Soil disturbance caused by the installation of prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) in soft soil deposits has a detrimental effect on the rate of consolidation. Design methods available for PVDs capture the effect of soil disturbance typically by reducing the in situ hydraulic conductivity in the disturbed zone (also called the smear zone) with the assumption that the hydraulic conductivity is spatially constant over the entire disturbed (smear) zone. However, it has been shown recently through laboratory and field studies that the hydraulic conductivity has a spatial variation within the disturbed zone. Based on data available in the literature, four possible profiles of hydraulic conductivity versus radial distance from the vertical drain were identified. Analytical solutions were developed for the rate of consolidation considering these hydraulic conductivity profiles. The study shows that the consolidation rate depends on the hydraulic conductivity profile in the disturbed zone.