If you are appearing in entrance exams like CAT, MAT, CUET, etc. you must have to attempt Quantitative Aptitude-based questions. For instance, the Quantitative Aptitude section of the CAT entrance exam will include 22 questions (out of total 68 questions). 

So, doing well in the Quantitative Aptitude section becomes pivotal to get a good overall score.

One way the candidate can improve their Quantitative Aptitude is by consulting good books. This is because if the book is good, it will cover the exam syllabus, contain few to no errors, explain the concepts in great detail, contain mock tests and previous years solved papers, and solutions.

As per our research, Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Sarvesh K Verma and Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Arun Sharma are considered the top TWO choices by aspirants.

Some candidates also recommend Quantitative Aptitude for RS Aggarwal. The book is also used for design exam preparation, including the NIFT entrance exam.

Here we discuss which are the best books for various entrance exams and why. So, keep reading.

Quantitative Aptitude by Arun Sharma  – Why buy it?

Candidates appearing in entrance exams like CAT must buy the book for the following reasons:

Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Arun Sharma – Key Features

• The 11th edition includes a new section on the CAT Experience containing mock tests with detailed explanations. The book contains a total of 11 mock tests with topical questions and detailed solutions.
• Contains solved CAT 2022 and 2023 papers (QA section).
• The book also contains Type in The Answer (TITA) questions asked in CAT (from 2015 onwards). 
• The latest edition includes new and topical questions across all Levels of Difficulty 1-3. 
• Brand-new questions added to important chapters like Permutations and Combinations, Logarithms, Averages etc.

Quantitative Aptitude by RS Aggarwal – Why buy it?

Here are the key reasons why you must consult Quantitative Aptitude by RS Aggarwal for entrance exam preparation:

Quantitative Aptitude by RS Aggarwal – Key features of the book

• Contains a number of objective-type questions, with their solutions by short-cut methods
• Each topic is explained in depth via fully solved examples given at the beginning of each chapter
• Contains separate exercises on Data-Sufficiency-Type Questions for each topic, along with explanatory solutions.
• Special emphasis on Data Interpretation.
• Includes questions from the last years’ examination papers (on memory basis).

Quantitative Aptitude Quantum CAT by Sarvesh K Verma

Quantitative Ability is one of the most unpredictable and time consuming-sections in the CAT exam. 

Key features of the book:

• The entire syllabus of Quantitative Aptitude section is divided into 21 chapters and every topic has 2-3 levels of questions to help candidates master every topic.
• At the end of each chapter, there is a CAT test containing problems related to that topic for quick revision of concepts
• More than 400 fundamental concepts are provided for better understanding
• More than 1000 examples are used to give conceptual clarity and include the methods and tricks for solving various problems.
• Includes around 5000 hand crafted problem for practice
• 2000 new MCQs have been provided for thorough practice 
• With the solution oriented approach this book provides more than 5000 hand crafted problems with their respective solution. 
• Contains alternative and smarter solutions to get correct answers in lesser time to crack CAT. 

Best Quantitative Aptitude book for CAT exam preparation

The following are the most recommended books for CAT exam preparation:

• Quantum CAT
• Quantitative Aptitude for CAT 2025 by Arun Sharma

Where to buy Quantitative Aptitude books?

The candidate can buy popular books for Quantitative Aptitude in both online and offline modes. The online book can be purchased from e-commerce sites like Amazon and Flipkart.To buy Quantitative Aptitude Books on Amazon – Click Here

Coaching vs Self-study – Which is better?: Are you confused whether to take up coaching or not?

It is normal to get confused because nobody wants to leave anything to chance and therefore wants to avail the best available resources to perform well in an entrance exam.

In fact, in the age and time we live in, for good or for worse, entrance exam coaching has become a part and parcel of the preparation ritual. Even the very bright students aren’t at many times brave enough to stake their future on self-study.

So, we thought it is a good time to discuss the pros and cons of self-study and coaching. 

What differentiates the two approaches to entrance exam preparation? Is it possible to prepare for entrance exams without coaching? We discuss all these and much more here. So, keep reading.

Coaching vs Self-study – Which is better and why?

The key differences between self-study and coaching is given below. 

Also Read:

What do coaching institutes say on coaching for entrance exams?

This is what Allen,  a leading coaching institute, has to say on coaching, why, and how it is useful:

When to take coaching for entrance exam preparation?

While we don’t at all recommend that students take coaching for entrance exam preparation, it is also true that many students will still depend on coaching for exam preparation.

So, here we have stipulated a few thumb rules that candidates may consider before enrolling into a coaching institute:

• You need some help to improve your problem-solving abilities or conceptual understanding of topics. In this case, a crash course may suffice. 
• However, if there are large gaps in your exam preparation, short-term courses won’t cut it. You need a proper course. But note that long-term coaching courses will also be expensive.
• You need last minute motivation and a peer group to practice with – In some cases your self-study is going great guns, but you may want to spice up things by taking a crash course and test your progress in a peer group. 
• In some cases the candidate is simply not able to do self-study. In that case, a coaching institute can provide a helping hand.
• Also, if you are a very good candidate, you may also consider taking up coaching considering coaching institutes tend to pay special attention to brilliant students.

Resources for popular entrance exam preparation:

If you plan to appear for entrance exams like JEE Main, NEET, CAT, and NIFT, or any entrance exam worth its salt, there is a chance that you may be tempted to take up coaching. 

This is often driven by peer pressure and also previous years’ topper results. After all there is no denying the fact that many toppers emerge from the coaching institutes.

But while coaching institutes can help students in some respects, is self study completely useless? Can’t a student by dint of their labour and mental aptitude crack these exams, or even top them? And what exactly is the difference between coaching and self-study?

The sad reality is, today, many students, even the meritorious ones, don’t believe in their abilities to crack these exams on their own. So, they end up taking coaching.

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How good are the coaching institutes

Coaching institutes come in all hues. Some coaching institutes have a better record than others, but can also be expensive. Also, each centre may have different standards, even if they are from the same institute.

For instance, the teaching faculty will vary across centers. And some of these faculty members can be good while others may not be equally good. So, when choosing a coaching institute, you also need to be particular about the center. 

Institutes like Aakash, Allen, FIITJEE, Career Point, Topper Academy, Resonance, Super 30, Bansal Classes, Vidyamandir, etc., rank among the best coaching institutes in the country.

These institutes have become such huge brands that they exert tremendous influence on the student community and the academic ecosystem of the country as a whole. Their influence can be felt the most when results of top entrance exams are declared – JEE Main, JEE Advanced, NEET, CAT, etc. 

The toppers, many from these institutes, can be found giving interviews to media channels and speaking in glowing terms how a coaching institute helped them crack the entrance exam. The coaching institutes in turn use these bites for further promotion of their brand.

This is how the coaching institutes thrive!

Why can’t our educational institutes create toppers?

The so-called pillars of our education system – schools and colleges – are the places where the toppers should have originally emerged.

But as we all know most of our schools and colleges have turned into job-generation sectors, employing scores of teachers and administrations. The express purpose of public schools and colleges today seems to be creating lucrative jobs for people. 

Sadly, a lot of these people who get the jobs are only interested in clinging on to these jobs with little output in return. So, we see a lot of pot-bellied, unfit people managing the business of running a school.

The government is also doing precious little to improve the standard of schools and colleges. While the top ranked colleges and schools are doing a bit better, even students from these institutes can’t seem to manage without coaching.

The state of affairs in the country is so bad that CBSE recently had to come out with an advisory against dummy schools!

The dummy schools concept has cropped up because these students no longer want to attend a regular school. If you ask why, the answer is most schools are ill equipped to prepare students for entrance exams. So, these students who are preparing for entrance exams get admission to a dummy school, where they don’t have to attend school at all. This allows them to focus entirely on exam preparation.

What is the government doing to improve the condition of schools and colleges?

Nothing of substance!

While our PM is doing pariksha pe charcha and taking other initiatives, concrete measures are missing.

Still many parents think twice about admitting their wards to government schools and colleges, despite the fact that educators in these institutes get far better salary and facilities than private institutes.

Where is the accountability?

Accountability that these educators have towards the students and parents. It is where the government could have laid down a few guidelines.

We are not talking about drastic measures, but at least START with some baby steps. To bring accountability. 

The icing on the cake is the Delhi government typing up with Physics Wallah (PW) to provide free coaching to Class 12 students preparing for NEET and CUET. The initiative will surely benefit the students.

But is it the correct solution? Why did the Delhi government fall at the mercy of a private institute like Physics Wallah. What happened to the scores of government teachers and academicians retained on Delhi government salary?

Aren’t they good enough? If they are not good enough, what is the reason?

Also, if they aren’t good enough, why are they retained on government salary?

Sadly, nobody is asking these questions.

Short-time solutions will make things worse

Measures like tie-ups with private institutes like Physics Wallah show that there are serious shortcomings in the education system. 

Also, these short-term measures can only make matters worse.

For one, it will ensure there is no improvement in the status quo. Second, the measure will encourage more institutes like Physics Wallah while sidelining government colleges and schools.

But with the sanction of state governments, private organizations like Physics Walla will get even more powerful.