Best Books for UPSC IAS 2022 – The UPSC IAS examination is one of the prestigious and toughest exams in the country. Therefore, it is necessary to choose the right and best book for IAS preparation as there is no margin for error. There are plenty of books available both offline and online. Aspirants find themselves in a great dilemma in picking what’s best for their preparation. Each candidate has a different level of understanding and unique style of studying. While preparing for the IAS exam, there are some books that you must read. Accordingly, this article includes the best books for the IAS exam 2022 that will help the candidate boost their preparation.
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Best Books for UPSC IAS 2022
The UPSC IAS exam consists of 3 stages: preliminary exam, main exam and interview. In each stage, the preparation needs to be differentiated. The candidate can find the best books in the table below.
UPSC IAS Preparation Books PDF
The finest IAS books differ from one candidate to the next, depending on their past experience and knowledge of the subject. Expert-recommended UPSC books are listed below by subject.
Prelims
| Subjects | Title and author |
| History | India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra – Check Price Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania – Check Price NCERT XI (Ancient & Medieval) – Check Price NCERT XII(Modern Indian History) – Check Price |
| Geography | Certificate Physical Geography – G C Leong – Check Price NCERT Geography (VI- XII) – Check Price World Atlas (Orient Black Swan) – Check Price |
| Indian polity | Indian Polity – M Laxmikanth – Check Price NCERT 1X-XII – Check Price |
| International relations | NCERT XII (Contemporary World Politics)Current Affairs – Check Price |
| CSAT | Tata McGraw Hill CSAT Manual– Check Price Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning – R S Aggarwal – Check Price |
Mains Exam
| Subjects | Title and author |
| History, Indian Heritage & Culture[GS Paper 1] | Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania – Check Price India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra – Check Price India after Independence by Bipan Chandra – Check Price History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra – Check Price Ancient India by R.S Sharma – Check Price |
| Geography[GS Paper 1] | Geography of India by Majid Husain – Check Price World Geography by Majid Husain – Check Price World Atlas (Orient Black Sw – Check Price Certificate Physical and Human Geography – G C Leong – Check Price Fundamentals of Physical Geography NCERT Class 11 – Check Price |
| Polity & International Relations[GS Paper 2] | Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth – Check Price Introduction to the Constitution of India by DD Basu – Check Price |
| Economy[GS Paper 3] | Indian Economy – Nitin Singhania – Check Price Environment and Disaster Management – Tata McGraw Hill – Check Price Challenges to Internal Security of India – Ashok Kumar – Check Price |
| Ethics[GS Paper 4] | Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude for Civil Services Main Examination by Subba Rao and P.N. Roy Chaudary – Check Price |
IAS Books List by Toppers
Finding really helpful books is a tough task and toppers are the saviour. They provide insightful suggestions on which book works for them and the best books on a particular subject. Therefore, based on toppers’ suggestions of various years, we have compiled a subject-wise book list for the IAS exam 2022.
HISTORY
- Old NCERT by RS Sharma (Ancient History)
- Old NCERT by Satish Chandra (Medieval History)
- Spectrum – A brief history of Modern India
- NCERT by Bipan Chandra
- India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra
ART AND CULTURE
- An Introduction to Indian Art – XI class NCERT
- Heritage Craft: Living Craft Tradition of India
- Art and culture by Nitin Singhania
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
- Indian Polity by Laxmikanth
- Introduction to the Constitution of India by Durga Das Basu
- Governance in India by Laxmikanth
- Yojana Magazine
- Kurukshetra Magazine
GEOGRAPHY
- NCERT XI class – Fundamentals of Physical Geography
- NCERT XI class – India: Physical Environment
- NCERT XII class – Fundamental of Human Geography
- NCERT XII class – India: People and Economy
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography: G C Leong
ECONOMY
- NCERT XI class – Indian Economic Development
- NCERT XII class – Macro Economics
- Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh
- Budget (exam year)
- Economic Survey (exam year)
ENVIRONMENT
- Environment by Shankar IAS
- Current affair – newspaper and magazine
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
- Science NCERT – IX and X class
- NCERT XII class – Biology
- Science and technology by Ravi P Agrahari
- Science Reporter magazine
ETHICS
- The Lexicon
- ARC report of Government of India
CURRENT AFFAIRS
- The Hindu Newspaper
- Indian Express Newspaper
- Monthly Magazine
Importance of Best Books for IAS Exam
Each book comes with great subject knowledge and meaning. But it is the book along with studying strategies, that brought success. The following section discusses the importance of the best books.
NCERT Books
The NCERT constitutes the most fundamental book for UPSC IAS preparation. It helps in laying the foundation for the exam. As these are school level books, the language is very simple and uses illustration to make the base strong. NCERT books bring concept clarity and also have a neutral perspective. Every year some direct and indirect questions occur in the paper from NCERT.
Standard Books (by authors)
Once a student has completed NCERTs, they can shift their focus to standard books. As the UPSC IAS syllabus is vast, it is essential to have a deep understanding of the subject. For that, standard books are best. These are written by authors that have great expertise in respective subjects. The books even cover every aspect of different topics. As recommended by toppers, multiple revision of these books helps in achieving high marks.
About UPSC IAS Exam
The UPSC IAS exam is organized by the Union Public Service Commission every year. It is the most prestigious exam in the country. The exam is held in 3 stages. These are the preliminary exam, main exam and interview. All the stages are structured in such a way that it tests the candidate’s knowledge, pressure taking ability, decision making and logical thinking. The candidates selected are going to be appointed to Central Government services.
