The importance of reading can never be stressed enough. Books, especially non-fiction works, play a vital role in developing the intellectuality of individuals and widening their view towards society. Not only for self-improvement, but the non-fiction books are also beneficial to the individuals with respect to CAT preparation. Please refer BYJU’S CAT College Predictor tool.
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Importance of Reading Non-Fiction Books
Most of the populace considers non-fiction books to be less interesting and slow. With fantasy and sci-fi books dominating people’s shelves, non-fiction books sometimes lose their due importance. Some of the noteworthy importance of reading non-fiction books are given below.
- It enhances the knowledge of the World
- Increases engagement
- Non-fiction books are inspirational and motivational
- Improves reading skills and vocabulary
- Acquaints the readers with different lives and cultures.
How Non-Fiction Books Benefit CAT Preparation?
The section on verbal ability and reading comprehension (VARC) tests the candidates’ reading, comprehending and vocabulary and grammar skills. The questions are designed in a way to check the overall language skills of the candidates.
As the theme of most of the passages is facts-based, the candidates who have a habit of reading non-fiction books easily get adjusted to such themes and are able to interpret and comprehend the information better. Also, solving vocabulary based questions can be easily answered if one reads several non-fiction books and takes note of the unknown words and learned their usages.
What non-fiction books to read and how to effectuate the Reading?
Apart from CAT preparation books, one must read various non-fiction books to effectively prepare for CAT. But before starting to read the books, one must consider these below-mentioned points.
- Choose the book according to the current level of English skills
- Diversify the non-fiction books list
- Increasing the complexity of books gradually
To help the candidates start reading the non-fiction books, here some of the best books are mentioned. Candidates are suggested to start reading these books and finish all the mentioned books.
Best Non-fiction books for CAT Preparation
In this list, a total of 15 books are segregated into three levels. The level 1 books are for beginners and are easy to understand. The level 2 books are a bit more mature and the level 3 books are advanced books to improve the overall personality of the readers.
Level 1 Non- Fiction Books for CAT Preparation |
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Book Name |
Author |
Genre |
| Outliers: The Story of Success | Malcolm Gladwell | Psychological non-fiction |
| The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking | Brendan I. Koerner | Biography, True crime |
| India Unbound | Gurcharan Das | Politics, Economy |
| Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers | Mary Roach | Science |
| The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat | Oliver Sacks | Neurology, Psychology |
Level 2 Non- Fiction Books for CAT Preparation |
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Book Name |
Author |
Genre |
| The 33 Strategies of War | Robert Greene | Business, management, Military history |
| Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! | Richard Feynman | Autobiography, Biography |
| Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping | Paco Underhill | Business non-fiction |
| Contagious: Why Things Catch On | Jonah Berger | Business non-fiction |
| Business Legends | Gita Piramal | Business, Biography |
Level 3 Non- Fiction Books for CAT Preparation |
||
Book Name |
Author |
Genre |
| Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the next Economic Miracles | Ruchir Sharma | Economics |
| Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur’s Odyssey to Educate the World’s Children | John Wood | Business, Inspiring |
| Ballad of the Whiskey Robber | Julian Rubinstein | Biography, Crime |
| Liar’s Poker: Rising through the Wreckage on Wall Street | Lewis Michael | Economics |
| The Idea of India | Sunil Khilnani | Politics, Economics |
Some additional recommended books to help in CAT preparation include:
- Beyond The MBA Hype by Sameer Kamat
- The Argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen
- The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid by C. K. Prahalad
- How Much Should a Person Consume? by Ramachandra Guha
These aforementioned non-fiction books can help the CAT aspirants to prepare more effectively and enhance their knowledge and perception of the world. The list includes different variations to help the candidates adjust to different themes which would surely help while solving the reading comprehension questions.
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