Common Admission Test, otherwise known as CAT, is an exam conducted by the Indian Institute of Management every year. The exam is meant to select talented young minds for their graduate courses. Admission to management degrees in any Indian university requires a valid CAT Score. Admissions to more than 100 colleges in India and 20 IIMs are possible through the CAT exam. It gives the applicants a wide range of options in India. The test duration is about 2 hours, and it tests the student’s quantitative aptitude, mental ability and language skills.
Byju’s Exam Prep is an online learning platform meant to support all those who aspire to write the exam. It helps you prepare using the right strategies and providing apt resources. Read on to know more about the CAT exam syllabus and resources.
CAT Syllabus
The CAT syllabus covers a wide range of topics from the basics to graduate-level. The main subjects in the cat exam are:
- Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning
- Quantitative Aptitude
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
The correct balance of verbal intelligence, logical/analytical thinking and reasoning ability is required to qualify the examination.
It is easy to get distracted with the overwhelming amount of resources you see on the internet.CAT syllabus is not a challenging exam to crack if you prepare well enough. Using the right resources is key. It’s not the amount of time or the number of materials you use; it is the smart work that you put in that gives you an edge over other candidates.
How to Choose the Best Books for the CAT Exam?
One should keep the following points in mind while choosing books for the CAT exam:
- The books should be easily accessible.
- The book should contain accurate information and should be free from random errors.
- The book should give a basic idea about the subjects and ample practice questions.
- There should be solved problems to follow and methods to attempt exams.
- There should be alternate approaches to solve a particular puzzle or problem.
- The books should have a range of questions in the foundation, average and complex levels.
Which Books should be Used to Crack the CAT Syllabus for all Subjects?
Based on the wide range of subjects and the syllabus that focuses on distinct areas, it’s hard to find all the material in a single book. So, the best strategy is to follow different texts for different subjects.
Best books for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT exam
| Sl. No. | Text Book | Author |
| 1 | How to Prepare for QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE for CAT | Arun Sharma |
| 2 | Quantitative Aptitude for CAT | Nishit K. Sinha |
| 3 | Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations | Abhijit Guha |
| 4 | Quantitative Aptitude Quantum Cat | Sarvesh Kumar |
| 5 | Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations | R. S. Aggarwal |
NCERT textbooks give a firm foundation upon which one could build. Then one could move on to R. S. Aggarwal to understand the concepts in depth. Next, one could turn to higher-level books that have ample questions. Practice is the key to cracking maths.
Best books for Verbal Ability for CAT Exam
| Sl.No. | Text Book | Author |
| 1 | Word Power Made Easy | Norman Lewis |
| 2 | 30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary | Wilfred Funk & Norman Lewis |
| 3 | A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning | R. S. Aggarwal |
| 4 | Trishna’s Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning for the CAT and Other MBA Examinations | T. I. M. E. |
| 5 | The Pearson Guide to Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT | Nishit K. Sinha |
To start from basic vocabulary and build on it, Word Power made easy by Norman Lewis is a good option. Besides that, reading the newspaper everyday helps update general awareness and provides good fluency in language use.
Best Books for Logical Reasoning for CAT Exam:
| Sl. No. | Text Book | Author |
| 1 | CAT 2021: Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning | Gautam Puri |
| 2 | Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for CAT | Nishit K. Sinha |
| 3 | Prep Guide DI/ DS | Sandeep Bajaj Ananta Ashisha |
| 4 | How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for CAT, Common Admission Test & other Competitive Examinations | Arun Sharma |
| 5 | A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning | R.S.Agarwal |
Besides these, practising previous year’s question papers and mock tests could help understand one’s weaknesses and upgrade the preparation, focusing on weak areas. The Past Years’ CAT questions by G. K. Publications is a good book for practising these questions.
Finding all these books is a tedious task and to learn everything or to cover every book from cover to cover is not easy. Candidates should be smart and use a minimum amount of resources while focusing more on practice and revision. BYJUS Exam Prep helps you prepare using the best resources and study material without searching for all the books. The material is curated with extensive research by excellent faculty. Besides providing textbooks or learning material.
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