Best Books for UPSC IAS 2020

Best Books for UPSC IAS 2020 - All UPSC aspirants who wish to qualify the Civil Service examination must choose the best books to prepare for UPSC IAS. Becoming an IAS is a dream job and 10 lakh plus students are in competition to crack this exam. This requires a strong planning backed with best books for UPSC IAS 2020. Since UPSC Civil Services examination is one of the toughest exams in the country, you must have the best knowledge to surpass your competitors. In this article, we provide you with a list of UPSC IAS best books recommended by IAS toppers to qualify UPSC prelims and mains examination. It is crucial that the candidates do not get confused with plethora of UPSC IAS books available on the internet and shops and select only the best books for UPSC IAS preparation. It is advisable to stick to the best books to prepare for UPSC IAS that contains most of the knowledge you require to crack UPSC IAS exam and repeatedly revise these books.
Latest: UPSC IAS Application Form 2020 is available now.

UPSC IAS preparation is as much about smart work as it is about hard work. The UPSC IAS syllabus is vast and candidates take at least one year to comprehensively cover it. UPSC IAS 2020 Prelims is scheduled to take place on May 31, 2020. You cannot waste your precious time by referring to books that are below standard or contains irrelevant, incorrect and unauthenticated information. Also, people have a limited amount of memory and it is not possible to remember everything you read. The smart candidates know which are the best books to prepare for UPSC IAS.

UPSC IAS 2020 Best Books - Highlights

1. Read newspaper everyday

2. Revise your notes and best books for UPSC IAS repeatedly to memorize everything you study

3. While most standard books are used for preparation of both Prelims and Mains exam, some UPSC IAS best books can be divided into those required mainly for Prelims exam and those for Mains exam.

UPSC IAS Selection Process 2020

The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) comprises of 3 stages:

1. Preliminary Exam – 2 MCQ-based objective type papers

2. UPSC Mains – 9 descriptive type papers

3. UPSC IAS Interview/Personality Test

Check UPSC IAS eligibility 2020 for Prelims to make sure that you are eligible for giving the examination.

Click on this link to read and download the UPSC IAS Syllabus 2020 for the upcoming civil services examination.

Click on the link below for downloading the list of best UPSC IAS books for quick reference.

UPSC IAS 2020 Best Books - How to begin UPSC IAS preparation

As a beginner, it is recommended by IAS toppers to start with NCERT books and then move towards standard reference books. Along with this, the candidates must make it a habit to read the newspaper every day and keep making notes of important things they find in it.

Best Books for UPSC IAS - NCERT Books

UPSC Best Books For IAS 2020 Prelims

The UPSC Prelims exam is an objective MCQ based exam. It consists of 2 papers:

1. General Studies Paper - I

2. General Studies Paper-II /Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT)

Here is a subject-wise list of best books for UPSC IAS prelims recommended by experts:

UPSC Best Books For IAS Prelims - Paper 2 - CSAT

CSAT or Civil Services Aptitude Test was introduced in 2011 to test the aptitude, analytical skills and reasoning ability of UPSC IAS candidates.

CSAT is officially known as General Studies Paper 2.

Click here to know more about the UPSC IAS Exam Pattern.

The candidates need to score only 33.33% to qualify this paper. There is no need for any special books for Paper- II but you must practice 10th level Maths and English questions on grammar and reading comprehension. This is especially required for beginners like students from Commerce/Arts background.

The books recommended by IAS toppers for GS Paper - II - CSAT include:

1. Tata McGraw Hill CSAT Manual

2. CSAT II – Arihant

3. Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning – R S Aggarwal

4. Cracking the CSAT Civil Services Aptitude Test with Solved Papers

5. The Pearson CSAT Manual

UPSC IAS 2020 Best Books - Other books and study material

Apart from the standard subject-wise books mentioned above, there are some other important books and study material that should be referred for completing your UPSC IAS preparation.

These are:

1. India Year Book - Publication Division, Govt. of India

2. Economic Survey (latest)

3. Budget (latest)

UPSC IAS 2020 Best Books - Current Affairs

1. Newspaper - Hindu/Indian Express (this should be read every day)

2. Press Information Bureau

UPSC IAS Best Books - Magazines

1. Yojana

2. Kurukshetra

3. Economic and Political Weekly

4. Down to Earth

5. Frontline

6. The Economist

Best Books for UPSC IAS 2020 - Question Banks

1. Indian Polity Question Bank – TMH

2. General Science Question Bank – TMH

3. Geography (India+World) Question Bank – TMH

4. Social & Economic Development Question Bank – TMH

5. 1000 Plus Questions on Indian Polity: General Studies for Civil Services Preliminary Examination (Paper – 1)

6. 14000+ MCQs For Paper-I Prelims

UPSC Books – Best Books For UPSC IAS Mains

Candidates who clear the UPSC CSE Prelims are shortlisted for the Mains stage of the UPSC CSE Exam. In UPSC IAS 2020 Mains, there are 9 General Studies (GS) descriptive papers out of which 2 papers are of qualifying nature. These qualifying papers are General English and General Language. There are 4 General Studies papers, 1 Essay Paper and 2 optional subject papers.

UPSC IAS Mains Exam 2020

Given below are the Best Books for UPSC IAS 2020 Mains:

In the UPSC CSE Mains exam, besides 4 General Studies papers, there are 2 Optional papers. Candidate has to choose one optional subject for this Optional Paper. The optional papers accounts for 500 marks in total and it plays an important role in deciding candidates’ ranking in UPSC CSE examination. Therefore, it is important that the right books are referred for it. The list of best books for UPSC IAS Mains for the optional subjects are given below:

Best Books for the UPSC IAS Mains - Geography

Geography is one of the popular optional subjects among UPSC IAS candidates. It has a high success rate and roughly 3000 to 4000 out of 16000 aspirants opt for Geography, thus, there is a high level of competition also. Geography is a scientific subject based on understanding of concepts and involves minimum rote-learning. Geography has exhaustive but a definite syllabus. Some topics overlap with GS Paper 1 and GS Paper 3. Here is the list of books for Geography:

Geography Books for UPSC Mains 2020

Other Books that can be referred:

1. Evolution of Geographical Thought by Majid Husain

2. Economic and Social Geography Made Simple by R. Knowles, J. Wareing

3. Models in Geography by Majid Husain

4. Oxford Student Atlas for India

Best Books for the UPSC IAS Mains 2020- Public Administration

Public administration is one of the most popular optional subjects opted for by students in UPSC IAS main examination. It is considered a scoring subject. Its significance lies in its interlinkage with administration and governance of the country. There is some overlap with the General Studies papers topics and hence students find it easier to study this subject. Here is the list of books for Public administration.

Public Administration Books for UPSC Mains:

1. Indian Public Administration: Institutions and Issues by Arora and Goyal
2. Public Administration in India by B L Fadia
3. Public Administration in India 1st Edition by Maheshwari

4. Administrative Thinkers by Prasad and Prasad

Other Books that can be referred:

1. Public Administration by Laxmikant
2. Public Administration by Prasad & Prasad
3. Public Administration by Mohit Bhattacharya

4. Public Administration and Public Affairs 12th Edition – Nicholas Henry

Books recommended by IAS Toppers - Sociology

Sociology is one of the easiest optional subjects. It is easy to understand and considered highly scoring. The syllabus deals with day-to-day life of society and a lot of questions can easily be attempted. Paper I of Sociology deals with the fundamentals of Sociology where Paper II of Sociology optional deals with the Indian society, its structure, and change. Here is the list of books for Sociology.

Sociology Books for UPSC Mains 2020:

Best Books for the UPSC IAS 2020 Mains - History

Many candidates opt for History as it is an easy subject telling the story about the past of India and the world around us. It requires the least amount of coaching. History is a general studies friendly subject. Here is the list of books for History.

History Books for UPSC Mains 2020:

Best Books for the UPSC IAS Mains 2020 - Economics

Economics is also a popular optional paper generally opted by candidates who have a good understanding of concepts of economics. Also, there is a large overlap of the syllabus of General Studies for Prelims and Mains. The syllabus focuses on the candidates’ understanding of the basic concepts in economics and application of this knowledge to developmental challenges of the country. Here is the list of books for Economics.
Economics Books for UPSC Mains.

Other References:

1. Economic Survey, EPW, RBI

2. Any one Business Newspaper – Economic Times or Financial Express or The Economist

Best Books for the UPSC IAS 2020 Mains - Political Science

About 50-60% of the syllabus of Political Science coordinates with the General Studies Paper topics of UPSC Mains. Considering the changes and revision in syllabus and nature of the topics dealt in the subject, it is considered a very dynamic and constantly evolving subject. Here is the list of books for Political Science. The Paper-I of UPSC Mains Political Science deals with the Political Theory and Indian Politics. Paper-II of UPSC Mains Political Science deals with Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics.

Political Science Books for UPSC Mains:

1. A History of Political Thought: Plato to Marx by Mukherjee and Ramaswamy
2. Introduction to Political Theory by O P Gauba
3. Political Theory by Rajeev Bhargava
4. Politics by Andrew Heywood
5. Global Politics by Heywood
6. International Relations by V N Khanna
7. Foundations of Indian Political Thought: An Interpretation - from Manu to the Present Day by V. R. Mehta
8. Introduction to the Constitution of India by D.D. Basu
9. India's Struggle for Independence: 1857-1947 by Bipan Chandra

10. Indian Government and Politics by BL Fadia

11. Does the Elephant Dance?: Contemporary Indian Foreign Policy by David M. Malone

Best books for the UPSC IAS 2020 - Other References:

Apart from the standard books mentioned above, the essential UPSC Study material includes certain important newspapers, magazines and reports:

1. Yojana

2. Kurukshetra

3. Geography and You

4. NITI Aayog reports (especially related to Agriculture, Infrastructure, Regional development, Rural development etc)

5. Niti Aayog Action Agenda

6. Some UN documents on Population, development & Environment (eg UNDP)

7. 2nd ARC Report

8. Economic Survey (latest)

9. Budget (latest)

10. Finance Commission Report (latest)

11. Annual reports by central ministries

12. Current Affairs

    • The Hindu

    • Yojana Magazine

    • Press Information Bureau

Preparing for IAS does not mean reading every book available. A lot of good books are available that are more valuable for academics and research scholars, but not necessarily for the UPSC exam. IAS toppers would tell you that you need to remember everything you read. And it is not humanly possible to remember everything you read unless you keep revising it. And you can revise only a set number of books and notes. So, you need UPSC IAS best books that will help in your preparation and help you clear the IAS exam with good marks.

UPSC Application Form 2020

UPSC Civil Services Examination 2020 notification will be released on 12th February 2020. The last date for receipt of applications is March 03, 2020. The application form is expected to be online and will be released on the same day as notification. The application form for the examination will be available at the link given on the UPSC website and the candidates need to apply there itself. For registration, the candidates must have a valid email address and phone number. After successful registration, a candidate is redirected to the application form filling portal. A candidate has to upload a scanned copy of their signature and photograph in JPG format, both of which must not exceed 40KB in size.

UPSC Civil Services 2020 Admit Card

Commission releases UPSC IAS admit card in three stages- prelims, mains and interview. Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2020 will be held on May 31 in offline mode. The admit card of UPSC IAS prelims stage will be released by commission by March 28 2020 in online mode.

UPSC IAS Syllabus 2020

The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is considered one of the most prestigious and toughest examinations conducted in India. It has a vast syllabus and it takes at least one year to comprehensively cover this syllabus. Therefore, it is important not to waste your precious time in reading wasteful and unnecessary topics. UPSC Civil Services Examination 2020 syllabus will be released along with the official notification on 12th February 2020. The UPSC IAS syllabus can be found at the UPSC official website or you can click the heading to view the UPSC CSE syllabus.

UPSC IAS 2020 Exam Pattern

UPSC Civil Services Examination is conducted in three stages:

1. Preliminary Exam – 2 MCQ-based objective type papers

2. UPSC Mains – 9 descriptive type papers

3. UPSC IAS Interview & Personality Test

UPSC IAS Result 2020

The results for UPSC IAS 2020 Prelims will be released within 45 days after the commencement of exam which will be held on May 31, 2020. The result of UPSC IAS Prelims will be released in PDF format which comprises the roll number of all successfull candidates.

How to Prepare for UPSC IAS

UPSC Civil Services Examination is considered the mother of all exams. It has a vast syllabus and the candidate can get easily confused and demotivated if not guided properly. It is important to have a meticulous plan for preparing various General Studies (GS) subjects to be complete and productive in your preparation. You must manage your time effectively and be disciplined in following the routine or time-table you set. To implement the correct strategy applicants should also know UPSC IAS cut off which will help them to sucessfully execute the plan. UPSC looks for well-informed candidates with analytical skills. The candidates must read the newspaper every day to keep updated with the latest developments around the country and the world. It is important to read and study NCERT books to build a solid foundation for your preparation in GS. Also, it is not humanly possible to remember everything you study. One must know what to read and what to skip. You must revise constantly to memorize your readings.