Get complete list of books for available for IAS exam. Check the best books recommended by IAS toppers for both Prelims and Mains. Check NCERT books, Hindi Books and more for IAS Exam.
Indian Administrative Service (IAS) exam is a National level Civil Services examination conducted to recruit candidates as officers for the All India Administrative Civil Service. It is one of the most crucial exams to be held as people who do well in the IAS Exam are offered the most prestigious jobs under the Government.
Table of Contents
Best Books for IAS Preparation
Aspirants who want to prepare for the IAS exam usually take a year off for the preparation as this is one of the most competitive examinations held in India. They attend classes held predominantly for the UPSC IAS exam. But if you are unable to do that, you can self-study as long as you put effort into studying daily.
It requires a lot of change in the daily routine as you would have to nurture new habits. Reading newspapers daily is the foundation for developing the habit of reading and learning about current affairs. The candidate can download new applications related to current affairs like Inshorts, Economic times, etc. They should read the current financial budget, finance commission report, and annual reports by central ministries.
NCERT books are used as a main reference for the IAS examination. They help bring out the basic knowledge of the syllabus of the IAS exam. It is written in a simple language which makes it simple for everyone to understand. By reading the NCERT books, it educates the candidates to understand the exam perspective.
IAS Exam Book List
The UPSC IAS exam has three stages. IAS Preliminary examination, IAS Main examination, and personal interview.
The books for the following examinations are as follows:
Books for IAS Preliminary examination
The IAS Preliminary examination is divided into two sections- General studies and CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test). General studies consist of subjects like Indian Polity, Geography, History, Indian Economy, Science and Technology, Environment and Ecology, and International Relations.
CSAT paper consists of English comprehension, Logical and Analytical Reasoning, and decision making.
The books for the subjects are as follows:
- Indian Polity Books
- Geography Books
- History Books
- Indian Economy Books
- Science and Technology Books
- Environment and Ecology Books
- International Relations Books
- CSAT Books
Indian Polity Books
The Indian Polity is a significant subject when it comes to IAS, and it is a difficult and enjoyable subject.
These are the books we recommend to you to focus on:
- The Constitution of India by PM Bakshi.
- Indian Polity by M Laxmikanth
Geography Books
Geography helps us understand the relation between humans and the environment, and it is important to study such a subject.
Given below are the best book we recommend:
- Certificate Physical Geography by G C Leong
- World Geography by Majid Husain
- Geography of India by Majid Husain
- Physical, Human and Economic Geography for Civil Services Examination by D.R. Khullar
History Books
The history above all teaches us to change. It is a crucial subject in IAS exams.
Listed below are the books we recommend:
- India's Ancient Past by R. S. Sharma
- History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra
- History of Modern India by Bipan Chandra
- India's Struggle For Independence by Bipan Chandra
Indian Economy Books
Economics is a discipline that plays a vital role in our daily lives, so it is very important to study it.
These are the books we recommend that would be useful for you:
- Indian Economy by Mishra and Puri
- Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh
- Economic Development & Policies in India by Jain & Ohri
Science and Technology Books
Science and Technology are some of the earliest disciplines to be established in the world.
These books would be beneficial for you:
- Science & Technology by Ashok Kumar Singh
- Developments in Science and Technology by Kalpana Rajaram
- General Science for Civil Services Preliminary Examinations by S A Majid
Environment and Ecology Books
Youngsters should be the ones most aware of the dangerous state in which our environment is now. It is as important to study the subject as to save the world.
These are the books that would benefit the candidates in the IAS exams:
- Environment by Shankar IAS Academy
- Environment for Civil Services Prelims and Mains by Khuller and Rao
International Relations Books
It is the best way to study global issues. As responsible citizens, we must know about the issues the world faces today.
Given below are the books that we recommend that would be beneficial:
- The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations by John Baylis, Steve Smith, and Patricia Owens.
CSAT Books
This is considered one of the trickiest of the IAS papers, and candidates should make sure they put extra effort into it.
These books would be a huge help for the candidates:
- Tata McGraw Hill CSAT Manual
- Analytical Reasoning by M. K. Pandey
- CSAT II by Arihant
- Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by R S Aggarwal
Books for IAS Mains Examination
The candidate who clears the IAS Preliminary Examination will now have to focus on qualifying for the second stage, the main examination. There are 9 papers in the second stage which comprise two optional papers. The candidates can choose among 25 subjects and one language among 22 languages.
The subjects to be studied are as follows:
- English
- Compulsory Indian language
- Essay
- General Studies I – Indian Heritage & Culture, History & Geography of the World & Society
- General Studies II – Governance, Constitution, Welfare Initiatives, Social Justice & International Relations
- General Studies III – Technology, Economic Development, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Security & Disaster Management
- General Studies IV – Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude and
- 2 optional subjects.
The first two papers are fundamental subjects. The choice for optional subjects are as follows:
Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Anthropology, Botany, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Commerce, Economics, Electrical Engineering, Geography, Geology, History, Law, Mathematics, Management, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Science, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology, Statistics and Zoology.
The options for the choice of language is as follows: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.
The books for the subjects are as follows:
English: High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin.
General Studies I – Indian Heritage & Culture, History & Geography of the World & Society:
- History of Modern World by Jain and Mathur
- Mastering Modern World History by Norman Lowe
- India After Gandhi – Ramchandra Guha
- Indian Art and Culture – Nitin Singhania
- Physical geography- Savinder Singh
General Studies II – Governance, Constitution, Welfare Initiatives, Social Justice & International Relations:
- Introduction to the Constitution of India by DD Basu
- India’s Foreign Policy by Rajiv Sikri
General Studies III – Technology, Economic Development, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Security & Disaster Management:
- Indian Economy: Performance and Policies By Uma Kapila
- Biodiversity, Climate Change & Disaster Management by Majid Hussain
General Studies IV: Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude- Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude for Civil Services Main Examination by Subba Rao and P.N. Roy Chaudary.
Read the books recommended for the preliminary examination along with the books mentioned above.
These books are reference books. Once you get familiar with the subjects by reading the NCERT books, these books will help you provide additional information and help you ace the IAS examination.
About UPSC IAS
The Indian Administrative Services or IAS is an all India competitive exam, part of the Civil Services Examinations (CSE) conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The exam, along with the IPS (Indian Police Service), IES (Indian Economic Service), IFS (Indian Forest Service), and other UPSC exams, is one of the most competitive and tough exams of any government level exam in India. Every year, lakhs of candidates appear for the civil service examinations, and for this reason, the exams are extremely competitive, and the selection criteria are stringent. This year, close to around 10 lakh candidates have registered for the Civil Service Examinations.
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