IAS is the toughest civil service exam. It depends upon the student’s ability to prepare and get knowledge. If you are an IAS aspirant, you need to get some of the Important books for IAS Preparation apart from attending coaching classes. Today, we have collected some of the important and useful books with the help of experts in this field. As IAS aspirants often research for the best books to rely on, we have just reduced their task to some extent.
These books are also suggested by those who have reached their goals and also by the toppers of each subject. These books have everything you need and are written in an easy and understandable language to have the best learning.
Why is it essential to find the Important books for IAS Preparation?
Apart from coaching classes both offline and online, an IAS student needs to read books simultaneously. Book is an essential part of their learning. Along with online materials, reading books can serve them various advantages. It will strengthen your brain, build up your vocabulary, and it will allow you to remember more than anything else. If you read something rather than listening, you will get better learning.
So, the candidates who were thinking that only coaching classes can provide them better learning, then stop thinking that way. Along with it, it is mandatory to read good books for IAS preparation. However, toppers from each subject have recommended starting the IAS exam preparation with the NCERT books; then, if they want, they can move to other books to better learn.
There are three stages to clear the IAS exam. Firstly, you have to clear the Prelims; then you have to clear Mains; and lastly, you have to clear the interview round. Every stage will need a different set of books, as prelims are much easier than the Mains. Prelims have only objective-type questions, and mains have descriptive-type questions. so it is better to follow what experts and toppers recommend. The students with Humanity as their stream can cope with subjects like History, political science, geography, and social science. But the students from different backgrounds can also crack it if they have studied well in the junior classes and are extremely passionate about it.
Subjects that an IAS aspirant have to learn
- History
- Geography
- Indian polity
- Economics
- International relations
- Environment & Ecology
- Science & Technology
- Current Affairs
- Subjects and books
History
The history of India is a crucial subject of the IAS exam. The subject has three major topics or subparts, Ancient history, Medieval History, Modern History, and Indian National Movement. It is important for both prelims and mains exams.
Ancient History
It is more important for the Mains exam. Some of the important books
- Ancient History NCERT Class 11th by R.S. Sharma
- India’s Ancient Past by R.S. Sharma
- Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania
Medieval History
This section can sometimes be important in the UPSC exam. Some of the important books for Medieval History are,
- History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra
- Medieval History NCERT Class XI-XII
Modern History & Indian National Movement
This is a crucial section of History for both Prelims and for the Mains. These cover all the important events of history from 1800 to 1950. Some of the important books,
- India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra
- NCERT XII (Modern Indian History)
- History of Modern India – Bipan Chandra
- A brief history of Modern India – Spectrum
Geography
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography – G C Leong
- Fundamentals of Physical Geography NCERT Class 11
- Geography of India by MazidHussain
- Oxford Student Atlas
- Concise Geography by ALS
Indian Economy
- Indian Economic Development NCERT
- Introduction to Macroeconomics NCERT
- Introduction to Microeconomics NCERT
- Economic survey
- Indian Budget
- India yearbook
- Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh
- NitiAayog Reports
Indian Polity
- Constitution of India Bare Act
- Constitution of India by DD Basu
- Indian polity by Laxmikant
- Indian Constitution by P.M. Bakshi
Environment & Ecology
- Environmental Studies Books of IGNOU and NOS
- Environment Book by DS Khullar
- Environment Book – Shankar IAS Academy
Science and Technology
- Science and technology by Ashok Singh
- Science and Technology by Ravi Agrahari
- Newspaper columns dedicated to technology
Important books for IAS Preparation on Current Affairs
- Newspapers -The Hindu, Indian Express
- Press Information Bureau (PIB) website
- Monthly magazine
- Yojana and Kurukshetra monthly magazines
Some of the optional subjects are
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Statistics
- Psychology
- Agriculture
- Animal husbandry
- Literatures
Try to read the books which cover all the important topics and nothing extra. As it is the toughest exam and you need to do smart work rather than hard work. It has a vast syllabus, so it is advisable to read books that cover only the important topics, eliminating unnecessary information. Follow the books which our experts and toppers recommend. To read more like this, visit our website.
