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CAT Books 2022: Check Section Wise Preparation Books for QA, VARC, DILR, Study Material , Topper Tips
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
- CAT Books are important for learning complex concepts, short tricks, and solving questions of different types and difficulty levels. Check CAT Paper Analysis
- Candidates can refer to Arun Sharma CAT Books like How to Prepare for DILR/ QA/ VARC for CAT.
- Choosing the right CAT books is the most important step while devising a preparation strategy for the exam. CAT books should also contain topic-wise solved and unsolved questions for practice. Check CAT Question Papers
- Most of the toppers also suggest Pearson Guide for Verbal Ability as well as CAT books by Nishit Sinha. Check CAT 2022 Syllabus
- Apart from referring to Books for CAT preparation, candidates can also consider CAT Online Coaching for comprehensive preparation for CAT 2022. Also Check CAT Cutoff
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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
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:
- Arun Sharma CAT books consist of the present and past patterns of CAT along with the key changes marked.
- The book is constantly updated with new chapters, topics, exercises, and replica questions along with the approach to answering these questions.
- There is conceptual clarity on each topic along with fundamentals explained. All the books by Arun Sharma include topic-wise quizzes and practice questions.
- There are separate books available for each VARC, DILR, and Quant so that students can focus on the weak topics individually.
- All the books also previous year topic-wise CAT questions for practice and better understanding.
| 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 |
CAT Books by Nishit K. Sinha
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.
- Previous year questions along with detailed answers are present.
- The specialty of the books by Nishit K. Sinha is that each book focuses on conceptual clarity. The questions and the solutions are well explained in detail.
- Students can find a lot of practice questions which may help them to get an understanding of a variety of 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 |
CAT Books for VARC 2022
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.
1. How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT
| Author | Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay |
| Publisher | McGraw Hill Education |
| Latest Edition | Eighth Edition |
| ISBN | 9789353160197 |
CAT Book Analysis
- This book not just helps in VARC preparation for CAT, but also is a one-step solution for other MBA exams like XAT, IIFT, CMAT etc.
- The latest CAT pattern is followed and is updated regularly.
- The book is full of practice tests with detailed solutions.
- Proper analysis is done for the past year's papers.
- It is written in a lucid manner along with topic-wise segregation.
2. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT
| Author | Nishit K. Sinha |
| Publisher | Pearson |
| Latest Edition | Third Edition |
| ISBN | 9332570027 |
CAT Book Analysis
- This book is one of the recommended books by experts for CAT preparation.
- There is a hierarchical order of difficulty in practice exercise which helps the student to test his preparation level. It also helps recognize the weak areas that need attention.
- It is counted among the best CAT prep books. It is a comprehensive book for aspirants aiming for CAT, XAT, SNAP, and IIFT.
- The book is presented in a crisp, clear, and compact manner.
- Test papers of other exams are also provided with an extensive solution.
3. Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension
| Author | Ajay Singh |
| Publisher | Arihant |
| Latest Edition | Eleventh Edition |
| ISBN | 9312145754 |
CAT Book Analysis
- The book includes all types of questions with detailed solutions as per the latest exam pattern of all the MBA entrance exams.
- It contains the management entrance solved papers from 2016 onwards for MAT, CAT, IIFT, SNAP, XAT and others
- The book is comprehensive and will help the student improve performance in English Language Section for all MBA exams.
- It has more than 200 passages for extensive practice.
4. Other Books for CAT VARC
| 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 |
Quick Links
- CAT Previous Year Question Papers of Quant
- CAT Previous Year Question Papers of VARC
- CAT Previous Year Question Papers of DILR
CAT Books for DILR 2022
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
1. How to prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT
| Author | Arun Sharma |
| Publisher | McGraw Hill Education |
| Latest Edition | Sixth Edition |
| ISBN | 9353167140 |
CAT Book Analysis
- The book is written according to the latest CAT pattern and syllabus.
- It is a one-stop solution for all other MBA entrance exams like XAT, IIFT, SNAP, etc.
- The exercises are designed in a manner that boosts thinking in a logical manner.
- All the new chapters are included. It also has the latest mock test papers for extensive practice.
- Shortcuts, tips, and tricks are present to solve each type of question.
- Questions on Data Sufficiency are one of the best explained in this book. It contains a variety of questions in this area.
2. How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for CAT
| Author | Arun Sharma |
| Publisher | McGraw Hill Education |
| Latest Edition | Fifth Edition |
| ISBN | 9353167132 |
CAT Book Analysis
- It offers a simple and well-defined approach to getting an idea of LR topics.
- It is one of the best CAT prep books which has a lot of exercises and different types of questions in each topic.
- The best thing about this book is that it has the concept of a Reaction tracker which helps us to solve a particular LR problem.
- There are practice questions with varying difficulty as per the revised CAT exam pattern.
- This book also has reasoning questions from IIFT and XAT with detailed solutions.
Check CAT Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning Preparation
3. Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for CAT
| Author | Nishit K. Sinha |
| Publisher | Pearson |
| Latest Edition | Sixth Edition |
| ISBN | 9386873516 |
CAT Book Analysis
- It is one of the books suggested by toppers that covers both the LR and DI parts of CAT.
- The book has all the fundamental and advanced DI topics along with detailed cases.
- Each chapter is followed by an exercise that provides clarity on the concepts.
- The book is self-sufficient for other MBA exams like XAT, SNAP, IIFT, etc.
- The book also contains 5 section tests in a CD for practice.
- There are more than 2500 solved DILR questions with varying difficulties.
4. Other Books for CAT DILR
| 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 |
CAT Books for Quantitative Aptitude
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This is a tough section compared to the other 2. Quant for CAT books include:
1. How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT
| Author | Arun Sharma |
| Publisher | McGraw Hill Education |
| Latest Edition | Eighth Edition |
| ISBN | 9353160180 |
CAT Book Analysis
- Among all CAT prep books by Arun Sharma, this book is the best for Quantitative Aptitude and is highly recommended by toppers and experts.
- The book clarifies on fundamentals and also guides to the approach towards questions of higher difficulty level. The detailed explanation is easy to understand.
- It has the latest trends of questions which are useful for all MBA entrance exams.
- One of the best parts is that the author explains how to use the elimination process for a quick answer to save time.
- Mock test papers are available with extensive solutions.
Must Read: CAT Quantitative Aptitude Preparation Strategy
2. Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT
| Author | Sarvesh K. Verma |
| Publisher | Arihant |
| Latest Edition | Tenth Edition |
| ISBN | 9313195283 |
CAT Book Analysis
- Among the Arihant CAT books, Quantum CAT is one of the most popular and recommended books. The book has more than 300 concepts of quant section explained.
- The book is rated as one of the best books for Quantitative aptitude. The latest edition has more than 4000 solved questions.
- The book gives an easy approach to the problems and is recommended by many toppers.
- The book contains the tips and shortcuts to approach CAT questions for all the topics.
Download CAT Quantitative Aptitude Practice Papers
3. Quantitative Aptitude for CAT
| Author | Nishit K. Sinha |
| Publisher | Pearson |
| Latest Edition | Fourth Edition |
| ISBN | 9332570019 |
CAT Book Analysis
- The book has all the major topics of CAT syllabus explained in detail. It also has some tips and strategies along with analysis of each problem.
- This book has a huge question bank for practice.
- The difficulty of the questions varies in each topic for benchmarking. The new edition is one of the best and recommended by toppers.
- The book also contains a CD with 5 online tests for practice.
4. Other Books for CAT QA
| 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 to Refer for CAT Preparation
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.
CAT 2022 Study Material
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.
CAT Study Material for QA
CAT Study Material for VARC
CAT Study Material for DILR
Newspapers to Refer for CAT Preparation 2022
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.
- The Hindu
- Time
- Business Week
- Newsweek
- The Economist
- National Geographic
- Fortune
- Business World
CAT Preparation Tips 2022
- Read the articles and editorials in the newspaper regularly. It will help improve your RC skills.
- To increase your time management skills, solve more practice questions and mocks.
- Keep the fundamentals clear and work on your weak areas.
- The books that are recommended for CAT preparation are the books by Arun Sharma and Nishit K. Sinha. Always go for the latest edition of CAT preparation books.
- DILR section is practice-based. Hence, solve a lot of practice questions in this section.
- If you are taking coaching, use CAT preparation material provided by the institute.
- If you are stuck on a particular topic in a book, don’t waste time on it. Move on and solve other questions.
CAT Topper Tips for Preparation 2022
- Always get to the conceptual depth on every topic of CAT.
- You should have only one or two good CAT preparation books.
- Don’t forget to solve the exercises, practice questions are given after each topic in the preparation books. Also, give mock tests regularly.
- Do focus on the weak areas and try to solve as many questions on those topics.
CAT Books 2022 FAQs
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.
CAT 2024 : 314 Answered QuestionsView All
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
Other Colleges In The Same Group
IIT Madras - Indian Institute of Technology - [IITM]
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
IIMA - Indian Institute of Management
Ahmedabad, Gujarat
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