UPSC Books 2022
I and numerous IAS exam winners agree that reading through the NCERT books for UPSC before switching to the recommended UPSC books for 2022 is the best method to begin preparing for the UPSC (consisting of the standard books).
Given that the UPSC prelims and UPSC mains are highly distinct from one another and require two separate sets of study material for each, you should also be careful about the IAS books you select for your preparation.
A different booklist would be required for the UPSC Prelims, which is an entirely objective type of paper, and another would be required for the UPSC Mains, which is an entirely subjective type of paper.
To know more about the UPSC CSE exam pattern, you can go over to the blog I have written on the same.
Anyway, I've listed the titles of all the key UPSC books in this portion of the site based on the various UPSC CSE phases and subjects.
One important thing to keep in mind is that any decent booklist should always be thorough enough to cover the complete exam syllabus.
I've included a link to the blog post on the UPSC IAS Preliminary & Mains Syllabus for your convenience.
Best NCERT Books for UPSC
Listed below are the best NCERT books for UPSC according to the various subjects of the UPSC exam (of both Prelims and Mains Phases)
NCERT Books for History:
- History: Class 6: Our Past
- History: Class 7: Our Past – 1
- History: Class 8: Our Past 2 and 3
- History: Class 9: India and the Contemporary World – I
- History: Class 10: India and the Contemporary World – II
- History: Class 11: World History
- History: Class 12: Indian History – 1
- History: Class 12: Indian History – 2
- History: Class 12: Indian History – 3
NCERT Books for Indian Society:
- Indian Society: Class 6: Social Science: Social & Political Life I
- Indian Society: Class 7: Social Science: Social & Political Life II
- Indian Society: Class 8: Social Science: Social & Political Life III
- Indian Society: Class 11: Sociology: Understanding Society
- Indian Society: Class 12: Indian Society
You can also refer to class 12th Sociology book.
NCERT Books for Art and Culture:
- Art & Culture: Class 11: An Introduction to Indian Art
- Art & Culture: Class 11: Living Craft Traditions of India (Chapters IX & X)
NCERT Books for Geography:
- Class 6: The Earth Our Habitat
- Class 7: Our Environment
- Class 8: Resource and Development
- Class 9: Contemporary India – I
- Class 10: Contemporary India – II
- Class 11: Fundamentals of Physical Geography
- Class 11: India Physical Environment
- Class 12: Fundamentals of Human Geography
- Class 12: India People and Economy
NCERT Books for Political Science
- Class 9: Political Science – Democratic Politics Part – 1
- Class 10: Political Science – Democratic Politics Part – 2
- Class 11: Political Science – Indian Constitution at Work
- Class 11: Political Science – Political Theory
- Class 12: Political Science 1 – Contemporary World Politics
- Class 12: Political Science 2 – Politics in India since Independence
You should read the Class 9 to class 12 polity IAS books in detail, with a special focus on the ones of the 11th and 12th class. (out of which cover the topic of World Politics, if time permits).
NCERT Books for Economy:
- Class 9: Economics
- Class 10: Understanding Economic Development
- Class 11: Indian Economic Development
- Class 12: Introductory Microeconomics
- Class 12: Introductory Macroeconomics
NCERT Books for Science & Technology:
- Science: Class 6
- Science: Class 7
- Science: Class 8
- Science: Class 9
- Science: Class 10
- Science: Class 11: Chemistry
- Science: Class 11: Biology
- Science: Class 12: Chemistry
- Science: Class 12: BioCelogy: Units 8, 9 & 10
NCERT Books for Environment & Ecology:
- Science: Class 12: Biology: last four Chapters (13 – 16)
For the subject of science, you should refer to the textbooks of class 9 and 10. That should be good enough for your IAS exam preparation.
NCERT Books for General Studies Paper 4:
- Subject of Ethics: NCERT Class 12: Psychology: This is not too significant from the exam perspective; however, you can go through this IAS book for the basics. However, remember to read selectively.
That wraps up the list of all the NCERT books for UPSC. Now let’s take a look at the IAS Books according to the different phases of the UPSC exam.
Best UPSC Books for IAS Prelims
In the IAS prelims round there are 2 papers and both are objective type in nature. That means both have multiple-type questions with negative markings for each wrong answer.
I have already mentioned the NCERT books that you’d need to go through for the prelims in the section above. However, below I have given the list of the best IAS books for the Prelims round (apart from the NCERTs):
| Subject | UPSC Books |
|---|---|
| History | 1. India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra 2. Facets of Indian Culture – Spectrum |
| Geography | 1. Certificate Physical Geography – G C Leong 2. World Atlas |
| Indian Polity | 1. Indian Polity – M Laxmikanth |
| Economics | 1. Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh 2. Economic Development and Policies in India: Jain & Ohri |
| International Relations | 1. Current Affairs |
| CSAT | 1. Tata McGraw Hill CSAT Manual 2. CSAT II – Arihant 3. Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning: R S Aggarwal |
So, accordingly, I have mentioned down below a list of the best UPSC books for your preparation for the Mains round of the IAS (apart from the NCERTs):
| Subject | UPSC Books |
|---|---|
| History, Indian Heritage & Culture [GS Paper 1] | • An Intro to Indian Art Part 1-Textbook in Fine Arts for Class 11 • Bipan Chadra’s India’s Struggle for Independence • Bipan Chandra’s India after Independence • Satish Chandra’s History of Medieval India • RS Sharma’s Ancient India |
| Geography [GS Paper 1] | • Majid Husain’s Geography of India • Majid Husain’s World Geography • World Atlas • GC Leong’s Certificate Physical and Human Geography |
| Polity & International Relations [GS Paper 2] | • M. Laxmikanth’s Indian Polity • DD Basu’s Introduction to the Constitution of India • Rajiv Sikri’s India’s Foreign Policy |
| Economy [GS Paper 3] | • Ramesh Singh’s Indian Economy |
| Ethics [GS Paper 4] | • Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude for Civil Services Main Examination by Subba Rao and P.N. Roy Chaudary |
These are all the list of books that I have for you as far as the Prelims and the Mains rounds of the UPSC are concerned.
However, there are 2 optional subject papers in the Mains exam that would require you to read from the books pertaining to the particular subjects of your choice.
