Books for UPSC Beginners: Here are the Best Books for IAS Preparation for Beginners

Every UPSC aspirant might look for the best materials to fulfill their biggest goals. Books play a prominent role in preparing you for the grand UPSC journey. There are hundreds of UPSC preparation books for beginners in the market out there. This makes it all the more complicated for the masses to decide the probable books for UPSC beginners. This vast pool of options boggles every passionate student’s mind on determining the original books required for UPSC and books for IAS Prelims.

So the real question which comes to mind is:

Which Book to Refer for the IAS Exam?

De-stress yourself from asking your relatives, friends, seniors, and relentlessly typing on search engines and social media about the most common doubt of “which books to study for UPSC? or what is best for IAS?”

Here is the answer to all your questions! We have listed some of the best IAS preparation books for beginners recommended by experts and experienced professors.

1. Ancient India

Ancient India is a book written by RS Sharma. This book gives you detailed and well-structured knowledge of the subject. The information in this book covers all the topics of ancient history thoroughly and is on point for your exam preparation. Many questions from previous years’ IAS and UPSC papers have been asked from this book’s question bank.

2. Indian Geography

‘Indian Geography,’ written by Majid Hussain, throws light on the geographical aspects of the nation. This book is a top recommendation as it is said that it is more organized and structured than the other NCERT books. You can get a holistic knowledge of the subject by studying from this guide.

3. Introduction to the Constitution of India

This is the best book suggestion to get a stronghold of the Indian Politics written by Dr. Durga Das Basu. It gives a detailed explanation of modern polity, economy, and history. The notes section of the book is impressive and helps in summarizing notes for your exam preparation.

4. Facets of Indian Culture

This book is yet another booster for smart learners out there. It is indispensable for Civil Service aspirants both at the UPSC and state level exams. The detailed explanation blended with elegant short notes for examination is commendable—this book by Spectrum bags one of the best books for IAS preparation for beginners.

5. Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude

This book is drafted by G Subba Rao and P N Roy Chowdhary. It flaunts well authoritative and comprehensive text on the subject. The book includes all the past years’ solved question papers from 2013 to 2019 in a neat manner. The fifth revised edition of this book has been updated with unique features and preparation strategies for competitive exams.

The above suggestions could be the best UPSC books for beginners to practice along.

Also Read : IAS vs IPS vs IFS: Selection, Power, Salary Difference among Different UPSC Posts

Which NCERT Books to Read for UPSC?

Some old and new NCERT books are purely the beginner’s guide to the UPSC civil services exam. Moreover, they also boost your IAS preparation process.

Here are some great NCERT suggestions as well as other guidebooks for prominent subjects of UPSC:

• Geography

Go through significant chapters from NCERT books of VI to XII standards. These include chapters of The Earth Our Habitat, Our Environment, Resource and Development, Contemporary India – I, Contemporary India – II, Fundamentals of Physical Geography, India – Physical Environment, Fundamentals of Human Geography, India – People and Economy, and so on.

To get in-depth knowledge and overview of physical geography, UPSC aspirants are also recommended the book of ‘Oxford School Atlas.’

• Indian Polity

For thorough knowledge and exam preparation for Polity subject, every IAS aspiring student must compulsorily go through Class IX to XII NCERT books. After doing so, the student can refer to books like ‘The Constitution of India’ written by P.M Bakshi. The book ‘Indian Polity’ written by Laxmikanth is another excellent suggestion.

• Economics

The detailed study of the NCERT books is more than enough for excelling in your economics preparation for IAS and UPSC. The Macroeconomics class XII textbook by NCERT gives a well-structured knowledge about the subject fundamentals.

If you wish to gain additional knowledge on the subject, you can refer to guides like the ‘Indian Economy’ drafted by Puri and Mishra. Students must be smart enough to choose the learning aspects per the exam syllabus and prioritize accordingly.

• Science and Technology

NCERT books from class IX and X are the most important for clearing out basic terminologies and formulas for the examination. Experts recommend that students need to be up to date with the current advancement in the technology field by tracking news and strengthening their general knowledge for this particular subject. Students can take notes from the popular ISRO site and many such related informative websites for getting updated with the recent technological advancements.

• Environment and Ecology

To get hands on the best Ecology study material, refer to the NCERT class XII biology’s last four chapters. However, we recommend you study from the NIOS environmental studies material also. This will give you a firm fundamental knowledge as well as deep ecological learning.

Keep yourself updated about the nation’s recent environmental changes by keeping in regular touch with the best newspapers daily.

• History

History is one of the crucial topics in the IAS exams, and NCERT does have a lot of good History books, which could help you prepare well for the General studies paper for the Prelims as well as for the mains.  Some of them are:

1. History of the Medieval Period
2. India’s Ancient Past,
3. Our Pasts (Part 1 – Part 8)
4. Medieval India (Class 9th)
5. World History (Class 10th)
6. India and the Contemporary World (Part 1, Part 2)

• Mathematics

We recommend the S Chand publication Mathematics guides entirely for IAS preparation. Once you study this in detail, it is more than enough to get you great rankings in the examination.

• English Comprehension

We do not recommend you make an additional purchase for this subject as such.

1. Just solve the columns of your NCERT books.
2. Read good magazines and newspapers like Yojana, Livemint, The Hindu, Indian Express, etc.
3. Practice as many previous year question papers as you can.

Final Words

So, the next time the question of ‘which books are best for UPSC?’ stands in front of you, be informed enough to know the right materials for your IAS and UPSC preparation. The Books recommended above could be the beginner’s guide to success in the UPSC civil services exam.

Remember, it is never about the quantity but about the quality. Pick the right book and give your hundred percent in it rather than taking half-knowledge through bits and pieces from various books.
Stay tuned for various informative blogs to illuminate the path of your UPSC aspirant mind.

All the Best Aspirants!

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