UPSC Book List – Best Books for UPSC Prelims and Mains 2024, IAS Books PDF
By BYJU'S Exam Prep
Updated on: November 14th, 2023
UPSC books are an important part of the IAS exam preparation process. Aspirants need to be aware of the best books for UPSC exam so that they can plan their preparation accordingly and buy or acquire the required books. Apart from UPSC books, aspirants also need to know the magazines and newspapers they would need to follow in order to clear the IAS exam. In this article, we give you a comprehensive UPSC book list to help you achieve your IAS dreams.
UPSC Books for History | Maths Books for UPSC |
UPSC Geography Books | UPSC Physics Books |
Polity Books for UPSC | Anthropology UPSC Books |
Table of content
UPSC Book List for Prelims
The UPSC Prelims is the first hurdle to clear in your pursuit of your IAS dream. You have to qualify in the prelims exam to be able to take the UPSC mains exam. The prelims exam sees very high competition as lakhs of candidates take the exam. In the table below, we give you a list of the best UPSC books for prelims exam.
Subject | UPSC Books |
History |
|
Geography |
|
Indian Polity |
|
Economics |
|
International Relations |
|
CSAT |
|
Solved Papers |
|
The above list contains the relevant UPSC books for Prelims GS Paper 1 and CSAT (GS Paper 2). Candidates should refer to the latest editions of these books to ensure they cover the updated content. Additionally, regular practice of the UPSC previous year question papers and mock tests will help in building exam-oriented knowledge and improving time management skills.
Books for UPSC Mains
The second phase of the UPSC exam is the mains exam. If you clear the UPSC prelims by getting above the cut-off marks, you will be eligible to sit for the IAS mains. Here, there are nine papers covering a wide range of topics and subjects. Comprehensive preparation of the topics as well as sufficient answer writing practice is absolutely essential to be able to clear the IAS mains exam. In the table below, we give you the most comprehensive list of UPSC books for Mains exam (GS papers).
Subject | UPSC Books |
History, Indian Heritage & Culture
[GS Paper 1] |
|
Geography
[GS Paper 1] |
|
Polity & International Relations
[GS Paper 2] |
|
Economy
[GS Paper 3] |
|
Ethics
[GS Paper 4] |
|
In the UPSC mains exam, a candidate has to choose an optional subject. The optional papers count for 500 marks in total and therefore, it is imperative that the right books are read for the optional subjects also.
There are a total of 48 optional subjects in the UPSC mains exam, and candidates can choose any of them. Below we have provided the direct link to all the books for IAS optional subjects.
UPSC Book List PDF
Download the complete UPSC Booklist PDF using the direct link mentioned below. The UPSC Books PDF contains the list of best books for Prelims and Mains. The booklist is carefully selected and categorized subject-wise for the upcoming exam.
The books included in the above-mentioned booklist include both standard books for UPSC and the advanced ones to be covered after that.
How to Read UPSC Books?
A glance at the list of UPSC books can be quite intimidating for aspirants, especially beginners. But if you follow a systematic approach, covering all these books would be easy and doable. Here, we give you some suggestions as to how to cover the UPSC books on time for the IAS exam.
- Don’t buy or collect too many books.
- Don’t start reading the advanced books before covering the basics, especially for subjects that you are not familiar with.
- Start with simpler books such as NCERTs, which generally follow simple language and give authentic information.
- While covering books, watch video lectures on the same topics that are available online to complement your understanding of the topic.
- Make your own notes simultaneously.
Importance of Learning from Best Books for UPSC
Studying from the wrong books can be detrimental to your IAS pursuit. Apart from the danger of learning incorrect information, it is also possible that you would end up internalising the wrong approach towards answer writing. To avoid this, make sure you read the recommended books for UPSC in order to have a fighting chance of clearing the prestigious IAS exam. You can also refer to the toppers’ recommended booklist for UPSC.
UPSC Books Online
With the advancement of digitalization, candidates can download e-books for IAS. These e-books are easily available online and possess the same content as hardcopy books. Every subject requires several books, and the candidates can’t carry those books all the time. Thus online UPSC Books would be a great alternative, and candidates can carry the PDF format anywhere they go.