Get These 7 Study Companions for CAT & MBA Verbal Ability Preparation
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4 Nov '26 - 29 Nov '26
CAT VARC preparation should not be restricted to recommended books and novels. You should read a variety of resources to improve reading comprehension, which is actually useful for the exam. In this article, we have shared seven resources you must use for CAT 2026 VARC preparation.
If you are preparing for CAT 2026, you must know that you will need to put in extra for cracking the VARC section. Why is it critical to perform well in CAT VARC? Because it is the first section of the exam and it sets the mood of the rest two sections. If you lose confidence at the start, it will affect your overall performance. Thus, good preparation of VARC is critical.
CAT VARC cannot be prepared in a short time or via mock tests. Good verbal ability and reading comprehension skills can be developed over time with adequate reading and writing practice. The key is to select the right material to study.
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CAT 2026 exam aspirants have to read outsside the syllabus. They will need to read a good number of books and novels which high level Englishm to strengthen reading comprehension skills. To crack VARC section of CAT or any MBA entrance exam preparation of Reading Comprehension can be done only through extensive reading. This requires time, so if you are planning to prepare for CAT, XAT or other MBA entrance exams, start reading early on.
Why Read Extensively for CAT preparation?
One needs to have extremely good English reading comprehension skill for CAT and XAT as their passages are long and inference based. XAT in fact has one passage in the form of a poem every year. So, it is very important to be able to read fast, understand fast and note highlights of the prose and poems. Below, we have listed seven items that will enhance Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension skills for CAT 2026 exam and help them traverse through other MBA exams too. Aspirants need to become friends with these seven items listed below:
7 Study Companions for CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) Preparation
1. Dictionary
Candidates will come across new words and phrases during CAT 2026 preparation. Knowing the meaning of words and how to use them correctly in a sentence is extremely important for cracking parajumble questions of CAT. This is where the good old dictionary comes handy. We suggest you to carry a dictionary everywhere. Yes, everywhere. You can choose to carry the physical dictionary (big ones or pocket sized) or simply download the dictionary app on your smartphones and tablets and check out words/word meanings whenever you get time. In short, dictionary (Shabd Kosh) is an essential element while preparing for CAT and all MBA entrance exams.
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2. Mobile Apps
Smartphones are man’s new best friend. Let’s utilise this. Download mobile applications related to verbal ability preparation and grammar. Visit these prep apps anytime you are free to solve practice exercises and play word meaning/antonym or synonym puzzles. But before downloading, review the ratings and comments of these MBA preparation apps in app stores. Download apps with 4 stars+ ratings, which have explanatory videos as well as practice questions.
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3. English Newspapers
Every mentor and guide will tell you to read newspapers regularly for CAT VARC preparation. We also advise the same. Read both the news sections and editorial columns. Reading newspaper regularly will not only improve your verbal ability and vocabulary but will also improve your reading speed which is critical to CAT as it is a time bound exam. You can also read news on mobile.
4. English Novels
Read novels of various genres. Go for fiction, non-fiction, science fiction, popular fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, biography, auto-biography, classic novels and even historical novels to improve your reading comprehension as well as speed. Carry one with yourself anywhere you go to read in transit. Read it while waiting for the bus or train or before the teacher comes in class. The idea is get familiar with English language and also develop good reading speed. Pick up a book of your interest, else it may become a task rather than a pleasant activity.
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5. Movies, Teleseries
Watch movies and television shows in your free time to get familiar with spoken English. Watch popular English international TV series and listen to the conversation carefully. Observe the nuisances of the language and how people speak. It can be quite useful during GD-PI and interview stage. Many shows have subtitles. Reading subtitles can also help developing a good reading speed.
6. YouTube
Out of the seven listed Verbal Ability companions for CAT preparation, YouTube is our new favourite! On YouTube, you can not only watch full-length CAT VA preparation videos but also enjoy various shows, videos and movies. It is helpful in developing their language skills, and also in preparing for CAT Verbal Ability at ease. All you need is a wifi connection or good mobile data package.
7. Verbal Ability Preparation Material
And finally, never let go of the CAT books and crucial material provided to you by your mentors. Developing an ease with English language is as crucial as knowing what topics are expected in the exam. Get hold of sample papers, sectional CAT mock tests and previous years' CAT question papers. Practice them in time bound manner to develop speed and accuracy.
| Free VARC Questions with Answers for Practice | Free DILR Questions with Answers for Practice | Free Quantitative Aptitude Questions with Answers for Practice |
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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.
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 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 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.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
Yes, ISBR Business School give scholarship based on the CAT score. Below given is the scholarship criteria and percentage of tuition fee waiver given by the ISBR Business School based on the CAT score.
| Examination | Scholarship Criteria | Category | Quantum of Scholarship | Nos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAT | 90 percentile or above | Merit / Industry Sponsored | 100% Full Ride | 5 Nos. |
| 85 percentile or above | 50% Waiver in Tuition Fee | 20 Nos. | ||
| 80 percentile or above | 25% | 25 Nos. |
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
To prepare for CAT Arithmetic section, refer to Class 9 and 10 NCERT Math books. These books will help you recap fundamental concepts and formulae. For advance level questions, refer Arum Sharma and Nishit Sinha books recommended for CAT quantitative aptitude preparation.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
Yes, Arithmetic section is the most important topic of CAT Quantitative Aptitude as it carries maximum weightage in this section and the questions are mostly easy to crack.
M
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
Usually about 7-8 questions are asked from Arithmetic in CAT exam. It is a high scoring topic as maximum questions are doable.
P
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
Use CAT previous-year papers, standard vocabulary books such as Word Power Made Easy, and regular reading of editorials and quality articles.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
Analogies are useful for improving vocabulary and word relationships. But CAT primarily focuses on Reading Comprehension and reasoning-based Verbal Ability questions.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
CAT does not have a fixed number of analogy questions. Direct questions on this topic are rarely asked.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
Candidates can prepare using CAT previous-year question papers, official sample papers and vocabulary resources such as Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
Antonyms are useful for improving vocabulary and understanding meaning of words in context. However, CAT RC primarily tests reading comprehension, inference and critical reasoning rather than direct vocabulary knowledge.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
There is no fixed number of Antonyms questions in CAT. Candidates may encounter questions that test opposite meaning of a word in the context of a reading comprehension passage.
P
Contributor-Level 10
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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