Hi to all, in this article I am going to all about the best books for UPSC civil services examination.
So, read this article carefully and completely to get clear knowledge about the best books for UPSC civil services examination.
Basically the civil services exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and it is one of the top most highly prestigious exam and it is also one of the toughest exams in the country.
Importance of Books
All the toppers and other aspirants recommends to start their preparation with NCERT books and then you should move to other standard reference books.
Mainly the best books can vary from candidate to candidate depending on their previous expertise and the knowledge of the subject matter. However, the UPSC booklist recommended by experts are listed in this artic clearly.
And also choosing the right books online for various stages of the UPSC exam is very very important and the UPSC Prelims comprises only objective type and while the Mains exam contains descriptive essay type questions.
Before purchasing any books through online or offline, make sure if your purchasing book from offline store then you need to check the book is latest edition or not and compare the prices and select best author and publisher, and if your are purchasing online then you can find the ratings, based on that you can select the book by the author or publisher and also before purchasing online, check whether the book is latest edition or not.
Best Books for Prelims
| Subject |
UPSC Books |
| History |
- India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra - https://amzn.to/3WCYW5W
- Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania - https://amzn.to/3Q6oSFb
- NCERT XI (Ancient & Medieval)
- NCERT XII (Modern Indian History)
|
| Geography |
- Certificate Physical Geography – G C Leong
- NCERT VI – X (Old Syllabus)
- NCERT XI, XII (New Syllabus)
- World Atlas (Orient Black Swan)
|
| Indian Polity |
- Indian Polity – M Laxmikanth - https://amzn.to/3C1xIOp
- NCERT IX-XII
|
| Economics |
- Indian Economy by Nitin Singhania - https://amzn.to/3BV20Cz
- Economic Development & Policies in India – Jain & Ohri - https://amzn.to/3jvjfnp
- NCERT XI
|
| International Relations |
- NCERT XII (Contemporary World Politics)
- Current Affairs
|
| CSAT |
- Tata McGraw Hill CSAT Manual
- Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning – R S Aggarwal - https://amzn.to/3Wlqhd5
|
| Solved Papers |
- IAS General Studies Prelims Solved Papers – Vishal Publications
|
Best Books For Mains
| Subject |
UPSC Books |
| History, Indian Heritage & Culture
[GS Paper 1] |
- Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania
- India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra
- India after Independence by Bipan Chandra
- History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra
- Ancient India by R.S Sharma
|
| Geography
[GS Paper 1] |
- Geography of India by Majid Husain
- World Geography by Majid Husain
- World Atlas (Orient Black Swan)
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography – G C Leong
- Fundamentals of Physical Geography NCERT Class 11
|
| Polity & International Relations
[GS Paper 2] |
- Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth
- Introduction to the Constitution of India by DD Basu
- International Relations: Pushpesh Pant
|
| Economy
[GS Paper 3] |
- Indian Economy – Nitin Singhania
- Environment and Disaster Management – Tata McGraw Hill
- Challenges to Internal Security of India – Ashok Kumar
|
| Ethics
[GS Paper 4] |
- Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude for Civil Services Main Examination by Subba Rao and P.N. Roy Chaudary
|
| Solved Papers |
- IAS General Studies Prelims Solved Papers – Vishal Publications
|
Best Books for Optional Subjects
| Subject |
UPSC Books |
| Agricolture |
-
Agronomy By Yellamananda Reddy
-
Soil Science – D.K Das Or Brady
-
Genetics By B.D.Singh
-
Entomology – Vasantha Raj & David
-
Special Issue of Agricolture by The Hindu
|
| Anthropology
|
-
N. Hasnain: Tribal India
-
Herskovits: Coltural Anthropology
-
Surender Nath: Forensic Anthropology
-
Herskovits: Coltural Anthropology
-
Stein & Rowe: An Introduction to Physical Anthropology
|
|
Botany
|
-
Taxonomy: Nair along with Datta
- Embryology: Bhojwani and Bhatnagar
- Physiology and Biochemistry: Salisbury and Ross or Fritz and Noggle
-
Economic Botany: Kochar or Verma
|
|
Chemistry
|
-
Theoretical principles of inorganic chemistry – G.S. Manku
-
Extradiction of metals, Principle of inorganic chemistry – Puri, Sharma, Jauhar.
-
Advance physical chemistry – Gurdeep Raj
-
A guide to mechanism in organic chemistry – Peter Sykes
|
|
Economics
|
-
International Economics – Bo Soderston
-
National Income Accounting – Bakerman
-
Banking – S.B. Gupta
-
International Trade – Bo Soderston
|
|
History
|
-
History of Modern India – Shekhar Bandopadhyaya/Bipan Chandra
-
India’s Ancient Past – R.S. Sharma
-
The Wonder That Was India – A.L. Basham
-
Ashoka and the Decline of the Mauryas – Romila Thapar
-
India’s Struggle For Independence – Bipan Chandra and Others
|
|
Management
|
-
Financial: Pandey/Chandra/Khan & Jain/Bearley
-
Economics: Any good economics book
-
Operations: Adams/Taha
-
Organisational Design: Khandwala; Madhukar Shukla
|
|
Mathematics
|
-
Ordinary Differential EQs:- MD Raising Lumina, Golden series-NP Bali
-
Real Analysis – Shantinarayan, Royden
- Linear Programming – SD Sharma
- Solid Mechanism – Kazmioo
|
|
Electrical Engineering
|
-
Modern Central Engineering – Ogata
-
Electromagnetic Waives and Field – R.N. Singh
-
Surveying and Levelling – T P Kanetakar
-
Heat Conversion – Arora & Kundwar
|
|
Urdu
|
-
Urdu Shairi ka Tauqidi Mutala – Suenbol Nigar
-
Urdu Nasr ka Tauqidi Mutala – Suenbol Nigar
-
Urdu Adab Ki Tarikh – Noorol Hasan Naqvi
|
|
Psychology
|
-
Psychology Robert A Baron
-
Social Psychology Baron & Byrne
-
The Psychology of Small Groups Shaw
|
FAQs
NCERT books are widely available in bookstores across the country as well as major e-commerce sites.
M.Laxmikanth – Indian Polity is considered as the best book for UPSC.
The primary books that help in strengthening the foundation of your knowledge are the NCERTs of all the subjects that are relevant to the Exam. It includes History, Polity, Economy, Geography, General Science. The NCERTs of Art & Culture and Fine art are also important for this exam. To get a complete booklist for both UPSC Prelims and Mains.
No, the basic educational qualification is a graduation degree. After 12th, one is needed to complete a Bachelor’s course from a college or an institute recognized by the Government. A final year college student can apply for Civil Services.
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