Quantitative Aptitude Recommended books for CAT/ XAT /MBA Exams

Recommended Books

 Simple and easy to understand – How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT Common
Admission Test 5th Edition (Paperback) by Arun Sharma, Publisher: Tata McGraw Hill 2012 Rs.
625, 2012 edition

(This book is most recommended for CAT aspirants to prepare for QA section. The book follows
the latest pattern of CAT with focus on one of the most important components of the CAT exam
is Quantitative Aptitude. Each chapter has questions at the end that have been split up into
three sections, based on the level of difficulty. Mock papers are also available in this book.)

 For advanced – The Pearson Guide To Quantitative Aptitude And Data Interpretation For The
CAT by Nishit Sinha, Publisher: Pearson. Rs. 650, 2012 edition

 For advanced and more practice – Quantum CAT: Quantitative Aptitude Common Admission
Test for Admission Into IIMs (Paperback) by Sarvesh K Verma Publisher: Arihant, Rs. 650, 2013
edition

Other Books

 To learn mathematics for the Quantitative Aptitude section from basics, refer to NCERT
Mathematics books for 8th, 9th & 10th standard & CBSE Mathematics books for 8th, 9th & 10th
standard

 For tips and shortcuts – Quantitative Aptitude For Competitive Examinations Tips, Techniques,
And Short-cut Methods by Guha AbhijitPublisher:Tata Mcgraw Hill Rs. 450, 2010 edition

(It has a comprehensive step-by-step problem solving guide.)

 Arun Sharma’s The Complete CAT Digest, by Tata McGraw-Hill, is a must-have

for any CAT aspirant. It covers the basics of CAT entrance examination with the
QA examination as its main focus.

 How to Prepare for the CAT Common Admissions Test by Muhamed Muneer,
published by Om Books, is another book that is simple and easy to understand,
and has mock tests and solved CAT papers from previous years.

 Quantitative Aptitude for CAT and Other MBA Entrance Exams by Trishna
Knowledge Systems (Pearson) has many practice exercises in increasing difficulty
for a gradual transition.
Data Interpretation/ Logical Reasoning Recommended books for CAT/MBA

Recommended Books

 A Good book for DI – How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for the CAT Common Admission
Test 1st Edition (Paperback) by Arun Sharma Publisher: Tata McGraw-Hill Rs. 550, 2012 edition

 A Good book for LR – How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for the CAT Common Admission Test
by Arun Sharma Publisher: Tata McGraw-Hill Rs. 450, 2012 edition

(These books cover all the fundamental concepts of Data Interpretation and Logical
Reasoning.)

 The Pearson Guide To Verbal Ability And Logical Reasoning For The CAT 1st Edition (Paperback)
by Nishit K. Sinha. Publisher: Pearson. Rs. 599, 2012 edition

 Trishna's Verbal Ability And Logical Reasoning For The CAT And Other MBA Examinations by
TIME Publisher: Pearson

Verbal Ability / Logical Reasoning Recommended books for CAT/MBA Entrance

Recommended Books

 A Good book for VA – How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT
Common Admission Test 4th Edition (Paperback) by Meenakshi Upadhyay, Arun Sharma.
Publisher: Tata McGraw Hill, Rs. 575, 2011 Edition

(It is a workbook with practice questions and tips based on previous CAT papers.)

 The Pearson Guide To Verbal Ability And Logical Reasoning For The CAT 1st Edition (Paperback)
by Nishit K. Sinha Publisher: Pearson, Rs. 599, 2012 edition.

(It covers a wide range of topics explained in an easy-to-understand manner.)

Other Books

 Word Power Made Easy by NORMAN LEWIS Rs. 149, 2011 edition.

 A Communicative Grammar of English By: Geoffrey Leech Rs. 500, 2003 edition.

 30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary by Wilfred Funk and Norman Lewis Rs. 150, 1991
edition

 Barron’s Pocket Guide to Vocabulary.

The candidates can practice for the Verbal Ability section by appearing some online test like – TEST
PANDIT (http://testpandit.com/) & WORD PANDIT (http://cat.wordpandit.com/)

Recommended Business Magazines for CAT/MBA Aspirants

  Business Line by The Hindu Group

 Business Today by India Today Group

 Business World

 Management Compass Career Launcher

 Business & Management Chronicle by Chronicle Publications

 Competition Success Review

Recommended Newspapers for CAT/MBA Aspirants

 The Hindu

 The Indian Express

 Economics Times

 The Statesman

Online Reading Speed

 CAT is an online exam; and so one needs to be very comfortable in an online environment, viz.
Students need to be comfortable reading text on computer monitors and be able grasp the
question quickly. Of course higher reading speeds directly help in scoring high in VA – RC section
too!

Recommended websites for online reading

 http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/articles/

 http://www.theatlanticcities.com/

 http://www.nytimes.com/pages/opinion/index.html

 http://www.bloomberg.com/view/editorials/

 http://rwer.wordpress.com/

 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/editionals.html

 http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/

 http://blogs.wsj.com/?mod=WSJ_formfactor
The candidates can also opt for the reading materials provided by the coaching institutions. Few reading
materials of coaching centers that is easily accessible and can be preferred are-

i. IMS or CareerLauncher

ii. T.I.M.E.

The candidates can also go for some fictions as well as fiction/non-fiction books, such as:

1. The Great Indian Novel

2. Guns, Germs, and Steel

3. India after Gandhi

4. Midnight’s Children

5. Argumentative Indian

6. The Last Mughal

7. Beyond the MBA Hype

8. The World is Flat

9. Freakonomics

10. Tipping Point

11. The Black Swan

12. Thinking Fast & Slow