How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT
Arun Sharma · McGraw Hill
Graded levels of difficulty mirroring CAT quant.
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NMAT by GMAC · Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC)
MBA entrance for NMIMS and other B-schools.
Start at #1 and work down. The first books cover the full syllabus; later books add depth for scoring subjects.
Arun Sharma · McGraw Hill
Graded levels of difficulty mirroring CAT quant.
Check priceAffiliate link · price on Amazon.in
Arun Sharma · McGraw Hill
Set-based DILR practice at CAT difficulty.
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Arun Sharma, Meenakshi Upadhyay · McGraw Hill
RC passages and verbal question types in CAT style.
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Norman Lewis · Penguin
Builds vocabulary systematically — useful for CAT, GRE and bank exams.
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R.S. Aggarwal · S. Chand
Chapter-wise concepts and thousands of solved questions for arithmetic.
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Take a full mock every week in the early months and every alternate day in the last 30 days. Analyse every test — that is where marks improve.
Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC)
Always confirm dates, eligibility and syllabus on the official website before applying.
Visit official siteConducted by
Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC)
Level
National
Frequency
Annual window (up to 3 attempts)
Mode
Online (CBT)
Eligibility
Graduate with 50%.
Official website
https://www.mba.com/exams/nmatDates, vacancies, fees and age limits change every cycle — always confirm in the latest official notification.
Read the official syllabus and solve one previous NMAT paper to see where you stand. Start book #1 and #2 from the list above.
Finish one standard book per subject. Solve topic-wise practice sets the same day you finish a chapter.
Start full-length mocks weekly. Maintain an error log and revisit weak topics after every test.
Mocks every alternate day, revise short notes and previous year questions. No new books.
Start with Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC)'s previous year NMAT papers, solved under real exam timing. Aim for at least 15–20 full mocks before the exam and analyse every test.
The most recommended books for NMAT are: How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by Arun Sharma; How to Prepare for Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning for the CAT by Arun Sharma; How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT by Arun Sharma, Meenakshi Upadhyay; Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis. Read one good book per subject multiple times instead of many books once.
NMAT by GMAC (NMAT) is conducted by Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). MBA entrance for NMIMS and other B-schools.
Graduate with 50%. Always verify the latest criteria in the official notification at https://www.mba.com/exams/nmat.
NMAT is conducted in the following stage(s): CBT. Mode: Online (CBT).
The main subjects/sections of NMAT are: Language Skills, Quantitative Skills, Logical Reasoning. Download the detailed syllabus from https://www.mba.com/exams/nmat.
NMAT is held once a year. Dates are announced by Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) in the official notification.
(1) Download the official syllabus and previous papers. (2) Build concepts from one standard book per subject. (3) Practise topic-wise sets daily. (4) Start full-length mock tests at least 3 months before the exam and analyse each one. (5) Revise weak areas and keep a short-notes register. (6) Take the last 15 days only for revision and mocks.
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