CAT Preparation Books

Pursuing MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow and other IIMs by scoring high in CAT exam needs a good preparation strategy through books for CAT preparation. So, which are the best books for CAT preparation and for first time CAT takers and second or third time CAT takers, which books are best to start preparing for CAT? MBAUniverse.com comes to help you with the 10 best recommended books for CAT exam preparation and guidelines how to choose from these books.  

CAT toppers at IIM Ahmedabad like Akshay Mehndiratta, Pranjal Agarwal with 100 percentile and at IIM Calcutta with 99+ percentile like Anjali Sam, Nikita Choudhary, Shivam Shrivastava  have recommended the following authors’ CAT Books:

• Section wise Arun Sharma CAT Books Latest Edition
• CAT books by Nishith K Sinha

According to Tanuj Ruia, IIM Bangalore pass out student, the Best Recommended Books for CAT Exams Preparation are by Arun Sharma. Besides, IIM Calcutta Student of MBA 2021-23 batch, Nandan Goel also said, “I believe that the books are self-explanatory and if I stay motivated throughout, then I’ll be able to make it without any extra help.” So, as stated by CAT toppers, CAT books are the best preparation support.

Some of the key features of these CAT books authored by Arun Sharma are:

• Each book on CAT preparation by Arun Sharma consists of past and present pattern of CAT exam with the key changes in CAT pattern
• The book is updated with new chapters, exercises, replica CAT questions and the approach how to answer
• Conceptual clarity and fundamentals with formula in each part of the CAT Preparation book by Arun Sharma on each topic is well explained followed by sectional quizzes and practice questions as well as past CAT questions on the topic.
• The books to prepare on VARC, DILR, Quant for CAT written by Arun Sharma are separately available so as to focus on the topic in which the CAT aspirant is weak.
• Each book on each CAT sectional preparation by Arun Sharma carries solved past CAT question papers

Let us review Arun Sharma’s CAT Books section wise  

Arun Sharma CAT Books Latest Edition for all the books is out as per the current CAT pattern with solved previous CAT papers and practice tests on Pull Marks. The CAT preparation books by Arun Sharma as per latest CAT pattern at a glance are shared below:

Arun Sharma CAT Books 10th edition with updated CAT pattern, exercises, Mocks and previous CAT papers is presently available and the 11th edition is coming soon. The best CAT Books by Arun Sharma 2023 with price are:

Let us review Arun Sharma’s CAT Books and other authors’ CAT books section wise with CAT exam 2023 books highlights

3.1 Section-1: CAT Books for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC)

Following are the best CAT books for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

VARC Preparation Book by Arun Sharma

Considered as the Best CAT Book for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, the VARC preparation book by Arun Sharma is:

• ‘How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT’- by Arun Sharma & Meenakshi Upadhyay
• Alongwith it, other CAT preparation material on VARC by Arun Sharma like practice questions, solved test papers, Mock tests can also be obtained

Below is shared the review of these VARC preparation books for CAT

Book Highlights

• Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension by Arun Sharma is considered as one of the best CAT preparation books for VARC preparation
• Book is divided into four parts – Reading Comprehension, Verbal Ability, Verbal Reasoning and CAT Papers (Real and Sample)
• Part-1 on Reading Comprehension deals with the approach to improve reading skills, strategy how to tackle different type of RC questions, solved RC passages from past CAT exams and number of sample tests on RC passages of different difficulty level  
• Part-2 on Verbal Ability consists of chapters, exercises and tips on Vocabulary usage, word formation, phrases, sample questions; Fill in the Blanks; Sentence Completion; Jumbled Paragraphs; Sentence Correction-Grammar usage; Fact-Inference-Judgement; questions from past CAT papers and sample questions with different difficulty level.
• Part-3 of the book clarifies the concept of Verbal and Critical reasoning followed by different question types and previous years’ questions from CAT exam. Other chapters with questions in this part are on Syllogisms, Binary Logic and Logical Deductions.
• Part-4 of the Book comprises past CAT papers and Model Test Papers on CAT.

Where this Book Scores High:

• This book is one stop solution to VARC Preparation for not just CAT but other exams like XAT, IIFT, CMAT, MAT, IRMA
• Actual Test papers upto CAT 2008 and from CAT 2017 to CAT 2022 available
• CAT Practice Tests on Pull Marks are provided
• Book is updated regularly and written with latest CAT pattern in mind.
• The book is full of exercises and practice tests with answers and detailed solutions

What you will miss in the Book

• Previous actual Test Papers from 2009 to 2016 are not available
• The text in the book covers major portion but the most recent types of questions which appear in Verbal Ability section like Para Summary, Picking the Odd Sentence Out from a Jumbled Para etc are not placed with suitable sub-title. As such reader has to look for it in Verbal Reasoning section.
• With the revamped CAT exam pattern, the book can be re-organized with the reader’s perspective who is preparing for the exam. The question types which have stopped appearing in CAT since 2015, can be rearranged and the relevant topics can be placed in the beginning of the Verbal Ability section.
• RC based questions in CAT have also changed. The book requires a few more such questions following each RC passage.
• CAT exam now has 25 to 28% of Non-MCQ type questions. More exercises on Non-MCQ, no penalty questions in the book are required.   

Book Highlights:

• Authored by CAT Topper Nishit K. Sinha, an IIM Lucknow alumnus.
•  The book is divided into 6 parts on Verbal Ability, Verbal Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, CAT papers, Sectional Tests
• Book contains section wise presentation on Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension topics with practice exercises, model test questions.
• There are 5 simulated CAT online tests in CD attached to the book
• There are 2000 solved questions in Book
• The Book contains new topics and exercises as per the recent pattern of CAT including Non- MCQ based questions
• There are previous years’ solved CAT papers in the Book

Where this Book Scores High

•  It is one of the recommended books for CAT exam Preparation by experts.
• Practice exercises are provided in hierarchical order of difficulty to enable the candidate to test himself of his preparation and recognize sectors of comfort and those that need particular attention
• Counted among the CAT Prep Best Books, the book is comprehensive one for the aspirants preparing for CAT and other similar examinations like XAT, SNAP, IIFT
• The book is compact and is presented in crisp, clear and comprehensive manner

What you will Miss in this Book

• Part 1 and 2 in the book have fewer questions relevant to revamped VARC section of CAT exam
• Although the Questions on paragraphs and para summary are included in sectional tests, they need to be included in Verbal Ability section also. 
• RC based questions as asked during last 2-3 years of CAT exam have changed. More such questions need to be included in RC Section.

Book Highlights

• Among the CAT preparation books for Vocabulary usage, this is the best book for CAT recommended by toppers
• Word Power Made Easy teaches simple, step-by-step method to improve Vocabulary
• The book is divided in hundreds of contextual usage of vocabulary words 
• The book helps you to learn how the each word is pronounced, how it should be correctly used without making grammatical mistake
• It is a small book which can be easily carried while you are travelling
• This book is a favorite among the CAT aspirants and is considered among the best books for CAT to improve vocabulary and reading speed

Where this Book Scores High:

• An interesting book which inspires you to read more. The more you read the more you learn. It will increase your knowledge and mastery of written and spoken English. 
• Word Power Made Easy teaches ideas and a method of broadening your knowledge as an integral part of the vocabulary building process. 
• The book to avoid illiterate expressions and helps you to use the vocabulary word correctly, without making embarrassing mistakes.
• Word Power Made Easy is written in a lively, accessible, and timeless style.
• The book has progress checks and quizzes to reinforce the material.
• Unlike the large volume CAT books by Arun Sharma, the size of this book is smaller and can be carried easily

What you will Miss in the Book

• One part is learnt and other is forgotten. Candidates preparing their vocabulary with this book give up even before crossing half of the book.
• Despite the thousands of contextual vocabulary usage available in the book, it is very difficult to complete it even in many months due to its wide coverage

Another good book which can help you to build your basics, strengthen your fundamentals and bring conceptual clarity, is High School English Grammar & Composition authored by P C Wren & H Martin, published in India by S.Chand. The book with MRP of Rs.400 is available at 15 to 30% discount online on Amazon, Flipkart.

More than one CAT exam books for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning preparation by Arun Sharma are available to prepare for DILR. This book by Arun Sharma is considered the best CAT book for Reasoning and for DILR Preparation. The books are

• ‘How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT’ - by Arun Sharma (Published by McGraw Hill)
• ‘How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for the CAT’ - by Arun Sharma (Published by McGraw Hill)
• Other Material for CAT preparation on DILR by Arun Sharma like practice questions, solved test papers, Mock tests are also available