What is the difficulty level of SET (Symbiosis Entrance Test)?

SET is a national-level entrance exam conducted for admission to various undergraduate courses. SET 2026 will be conducted in the computer-based test mode. The difficulty level of the SET exam is usually easy to moderate. But, a few questions might trick your mind and can be time-consuming. General Knowledge and Analytical and Logical Reasoning are easier than the Quantitative Aptitude section. In 2025, according to the students who appeared for the SET session 1 exam, the SET exam was moderate. The General English section was the easiest of all four sections. The Quantitative Aptitude section was the toughest, and the other two sections were moderate to easy. The overall difficulty level of the SET question paper was moderate. Students who appeared for the SET 2025 session 2 exam said that the overall difficulty level was easy. Again, the General English section was the easiest. In this session, the Analytical and Logical Reasoning section was also easy to moderate. The Quant section was easy to moderate, and the General Knowledge section was difficult.

What are the important topics of General Knowledge section of SET exam?

The General Knowledge section of SET is usually of a higher difficulty level but it can be completed in maximum 15 minutes. The questions pertain to static GK and Current Affairs. Topics included in SET GK section are: 1. Business 2. Politics 3. Awards 4. Inventions 5. Science and Technology 6. Sports 7. Society 8. World 9. Advertising 10. Books and Authors 11. Entertainment 12. History 13. Geography 14. Politics.

Where can I find the SET mock test and how can I book the slot?

To understand the exam pattern and SET question paper, SET mock test is conducted before the SET exam. The mock test will be available on the SET official website at least two days before the exam date. Candidates must know that it is mandatory for the registered candidates planning to appear for the SET exam to take the SET mock test. To know how to appear for the SET mock test follow the steps mentioned below: Visit the official website of SET In the topmost bar, click on Mock Test button Candidates will be redirected to a new webpage Login using the email ID and password which the candidates used to register themselves for the SET exam After login, candidates will be redirected to a new window where they will have a set of instructions that they need to follow Click on the tab indicating Mock Test after reading the instructions carefully and take the test.

Where can I check the SET syllabus?

Students can download the SET syllabus PDF from Shiksha's website. SIU does not release an official exam syllabus, but based on the trends and history, Shiksha has prepared the SET syllabus.

What are the important topics of the Analytical and Logical Reasoning section in SET question paper?

Important topics are: Syllogisms Critical Reasoning Cause and Effect Statement and Conclusion Strong and Weak Arguments Coding and Decoding Statement and Inference Data Sufficiency Data Interpretation Arrangements

What are the best books for SET BBA preparation?

SET exam preparation requires the best books for SET exam. Listed below are some of the best books for SET BBA exam: General English: Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis, High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren & Martin, Objective General English by SP Bakshi General Awareness: Manorama Yearbook, Pratiyogita Darpan, Lucent's General Knowledge, Current Affairs Magazines (e.g., Competition Success Review, Pratiyogita Darpan) Quantitative Aptitude: Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by RS Aggarwal, Fast Track Objective Arithmetic by Rajesh Verma, NCERT Mathematics textbooks of Class 9 and 10 Analytical & Logical Reasoning: A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by RS Aggarwal, Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for CAT by Nishit K. Sinha,

Is SET BBA exam difficult for students who have not studied Maths in high school?

Students can prepare for SET exam even if they have not studied mathematics in high school. To prepare for mathematics component of SET exam students can start their SET preparation by learning formulas and theorems. The difficulty level of the QA section is slightly higher than rest sections but with practice, even a non-maths student can score well.

How to crack SET in first attempt?

To crack SET exam in first attempt, students should have a preparation plan for 3 to 6 months bifurcated according to topics, strengths and knowledge of students. Students should consistently practice to fetch good SET scores.

What is the ideal time to prepare for SET exam?

Aspirants should start preparing for the SET exam at least six months before the test date. SET preparation requires planning thus one must start early. They can also join coaching institutes for focused preparation. Starting early will also help you assess that whether you need to join a coaching institute or not. Divide your preparation into three phases - 1. Covering the syllabus 2. Practicing mock tests, sample questions and 3. Revision. The SET syllabus includes the following topics: General English: Parajumbles, Sentence Completion, Grammar, Comprehension Passages, Synonyms and Antonyms, etc. Logical Reasoning: Tables, Graphs, Pie Charts, Blood Relation, Seating Arrangement, Strong and Weak Arguments, and Syllogism Quantitative Aptitude: Geometry, Algebra Number System Arithmetic, Mensuration etc. General Awareness: Companies and Founders, Awards, Books and Authors, Sports, Politics, Current Affairs, etc. You can read the following SET books for exam preparation: A New Approach to Reasoning by BS Sijawali Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT by Nishit K Sinha Multi-Dimensional Reasoning by Mishra Kumar and Dr Lal Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren & Martin How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by Arun Sharma Class 9 and Class 10 NCERT Mathematics books Quantitative Aptitude by R. S Aggarwal Manorama Year Book

Which are the best books for the General English section of the SET question paper?

General English section of SET exam important books are: Name of the Book Author/ Publication Word Power Made Easy Norman Lewis High School English Grammar and Composition Wren and Martin Pearson Guide to IIM Indore-IPM Entrance Examination Pearson Objective General English SP Bakshi

How to download SET syllabus PDF?

To download SET syllabus PDF, follow process below: Click on SET Exam Syllabus 2026 PDF link Login to Shiksha.com with user ID and password Click on Download buttton

SET Exam Books 2027: Check Best books for preparation

Updated on Jul 3, 2026 17:52 IST

By Saumya Jain, Assistant Manager- Content

The first and foremost requirement for SET 2027 preparation are books. Aspirants must make sure they choose the right books and study material for exam preparation as scoring high is the prime requirement to bet the best SIU institute. While looking for the best SET books, candidates must keep in mind that it contains ample number of sample questions along with solutions. Detailed discussion of topics along with examples should also be there. Read on this page, section wise SET books and preparation tips.

Table of contents

Section Wise Best Books for SET 2027
SET Exam 2027 Important Topics
How to Choose Best Books for SET Exam 2027
Quick Preparation Tips to Prepare for SET Exam 2027
FAQs on SET Exam Preparation Books

Section Wise Best Books for SET 2027

It is very important to have a good set of SET exam books and study material to ace entrance test. Candidates must know that choosing best books for SET exam 2027 is an important part of SET exam preparation 2027. In order to have a stronghold over SET syllabus 2027, having best books for SET and study material is also necessary. Check below best books for SET.

Best Books for General English Section

This section of SET 2027 question paper has topics such as Reading Comprehension, Grammar, Vocabulary, Sentence Completion, Phrases and Idioms, Prepositions, Error Spotting, Analogy, etc. Look at table below to know the important books for General English section.

Book name	Author/Publisher
High School English Grammar and Composition Key	Wren and Martin
Word Power Made Easy	Norman Lewis
Objective General English	SP Bakshi

Best Books for Quantitative Aptitude Section

Check best books for Quantitative Aptitude section of SET question paper below.

Book Name	Author/ Publisher
Quantitative Aptitude for All Competitive Examinations	Abhijit Guha
Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examination	RS Aggarwal
Fast Track Objective Arithmetic	Arihant Publications
NCERT Mathematics Book for 9^th and 12^th class	NCERT

Best Books for Logical Reasoning Section

This section of SET question paper comprises topics such as Verbal Reasoning, Blood Relations, Analogy, Coding and Series, Syllogisms, Assumptions, Venn Diagram, etc. Check best books for Logical Reasoning section in the table below.

Book Name	Author/ Publisher
A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning	R.S. Aggarwal
How to Prepare for Logical Reasoning for the CAT	Arun Sharma
Analytical and Logical Reasoning for CAT & Other Management Exams	Peeyush Bharadwaj
Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT	Nishit K. Sinha

Best Books for General Knowledge Section

This section of SET exam has topics on Current Affairs, Awards, Latest Trends, Sports, Events, etc. The best study material for this section would be newspapers such as The Hindu, Financial Express, and Economic Times, etc. and magazines such as India Today, Business Today, Wall Street Journal, etc. For static GK, candidates can refer to the Manorama Year Book. Also Read: Current Affairs Guide

Read More:

Tips to prepare for GK	How to ace the General English section of SET
Tips and tricks to ace Quant section	How to score well in Logical Reasoning section: Tips and Tricks
Important Topics for SET Exam for Quick Revision	SET Exam: Section Wise Weightage and Difficulty Level

SET Exam 2027 Important Topics

Check the table below to know the most important topics of SET syllabus 2027:

Section	SET Syllabus
General English	Figures of Speech, Antonyms, Vocabulary, Idioms and Phrases, Reading Comprehension, Para Jumbles, Parts of Speech
General Knowledge	Current Affairs, Science, History, Geography, Economics, Politics
Quantitative	Probability, Percentages, Arithmetic, Equations, Mensuration
Analytical and Logical Reasoning	Syllogisms, Blood Relations, Arrangements, Coding and Decoding, Puzzles, Cause and Effect

Also Read:

SET 2027 Section-Wise Weightage and Difficulty Level

Check the table below to know the difficulty level of SET sections and their weightage:

Section	Weightage	Difficulty Level (Expected)
General English	16	Easy
General Awareness	16	Easy
Quantitative	16	Moderate
Analytical and Logical Reasoning	12	Easy
Total	60	Easy to Moderate

How to Choose Best Books for SET Exam 2027

Take a look at factors which must be kept in mind before choosing best books for SET.

SET syllabus: When choosing the study material for the SET exam, one must keep in mind that the books that they choose must cover entire SET syllabus. It must cover all the important topics which can be asked in the SET question paper.
Edition: The books that students choose should be of most recent edition which must contain the latest topics and syllabus
Solved Sample Papers: A book with solved SET sample papers will be of great help. Sample papers give an insight into SET exam pattern, type of questions and at the same time help in analysing progress.

Also Read: Is IPMAT tougher than SET?

Quick Preparation Tips to Prepare for SET Exam 2027

Here are quick preparation tips for SET exam 2027:

Cover high weightage topics of SET exams syllabus 2027
Know SET exam format, know marking scheme and question distribution
Improve speed for solving Quantitative questions. Practice mental maths
Set timers for logical reasoning sets, quant questions, reading comprehension passages of SET exam
Do not overlook SET mock test

SET Preparation at Home

Use SET syllabus as a guide, make a list of subjects that study materials must cover.
Plan study time on a monthly, weekly, and daily basis according to the time available.
Start reading newspaper and magazine editorials to gain a command of the English language and GK section.
For quantitative section, read basic concepts and formulas from school textbooks.
Examine progress through mock test monthly.
Keep analyzing and improving score over time until test day.

FAQs on SET Exam Preparation Books

Check some of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on SET books.

Q: Are IPMAT preparation books useful for SET preparation?

Yes, IPMAT books can be used for SET exam preparation as both are BBA entrance exams. Candidates can use same books for preparing for topics such as Quantitative Aptitude and General English. However, the difficulty level of SET exam is much easier as compared to that of IPMAT exam.

Q: Which are the best books to read for the Logical Reasoning section of SET exam?

The Logical Reasoning section of the SET exam is usually moderately difficult. Some of the recommended books for the Logical Reasoning section are as follows:

Guide to Verbal Ability and Logical Reasoning by Pearson Publications
A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning by R. S Aggarwal
Logical and Analytical Ability by Ashok Gupta.
Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey
A New Approach to Reasoning by BS Sijawali and Sijawali
Multi-dimensional Reasoning by Mishra Kumar and Dr. Lal
Logical and Analytical Reasoning by K Gupta
A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning by RS Aggarwal.

Q: What are the important topics of the General English section of SET exam?

Like other management entrance exams, the General English section is divided into Reading Comprehension and English Usage. There are a few comprehension passages while the topics of English usage are as follows: 1. Synonyms 2. Antonyms 3. Grammar 4. Fill in the blanks 5. Word meanings 6. Vocabulary 7. Parajumbles 8. Idioms and Phrases 9. Error Identification 10. Para Formation Questions (PFQs) 11. Correct statement 12. Cloze 13. Incorrect word/phrase.

Q: Which are the best books for the preparation of Quantitative section of the SET exam?

The best books for Quantitative Aptitude preparation of SET exam are listed below. These are the recommended books by experts.

NCERT Mathematics books (Class 9-10)
Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by Abhijit Guha
Quantitative Aptitude by RS Aggarwal

The NCERT Mathematics book is recommended for SET preparation because it is the best source of building or revisiting the fundamentals of Algebra Geometry, Trigonometry Mensuration Number Systems and Arithmetic. The NCERT books are extremely helpful to students from non-Engineering background. Quantitative Aptitude books by Arun Sharma, Abhijit Guha, Nishit Sinha and RS Aggarwal are the main books for SET preparation as well as other BBA and MBA entrance exams. These books cover all the topics at intermediate and advanced level. They also have many sample questions of easy, moderate and high difficulty levels for practice.

Q: What is the benefit of having SET books?

Preparing for the SET exam from books and study material recommended by experts is important in order to gain an in-depth knowledge on different topics included in the SET syllabus. SET reference books contain detailed information on each topic of SET syllabus and will acquaint the students with SET exam pattern and difficulty level of the questions. In addition, they also contain solved sample papers, which may or may not be present in online resources always. It is always a wise decision to refer to more than one book for SET exam. Test takers can make use of the additional information available in the books while preparing for SET exam. Cracking a competitive exam becomes easier with the right set of books and study material.

Q: Which are the high weightage topics for SET exam?

General English: Synonyms, Antonyms, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, correct grammar usage and their rules

Quantitative: Geometry, Algebra, Statistics.

General Awareness: General knowledge and current affairs.

Analytical Reasoning: Coding and decoding, Data interpretation, True or false statements, Probably true or false statements, etc.

Q: How to prepare for SET exam?

Understand the pattern of the question paper for your subject.
Examine previous year's questions to determine the requirements of each section.
SET question papers mostly consist of four sections, including English Quant, GK, and Reasoning.
Collect study material accordingly to study each concept in detail.
Make a proper study plan as per the time available and strengths in each section.
Take brief notes on important topics to aid in revision.
Practice as much as you can via sample papers to prepare well for SET exam day.

Q: Does SET exam have advanced level topics?

Syllabus in SET exam is based on Class 12 and students need not study advanced topics beyond Class 12. SET syllabus assesses knowledge of students and skills at Class 12 level.

Q: Are Class 12th Maths questions asked in SET exam?

Questions on mathematics in the SET exam are based on Class 10 and Class 12 levels. The SET entrance is a popular BBA exam that the students can take after Class 12. The difficulty level of the SET exam is usually easy. The SET question paper is divided into four sections, i.e. General English, Quantitative Aptitude, General Knowledge and Logical Reasoning. The QA (Maths) is an important section of the SET exam and usually of a moderate difficulty level. The exam is a test of your speed and ability to pick and solve the right questions. Class 10 and Class 12 Maths dominate the exam. To score well in the SET exam, students must be very clear with the concepts of NCERT Mathematics.