Abhishek
Abhishek Dhawan
Assistant Manager – Editorial Content
Updated on Jul 28, 2025 13:54 IST

NMAT Language Skills or the Verbal Ability section is one of the crucial areas of the NMAT exam. This article of Shiksha brings a detailed preparation strategy for the Language Skills section of the NMAT exam.

NMAT Language Skills Preparation

NMAT Language Skill Preparation: NMAT is one of the most sought-after MBA entrance exams after CAT. More than 90,000 MBA aspirants appear for NMAT by GMAC for admission to top management institutes, including NMIMS Mumbai and other reputed B-schools in India and abroad. Cracking NMAT 2025 shall require a well-devised strategy involving knowledge and techniques. The NMAT exam pattern is expected to remain similar to the previous session.

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Each section of the NMAT exam will now have an equal weightage of questions. Hence, the NMAT preparation strategy should also have equal emphasis on all three sections. In this article, we present a detailed preparation strategy for NMAT Language Skills or the Verbal Ability section.

Q:   What is the difficulty level of NMAT exam?
A:

The NMAT exam is conducted for MBA admission across multiple B -schools across India and abroad. Based on feedback from test takers of the past exam sessions, test takers found the exam to be moderate to tough in terms of difficulty standards. If compared with other MBA entrance exams, NMAT is comparatively easy as the candidates have the liberty to appear for the test three times and use the best scores for admission. Additionally, candidates can schedule the exam based on his/her convinience.

However, the level of difficulty can vary from year to year. Success in any entrance exam ultimately depends on the candidate's preparation and performance on the exam day.

Q:   How do I prepare for the NMAT?
A:

You may be eligible for admission to the best management colleges in India and abroad based on your NMAT score. Therefore, performing well on this exam becomes essential. You can use the following expert strategy to clear the NMAT:

  1. Before beginning your preparation, familiarize yourself with the NMAT's syllabus and exam format.
  2. Create a schedule to finish the NMAT syllabus.
  3. Choosing the best books and study materials to cover the NMAT syllabus
  4. To prepare for the Language section, concentrate on vocabulary since it is a key element of this section.
  5. Develop reading habits and conceptual clarity in grammar to perform well on the language section.
  6. Basic concepts should be conceptually clear and practiced in order to prepare the quantitative section.
  7. You should practice a lot of questions on arrangements and puzzles in order to do well on the logical reasoning section.
  8. Before the exam, go over all crucial ideas, calculations, and theorems several times.
  9. Start practicing mock tests and previous year's questions one month before the exam.
  10. Analysing mock results will help you continuously raise your score over time.
Q:   How can I prepare for the CAT and NMAT simultaneously?
A:

The sections in CAT and NMAT exam are on similar lines. The space below mentions the similarities in the syllabus and exam sections:

  1. Quantitative Aptitude in CAT and Quantitative Skills in NMAT: The Quantitative Aptitude section of the CAT and the Quantitative Skills section of the NMIMS Management Aptitude Test are both based on very similar topics. If the candidates prepare for the Quantitative Aptitude section of the Common Admission Test, which requires knowledge of higher-level topics, they can easily solve the Quantitative Skills section of the NMIMS Management Aptitude Test since the same foundation topics are covered thoroughly in the Common Admission Test preparation.
  2. DILR in CAT and logical reasoning in NMAT: The DILR section in the Common Admission Test exam is a combination of data interpretation and logical reasoning, whereas, in the NMIMS Management Aptitude Test, the section is solely logical reasoning. These two sections of the respective exams are different from the other sections. As a result, anyone hoping to pass the NMAT by GMAC should devote enough time to studying for the reasoning section of the exam, as the syllabus covered in the CAT-D section will not suffice. 
  3. VARC in CAT and Language Skills in NMAT: The VARC section of the Common Admission Test combined verbal ability and reading comprehension. Reading comprehension in Common Admission Test usually comes with tricky passages, whereas the passages in NMAT are relatively straightforward. Vocabulary- and grammar-based questions have more weight in the Language Skills section of the NMIMS Management Aptitude Test. However, the CAT VA will include reasoning-based questions. Students who want to prepare for NMIMS Management Aptitude Test and Common Admission Test at the same time must pay close attention to the Language Skills section of the NMIMS Management Aptitude Test after the Logical Reasoning section.
Table of content
  • Components of the Language Skills Section
  • Best Books for NMAT Language Skills
  • Preparation Tips for Language Skills Section of NMAT

Components of the Language Skills Section

The Language Skills section of the NMAT exam consists of the following topics of areas:

  • Reading Comprehension

  • Para jumbles

  • Grammar- Error Spotting

  • Sentence Correction

  • Fill in the blanks (Grammar-based)

  • Antonyms & Synonyms

  • Sentence Completion

  • Analogies

As per the previous year’s NMAT analysis, the table below represents the topic-wise weightage.

Topics

Number of Questions

Reading Comprehension

8 (4 questions each from 2 passages)

Error Spotting

3

Para Jumbles

4

Grammar based Fill in the Blanks (FIBs)

2

Preposition based FIBs

1

Vocabulary based FIBs

2

Synonyms

2

Antonyms

2

Analogy

4

Cloze Test

4

Also Read: NMAT 2025 Syllabus

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Before the change of the NMAT exam pattern, the total number of questions in the Language Skills section was 32. This year, the number of questions will be 36. As per the changed exam pattern of NMAT, each section is allotted equal weightage. Hence, this year, the number of questions will be more but the duration would be the lowest, i.e. 28 minutes. Candidates need to prepare a strong test-taking and time management strategy to maximise the number of attempts. Now let us look at the preparation strategies for the NMAT Language Skills section.

Best Books for NMAT Language Skills

Referring to the right books build the foundation of any exam preparation. The following table lists the top books for NMAT Language Skills section preparation and their authors.

Books

Authors

How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT

Arun Sharma

Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT

Nishit K. Sinha

Word Power Made Easy

Norman Lewis

High School English Grammar & Composition

Wren & Martin

Also Read: Best Books For NMAT Preparation

Q:   Which is the best book of logical reasoning and data interpretation for the CAT XAT NMAT MAT and SNAP exams?
A:
A list of the best Books on Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for the CAT XAT NMAT MAT and SNAP exams is mentioned below: 1- Logical and Analytical Reasoning by Ashok Gupta. 2- Logical Reasoning by Arihant. 3- The Great Book of Puzzles & Teasers by George J Summer. 4- A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning by RS Aggarwal. 5- How To Prepare Logical Reasoning for CAT by Arun Sharma. 6- Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation for CAT by Nishit K Sinha. 7- Nishit Sinha's The Pearson Guide to Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation. 8- How to prepare for Logical Reasoning for the CAT by Arun Sharma. 9- How to prepare for Data Interpretation for the CAT XAT NMAT etc. By Arun Sharma. 10- How to prepare for Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning for CAT by Arun Sharma. I hope this will help you.

Preparation Tips for Language Skills Section of NMAT

Know the Basics: The best way to prepare for any section is to have a stronghold over the basic concepts of the section. For the Language Skills section, you must have a good grip on the English language in terms of grammar and vocabulary. If you have weak grammar, don’t hesitate to go back to the school-level grammar books to get clarity on the topics. Unless your concepts are clear, you cannot score high marks irrespective of practice or mugging up.

Read as much as you can: To improve this section, especially the Reading Comprehension, it is important to build a habit of reading. Experts advise reading newspapers, especially editorial articles if you prepare for NMAT or any other MBA entrance exams. Regular reading will improve comprehension skills and information-grasping ability and increase reading speed. While reading the articles or passages, take notes to make it easier to answer the RC questions.

Improve your Vocabulary: As per the previous years’ NMAT analysis and trends, vocabulary carries maximum weightage in the Language Skills section. Hence, it is of utmost importance to build a good vocabulary bank. The best way to enhance vocabulary is to refer to books like Word Power Made Easy, Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder, and thesaurus, to name a few. You can make flashcards or list words and stick them on your desk or anywhere you spend maximum time in. Along with learning the words, also focus on their usages and implications.

Practice: Practice is key for any exam preparation. For this, you must take several sectional and full-length NMAT mock tests. The more you practice, the better prepared you will be. You can also solve previous year’s question papers to know the topics and types. Take at least one sectional mock test on Language Skills daily and full-length mock tests within two to three days and assess them properly with the help of your mentors. You must reach out to them in case of any doubt or confusion.

Time Management: Since you will get only 28 minutes for 32 questions, you must focus properly on time management. Scan through all the questions and choose those that will not be time-consuming. In terms of Reading Comprehension, make sure that you attempt a shorter passage with direct rather than inferential questions. This will save time. Do not take more than two to three minutes for a question.  Also, keep at least 10-15 minutes buffer towards the end of the section for revision and revisiting questions you have doubts about.

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About the Author
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Abhishek Dhawan
Assistant Manager – Editorial Content
With a creative soul, Abhishek is inclined towards anything in the creative space be it drawing, painting, craft, or writing. He has been working in the ed-tech industry since he started his career. Besides creative Read Full Bio
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