How to Actually Use Arun Sharma's Quant Book Without Wasting Six Months
The book is structured around topic-wise chapters, each one moving from basic concept explanation to level-wise practice questions. Level 1 is basic, Level 2 is moderate, Level 3 is tough. Most people start at Level 1 and work their way up, which is fine until they hit a wall somewhere around the Geometry or Number Systems chapters and realize they never actually understood the fundamentals anyway. I spent about three months going through this book cover to cover back when I was preparing for CAT. Here's what actually happened and what I'd do differently now.
Getting the Arun Sharma Quant Book Pdf
The official book is published by Tata McGraw Hill and you can buy the print version on Amazon or any major bookstore. The PDF circulates everywhere online, but I'd honestly recommend getting the physical copy if you can. You'll be writing all over it, and the paper quality matters when you're solving fifty problems a day. Searching for Arun Sharma Quant Book Pdf will give you dozens of results, most of them fine. Just make sure the file is legible and not a poorly scanned mess with missing pages. It covers the standard quantitative aptitude syllabus: Number Systems, Percentages, Profit and Loss, Time Speed and Distance, Work and Time, Algebra, Geometry, Coordinate Geometry, Permutation and Combination, Probability, and Logarithms. That's roughly it for the core content. Around 600 pages with examples and exercises. The chapters on Percentages, Profit and Loss, and Time Speed and Distance are genuinely well done. The author explains the concepts without unnecessary frills, and the problems are sorted by difficulty in a way that mostly makes sense. But I have some honest criticisms.
Where the Book Falls Short
The Geometry chapter is decent but not comprehensive enough for CAT level. You'll find yourself needing a supplementary resource for coordinate geometry and mensuration problems that go beyond the standard setup. The Probability section is also fairly thin compared to what actually shows up on the exam. Another thing nobody mentions: the book assumes you already know basic arithmetic. If you're struggling with fractions, decimals, or basic percentage calculations, jumping straight into this book will feel like reading a foreign language. There's no remedial content. I ran into a specific problem with the Time Speed and Distance chapter. The book presents a classic problem about two trains crossing each other where one train is moving in the opposite direction, and the explanation jumps from the basic relative speed formula directly to the answer without explaining why you use addition versus subtraction for relative speed in different scenarios. I spent probably forty-five minutes confused before it clicked. My workaround was to draw every single scenario out on graph paper with labeled velocities and directions instead of just relying on memorized formulas. Once I visualized it, the whole chapter made sense. The book is fine for people who already think this way intuitively, but if you don't, you'll hit that wall.
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How I Actually Used It
I didn't read it linearly from page one. I picked the chapters I was weakest in first, worked through the concept explanations, did Level 1 problems, then moved to Level 2. Level 3 I largely skipped unless a particular topic kept coming up in mock tests. That saved me roughly two weeks of study time compared to the linear approach most people take. The exercises at the end of each chapter, the ones not sorted by level, are where the actual exam-pattern questions live. I went through those after completing the level-wise sections. Those problems are harder and less predictable, and they mirror what you'll see on the actual test.
Common Mistakes People Make
Most students treat this as a reading book rather than a doing book. They skim the theory, glance at a few solved examples, and call it a day. The quant section rewards practice, not passive consumption. You should be solving at least twenty to thirty problems per chapter minimum before moving on. Another mistake is ignoring the Number Systems chapter because it feels too theoretical. It's not optional. Number Systems questions appear regularly and they're often the difference between a good score and a great one. The chapter on HCF and LCM, divisibility rules, and remainders is genuinely useful and not as dry as it sounds if you actually work through the examples.
Should You Use It?
Yes, if you're preparing for CAT or similar management entrance exams. It's one of the standard references for a reason. But it's not sufficient on its own. Pair it with mock tests from the beginning and use the book to fill gaps, not as your primary evaluation tool. And if Geometry is your weak area, get a supplement or watch video lectures alongside this book rather than expecting it to cover everything. The PDF version works fine for digital study, but the physical copy is better for annotation and long-term reference. Either way, the content is solid. Just don't treat it like a novel and start to finish without practicing along the way.
