CAT 2024 BOOKS
NATIONAL LEVEL ONLINE TEST
CAT Books are an essential part of exam preparation. CAT aspirants are advised to choose books that have been updated according to the latest exam pattern and syllabus only. CAT exam pattern has been revised and as per that CAT 2022 paper will have 66 questions only. Check CAT 2022 Exam Pattern
Table of Contents |
Read the article to know more about CAT Books for preparation and books suggested by toppers.
Quick Links:
CAT 2021 Question Papers | CAT 2020 Question Papers | CAT 2019 Question Papers |
CAT 2018 Question Papers | CAT 2017 Question Papers | CAT Mock Test |
Arun Sharma CAT Books for preparation are one of the best ones available in the market; majorly because his books are available for all three sections that form part of CAT exam pattern. Here are some of the key features of CAT books by Arun Sharma:
Section | Book | Author | Publication |
---|---|---|---|
VARC | How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT | Arun Sharma & Meenakshi Upadhyay | McGraw Hill Publication |
DILR | How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT | Arun Sharma | McGraw Hill Publication |
DILR | How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT | Arun Sharma | McGraw Hill Publication |
Quant | How to prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT | Arun Sharma | McGraw Hill Publication |
Books from Nishit K Sinha are also quite popular among CAT aspirants. The book is available for each of the three sections. It also has up-to-date CAT pattern and questions.
Section | Book | Author | Publication |
---|---|---|---|
VARC | Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT | Nishit K. Sinha | Pearson Publication |
DILR | Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation for CAT | Nishit K. Sinha | Pearson Publication |
Quant | Quantitative Aptitude for CAT | Nishit K. Sinha | Pearson Publication |
Quick Links:
CAT 2022 VARC Syllabus | CAT 2022 DILR Syllabus | CAT 2022 QA Syllabus |
In order to seek admission into the top management colleges such as IIMs, it is essential to have a good preparation strategy for CAT. To cover all topics, one must choose the best CAT books for self-learning.
Author | Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay |
Publisher | McGraw Hill Education |
Latest Edition | Eighth Edition |
ISBN | 9789353160197 |
Author | Nishit K. Sinha |
Publisher | Pearson |
Latest Edition | Third Edition |
ISBN | 9332570027 |
Author | Ajay Singh |
Publisher | Arihant |
Latest Edition | Eleventh Edition |
ISBN | 9312145754 |
Name of the Book | Author/ Publisher |
---|---|
Word Power Made Easy | Norman Lewis |
How to Prepare for VARC for CAT | Sharma and Upadhyay |
High School English Grammar and Composition | Wren and Martin |
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Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation tests a candidate’s ability to think fast and solve tricky questions. Must Read: CAT Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning Preparation
Author | Arun Sharma |
Publisher | McGraw Hill Education |
Latest Edition | Sixth Edition |
ISBN | 9353167140 |
Author | Arun Sharma |
Publisher | McGraw Hill Education |
Latest Edition | Fifth Edition |
ISBN | 9353167132 |
Check CAT Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning Preparation
Author | Nishit K. Sinha |
Publisher | Pearson |
Latest Edition | Sixth Edition |
ISBN | 9386873516 |
Name of the Book | Author/ Publisher |
---|---|
A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning | R S Aggarwal |
Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency | Anantha Ashisha |
Analytical Reasoning | M K Pandey |
This is a tough section compared to the other 2. Quant for CAT books include:
Author | Arun Sharma |
Publisher | McGraw Hill Education |
Latest Edition | Eighth Edition |
ISBN | 9353160180 |
Must Read: CAT Quantitative Aptitude Preparation Strategy
Author | Sarvesh K. Verma |
Publisher | Arihant |
Latest Edition | Tenth Edition |
ISBN | 9313195283 |
Download CAT Quantitative Aptitude Practice Papers
Author | Nishit K. Sinha |
Publisher | Pearson |
Latest Edition | Fourth Edition |
ISBN | 9332570019 |
Name of the Book | Author/ Publisher |
---|---|
Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations | R S Aggarwal |
Quantitative Aptitude | Abhijit Guha |
Magical Book on Quicker Maths | M Tyra |
NCERT books are a good way to start CAT preparation if you need to clear your basic concepts. The NCERT mathematics class 6-10 books may help you learn some useful basics. But remember that only start your preparation from NCERT books if you have a lot of time in hand before the exam. It may be useful to brush up on some concepts to go ahead with the advanced problems. If you have limited time to study, it is recommended to go ahead with other publications books as mentioned.
Given below are the links for CAT Study Material for various topics of CAT VARC, DILR, and QA. You can find the explanation of concepts, sample questions, and tips to crack the questions.
It is also recommended that aspirants should read newspapers and journals to improve reading comprehension skills. Reading these materials will help to get a strong command of the English language which in turn will help in the VARC section.
Ques: What are the best books recommended for CAT?
Ans: Some of the best books for CAT preparation are by Arun Sharma and Nishit K Sinha. All three books by Arun Sharma for VARC, DILR and QA are highly recommended.
Ques: Should I take up coaching for CAT preparation?
Ans: No. It is not necessary to take coaching. There is enough material available for CAT preparation like reference books, online material and test series if candidates are willing to prepare via self study. You can also download study material and previous year CAT question papers with solutions from the links above.
Ques: Is study material provided by coaching centre necessary while preparing for CAT?
Ans: No. You can refer to other material like books from different authors like Arun Sharma, Nishit K Sinha, R S Aggarwal, etc. These books can be a great source for preparation.
Ques: Which are the other sources for CAT preparation?
Ans: There is a lot of material online available which is also free. Apart from this, online test series for mocks is a great way of learning. Other paid online coaching like Unacademy, BYJU’s, Career Launcher, T.I.M.E, etc., may also be helpful.
Ques: How much time do I need for CAT preparation?
Ans: There is no definite answer to that. The time depends on your current knowledge of CAT concepts. However, a good 7-8 months of preparation can help you get great results. Focus on completing the syllabus and practicing more sample papers and mocks.
Ques: What are some of the best colleges to target after writing CAT?
Ans: Some of the top IIMs which accept CAT score are IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore, etc. Some other top colleges are FMS, SP Jain, MDI also accept CAT score.
Ques: What is the CAT fee structure?
Ans: For the past three years, the fee for CAT is Rs 1700/- (general category) and Rs 850/- (reserved category). The application mode is online.
Ques: Is there General Awareness section in CAT?
Ans: XAT, IIFT, SNAP, TISSNET, CMAT, MAT exams have GK section. CAT does not have a GK section mentioned in the exam pattern it only covers Quants, DILR and VARC. But candidates are judged on their awareness skills during WAT/PI rounds.
Ans. Before taking any decision, you must go through all three options that you have in great detail. There are a few reasons why you should not go for IIM-Kozhikode. First, the fees are extremely high, estimated to be around Rs 19.00 lakh. Second, the average package offered at IIMK is around 16-17L, and you will earn more than that after two years. But, once again, if you are desperate for an MBA, you can enroll in IIMK, which comes with the 'IIM' label, which will be very useful in the long run. Give CAT once more. You only need to get a high CAT score and then leave the rest up to their selection process. Second, CAT is extremely unpredictable. With proper preparation, you can achieve excellent results. So, if you're willing to work another year and are confident enough to take the CAT, this is the perfect way to take it. You should look into PGPX from ISB or elsewhere. This option is appealing, but it requires hard work and careful consideration. If you enjoy working in IT and want to advance quickly, this is the path to take. Read more
Ans. Every IIMS and other management colleges make a shortlist based on the percentile after CAT result is declared. With percentile, IIMs also consider other factors like academics, category, gender factor, diversity, etc. The list is made for the second round i.e. GD/PI or WAT/PI. GD/WAT will have a generic topic. There can be a topic from current affairs. PI is taken by some of the faculty and alumni of the institute. In institutes like FMS, there is an extempore after PI. After these rounds, a final shortlist is made with weightage given to GD/PI or WAT/PI performance and CAT percentile. Individual IIMs also have some additional factors. The offer letters are then sent out to top candidates in each category up to the maximum number of seats. The rest candidates are waitlisted. As students choose admissions, the waitlist continues to change. Read more
Ans. I know this decision is a bit difficult to make. What you need to keep in mind is that these two colleges should not be compared to other great IIMs or even ISBs. Those B Schools are at another level and cannot be on par with Kashipur or Raipur. To facilitate a better decision, I will mention the circumstances of these B Schools then you can choose after considering all options. IIM Indore and IIM Kashipur: Both these colleges are not worth a year drop as they will help you earn only an extra 1.5-2 LPA. Moreover, in the coming years, Kashipur and Raipur will have almost the same brand value as that Indore and Kozhikode. IIM Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Lucknow and Bangalore: All these top IIMs are definitely worth a year's drop provided that you are confident enough to cope with the cutoff. All these IIMs consider your academics while selecting so if that is your reason for the year drop I don’t think it will help. There is no surety of admission even after a percentile of 100. ISB: This one is at a whole different level and is in the category of elite B Schools like UCB, NYU, HBS, etc. The top-notch faculty offers amazing pedagogy at relatively low fees. CAT is sufficient for IIMs. But if you want to go for ISB, a work experience of 4+ years and a GMAT are a must. Read more
Ans. IIMs shortlists students for admission based on their CAT score. The second step of selection is GD-PI. For final selection, students are usually shortlisted based on their past academic performance, entrance examination score, and performance in GD-PI. IIMs also consider other factors such as work experience, gender diversity, academic diversity, etc. while shortlisting students. Weights given to these factors are different for different IIMs. Having relevant work experience can certainly help you get a shortlist. Read more
Ans. Everyone knows that IIM A values diversity over grades. There have been students who were not even waitlisted at IIM K but were at IIM A due to their extremely unique profiles. If you want to build a profile for IIM A, strive for originality. Do something that no one else is doing, such as starting a blog, having a strong digital presence on Instagram, writing on Quora, and so on. Consider what students with a 99 percentile typically do, such as being brilliant in academics and receiving a call from IIM Ahmedabad. Choose a domain in which these students are unlikely to excel and excel in that domain. Furthermore, activities such as writing a blog or hosting a YouTube channel will undoubtedly help you, in the long run, to secure summer and final placements during your MBA. As a result, you will gain valuable insights and hands-on experience with various social media tools such as SEO, SEM, Analytics, and so on. Read more
Ans. If you are aiming for old IIMs such as IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, you will need to score above 99 percentile in CAT. For IIMs and other top-tier B-Schools in India, the CAT cutoff stays above 90 percentile. If you have a good profile, and 99+ CAT score, you can expect to get calls from old IIMs, XLRI, JBIMS, IIFT, FMS, etc. Read more
Ans. Here are some of the things that you will realize after appearing for the CAT examination. Spend the first few minutes going over the papers before diving in. Browse through the problems and start with the ones that you know you can solve in one go. CAT prioritizes solving not sequence. If you aren’t sure about an answer, leave it. Concentrate on other problems. You shouldn’t spend more than 2-3 minutes on a single problem. Don’t use the elimination method, if you can solve the problem in less than 1 minute. Do rough work thoroughly. Don’t answer any questions, just by guessing. There will be a few lengthy questions. Try to ignore these. Even CAT toppers don’t score the full marks. CAT doesn’t test your knowledge. The only thing matters are how much you score. So, try to attempt as many questions as you can correctly. Read more
Ans. You need to practice a lot in order to be able to solve Quantitative Aptitude in the CAT examination. Quants involve using mathematical ability as well as imagination. You need to memorize some concepts as well as formulas. CAT syllabus for Quants includes a lot of topics that we have studied in 9th and 10th and only the application is different for topics such as PNC & Algebra, Numbers, etc. Most important topics in terms of weightage are as follows. Arithmetic Algebra Geometry Numbers P&C, Series, Log Several chapters are easy and can be completed in a short period of time. You should start your preparation with numbers, it is the base for the quants topics. Once you are a clear knowledge of the topics, start giving time-based mocks. Analyze the mocks and work on the common mistakes that you made. Read more
Ans. Yes, average students can crack CAT. Students who get through CAT at one go, have the right aptitude for CAT, which was built over time. They have been practicing Maths right from their school days and have been avid readers. If you are average at your studies, you need to spend a lot of time practicing, in order to score good percentile in CAT. Most students usually have gaps in Maths or DILR or English. You need to put in the extra hours to bridge the gap. Find out the subjects in which you are weak, clear the basics, and practice as much as you can. Read more
Ans. Take a look at the below table to know what CAT score will fetch what CAT percentile, for 2022. Percentile Score VA-RC Score DI-LR Score QA Overall Score 90% 29 1 26 72 95% 32 20 29 81 In 2021, for 90 percentile the required score was 59 and for 95 percentile the required score was 72. Read more
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College
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