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28 June, 2024
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The CAT Exam 2024 is one of the most significant and demanding IIM entrance exams for MBA aspirants in India. You must have strategic planning and the appropriate resources to ace the exam. If you want to crack the CAT exam and get a good percentile, you should refer to the best CAT exam preparation books and thoroughly understand the CAT exam pattern and syllabus is necessary. Using the best study materials is essential to your success since they offer organised content, sample questions, and insightful analysis of exam trends. Selecting the best books to prepare for CAT and study can have a big impact on your readiness by assisting you in creating a solid foundation of knowledge and efficient problem-solving techniques. You may maximise your potential by improving your abilities, managing your time effectively, and approaching the CAT 2024 with confidence if you follow the proper preparation advice and use top-notch study materials.
The CAT 2024 exam dates are out! Do you also aspire to get admission into top B schools? Of course, you can with the right CAT exam preparation book. Read the blog further to learn about the preparation strategy for CAT and the best study materials, such as books and resources.
CAT is the entrance exam required to be admitted into the MBA programme. The CAT exam is conducted once a year. It is generally conducted by one of the IIMs on a rotational basis. One of the best IIMs, including IIM Bangalore, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Lucknow, and others, will administer the CAT Exam 2024. The resources are limited, and getting in the top percentile on the CAT exam is difficult. You should study some of the top CAT preparation books, which address each part independently. Read several types of sources to ensure that your preparation is on track. Some significant CAT exam preparation books will help you score well on the exam if you study.
Understand the Exam Structure: Become familiar with the CAT’s sections and question formats. Find out the total exam time and the time allocated for each section.
Establish a Study Timetable: Create a thorough schedule that includes all subjects. Give weaker regions more time and make frequent revisions.
Practice Examinations Through Mocks: Regularly take full-length practice exams to get a feel for the exam environment. Examine performance to determine your advantages and disadvantages.
Put Conceptual Clarity First: Learn the fundamentals of logical reasoning, verbal ability, and quantitative aptitude.
Boost Your Time Management: Practice answering questions in a timed manner. During the exam, practice prioritising and intelligently ignoring questions.
Keep Up with Current Events: To keep informed, read newspapers, magazines, and internet resources. Prioritise business, the economy, and national/international events.
Become a Member of a Coaching Institute: If you need advice, consider signing up for a respectable coaching programme. Participate in doubt-clearing sessions and attend classes regularly.
Use Internet Resources: For more practice, visit internet forums, movies, and study materials. Participate in discussion groups to get advice from mentors and peers.
Remain Motivated and Healthy: Following a healthy diet and exercise regimen to keep in shape. Take pauses, engage in hobbies, and maintain relationships with reassuring friends and family.
Embrace an optimistic Outlook: Focus on your objectives and believe in your skills. As you prepare, keep your confidence up and envision achievement.
The CAT exam consists of three sections: Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension. The table below lists the important topics of each section.
| Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus | |
| Surds and Indices | Profit & Loss |
| Trigonometry | In-equations Quadratic and linear equations |
| Number System | Geometry |
| Mensuration | Time-Speed-Distance |
| Partnership (Accounts) | Algebra |
| Ratios and Proportion | Geometric Progression |
| Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning Syllabus | |
| Clocks and Calendars | Series |
| Syllogism | Statements |
| Blood Relations | Venn Diagram |
| Data Arrangement | Proposition |
| Data Structures | Family Tree |
| Direction Sense | Tables |
| Binary Logic | Coding-Decoding |
| Pie Charts | Seating Arrangement |
| Assumptions | Data Sufficiency |
| Sets & Caselets | Puzzles |
| Bars & Line Graphs | – |
| Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension Syllabus | |
| Grammar | One-word substitution |
| Verbal reasoning | Sentence completion |
| Idioms | Syllogisms |
| Fill in the blanks | Preposition |
| Parts of speech | English Usage |
| One word substitution | Phrases modifiers |
| Synonyms and Antonyms | Vocabulary |
| Types of clauses | Subject-verb agreement |
| Jumbled paragraphs | Articles usage |
| Foreign language words used in English | Sentence correction |
| Errors in tenses | Analogies |
| Verbal logic | Para jumbles |
Choosing your study materials wisely before starting the CAT exam preparation process, especially CAT preparation books, is important. These books significantly impact how you prepare for this extremely competitive management admission exam and how well you score. You should consider the following points:
Practice Quality Study Material: Verify that the resources have sufficient practice questions, mock exams, and solved examples. You need high-quality practice to improve your problem-solving abilities and comprehend exam format.
Supplementary Resources: Use supplementary resources like extra practice books and question papers from prior years to improve your readiness.
Content Coverage: Make sure the books you use for the CAT address every important subject and idea in line with the most recent CAT exam format. Check out material that covers verbal ability, reading comprehension, data interpretation and logical thinking, and quantitative aptitude in detail.
Ease of Understanding: Select materials with concise explanations and a logical progression of simple ideas to grasp and follow.
Renowned Author/Publisher: Select CAT preparation books written by well-known experts or published by reputable firms that provide high-quality study guides. This guarantees content presentation accuracy and dependability.
Reviews and Recommendations: To find books that have assisted individuals in passing the CAT exam, read reviews and ask mentors, coaching centres, or successful CAT applicants for recommendations.
Budgetary Considerations: Although investing in high-quality materials is critical, consider your budget and try to locate the best products within your means. If you need them, look for discounted books, second-hand books, or library resources.
Check out the CAT exam preparation books below to help you study for the CAT 2024 exam.
Author: Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay
What it Covers: The book includes practice tasks and comprehensive explanations for every topic about verbal ability and reading comprehension.
How to Read: Prioritise understanding of the fundamental ideas and consistently practise the question papers. Make use of the reading comprehension passages to increase your accuracy and speed.
Author: Norman Lewis
What it Covers: This is the best book to prepare for the CAT. It covers vocabulary and many reading exercises that will help you score good marks with regular practice. It will help you develop vocabulary skills and present words with their pronunciations and definitions, and you can use them in sentences.
How to Read: You can divide each chapter according to your time. This is the best book for vocabulary.
Author: Wren & Martin
What it Covers: This is the best book on Grammar. It covers simple steps to enhance vocabulary and basic rules of comprehensive grammar and composition techniques.
How to Read: Use this book to strengthen your knowledge of grammar. Use the exercises as practice and the guidelines in your everyday writing and speaking.
Author: Nishit K. Sinha
What it Covers: The book contains 6 parts to practise verbal ability. It also contains more than 1500 solved practice questions. You can practise both verbal ability and logical reasoning with this book.
How to Read: You can dedicate time to this book according to your study schedule. You can divide the book into sections and read one topic at a time, which will help you enhance the concepts.
Author: R.S. Aggarwal
What it Covers: Both verbal and nonverbal reasoning concepts are covered in great detail in this book.
How to Read: Prioritise the verbal reasoning sections by consistently practising and evaluating your performance on the practice exams.
Author: Arun Sharma
What it Covers: The book covers various practice exercises and comprehensive data interpretation methods.
How to Read: Gradually advance to more complex DI sets by starting with the simpler ones. Practise daily according to the exam pattern, then evaluate your results.
Author: Nishit K. Sinha
What it Covers: This CAT preparation book covers practice questions, provides thorough solutions, and provides a thorough understanding of logical reasoning and data interpretation issues.
How to Read: Methodically review the parts, practising various questions to increase your proficiency and speed.
Author: Ananta Ashisha
What it Covers: The book emphasises the interpretation of data and its sufficiency using a variety of exercise sets.
How to Read: To lay a solid foundation, start with data sufficiency and work up to data interpretation through frequent practice.
Author: Nishit K. Sinha
What it Covers: This book provides logical reasoning techniques and practice questions for data interpretation.
How to Read: You should ensure regular practice, review, and divide your study sessions between logical reasoning and data interpretation.
Author: R.S. Aggarwal
What it Covers: It covers practice questions and a wide range of logical reasoning topics.
How to Read: Logical Reasoning is important for the CAT exam. So, to improve this section, concentrate on solving reasoning problems of a single kind at a time, practising the previous year’s questions for better understanding.
Author: Arun Sharma
What it Covers: Practice tasks and a thorough explanation of issues related to quantitative ability.
How to Read: Begin with the fundamentals and work up to more complex subjects, consistently practising and reviewing your solutions.
Author: R.S. Aggarwal
What it Covers: Detailed explanations for quantitative concepts and many practice questions.
How to Read: Proceed methodically through each subject, reviewing the explanations and working through the exercises.
Author: Sarvesh K. Verma
What it Covers: The book covers comprehensive instruction on numerical ability combined with challenging practice questions.
How to Read: Prioritise mastering the fundamental ideas before moving on to more complex problems, ensuring you comprehend the guiding ideas.
Author: Nishit K. Sinha
What it Covers: This book has techniques and practice questions for numerical aptitude. It contains a lot of practice questions.
How to Read: You can divide the chapters, practise them regularly for better scores, and evaluate your advancement. Do an in-depth analysis of results and make a separate note for last-minute revision of formulas.
Author: Abhijit Guha
What it Covers: Detailed explanation of quantitative topics with an emphasis on CAT-specific questions. You can find separate solutions for each topic.
How to Read: Practise 10-20 questions daily and evaluate them for better results.
In summary, choosing the best books to prepare for CAT is essential to pass the exam. Selecting reputed books from well-known writers and publishers can help ensure your study covers all the material and follows the most recent exam format. Use tools that provide many practice questions, mock exams, and thorough explanations to improve your ability to solve problems and prepare for exams. To help you make judgments, consider the advice and evaluations of knowledgeable individuals and successful CAT aspirants. Using the correct study resources, you can improve your confidence and performance on the CAT exam by properly preparing for Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude.
You can start preparing for the CAT by learning the syllabus and format of the CAT exam first. Make a study plan and follow it religiously. Start with fundamental ideas and work your way up to more complex subjects. To evaluate your progress and improve time management, take practice exams frequently.
The best books to prepare for CAT are study guides from reputable publishers such as Pearson, Arihant, and TMH. Excellent study materials are also available from internet sources. Practice using official CAT preparation books and previous year’s exam questions.
You need to study 6-7 hours a day. You should divide at least 2 hours for each subject. Ensure your study time is productive by comprehending ideas and resolving issues.
“How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude” by Arun Sharma, “Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension” by Meenakshi Upadhyay and Arun Sharma and Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for CAT” by Nishit Sinha are some of the best CAT preparation books.
