UPSC Book List PDF Download IAS Preparation

Discover the comprehensive UPSC Book List to aid your IAS preparation for 2025. Find recommended NCERT and essential books for the civil services examination, with an easy PDF download link.

UPSC Book List: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the civil services examination every year, known for its competitiveness. To succeed in the IAS examination, it is crucial to cover the extensive syllabus, and selecting the right books is essential.

The preparation journey for the UPSC IAS examination emphasizes choosing quality study materials. Many aspirants often find themselves searching extensively, attending bookstores, book fairs, and more, in pursuit of the right resources. Based on recommendations from IAS toppers, NCERT books are widely considered beneficial for preparation. Below is the curated UPSC Book List PDF that will help candidates focus on the right materials.

UPSC Book List PDF

In an effort to minimize the time and effort spent by IAS aspirants in gathering preparation materials, we've compiled a concise IAS book list featuring links to essential UPSC books commonly required.

NCERT Books List for UPSC IAS Exam

Below is the list of NCERT books recommended for the UPSC IAS exam.

S.NoSubjectUPSC Books
1HistoryIndia’s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra
Indian Culture – Spectrum
NCERT XI (Ancient & Medieval)
NCERT XII (Modern Indian History)
2GeographyCertificate Physical Geography – G C Leong
NCERT VI – X (Old Syllabus)
NCERT XI, XII (New Syllabus)
World Atlas (Orient Black Swan)
3Indian PolityIndian Polity – M Laxmikanth
NCERT IX-XII
4EconomicsIndian Economy by Nitin Singhania
Economic Development & Policies in India – Jain & Ohri
NCERT XI
5International RelationsNCERT XII (Contemporary World Politics)
Current Affairs
6CSATTata McGraw Hill CSAT Manual
CSAT II – Arihant
Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning – R S Aggarwal
NCERT UPSC Book List

UPSC Book List - IAS Prelims

Here is the list of books helpful for the IAS prelims examination.

S.NoSubjectUPSC Books
1History, Indian Heritage & Culture [GS Paper 1]Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania
India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra
India after Independence by Bipan Chandra
History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra
Ancient India by R.S Sharma
2Geography [GS Paper 1]Geography of India by Majid Husain
World Geography by Majid Husain
World Atlas (Orient Black Swan)
Certificate Physical and Human Geography – G C Leong
Fundamentals of Physical Geography NCERT Class 11
3Polity & International Relations [GS Paper 2]Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth
Introduction to the Constitution of India by DD Basu
International Relations by Pushpesh Pant
4Economy [GS Paper 3]Indian Economy by Nitin Singhania
Environment and Disaster Management by Tata McGraw Hill
Challenges to Internal Security of India by Ashok Kumar
5Ethics [GS Paper 4]Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude for Civil Services Main Examination by Subba Rao and P.N. Roy Chaudary
6Solved PapersIAS General Studies Prelims Solved Papers by Vishal Publications
UPSC Book List for IAS Prelims

UPSC Book List PDF for Civil Services Exam

You can download the UPSC Book list for the Civil Services Examination conducted by UPSC in PDF format using the link below.

Download UPSC Book List PDF

Also Read:

List of UPSC Optional Subjects and Literature Optional Subjects List for 2025.