“How many books are too many books?” is one thought that resonates with almost all the aspirants irrespective of which exam you’re preparing for! And especially, when it comes to booklist for UPSC CSE, you may find yourself buying every book that is present on the UPSC Preparation Section in the book store. So, when you sit with those books to finally read, many-a-times thoughts like “too many books, too less time” make you feel distraught!
Hence, to make you worry a little less and study a little more, we have compiled an exhaustive booklist for UPSC that is recommended by toppers. You should follow only specific books for UPSC in order to ensure you’re not digressing too much from the core syllabus.
Let’s have a list of UPSC booklist that is sure to help you with an exhaustive preparation of UPSC.
Booklist for UPSC & Preparation Material For CSE Prelims Examination | Books for UPSC
Although the booklist for UPSC may vary in accordance with your previous knowledge and expertise, here is an exhaustive UPSC booklist that both fresh aspirants and experienced ones can refer to for their UPSC Preparation needs. Some of the books may be relevant for both Prelims and Mains.Before checking out the booklist, it is important that you know the syllabus and exam pattern well. Check out this article to know about UPSC CSE Exam Pattern & Syllabus
Check out the table below to know about which UPSC books to study for qualifying Prelims
Paper |
Booklist |
General Studies (Paper I) |
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CSAT |
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Booklist for UPSC Mains & Preparation Material For CSE Mains Examination
Here is the list of UPSC Books that you should be reading while preparing for UPSC CSE Mains:
Paper |
Booklist |
General Studies – 1 |
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General Studies -2 |
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General Studies-3 |
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General Studies- 4 |
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NCERT Booklist for UPSC
Here is a list of all the titles of NCERT books that UPSC aspirants should read for the preparation of this exam:
History
- History: NCERT Class VI – Our Past
- History: NCERT Class VII – Our Past -I
- History: NCERT Class VIII – Our Past II and III
- History: NCERT Class IX – India and the Contemporary World – I
- History: NCERT Class X – India and the Contemporary World – II
- History: NCERT Class XI – Themes In World History
- History: NCERT Class XII – Themes In Indian History – I
- History: NCERT Class XII – Themes in Indian History – II
- History: NCERT Class XII – Themes In Indian History – III
Art & Culture
- Art & Culture: NCERT Class XI – An Introduction to Indian Art,
- Art & Culture: NCERT Class XI – Living Craft Traditions of India (Chapters 9 & 10)
Polity
- Polity: NCERT Class IX – Political Science: Democratic Politics Part – I
- Polity: NCERT Class X – Political Science: Democratic Politics Part – II
- Polity: NCERT Class XI – Political Science: Indian Constitution at Work
- Polity: NCERT Class XI – Political Science: Political Theory
- Polity: NCERT Class XII – Political Science I: Contemporary World Politics
- Polity: NCERT Class XII – Political Science II: Politics in India since Independence
Geography
- Geography: NCERT Class VI – The Earth Our Habitat
- Geography: NCERT Class VII – Our Environment
- Geography: NCERT Class VIII – Resource and Development
- Geography: NCERT Class IX – Contemporary India – I
- Geography: NCERT Class X – Contemporary India – II
- Geography: NCERT Class XI – Fundamentals of Physical Geography
- Geography: NCERT Class XI – India – Physical Environment
- Geography: NCERT Class XII – Fundamentals of Human Geography
- Geography: NCERT Class XII – India – People and Economy
Economy
- Economy: NCERT Class IX – Economics
- Economy: NCERT Class X – Understanding Economic Development
- Economy: NCERT Class XI – Indian Economic Development
- Economy: NCERT Class XII – Introductory Microeconomics
- Economy: NCERT Class XII – Introductory Macroeconomics
Environment and Ecology
- Biology: NCERT Class XII (Last 4 chapters)
This booklist for UPSC is recommended by almost all the toppers as well as UPSC experts. Now, that you have an entire list with you, there should be no worrying about what to read! You can also enroll in our NCERT course to get compilations of all NCERTs in one place.
However, if you’re a time-crunch and still want to put your best effort, you can check out the UPSC Study Material curated by the expert team at Career Launcher. The course material incorporates the essence of all these books thereby providing the aspirants with a panacea to all their reading woes. Reach out to our expert counselors to know more about our study materials!