• There were around 4 Reading Comprehension passages from topics like Stupidity, Conformism, Bullshit, and Lifestyles with around 3-4 questions in each.
• There were also 2 poems with 3 questions in each.
• In 2021, the overall difficulty level of the Verbal Ability section was moderate to difficult. There were a total of 17 Reading Comprehension questions from 6 passages and 1 poem. The passages were 150-350 words long.

XAT Verbal and Logical Ability 2023 Exam Pattern

Tricks for Reading Comprehension Passages

1. However boring the RC passage maybe, the candidate has to go for a thorough reading of the same to get a general idea. Read again, a little at a slower pace to comprehend the details. Try writing a summary and be as precise as you can. The summary you write shouldn’t exceed one-third of the original passage. Keep a note that if you can prepare the summary, you can crack the questions with much more ease.
2. While writing the summary practice writing down full sentences and make a chart on time taken in reading the entire passage and then writing down the summary of the passage. Find out if the time is decreasing with practice.
3. There can be certain vocabulary in th passage that is new, but the parts of the sentence or paragraph in which it used can be understood in general, so try not to panic. The options and the hint that you have taken, in all likeliness, be correct, if the general meaning is understood.
4. Always have a paper and pen while practising RC and try to write down new and essential words. By the time you finish, a broad comprehension of the passage will be apparent and the candidate will be prepared to answer the question.
5. Skimming or selective reading of a passage at a fast pace will benefit the candidate to grasp the theme, central idea, title and tone of the passage.
6. Scanning or reading for select information involves looking for the compulsory information from a part of the passage. This will benefit the candidate to answers questions that are direct or specific and located in parts of the passage.
7. Intensive Reading or reading every part of the passage and trying to comprehend all sentences of the passage will benefit the candidate to answer questions based on inference, which of the following is true/untrue and the EXCEPT questions.

Also Read:

• XAT Syllabus 2023
• XAT Exam Pattern 2023 

Tips to Navigate through Reading Comprehension Passages

1. If one cannot reduce answer choices to TWO choices, then it is advised to leave the question and move ahead.
2. In all of the previous XAT papers that in any difficult question, 3 or 4 options are invariably wide off the mark leaving the test taker with a clear opportunity to get down to 1 or 2 options. Thus, always have a good look at the answer options before leaving any question unattempted.
3. EXCEPT questions, Which of the following is NOT TRUE, Which of the following is CONTRARY to…type of questions may initially come across as challenging to answer but are really the easiest questions in this sub-section. This is as a result of 4 options that will have been specified with the passage and the correct answer choice will not have been quoted at all in the passage or will be wide off the mark.
4. The practice of the tones that will be arriving in the paper such as naïve, ironical, hyperbolic, sarcastic, objective etc. Check XAT VARC Practice Papers
5. Comprehend the dissimilarities between inferences, conclusions and assumptions.
6. If the candidate is still not certain of this question type after going through the guidelines listed above, then it is advised he/she graze and scan the passages, answer the theme/direct question of the passage and move on to other areas of the section quickly. Do not get knocked out with one question or passage. Nonetheless, please do not neglect more than 8 questions in this section untried as XAT authorities can punish the candidate to the extent of 0.1 marks per question.
7. Learn to leave questions untried whose answers you have no clue of. DO NOT be conceited and cocky and try and attempt all questions (along with the questions whose answers you cannot narrow down to two options). This recklessness on your part will in most probability make your percentile go down. Also, you will have exhausted a lot of time in answering only a few questions. Cultivating a good sense of the questions to leave alone can come about only by rehearsing a lot of mock tests. Read: XAT Coaching Centres Online
8. Cultivate a sense of imagery. This will assist in answering questions asked from poems – For example, ‘A Black Lake’ will symbolize? Answer: Freshwater lakes are colourless. A lake that is black in colour puts the opposite – water that is black because it is dirty, polluted and poisoned by chemical effluents and where new plants or fish cannot grow or breed. Thus, the black lake represents a lack of rebirth.
9. Cultivate good reading habits. In the run-up to the XAT, allot some time every day for learning from good materials like the 100 Best Books in Gutenberg and other classics.

Also Read:

• XAT Verbal Ability Syllabus, Pattern, PDF, Previous Year Analysis, Preparation Tips
• XAT Decision Making Questions With Solutions, Tips, Pattern
• XAT Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus, Sample Questions, and Preparation Tips

XAT Reading Comprehension 2023 Preparation Books

Read: XAT Section Wise Best Books

XAT Reading Comprehension 2023 Syllabus

Though there is no fixed syllabus for Reading Comprehension, candidates can expect passages regarding information, central idea-focused, right or wrong statements, explanation of words and phrases, reader’s observation, etc. Candidates can expect questions from Reading Comprehension based on the following topics:

• Economic Affairs
• Fiction
• Psychology
• Culture
• Science
• History
• Literature 
• Social Science 
• Philosophy

XAT Reading Comprehension FAQs

Ques.: How many questions are expected from Reading Comprehension in XAT? 

Ans.: Reading Comprehension is a part of Verbal and Logical Ability in XAT Part I. There are a total of 26 questions. In 2022, there were a total of 4 passages with 3 questions from each. Candidates can expect around 4-5 passages of 300-450 words with 3-4 questions from each passage.

Ques: What is the difficulty level of Reading Comprehension in XAT?

Ans: The difficulty level of Reading Comprehension in XAT is usually moderate to difficult. A few difficult passages can be expected in XAT question paper. 

Ques.: How much can I take for Reading Comprehension questions in XAT?

Ans: Candidates are allotted a total of 165 questions for Part I of XAT.  There is no sectional time limit. However, an attempt should be made to complete the entire verbal ability section in a maximum of 50 minutes. Ideally, for Reading Comprehension, candidates can allocate a total of 30 minutes.

Ques.: What are some of the common types of questions from Reading Comprehension in XAT?

Ans: Some common types of questions from Reading Comprehension in XAT include passages based on the central idea, tone questions, agree-disagree statements, inference, vocabulary, and fact-based passages.

Ques.: What are inference and structure-based questions in Reading Comprehension of XAT?

Ans: In Inference questions, candidates are required to deduce, analyse and decipher the passage. Structure-based questions follow a certain flow of ideas. These questions are based more on the ability to decipher the purpose of the particular paragraph.