Best CAT Study Material 2024: Prepare to Crack the Exam

The most challenging entrance exams in India for MBA aspirants are the CATs, as thousands of students are preparing to find a seat in the top business schools across the country, including IIMs. Therefore, the best CAT study material in 2024 would be really very crucial to ace the examination. Here’s a comprehensive guide to the best CAT study material 2024 to get you through the preparations of all the sections of the exam.

Knowing the CAT Exam Pattern

Before we speak of the best study material, let’s get a view of what the exam pattern of the CAT will look like. Well, CAT is once more divided into three parts:

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC): This part tests your command over English, comprehension, and the ability to analyze written material.

Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR): This part tests your ability to interpret data and solve logical problems.

Math Skills Problem Solving Quantitative Ability (QA): This section tests your mathematical skills and problem-solving abilities. Comprehensive study materials that cover all three sections will help you ace it.

Best Books and Resources for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension

VARC can be a game-changer if you have strong language skills. Here are the best books and resources that you can use for mastering this section:

“How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT” by Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay

This book is one of the most trustworthy sources for CAT preparation. The entire subject, including sentence correction, para jumbles, and reading comprehension, is covered extensively through explanations as well as practice exercises.

“Word Power Made Easy” by Norman Lewis

It is a perfect vocabulary-building book. Learning not only new words but also root words teaches the effort that goes into memorizing vocabulary.

Wren & Martin’s “High School English Grammar and Composition”

One of the most popular books for improving grammar, sentence structure, and basic English skills. It proves very efficient in clearing all kinds of doubts with respect to sentence correction, and this is one of the most important parts of the VARC section.

Daily Reading Practice

Read miscellaneous material from newspapers such as The Hindu, The Indian Express, and magazines like The Economist or Time to help build skills that will improve comprehension and increase your reading speed. The more you read, the more intuitive you’ll become at rendering complicated passages.

Best Study Material for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR)

This is the most unpredictable section of CAT. That’s why it is also known as the most daunting and trickiest section of CAT. In fact, DILR and Quant are equally important to score well in CAT. Here are some of the best books to prepare for this section:

“How to Prepare for Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning for CAT” by Arun Sharma

It has all types of DI & LR questions, along with the difference in difficulty levels. This book contains questions containing basic, intermediate, and advanced-leveling ranges, must-haves for any aspirant.

Nishit Sinha’s “Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for CAT

The problems of DI and LR should be dealt with in the systematic way presented in Nishit Sinha’s book. It has solutions accompanied by explanations that are very good, thereby helping a student to understand the thought process in solving complex problems.

Practice Sets and Previous Year Papers

Practicing the practice sets of different coaching institutes or websites like 2IIM and IMS will give you a real feel of what can actually come in the exam. It is necessary to solve a wide variety of sets to create speed and accuracy in such questions.

Online Puzzles and Brain Teasers

Puzzlefry or Elevate-type apps provide you with fun yet challenging puzzles to sharpen your logical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Best Study Material for Quantitative Ability (QA)

This section needs a good foundation of basic mathematical ideas and should be practiced regularly. Here are some of the best books and resource materials for QA:

“How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT” by Arun Sharma

One of the best sources for QA preparation is Arun Sharma’s book. The student can progressively enhance his skill by virtue of this book being divided into three different levels. It includes all topics on arithmetic, algebra, and geometry with adequate practice questions.

R.S. Aggarwal’s “Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations

It is the favorite of CAT aspirants to practice a large number of questions. It also comes with practice sets topic-wise and shortcuts that help improve speed.

 “Nishit Sinha, The Pearson Guide to Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT

This book is prepared with a motive to clear concepts so that the student comes up with a systematic approach to solving QA problems and also gives tips and strategies to solve questions in a lesser amount of time.

Official CAT Mock Tests

The official CAT website provides mock tests every year. Highly recommended as they provide a close approximation of the actual exam pattern and level of toughness.

2IIM CAT Preparation: Provides online classes, mock tests, and thousands of CAT study materials for 2024  for free. Renowned for providing an in-depth analysis of the CAT Syllabus

How to Choose the Best CAT Study Material?

The following tips are worth considering while choosing the CAT Study material 2024 :

Doesn’t matter whether there is an abundance of material but the bottom line is less is more. Quality over Quantity. Stick to one or two trustworthy books and add some consistent online material that would cover up the entire syllabus.

Focus on Concepts: The material should describe concepts clearly and present step-by-step solutions. Only once you understand the basics do you solve questions at advanced levels.

Practice Regularly: Choose resources that provide sufficient practice questions and mock tests. Regular practice will help build and increase your speed and accuracy.

Conclusion

What makes a difference is the right material for the CAT. With the availability of good books, mock test practice, and the web you can design a good strategy for CAT 2024. Then by continuous efforts, regular practice, and the right guidance you will be able to reach the ultimate goal of securing admission to the top-level MBA program.