Brief Introduction Of UPSC Civil Services Examination
Since the introduction of Indian Civil Services examination in 1855 (then held in London), And things have changed beyond imagination including its name from Indian Civil Services (ICS) to Indian Administrative Services (IAS). But one thing that has not changed is the magnetism of the Civil Services.
Even today IAS examination conducted by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) attracts lakhs of students to test their grit determination and their merit. Power perks, privileges and social status accompanying IAS justify all the hard work. The aura bestowed on this priesthood of bureaucracy of our nation is undoubtedly too hard to resist.
The Civil Service Examination conducted by UPSC consists of two successive stages:
- Civil Services Preliminary Examination (Objective Type) for the selection of candidates for the Main Examination; and
- Civil Services Main Examination (Written& Interview) for the selection of candidates for the various service and posts such as Indian Administrative Service , Indian Police, Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Revenue Service and Indian Custom and Central Excise Service etc. There are twenty-six services (approximately) offered through this single examination.
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) holds IAS Preliminary Examination in the month of May-June. Notification for Preliminary Examination is generally issued in the month of December- January every year, a candidate must hold a degree of any of the Universities incorporated by an Act of the Central or state legislature in India or recognised by University Grant Commission. He must have also attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 30 years on 1st August of the year of the examination. The upper age limit is relaxable up to maximum of five years in case of SC/ST; three years for OBC’s and 10 years for physically challenged persons.
Toppers Booklist for UPSC Civil Service Main Exam Preparation
Toppers Booklist for UPSC Civil Service Main Exam overlap with many books recommended for Prelims. But Mains stage demands certain additional books as there are new topics like Foreign Relations, Internal Security, Ethics etc. We suggest a mix of NCERT Books, Government websites, newspapers along with new textbooks in the market for mains preparation But, Don’t forget to read our online study materials for mains too.
The mentioned books are based on the feedback from many aspirants/toppers who found them useful for the exam. We keep updating this page when new books worth the time and money of candidate appear in the market. So come back to check this page again!
Toppers Booklist for UPSC Civil Service Main Exam Preparation (Click on the Book Name to buy online)
- NCERT Books Set for UPSC Exam (Set of 27 books or 40 books)
- The Wonder That Was India – A.L. Bhasham. (Culture)
- India’s Ancient Past – R.S. Sharma. (Culture)
- Indian Art and Culture – Nitin Singhania. (Culture)
- History Of Modern India – Bipan Chandra. (History)
- India’s Struggle For Independence – Bipan Chandra. (History)
- Geography of India – Majid Husain. (Geography)
- Oxford School Atlas – Oxford. (Geography)
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography – Goh Cheng Leong. (Geography)
- Indian Polity for Civil Services Examinations – M. Laxmikanth. (Polity)
- Important Judgments that Transformed India – Alex Andrews George (Constitution/Judiciary)
- Indian Economy – Ramesh Singh. (Economy)
- Economic Survey. (Economy)
- Science and Technology in India – TMH. (Science and Technology)
- Environmental Studies: From Crisis to Cure – Rajagopalan.(Environment & Ecology)
- Ecology & Environment for Civil Services Prelims and Mains – Khuller. (Environment)
- India Year Book (Current Affairs)
- Manorama Yearbook. (Current Affairs)
- Essays for Civil Services – Pulkit Khare (Essay Paper)
- India After Gandhi – Ramchandra Guha (History – GS1)
- Norman Lowe OR History of Modern World – Jain and Mathur (World History – GS1)
- Social Problems In India – Ram Ahuja. (Indian Society – GS1)
- IAS Mains General Studies Paper 2 (Arihant Manual – GS2)
- Current Issues – What’s Hot Today (ClearIAS ebook – GS2)
- Governance in India for CSE. (Governance – GS2)
- Pax Indica – Shashi Tharoor. (Foreign Policy – GS2)
- India and the World by Surendra Kumar. (Foreign Policy – GS2)
- IAS Mains General Studies – GS3. (Arihant Manual – GS3)
- India’s National Security: A Reader. (Internal Security – GS3)
- Challenges to Internal Security of India. (Internal Security – GS3)
- Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude. ( Ethics – GS4)
- IAS Mains General Studies – Ethics. ( Arihant Manual – GS4)
Civil Services Optional Subject Books (Paper 6 and Paper 7)
Toppers Booklist to Prepare Some of the Popular Optional Papers for UPSC IAS Mains:
- Sociology Optional: Books for Mains Exam.
- Public Administration Optional: Books for Mains Exam.
- History Optional: Books for Mains Exam.
- Geography Optional: Books for Mains Exam.
- Economics Optional: Books for Mains Exam.
- Philosophy Optional: Books for Mains Exam.
- Psychology Optional: Books for Mains Exam.
- Agriculture Optional: Books for Mains Exam.
- Political Science Optional: Books for Mains Exam.
Useful IAS Books and Magazines For Free Download and Reference
- NCERT Books Download.
- Buy NCERT Books Online.
- Yojana Magazine Download.
- Kurukshetra Magazine Download.
- Buy Pratiyogita Darpan Magazine.
- IGNOU Books Download.
- IAS Books Mains General Studies – For more reference in GS1, GS2, G3 and G4.
- Free IAS Study Materials for UPSC Prelims and Mains.
- Free Study Material On Our Website.
