How to Prepare for NMAT 2025 Language Skills Section? Check Strategy & Best Books
NMAT 2026 ( NMAT )
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20 Aug '26 - 10 Oct '26
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 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 exam shall require a well-devised strategy involving knowledge and techniques. The NMAT exam pattern is expected to remain similar to the previous session.
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.
- 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 Syllabus
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.
Commonly asked questions
NMAT by GMAC is among the major MBA exams conducted for admission in India and abroad. Candidates planning to pursue MBA typically appear for NMAT exam besides XAT, MAT, CAT, SNAP and more. Owing to its popularity, candidates preparing for the NMAT exam can find numerous books on exam preparation available at major book stores and online retailers. Candidates can also find the NMAT preparation books at a few libraries. In cases when the NMAT books cannot be found in the nearest store, one can use CAT exam books for NMAT preparation.
NMAT exam comprises as many as three sections. Candidates can invest in one book which covers the syllabus for all the three sections. Alternatively, candidates may consider to study from three different books, one for each section. GMAC official guide for NMAT is considered the best sourse to study for the competitive exam. Candidates can also prepare using the books recommended for CAT exam preparation or any other MBA entrance exam preparation.
For the NMAT Quantitative Aptitude section, candidates can refer to Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Arun Sharma, Quantitative Aptitude by RS Aggarwal and How to Prepare for Data Interpretation for CAT by Arun Sharma. For Languagew Skills, Noman Lewis' Word Power Made Easy is among the recommended books for competitive exams. For Logical Reasoning section, candidates can choose Logical and Analytical Reasoning by Ashok Gupta.
Besides the books mentioned above, candidates can choose from a ton of books available for competitive exam preparation. Refer to the NMAT books article by Shiksha for complete preparation books guide (https://www.shiksha.com/mba/nmat-exam-books)
Official NMAT reference book, also known as NMAT by GMAC Official Guide, comprises a short description of the answer. Not all options will be right and the right answer will have a logic behind it. Such characteristics are exclusive to textbooks for preparation and one may not always find them in any other resources available for NMAT preparation. The official guide has past year papers along with the answers to the same. Candidates can get answers as well as solutions to the analytical questions.
The NMAT Official Guide is a one-stop solution for NMAT preparation. It comprises topics from all three sections of the NMAT exam. It can help users gain fundamental knowledge and conceptual clarity on all the topics included in the NMAT syllabus. Such knowledge when combined with the rigorous practice of NMAT mock tests and question papers helps any test taker to score high marks in the exam. The key advantage of the Official Guide is that it not only comprises the answers to the questions but also the solution of the same.
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
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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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Abhishek Dhawan is a content writer and editor with 7+ years of experience in education journalism. He holds a BA degree from the University of Delhi. At Shiksha, Abhishek primarily covers MBA and BBA entrance
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