The aspirants often get confused about which books they should follow to prepare for the CAT exam. The confusion arises due to the wide variety of books available in both offline and online markets. To help them in this regard, as well as save time, our experts have curated some important books that they can follow for their exam preparation.
The Common Admission Test (CAT) is a national-level MBA entrance exam and one of the toughest exams in the country. IIMs conduct the CAT Exam every year in the month of November to initiate the admission process at top management institutes in India. So, you must be well equipped with the best books to start your preparation and complete the syllabus on time.
Now, the question is, “Which books should I follow to prepare for the CAT exam?”. Read further to get a list of all the high-rated books to prepare for all three exam sections in the CAT.
Section-wise List of CAT Preparation Books
There are 3 sections in the CAT exam, including VARC (Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension), DILR (Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning), and QA (Quantitative Aptitude). All these sections are compulsory, and the candidates should not skip any of them.
To prepare for all these three sections and other important topics, you can follow the below-listed books:
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension Books
The books recommended by CAT experts for the CAT VARC preparation are listed below. Try to keep all these books on your study table and do preparation in a result-oriented way.
- How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT by Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay
- Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
- A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by RS Agarwal
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Books
To prepare for the DILR section and its related topics, you can follow the below books:
- Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for CAT by Nishit Sinha
- How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT by Arun Sharma
- Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for CAT by Pearson
Quantitative Aptitude Books
The following books cover all the CAT Quant topics and provide chapter-wise exercises for better conceptual clarity:
- Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by Sarvesh Verma
- Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by Nishit Sinha
- How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by Arun Sharma
- Quantitative Aptitude for All Competitive Examinations by Abhijit Guha
Apart from these CAT books, there are other study materials which you must follow to complete your preparation. It includes the following:
- NCERT Books for Class 8,9 and 10
- Wren and Martin English Grammar
- Regular practice of mock questions, sample papers and previous years’ exam papers.
CAT Books – How to Select?
Candidates must consider some important facts before selecting the CAT preparation books. There are many books available in the market. However, the proper books are those that have been written in accordance with the most recent exam pattern and syllabus. The criteria for making a list of preparation books are mentioned below. Additionally, all of the topics in the three main sections of the CAT exam – VARC, DILR and QA – must be covered in-depth.
- Always choose the CAT books with the latest edition: Because these books will give you a detailed insight into the latest changes in the syllabus and test structure.
- Simple and relevant content: Choose the CAT Preparation Books, which cover all the important chapters, chapter-wise exercises and practice questions at the end.
- Check the ratings of the publishers: Choose books from highly-rated publishers. Before buying the book, do online research on the digital platform to understand the credibility of the publisher.
There are enough study materials for CAT including the books, study notes and all. All of these are important to complete a section-wise preparation along with the important chapters of the exam. After all, the CAT is a test of intelligence just as much as it is a test of commitment and preparation.