In the Civil Services exam, General Studies (GS) until 2012 had 2 papers, but the revised pattern proposed in 2013 has 4 GS papers, making it the determining factor.
GS questions can be from conventional topics or current affairs topics. While there are a lot of books available in the market for learning conventional topics, there is only one big name while preparing current affairs – The Hindu Newspaper.
As per the latest trends of UPSC, more focus is on current affairs/general-awareness than subject knowledge gained through conventional books. But since the syllabus itself specifies many conventional areas like History, Culture, Geography, Constitution, Economics, etc., no candidate can move ahead without making his/her fundamentals strong.
For that purpose, the below-mentioned books can help.
Recommended Books for General Studies – Civil Services Books – Mains Exam
Here is a list of the most recommended books to cover various General Studies subjects:
Indian History Books for GS Mains – IAS
- History Of Modern India by Bipan Chandra
- India’s Struggle For Independence – Bipan Chandra
- Facets of Indian Culture – Spectrum
- India After Gandhi – Ramchandra Guha (Additional Reference)
- Modern India – By Spectrum (Additional Reference to Bipan Chandra)
- Gandhi, Nehru, Tagore and other Personalities – Spectrum
World History Books for GS Mains – IAS
- History of Modern World – Jain and Mathur
- History of Modern World – BV Rao
- Mastering Modern World History – Norman Lowe (Reference)
Geography Books for GS Mains – IAS
- Indian And World Geography – Hussain
- Geography of India – Majid Husain
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography – Goh Cheng Leong
Indian Polity Books for GS Mains – IAS
- Indian Polity for Civil Services Examinations – M. Laxmikanth
- Introduction to the Constitution of India – Durga Das Basu
Indian Economy Books for GS Mains – IAS
- Indian Economy – Ramesh Singh
- Indian – Economy – Uma Kapila
- Economic Survey
- The Budget
- India Year Book
Foreign Policy and International Relations Books for GS Mains – IAS
- International Organisations, Conferences and Treaties – By Spectrum
- International Relations in 21st Century – By Pushpesh Pant
- Pax Indica – Shashi Tharoor
- 2 Markers – By Vivek Kumar Singh
- India’s Foreign Policy: Coping with the Changing World by Muchkund Dubey
- Foreign Policy of India by V N Khanna
- India’s Foreign Policy by Sumit Ganguly
Science and Technology Books for GS Mains – IAS
- Science & Technology For Civil Services Exams
- Science and Technology in India – Kalpana Rajaram – Spectrum
- General Science For Civil Services Preliminary Examinations – S.A.Majid
Environment Books for GS Mains – IAS
- CSAT Environmental Ecology Biodiversity & Climate Change – Pratiyogita Darpan
- Environmental Studies from Crisis to Cure 2nd Edition – R.Rajagoplan
- UPSC IAS PORTAL: Environment For Civil Services Preliminary Examination – Sachchida Nand Jha
Sociology Books for GS Mains – IAS
- Society In India: Concepts, Theories And Recent Trends – Ram Ahuja
- Social Problems In India – Ram Ahuja
- Social Change In Modern India – M. N. SRINIVAS
Ethics Books for GS Mains – IAS [Ethics, Aptitude, Attitude etc]
- Ethics and Integrity of Governance: Perspectives Across Frontiers
- Public Administration Ethics for the 21st Century
- Corruption, Ethics and Accountability: Essays by an Administrator
- Ethics and Integrity in Public Administration: Concepts and Cases
- Politics and Ethics of the Indian Constitution
- Emotional Intelligence – Daniel Goleman
- Ethics: Approaching Moral Decisions ( For Case Studies)
- Managerial Ethics: Managing the Psychology of Morality (Reference)
- Attitude Is Everything (Reference)
- Ethics – by Frankena K William
- Human Values and Professional Ethics with Case Studies (For Case Studies)
Current Affairs Books for GS Mains – IAS
Additional Reference for GS Mains:
- NCERT Books Download
- Yojana Magazine Download
- Kurukshetra Magazine
- Pratiyogita Darpan Magazine
- IGNOU Books
- Latest Books For IAS Mains as Per Revised Syllabus ( At Flipkart)
To know about UPSC syllabus, click here
i am now 20 years and 8months can i apply for IAS examination????
no u could not after 21 years u will apply for IAS examinations