Best IAS Books Recommended for UPSC Civil Service Examination
Here, we aim to provide a complete list of the best books for civil service examination for both Prelims and Mains. The Civil Service examination is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). This highly prestigious examination is considered the toughest examination in the country.
Why Good Reference Books are Necessary for Preparing UPSC Civil Service Examination?
There are many study materials available both online and offline for preparing for civil service examinations. Thus, the candidate must select the best books for UPSC Civil Service preparation. The toppers and the experts recommended that the aspirants start their UPSC preparation with NCERT books and then slowly move to the other standard reference books.
The best IAS reference books might vary from candidate to candidate. It completely depends on their previous experience and expertise as well as their knowledge of the UPSC syllabus and subjects. On the other hand, the experts list out certain books as recommendations for effective UPSC exam preparation.
Choosing the right books for preparing IAS examination for various phases of the UPSC exam is very important. The UPSC prelims consist of only objective-type questions. On the other hand, the civil service mains examination contains descriptive essay-type questions, where candidates need to give a detailed answer for each question.
Best Books for UPSC Prelims
The UPSC Prelims examination consists of two papers., General Studies I and General Studies II (CSAT). Both the papers are objective type carrying negative marks for the wrong answers. The best IAS books for Prelims are given below:
Subject | UPSC Books | Notes | ||
History |
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Geography |
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Indian Polity |
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Economics |
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International Relations |
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CSAT |
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Best IAS Books for UPSC Mains Examination
The candidates who clear the UPSC Prelims stage are qualified for the Civil Service Mains examination. There are 9 theory papers in the UPSC Mains examination. Among them, two papers are on the optional subject. Candidates must follow the important IAS books as their reference for preparing UPSC Mains examination.
Here are the best general studies books for preparing UPSC Mains examination.
Subject | UPSC Books |
History, Indian Heritage & Culture [GS Paper 1] |
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Geography [GS Paper 1] |
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Polity & International Relations [GS Paper 2] |
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Economy [GS Paper 3] |
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Ethics [GS Paper 4] |
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Solved Papers |
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In the UPSC Mains examination, the candidate needs to choose an optional subject. Among the 9 papers, two papers come under optional paper. The UPSC optional subject carries 500 marks in total. Thus, it is necessary to refer right books for reference for preparing UPSC optional subjects.
Here are the Best IAS books for UPSC optional subjects.
Recommended Study Materials for the UPSC Civil Service Examination
The essential UPSC study materials other than the books mentioned above are:
- 2nd ARC Report (To read more on ARC Reports, check the linked article.)
- Economic Survey (Latest)
- Budget (Latest)
- Finance Commission Report (Latest)
- Annual reports by central ministries
- Current Affairs
- The Hindu Newspaper
- Yojana Magazine
- Press Information Bureau Releases
- Niti Aayog Action Agenda
Refer to the Best UPSC Books
- The UPSC syllabus is vast. The candidate will take at least 1 year to cover the whole syllabus. Thus, it is not recommended not to spend the candidate’s time over worse books that contain false and misinterpreted information.
- Choose the best IAS books from the recommended source and make notes out of them.
It is recommended to refer to books like Laxmikanth for Polity as they are tailor-made for the UPSC civil service examination. Many questions might be asked directly from these resources.