This article is for all those UPSC IAS aspirants who are stuck in a dilemma of which book/books are the best for UPSC IAS preparations? Choosing UPSC IAS Reference books can be a really tough task for some people, thanks to the suggestions given by numerous people as well as the Internet.
As it is said, “too many chefs spoil the broth”, in a similar way, too many opinions and suggestions about the UPSC IAS Reference books will be chaotic.
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In the case of choosing the UPSC IAS Reference books, expert advice is needed. And no, I am not talking about your distant relative’s advice who doesn’t have much knowledge about UPSC but giving suggestions because they consider themselves really ‘smart’. Here an actual expert’s advice is needed, who has appeared for UPSC IAS exams and cracked it.
In this article, the main things we are going to discuss is the need for good books for an IAS aspirant and what are the books that you need to clear the UPSC IAS exams. All the books mentioned in this article are suggested by the UPSC toppers themselves. So let’s begin and see which UPSC IAS Reference books are going to be on the list?
Why do you need good books?
In June 2021, IAS Prelims is going to be held and all the aspirants need to prepare so much for it. There are plenty of books available on both Online and Offline platforms, so it can be quite overwhelming for a newbie to select the best UPSC IAS reference books.
In order to start with the basics, IAS toppers suggest that the aspirants should start studying from NCERTs. After studying the NCERT thoroughly, one can start studying the reference books for UPSC IAS.
The UPSC IAS exams have 3 stages: Prelims, Mains, and interview and out of which the first two needs to be prepared from the books. To prepare for these exams, UPSC IAS Reference books should be divided into the category of Prelims and Mains and one should be selective about the UPSC IAS Reference books they are going to study.
Here are the lists of UPSC IAS Reference books all the UPSC aspirants need to study for their UPSC IAS exams.
UPSC IAS Reference books – Prelims
|
Subjects |
Referred books |
|
Geography |
· NCERT VI – X (Old Syllabus) · NCERT XI, XII (New Syllabus) · World Atlas (Orient Black Swan) · Certificate Physical Geography by G C Leong |
|
History |
· NCERT XI (Ancient & Medieval) · NCERT XII (Modern Indian History) · India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra · Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania |
|
Economics |
· NCERT XI · Indian Economy by Nitin Singhania · Economic Development and Policies in India by Jain & Ohri. |
|
Indian Polity |
· NCERT IX-XII · Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth |
|
International Relations (IR) |
· NCERT XII (Contemporary World Politics) · Current Affairs |
|
CSAT |
· Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by R S Aggarwal · Tata McGraw Hill CSAT Manual |
|
Solved exam papers |
· IAS General Studies Prelims Solved Papers – Vishal Publications |
UPSC IAS Reference books – Mains
|
Subjects |
Referred books |
|
Geography [GS Paper 1] |
· Fundamentals of Physical Geography NCERT, Class 11 · World Atlas (Orient Black Swan) · Certificate Physical & Human Geography by G C Leong. · Geography of India by Majid Husain · World Geography by Majid Husain |
|
History, Indian Heritage & Culture [GS Paper 1] |
· Ancient India by R.S Sharma · India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra · Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania · History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra · India after Independence by Bipan Chandra |
|
Economy [GS Paper 3] |
· Challenges to Internal Security of India by Ashok Kumar · Environment and Disaster Management by Tata McGraw Hill. · Indian Economy – Nitin Singhania |
|
Polity & International Relations [GS Paper 2] |
· International Relations by Pushpesh Pant · Introduction to the Constitution of India by D.D. Basu. · Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth |
|
Ethics [GS Paper 4] |
· Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude for Civil Services Main Examination – Subba Rao and P.N. Roy Chaudary. |
|
Solved Papers |
IAS General Studies Prelims Solved Papers – Vishal Publications |
UPSC IAS Reference books – Current Affairs
Apart from UPSC IAS Reference books, you also need magazines and other sources of information to keep the Current Affairs updated. So here are the UPSC IAS Reference books and magazines for preparing Current Affairs.
|
Current Affairs |
· Newspapers – Economic Times, The Hindu, The Indian Express, etc. · Manormna Year Book (respective year) · Mathrubhumi Yearbook (respective year) · General Knowledge Manual by Barry O’Brien (respective year) · GK And Current Affairs (India) In English · Current Affairs & News In Focus Objective Questions (Volume 1) by Kiran Prakashan. · Magazines like – Yojana Magazine, Kurukshetra Magazine, Pratiyogita Darpan Magazine, etc. |
If you have any queries regarding the UPSC IAS Exam 2021, you can ask in the comment box.
FAQs
Question 1 – Is reading only NCERT books enough for clearing UPSC IAS exams?
Answer – NCERTs are a really good source of information and can help you in clearing your basic conceptual knowledge. But when it comes to practical questions, reference books can be of great help. So, for clearing UPSC IAS exam, NCERTs might be helpful, but for scoring higher marks go for UPSC IAS Reference books, just to increase the chances of making it to the interview.
Question 2 – Where are NCERTs available?
Answer – NCERTs are actually quite easy to find. There are many markets all over the country where books can be purchased at a cheap price. You can always download e-books from the Internet. And if you have siblings or cousins who have the required NCERTs and they don’t need it anymore, you can borrow it from them.
Question 3 – What are some of the best books recommended for Economics and Indian Polity?
Answer – For Economics you must read Indian Economy by Nitin Singhania and for Indian Polity you must read Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth.
Question 4 – What topics should we cover in art and culture?
Answer – For art and culture you should focus on the following topics
1. Architecture – forts, temples, etc.
2. Paintings
3. Indian Philosophies like Buddhism and Jainism.
4. Dance and Music – Folk dance and music as well as the current ones in the news.4.
Question 5 – How to use current affairs magazine in an effective manner?
Answer – This is how you can use the magazines effectively, for both UPSC IAS Prelims and Mains:
1. Build interest in the content by framing questions on the current affairs.
2. For quick revision, mark important key words.
3. Make lists of topics like national parks or places in the news, IUCN status of species etc.