MBA aspirants are usually worried about a lot of aspects about their CAT preparation, and choosing the right preparatory resources ranks right up there. While it is quite natural to worry about laying your hands on the best aptitude books possible, understand that it is not the factor that is going to determine your success in the exam. Know that there are many great quantitative and verbal aptitude books available in the market, and there is a very thin line that separates all of them. Make sure that you tackle your CAT preparation with an all-round approach. Take the help of aptitude books, free online resources like QS Leap and free mock tests. This 360 degree approach will help you way more than just relying on a couple of quantitative and verbal aptitude books alone.
Now that this is out of the way, let’s look at some of the best study materials available for CAT preparation. Many of you would perhaps try out books from coaching centres such as IMS and TIME. While these pretty good, you should also know the best books from an exam perspective. Understand that CAT is all about basics, and a good aptitude book does just that – soak you into basics!
Coming to the main focus of the article, Quantitative Aptitude is considered to be one of the toughest of all the sections of CAT and might need a test takers extra attention. Abhishake Koul, CAT Topper 2014, says, “The best strategy to prepare for your weaker section is to follow a book. I followed Arun Sharma for Quantitative Aptitude [QA] and also practiced from the same.”
What else you can do inside qs leap ?
While Abhishek selects Arun Sharma, Ravi Handa and the Pearson Guide to Quantitative Aptitude & Data Interpretation by Nishit Sinha as his preferred sources and books to prepare for QA, this article delves into few more trending and helpful resources to assist you in beating the Quant blues.
Here is a rundown of top ten CAT quantitative aptitude books –
Sr.no. |
Name & Author |
Publisher |
Cost |
Why should you buy it? |
| 1 | Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by R.S. Aggarwal | S. Chand | 390 | R.S Agarwal is a math pioneer and a good choice to follow while dealing in topics under the Quantitative Aptitude section. |
| 2 | How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Arun Sharma | Tata McGraw Hill | 544 | This is one of the most recommended books everywhere and by everyone. Wherever you look or whoever you ask, be it websites, mentors, teachers or students, Arun Sharma’s book is the one they recommend for an almost sure chance of success in QA of CAT. |
| 3 | Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT Common Admission Tests for Admission into IIMs by Sarvesh K. Verma | Arihant | 460 | Provides a segmented approach and solved sample papers. |
| 4 | Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by Nishit K Sinha | Pearson | 470 | Provides practice questions with difficulty levels – Warm up, Foundation, Moderate, Advanced. |
| 5 | The Pearson Guide to Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by Dinesh Khattar | Pearson | 1299 | Explained in a lucid manner, this Pearson book helps you grasp the many mathematical topics that come with Quantitative Aptitude. |
| 6 | How to prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by Arun Sharma | Tata McGraw Hill | 545 | Has over 6000 MCQs, solved papers and blend of old and new. |
| 7 | Quantum CAT by Sarvesh Verma | Arihant | 650 | Usually touted as the best resource book for students without a math background, this Arihant book gives you an insight into the basics of QA. |
| 8 | Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Dinesh K. Sinha | Cengage Delmar Learning India Pvt | 594 | Contains a lot of exercises, full length tests and has simulations developed on Android to aid students. |
| 9 | Complete course Pack for CAT [Set of 12 Books] (Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation, Logical Reasoning, | Erudite | 3200 | Even though this isn’t specific to Quantitative Aptitude, this is a good set to have at hand to gain the much-needed boost during preparation and final leg of the test dates. |
| 10 | Quantitative Aptitude For CAT And Other MBA Entrance Examinations | T.I.M.E | 799 | This book though deviates from strictly CAT it provides the students much needed variety in problem solving and methodology. |
Apart from these quantitative aptitude books, there are are host of verbal aptitude books available as well. Some of the more popular verbal attitude books include:
- How to prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT by Arun Sharma
- Pearson Guide to Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning for CAT by Nishit Sinha
If time permits, you can also spend some time on:
- Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
- High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin
While the last two books focus on a lot of grammar which may not be that significant for the CAT, understanding some basic concepts will definitely improve your performance in the verbal section of the CAT.
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