Best Books for CAT Preparation 2026 Recommended by MBA Experts
Common Admission Test 2026 ( CAT )
CAT 2026 exam
29 Nov '26
Planning to appear for CAT 2026? \Here are the top 32 CAT preparation books recommended by MBA experts. These include CAT books by Arun Sharma, Sarvesh Verma and other authors.
The first step of CAT exam preparation is choosing the right books. But, choosing the best books for CAT preparation 2026 is not easy as every book claims it is the best. CAT preparation requires focused practice so you cannot waste time on books that don’t give results. So, which is the best CAT preparation book? A CAT book that has chapter wise explanation, discussion, examples and practice questions, can be considered the best as it fulfill your key needs for exam preparation. If you are preparing for CAT 2026, refer to only those CAT preparation books which have detailed explanation of every topic included in the CAT 2026 syllabus as well as sample questions for practice (of various difficulty levels). To help you choose the best books for exam preparation, we have prepared section-wise lists of best CAT books. But before shortlisting the books, we suggest that you have a CAT preparation strategy 2026.
- Best Books for CAT Preparation and Other Study Material
- Best CAT Books for Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
- Best CAT Books for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
- Best CAT Books for Quantitative Aptitude
- CAT 2026 Study Material: Mock Test by Shiksha
- CAT Books Recommended for RC- Non Fiction
- CAT Books Recommended for RC - Fiction
Best Books for CAT Preparation and Other Study Material
CAT exam will be held on November 29, 2026. Equipped with a well-planned strategy and best books for CAT, candidates can crack the exam with high scores. Apart from coaching classes, focus on self-study to crack the CAT 2026 exam. Check out the lists of best books for CAT preparation 2026 in this article.
Also Read:
Best CAT Books for Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning (DILR) is an analytical section that require candidates to have an eye for detail and the skill of reading complicated graphs or unravelling jumbled patterns. Strong base in Mathematics is essential for cracking CAT DILR. Ficussed practice is the key, so refer to books that have ample and variety of DI and LR practice question. Check below the list of CAT preparation books for DILR:
| 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 CAT Books for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) often turns out to be a tough section with dense RC passages and confusing para jumbles. There are no grammar and vocabulary questions in CAT so keep your focus on Reading Comprehension. For this section of CAT too, you need ample practice questions. Check the list of CAT preparation books for VARC:
| 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 CAT Books for Quantitative Aptitude
Quantitative Aptitude (QA) is the last section of the CAT question paper and it requires mental stamina to go through calculation intensive questions. The more you practice Quants questions, the better it is. You need to have conceptual clarity of Algebra, Mensuration, Arithmetic and Geometry. So, opt for CAT Quantitative Books that not only have topic wise discussion but also practice questions. Check the list of CAT preparation books for Quantitative Aptitude:
| 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 |
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CAT 2026 Study Material: Mock Test by Shiksha
To understand and master each and every topic of CAT exam, you will need a lot of pratice, which can be done with the help of CAT mock tests. You should practice a good number of both sectional and full lengh CAT mock test series. Provided below are 2 free CAT mock tests by Shiksha.
| CAT_Mock_Test_1 | CAT_Mock_Test_1_Solutions |
| CAT_Mock_Test_2 | CAT_Mock_Test_2_Solutions |
CAT Books Recommended for RC- Non Fiction
To work on your English comprehension, you should read the following non-fiction books.
| 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 |
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CAT Books Recommended for RC - Fiction
Listed below are some popular fiction novels for strengthening English comprehension.
| CAT Books |
Author |
Genre |
|---|---|---|
| Around the world in Eighty Days |
Jules Verne |
Adventure |
| The Time Machine |
H G Wells |
Science Fiction |
| Caves of Steel |
Isaac Asimov |
Science Fiction |
| The Hunger Games |
Suzanne Collins |
Dystopian Fiction |
| Three Men in a Boat |
Jerome K Jerome |
Humour |
| Something Fresh |
P G Wodehouse |
Humour |
| Where Eagles Dare |
Alistair McLean |
Fiction |
CAT Preparation 2026
- How to crack CAT: Prep tips from 100 percentilers
- How to prepare for CAT: Tips from experts
- CAT: Preparation Plan for Verbal Ability
- CAT: Preparation Plan for Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning
- Quantitative Aptitude preparation plan for CAT
- CAT 2026 DILR strategy to score 26 marks and get 95+ percentile
- CAT 2026 Quant strategy to score 25 marks and get 95 + percentile
- CAT 2026 VARC strategy to score 30 marks and get 95 percentile
Commonly asked questions
The best books for Quantitative Aptitude preparation of CAT exam are listed below. These books are recommended by experts and mentors not only for CAT but also for other MBA entrance exams.
- NCERT Mathematics books (Class 9-10)
- How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by Arun Sharma
- Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by Abhijit Guha
- Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT by Sarvesh Verm
- Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Nishit Sinha
- Quantitative Aptitude by RS Aggarwal
The NCERT Mathematics book is recommended for CAT preparation because it is the best source of building or revisiting the fundamentals of Algebra Geometry, Trigonometry Mensuration and Arithmetic. The NCERT books are extremely helpful to students from non-Engineering background. Quantitative Aptitude books by Arun Sharma, Abhijit Guha, Sarvesh Verma, Nishit Sinha and RS Aggarwal are the main books for CAT preparation as they cover all the topics at advanced level. They also have 1000s of sample questions of easy, moderate and high difficulty levels for practice.
There are a range of books available for preparation of Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section of CAT. However, the most recommended books are mentioned below:
- How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT by Arun Sharma and Meenakshi Upadhyay
- Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT by Nishit Sinha
- Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
- High School Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin
- 30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary by Wilfred Funk and Norman Lewis/Simon and Schuster
- For English Grammar and Vocabulary, High School Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin is the best book.
For Verbal Ability preparation, practice questions of different difficulty levels are a major part of preparation. The abovementioned books are the best resources of Verbal Ability and practice questions. To prepare for Reading Comprehension, candidates should read books, novels, magazines, research papers, newspaper editorials, etc. Along with these books.
CAT books by Arun Sharma, Nishit Sinha, RS Agarwal and Abhijit Guha are good and exhaustive, but you should refer to more study material like sample test papers and mock tests for a complete preparation.
CAT lays a lot of emphasis on analytical skills so the questions are asked mostly from those topics which require deep learning and practice. The three sections of CAT question paper are designed in such a way that candidates have to use their ability of minute observation and fast calculation. Shared below are the section wise main topics from which questions are asked in CAT. Verbal Ability: Parajumbles, Parasummary, Sentence Completion and Inferences
- Reading Comprehension: Questions based on passages, Para meaning, Order of sentences
- Data Interpretation: Tables, Graphs, Pie Charts, Venn Diagram, Data Sufficiency
- Logical Reasoning: Blood Relation, Seating Arrangement, Syllogism, Coding-Decoding, Sets and Caselets, Family Tree, Assumptions
- Quantitative Aptitude: Geometry, Algebra Number System Modern Math, Arithmetic, Mensuration
The difficulty level of CAT questions is usually moderate to high. Only a few questions are easy and quick to solve. To crack the CAT exam, one needs to pay attention to the abovementioned topics.
CAT Topper Interviews: Exam Tips and Strategy for 2026
Know which CAT books did previous year's CAT toppers study to crack the exam. Also get key exam day tips from CAT toppers to optimise your performance.
| CAT Toppers |
CAT Topper Interviews |
|---|---|
| Pranshav Shah CAT 2025, 99.80 percentile |
" I started CAT preparation in January 2025. My daily CAT prep strategy included solving 4 RC’s, 4 DILR sets, and 30-40 Quant questions. I timed solving all the questions. My primary focus was on attempting as many mocks as possible and analysing them." Read: Pranshav's full interview |
| Aishiki Sen CAT 2025, 99.18 percentile |
"I started in August 2024 in early batch because I come from a humanities background and had not studied Maths since class 10. I knew I needed some extra time for brushing up my maths." Read: Aishiki's full interview |
| 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.” Read: Vagish’s full interview |
| 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.” Read Praneeth’s full interview |
| 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.”Read: Vedant’s full interview |
| 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.”Read: Sarthak’s full interview
|
| 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." Read: Kartik's full interview |
| 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." Read: Riddhi's full interview |
| 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. Read: Rounak's full interview |
Commonly asked questions
CAT syllabus includes all the important topics of subjects that are relevant for business aptitude. For CAT exam, candidates have to study, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension VARC Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning DILR and Quantitative Aptitude. Given below are the key topics included in the CAT syllabus.
- VARC topics: Parajumbles, Paracompletion, Parasummary, Verbal Reasoning and Reading Comprehension.
- Quantitative Aptitude topics: Arithmetic, Geometry, Algebra Trigonometry Modern Math, Number System and Mensuration.
- DILR topics: Puzzles, Pie Charts, Venn Diagram, Tables and Bar Graphs, etc.
CAT has three sections – Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude. XAT has four sections – Verbal and Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, Decision Making and General Knowledge. While CAT is Quant heavy, XAT is more tilted towards Reasoning.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
Yes, students can not get admission in NMIMS Navi Mumbai MBA without CAT. Students are selected through NMAT score. Hence, appearing for CAT is not required. Students can check the official site to know more about the programme.
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
Yes, you should prepare for SNAP separately, especially with regard to sample question and mock test practice. Even if you don't cover the syllabus separately, practice SNAP mock test specifically.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
No, CAT is not compulsory to take admission in Narayana Business School MBA/PGDM programme. The college considers valid scores of MBA entrance exam such as: XAT/NMAT/CMAT fo rgiving admission. The college also conducts it's own entrance exam called NBSAT. Candidates can produce scores of any of thes
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
Candidates wishing to take admission in MBA at RGIPT should have passed graduation with a minimum of 60% aggregate and a valid score in CAT/MAT/XAT. CAT scores are taken into consideration, but it is not compulsory. Candidates can appear for other MBA entrance exams as well.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
Atharva School of Business does accepts CAT score for admission in MBA programme. However, aspirants can also apply with other entrance exam scores as well. Candidates with NMAT, GMAT, CMAT or PERA CET can also get admission. Applicants can also appear for AU-AIET conducted by the university for adm
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Guide-Level 15
Answered 2 days ago
PG applicants with 70% and above in the qualifying examination and CAT can get scholarship at IIDE Mumbai. Students get scholarship up to INR 30,000 to INR 1 lakh.
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Guide-Level 15
Answered a week ago
Yes, students can get admission in Shri Vaishnav Institute of Management & Science MBA without CAT. That is because the institute accepts CMAT scores instead. Admissions to the programme are through CMAT + counselling basis. CAT is not required.
U
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
No, CAT exam is not strictly required to take admission in MBA at Babu Banarsi Das Institute of Technology. Candidates may submit scores from CAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT, or GMAT for MBA admissions.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yes, according to the GITAM School of Management MBA cutoff 2025 via the CAT entrance examination, you could get into this institute if you belong to the General AI category.
The aforementioned category had an estimated qualifying percentile of 70 in 2025. Admission for this category candidates may
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
The Global Institute of Business Studies delivers consistent training for aspiring business professionals to prepare them for interviews and the workplace via a number of organized programs and other forms of practical experience.
A CPMP (Finishing School) prepares students with the following:
- Resum
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Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8
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