Best IAS BOOKS FOR CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS AND MAINS EXAM PREPARATION
Best IAS BOOKS FOR CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS AND MAINS EXAM PREPARATION
WHAT IS THE SYLLABUS FOR UPSC?
UPSC CSE is one of the toughest and the most challenging exam of the country. UPSC exam has a vast syllabus which is a bit difficult to cover if not studied strategically. Every year lakhs of students appear for the UPSC CSE exam but only few of them are able to clear the exam because the candidates who clear the exam firstly understand the syllabus in detail and then start preparing according to it. So before starting the preparation for the UPSC one must go through the detailed structure of syllabus and thoroughly understand the exam pattern of UPSC.
One must keeping in mind some important points before buying the books, these tips are discussed below-
Once you understand the syllabus properly one must start arranging the study material, books, magazines etc. It is very necessary that you get the best books for yourself that cover almost all the syllabus, so you do not need to refer to lots and lots of book.
Also choosing a good book is important so that you can save your time and need not to read another books as this will just engage you and you would not be able to complete the syllabus on time.
You must also analyze the writing style of the author, so that it becomes easy for you to understand. Reading from a book that has a very complicated language will require more and more time to complete it. Go for the books which cover all the important topics in depth. The books should contain practice questions, summary and previous year questions also. Out of hundreds of books of each subject that are available online as well as offline you need to choose the one which is best for you. One must choose the books that are easily available.
Although all the toppers have their own recommendation on different writers and their books, the article below consists of some of the best recommended books for UPSC Prelims and Mains. This article will help you in making a wise choice for yourself.
NCERT books are referred to as the basis of the UPSC preparation. Some books for prelims and mains exam are listed below-
Best Books for UPSC Prelims–
Prelims is the first stage of the UPSC CSE exam. Only after clearing this you can appear for the Mains Exam. Prelims consist of two compulsory papers- General Studies Paper-I and General Studies Paper-II (CSAT).
Best Books for UPSC Prelims
History
o India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra
o Indian Art & Culture by Nitin Singhania
o History of Medieval India (Old NCERT) – Satish Chandra
o ‘Concise History of Modern India’ – Sujata Menon
o NCERT 11th Ancient and Medieval
o NCERT 12th Modern Indian History
Geography
o World Atlas – Orient Black Swan
o Certificate Physical Geography – G C Leong
o Fundamentals of Human Geography – NCERT
o India: Physical Environment – NCERT
o NCERT VI-X Old Syllabus
o NCERT XI, XII New Syllabus
Polity
o NCERT IX-XII
o Indian Polity – M Laxmikanth
o The Constitution of India – PM Bakshi
o India’s Foreign Policy – Rajiv Sikri
o Introduction to the Constitution of India – DD Basu
o Economic Development & Policies in India – Jain & Ohri
Economics
o Indian Economy by Nitin Singhania
o The Indian Economy – Sanjiv Verma
o Economic Development & Policies in India – Jain & Ohri
o NCERT XI
International Relations
o Current Affairs
o NCERT XII (Contemporary World Politics)
Current Affairs
o The Hindu
o Indian Express
o Yojana Magazine
o Economic and Political Weekly
o Kurukshetra Magazine
CSAT Books
o Tata McGraw Hill CSAT Manual
o Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by R S Aggarwa
Solved Question Papers
o IAS General Studies Prelims Solved Papers by Vishal Publications
Best Books for UPSC Mains Exam-
After clearing the Prelims the candidate is eligible to appear for the main exam which is the second phase of the UPSC exam. The Mains examination constitutes of total 9 papers. Two papers of language out of 9 are the qualifying papers of 300 marks each. These two qualifying papers are English Language Papers and Any Indian Language. The papers on General Studies, Essay and Optional Subjects of only those candidates are evaluated who get 25% marks in both language exam papers. If a candidate fails to do so the marks are not counted.
| List Of UPSC Books For Mains GS Papers | ||
| Subject | Mains Paper | UPSC Books |
| History, Indian Heritage & Culture | GS Paper 1 | o Ancient India by RS Sharmao Indian Art and Culture by NitinSinghaniao History of Medieval India by SatishChandrao India after Independence by BipanChandrao India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra |
| Geography | o World Atlas (Orient Black Swan)o World Geography by Majid Husaino Geography of India by Majid Husaino Certificate Physical and Human Geography by G C Leongo Fundamentals of Physical Geography NCERT Class 11 | |
| Polity & International Relations | GS Paper 2 | o Indian Polity by M. Laxmikantho International Relations: Pushpesh Panto Introduction to the Constitution of India by DD Basu |
| Economy | GS Paper 3 | o Indian Economy – Nitin Singhaniao Environment and Disaster Management by Tata McGraw Hillo Challenges to Internal Security of India by Ashok Kumar |
| Ethics | GS Paper 4 | o Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude for Civil Services Main Examination by SubbaRao and P.N. Roy Chaudary |
Books for Mains Optional Paper-
| Optional Subjects | Book Name |
| Agriculture Books | o Fundamentals Of Agricultural Extension Education by U Barmano A Text Book of Agricultural Statistics R. Rangaswamyo Agronomy – Yellamanda Reddyo Entomology – Vasantha Raj & Davido Genetics- B.D.Singh |
| Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science | o A guide on forest Entomology – Regupathyo A Textbook Of Animal Husbandry- G C Banerjeeo Advanced Animal Nutrition- D. V Reddyo Agricultural Economics- S Subba Reddyo Animal husbandry & veterinary science- T.N. Palanivelu |
| Anthropology Books | o Physical Anthropology – P Nath o Fossil Evidence – S Daso Social Anthropology – DN Majumdar & T N Madano Indian Anthropology – Nadeem Hasnaino Anthropology Theories – Makhan Jha |
| Botany | o Cell Biology- De Robertis & Ambrose and Easy or Powaro Cryptograms- B.R. Vasistao Botany for Degree Students; Pteridophyta(Vascular Cryptogams)-P.C. Vashishtao Ecology, Microbiology, Animal Behaviour, Pollution and Toxicology For B. Sc. Part III, Paper III- Dr Veer Bala Rastogio Economic botany in the tropics- S. L. Kochhar |
| Chemistry | o A guide to mechanism in organic chemistry – Peter Sykeso A textbook of environmental chemistry and pollution – S.S. Dara.o A textbook of organic chemistry – Bahl & Bao A textbook of physical chemistry (Vol. – IV) – K.L. Kapooro Advance physical chemistry – Gurdeep Raj |
| Civil Engineering | o Engineering Mechanics: Statics and Dynamics – Irving Herman Shameso Strength of Material- Prof. S. Ramamruthamo Mechanics for Engineers- B Johnsono Structural Analysis- C. K. Wango Limit state design of steel structures: S K Duggal |
| Commerce & Accountancy | o Accounting Corporate Accounting – NaseemAhmedo Accounting Standards- D. S. Rawato Auditing Students’ Guide to Auditing- ArunaJhao Income Tax book by- V.K. Singhania or Girish Ahujao Cost Accounting; Theory & Problems- Maheshwari & Mittal |
| Economics Books | o Indian Economy – Ramesh Singho The Indian Economy – Sanjiv Vermao Indian Economy – Mishra and Purio Indian Economy – R. Dutt and KPM Sundaramo Banking – S.B. Guptao Dictionary of Economics – Graham Bannock; T.E. Baxter, Ray Rees |
| Electrical Engineering | o Electromagnetic Fields & Waves- Kd Prasado Energy Conversion: Ashfaq Hussaino Circuit Theory: Analysis and Synthesis- A. Chakrabartio Signals and Systems-Alan V. Oppenheim, Alan V. Willsky, S. Hamid Nawabo Physics of Semiconductor Devices – Simon Szeo Analog Electronics: J.B. Guptao Digital Logic and Computer Design-M. Morris Manoo Principles of Electronics – V .K. Mehta |
| Geography Books | o A Geography by Population – R.C. Chandnao Agricultural Geography – Majid Husaino Climatology – D.S.Lalo Economic and Social Geography – Made Simple – R.Knowles & J.Wareingo Economic Geography- Hartshorn & Truman A |
| Geology | o Advancing Frontiers in Geology and Geophysics: A Volume in Honour of M.S. Krishnan- A P Subramaniam & S. Balakrishnano Ananda K. Coomaraswamy Writings on Geology and Mineralogy: Scientific Papers and Comments- Ranganathan, A. & Rao, K. Srinivasa (Eds.)o Concise Glossary of Geology- Mathur, S.M.o Deccan Traverses: The Making of Bangalore’s Terrain-Mathur, Anuradha & Cunha, Dilip Dao Delta Sedimentation: East Coast of India- Singh, I.B. & Swamy, A.S.R.o Dimensions of Himalayan Geology- BiyaniA.K. |
| History Books | o A History of South India -K.A. NilkanthaSastrio Ancient India – Upinder Singho Anatomy of the Raj (PPH) – SuhashChakravartyo Age of Capital -E.J. Hobsbawmo The story of Civilization, Vol. 2 (NCERT) -Arjun Dev |
| Law | o International Law- S. K Kapooro Our Constitution – Subhash C. Kashyapo The Constitution of India (Bare Act) – PM Bakshio An Introduction to Public International Law – S. K. Vermao Introduction to the Constitution of India – D.D Basuo Constitution of India- VN Shukla |
| Management | o Fundamentals of Management by DeCenzo, Agarwal, Bhattacharya and Robbinso Marketing Management by Philip Kotlero Cost and Management Accounting by MN Arorao Organization Behaviour by Stephen Robbinso Financial Management by Prasanna Chandra |
| Mathematics Books | o Dynamics, Statics and Hydrostatics – M. Rayo Differential Calculus – Shanti Narayan, PK Mittalo Analytic Geometry – Shanti Narayan, DK Jha, HC Sinha and Sharmao Differential equations:- Golden series – NP Balio Vector Analysis – Shanti Narayan, PK Mittalo Linear Algebra – K.C. Prasad, K B Datta |
| Mechanical Engineering | o Thermodynamics – R Yadavo Theory of Mechanics – S S Rattano Heat Conversion – Arora and Kundwaro Heat Transfer – Gupta Prakasho Heat and Mass Transfer – R. Yadavo Theory of Mechanism and Mechanics – Jagdish Lal |
| Medical Science | o Human Anatomy—B D Chaurasiao Embryology from I B Singho Human Physiology– Ganong; Guyton and A.K. Jain booko Biochemistry– by U. Satyanarayana book.o Pathology– Robbins, and Cotran |
| Philosophy Books | o A History of Philosophy by Frank Thillyo Survey of Indian Philosophy by C D Sharmao Existentialism: A Reconstruction by David Coopero An Introduction to Indian Philosophy- S Chatterjeeo A History of Philosophy-Frank Thillyo An Introduction to Political Theory by O P Gaubao Introduction to Religious Philosophy By Y Masih |
| Physics | o Any fundamental book on electrical engineering like B.L Theraja (Vol 1) or Vincent Del Toroo Classical Mechanism -Gupta, Kumar & Sharma – Takewale & Puranik -H.Goldsteino Electricity & Magnetism: D.C. TAyal, B.S. Agarwal, Griffitho Introduction of Electrodynamics – David Griffithso EM Theory -Chopra&Agarwal/Satya Prakash |
| Political Science & International Relations | o An Introduction To Political Theory- O.P Gaubao Fifty Major Political Thinkers- Ian Adams And R W Dysono A History Of Political Thought: Plato To Marx – Subrata Mukherjee And SushilaRamaswamyo An Oxford Companion To Politics In India-niraja Gopal Jayal And Pratap Bhanu Mehtao Foundations Of Indian Political Thought- V.R Mehta |
| Psychology | o Psychology XI & XII Std NCERTo Introduction to Psychology Morgan & Kingo Systems & Theories of Psychology Krawiec& Chaplino Psychology by Morgan and Kingo Psychology by Ciccarelli |
| Public Administration Books | o Administrative Thinkers by Prasad and Prasado Public Administration: Administrative Theories and Concepts by Fadia & Fadiao Public Administration and Public Affairs 12th Edition – Nicholas Henryo Mohit Bhattacharya- New horizons in Public administrationo Mohit Bhattacharya- Pub Ad A new look |
| Sociology Books | o Sociology – Anthony Giddenso Sociological Theory – Ritzer Georgeo Sociology – Haralambos & Holborno Oxford Dictionary Of Sociologyo Sociological Thought – M Francis Abraham and John Henry Morgan |
| Statistics | o An Introduction to Probability Theory & Mathematical Statistics -V K Rohtagio An Outline of Statistical Theory (2 Vol.) -A M Goon, M K Gupta and B. Dass Guptao Fundamentals of Applied Statistics- S C Gupta and V K Kapooro Fundamentals of Mathematical Statistics-A C Gupta and V K Kapooro Fundamentals of Statistics (2 Vol.)- A M Goon, M K Gupta and B Dass Gupta |
| Zoology | o Modern Zoology by Ramesh Guptao Organic Evolution (Evolutionary Biology) by Veer Bala Rastogio Ganong’s Review of Medical Physiologyo Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiologyo Cell Biology by CB Powar |
Supplementary Books for UPSC Preparations-
Some of the supplementary study materials for UPSC are listed below.
1. 2nd ARC Report
2. Budget (Latest)
3. Economic Survey (Latest)
4. Niti Aayog Action Agenda
5. Finance Commission Report (Latest)
6. Annual reports by central ministries
7. Current Affairs – The Hindu newspaper, Yojana Magazine, PIB releases, Testbook UPSC Current Affairs, and more.
8. Yearbooks and reference books like India Year Book, Economic Survey, and Manorama Yearbook.
9. Informative videos from You Tube.
Conclusion-
Choosing a right book is very necessary for achieving the goal. To clear UPSC you must have a detailed knowledge of the topics because Mains Exam requires essay writing which is only possible if you have in depth knowledge of the topics. Before purchasing the book you can also take a review of it by reading it online. With the right books, study material and in depth preparation you will certainly achieve you goal. All the Best!
