Best Books for CAT Exam Preparation, Topic-Wise Best Books for Preparation

2 minute read

Souvik

Update on Aug 29 2025, 07:17 PM IST

Best Books for CAT Exam Preparation: Choosing the right books for preparing CAT 2025 is not an easy task because of the multiple of options available these days. With numerous study guides and books available in the market, it's important to choose resources that provide real value. The right kind of books are those which give chapter-wise explanations, detailed discussions, explanatory examples, and practice questions of all types. Aspirants must aim for titles that cover the whole CAT Syllabus thoroughly and contain sample questions of all difficulty levels.

Candidates for CAT 2025 are strongly recommended to depend only on book recommendations by reliable experts. A very well-researched, section-by-section list follows to assist in choosing preparation material. But after that, it's necessary to have a strong CAT 2025 study plan.

Table of Contents

Best Books for CAT Exam Preparation
CAT Preparation Tips by Exam Toppers
How to Prepare for CAT Exam Using the Right Book?

Best Books for CAT Exam Preparation

Preparation for the CAT exam must be a balanced study plan comprising a systematic timetable, fundamental books and study materials, and practice tests. A few candidates do their own study with suggested CAT prep books, while others take the help of coaching institutions that provide organized guidance and complete study material. Irrespective of the approach taken, use of study material containing previous years' CAT question papers, mock tests, sample papers, and practice questions is important for preparing effectively.

Best Books for CAT Exam Preparation: Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning

Candidates with strong base oon Mathematics can easily lear this section. This is an analytical section that require candidates to have eye for detail. Candidates can check the best books for CAT exam preparation for Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning in the table below.

CAT Books for DILR	Author/Publisher Name
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning	Gautam Puri
Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT	Nishit K. Sinha
Data Interpretation & Data Sufficiency	Ananta Ashisha
How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT	Arun Sharma

Best Books for CAT Exam Preparation: Verval Ability and Reading Comprehension

Verval Ability and Reading Comprehension section of CAT exam includes RC passages and confusing para jumbles. There are no grammar and vocabulary questions in CAT so keep your focus on Reading Comprehension. Candidates can check the best books for Verval Ability and Reading Comprehension section of CAT exam in the table below.

CAT Books for VARC	Author/Publisher Name
How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT	Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay/Arihant
30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary Mass Market Paperback	Wilfred Funk & Norman Lewis/ Simon & Schuster
How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT	Sharma and Upadhyay
PSC for VA for CAT	Nishit Sinha

Best Books for CAT Exam Preparation: Quantitative Aptitude

The Quantitatice Aptitude section of CAT exam includes intensive calculations. Candidates must have conceptual clarity of Algebra, Mensuration, Arithmetic and Geometry to solve the questions from this section. Candidates can check the best books for Quantitative Aptitude of CAT exam in the table below.

CAT Books for Quantitative Aptitude	Author/Publisher Name
NCERT Mathematics books (Class 9-10)	NCERT
How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT	Arun Sharma
Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT	Sarvesh Verma
Quantitative Aptitude for CAT	Nishit Sinha
Quantitative Aptitude	RS Aggarwal

Other Recommended Books for CAT Exam by Toppers

Candidates who are preparing for the CAT exam can also refer to the books which are recommended by the exam toppers. These books are suggested for different genre and candidates can check the books in the table below.

CAT Books	Author	Genre
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People	Stephen Covey	Management
A Brief History of time	Stephen Hawking	Science
Cosmos	Carl Sagan	Science
An Illustrated Retelling of Mahabharta – Jaya	Devdutt Patnaik	Mythology & Management
India in Slow Motions	Mark Tully	Politics
Capitalism & Freedom	Milton Friedman	Economics
Maximum City	Suketu Mehta	City Life - Mumbai
Long Walk to Freedom	Nelson Mandela	Autobiography - Politics
Wings of Fire	APJ Abdul Kalam	Autobiography
Shantaram	David Gregory Roberts	Autobiography – City Life

CAT Preparation Tips by Exam Toppers

Candidates must kow what type of strategies have been followed by the toppers of the previous years’. In the table below, candidates can check the preparation tips by the CAT exam toppers.

CAT Toppers	CAT Topper Interviews
Vagish Nangia CAT 2024, 100 percentile	“For an aptitude exam like CAT, one should focus on two things, speed and accuracy, both of which come with practice. Speed is important as the exam typically has 66-68 Questions to be attempted within 2 hours with sections like DILR and Quant in particular being fairly time-taking. Accuracy is also important as you need to avoid taking negative marks while looking to maximise your score as much as possible.”
Mani Praneeth Chilukuri CAT 2024, 100 percentile	“In terms of preparation, I started just a few weeks before the exam due to my job and other commitments. I prioritised understanding the exam format, syllabus, and structure through YouTube videos. I then solved a few previous years’ question papers to familiarize myself with the patterns.”
Vedant Chandewar CAT 2024, 99.98 percentile	“I began my preparation in August 2024. Being good at mathematics, I found Quantitative Aptitude (QA) and Logical Reasoning (DILR) relatively easy to prepare for. I joined a coaching institute that provided daily practice questions for these sections, which I diligently solved.”
Sarthak Jaiswal CAT 2024, 99.97 percentile	“I personally think that for the DILR section, the mock tests do not really help because every question is unique and there is no set pattern. Only practice can help for the DILR section preparation. Attempting mock tests for this section will not harm the preparation but also not give an edge. For QA and VARC, mock tests are very important.”
Kartik Bhageria CAT 2023, 99.99 percentile	"I began my CAT preparation around July 2023. Being an engineering student, I did not spend a lot of time learning new concepts in the Quant and DILR sections. I spent most of my time giving mocks to practice and try to increase my attempted questions with better accuracy in each attempt."
Riddhi Dugar CAT 2023, 99.91 percentile	"My overall strategy was to finish the entire syllabus a few months before the CAT. From July, I focused entirely on taking mock tests and sectional tests to maximise my score and have a strategy for D-Day. I completed around 70 mocks from July until the CAT exam day."
Rounak Tikmani CAT 2023, 99.90 percentile	I started my preparation properly in May 2023. My preparation strategy was simple build your foundations by having conceptual clarity in the basics of each section. Then It was just mocks every day. I gave around 110 mocks and made sure I spent enough time analyzing them properly. Taking a mock is not as important as analyzing the mocks and improving on your mistakes.
Nisakar Kumar CAT 2023, 99.83 percentile	"Quant emerged as my strength, whereas DILR presented a challenge. To address my weakness in DILR, I invested considerable time in understanding the question types and engaged in extensive practice until they became more intuitive. Simultaneously, I dedicated time to revising and practising Quant to maintain a solid grasp. I considered myself decent in VARC."

How to Prepare for CAT Exam Using the Right Book?

Effective preparation for the CAT exam becomes easy when you choose the appropriate study materials and adopt an intelligent method of utilizing them. Here are some simple tips to ensure you get the maximum out of your CAT Preparation books:

Go through the new exam pattern and syllabus, before starting your studies. Having knowledge of the current syllabus and exam pattern allows you to focus on the most relevant topics.
Then, choose highly recommended books that are known to be used by experts and former CAT toppers. These books will usually have good explanations of concepts along with good practice questions.
Practice revising daily by going through previously covered chapters. Regular revision retains essential formulas and shortcuts to be applied for the exam.
Also, do the practice exercises given at the end of every chapter. This practice will slowly improve your speed and accuracy.
Finally, don’t hesitate to seek help whenever you encounter difficulties. Clarify your doubts by asking teachers, peers, or participating in online discussion forums. Quickly resolving doubts strengthens your understanding and boosts confidence.

Your opinion matters to us!

Rate your experience using this page so far.

Get Started!

What You Are Waiting For?

Discover Your Education Journey With Us