Must Read NCERT Books for IAS Exam Preparation – Buy Online

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Must Read NCERT Books In clearias.com, we have mentioned many times that NCERT books are the best books to begin UPSC Civil Services Exam preparation. Having said that, we get emails from aspirants to select the most important NCERT texts to start with.

We have observed that many aspirants are confused about which chapters from NCERT texts to be studied (especially for subjects like General Science). These queries and requests are quite natural. We thought about posting an article in detail about the must-read NCERT books for IAS exam preparation.

Update: Now you can buy 40 NCERT books needed for UPSC exam preparation online as a set.

Why NCERT Books?

NCERT texts being textbooks for school children are written in a very simple and lucid manner. They are not only easy to study, but also can help to save a lot of time. You can quickly grasp difficult topics and concepts. If aspirants have enough time, it is always advised to start from standard 6 NCERT texts and read till standard 12 texts for all relevant subjects.

Extra tip: You may check our NCERT based online mock test series with negative marking for UPSC Prelims.

Important NCERT Books for UPSC Civil Services Exam

If exams are near, it’s a quite natural to prioritise. For general studies (Prelims or Mains), aspirants need to focus on the NCERT texts on the below subjects: History, Geography, Economics, Political Science, Sociology, Fine Arts, and Science.

Note: Books marked in Blue colour (bold) are more important.

History – Must Read NCERT Books

Geography – Must Read NCERT Books

Economics – Must Read NCERT Books

9th – Economics
10th – Understanding Economic Development
11th – Indian Economic Development
12th – Introductory Microeconomics
12th – Introductory Macroeconomics, Class XII – Supplementary reading material in Economics – Introductory Macroeconomics

Political Science – Must Read NCERT Books

9th – Democratic Politics I
10th – Democratic Politics II
11th – Indian Constitution at Work
11th – Political Theory
12th – Contemporary World Politics (8th – Environment & Natural Resources)
12th – Politics in India Since Independence

Sociology – Must Read NCERT Books

Culture/Fine Arts – Must Read NCERT Books

11th – An Introduction to Indian Art

Science – Must Read NCERT Books

For science, aspirants are advised to go through at least these selected chapters from the mentioned standards.

How to buy NCERT Books?

You can buy NCERT books online from Amazon, and get it delivered at the doorstep.
You can buy NCERT books online from Flipkart, and get it delivered at the doorstep.

Note: NCERT books are available in many leading bookstores offline too.

How to Download NCERT Books as PDF?

If you find it difficult to get hard-copies of NCERT texts, you can always get soft copies in PDF form from the site ncert.nic.in.
Just like NCERT website which offers a free download of quality books, NIOS website, as well as CBSE website, offers quality PDFs.
Click on the links above to download textbooks from these websites.

What next, after finishing NCERT books?

Once done with the basic study of NCERT books, aspirants should go deep by referring books from authors like for history India’s Struggle for Independence and History of Modern India by Bipan Chandra, Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth, Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh etc.

The recommended list of IAS books by clearias.com is listed in the link clearias.com/ias-books. Let your focus be right. Happy learning!

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74 Responses to "Must Read NCERT Books for IAS Exam Preparation – Buy Online"

indu says:

March 15, 2015 at 10:33 am

I m new and . Don’t about it how I start preparation for prelims can u help me and also which book I read first cash on delivery we order books aur not

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1. ClearIAS.com says:
  
  March 15, 2015 at 10:36 am
  
  Start with NCERT Books. Then get books from the list http://www.clearias.com/ias-books/.
  
  Reply
Pransi says:

April 10, 2015 at 5:31 am

But how to study.?…and what to study..?…I mean we have to just read the textbooks or learn each and every concept.?

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kamla says:

May 21, 2015 at 5:51 pm

I have just cleared class 12th.So, I have 3 yrs to prepare for the exam.is it okay if I start my preparation now?
Also, I have 2 months before college starts. How much syllabus should I cover in these months?
if u have enough time then plz tell me what should be my study routine for next 3 years so that I get a very good rank(I dream of 1st rank) in first attempt?
(I’ll be taking english hons,so I’ll have enough time for preparation).

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1. jaychandra says:
  
  May 28, 2016 at 2:18 pm
  
  better go with NCERT Books and complete those ..then u will have an idea..
  
  Reply
2. Aakash Thakur says:
  
  June 9, 2016 at 1:29 pm
  
  looks lyk v have the same goals
  
  Reply
3. Rekha says:
  
  August 12, 2016 at 3:20 am
  
  Kamla calm down I don’t know how u do right now but u can take it slow and steady for a while and strengthen ur concepts on way.
  
  Reply
4. Rekha says:
  
  August 12, 2016 at 3:21 am
  
  Kamla calm down I don’t know how u do right now but u can take it slow and steady for a while and strengthen ur concepts on way.g good luck!!
  
  Reply
Mohinder Singh Mann says:

May 30, 2015 at 4:54 pm

NCERT book titles on environmental studies and from where to purchase

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neeraj kumar says:

June 28, 2015 at 3:30 am

my dream of 1st rank (IAS 2015-2016)

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Praveen R says:

August 7, 2015 at 9:49 am

Hello Team!!!

I would like to convey thanks for your effort.

The website contains so many information for beginners.

Many thanks for that!!!

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ClearIAS.com says:

August 18, 2015 at 10:00 am

Our pleasure!

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jaya says:

August 24, 2015 at 5:56 pm

apart from this ncert books which book i can read for IAS exam

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priyesh pandey says:

September 10, 2015 at 10:29 am

THANKYOU SO MUCH clearIAS
IT WAS A GREAT HELP 🙂

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priya says:

September 10, 2015 at 8:40 pm

But how to study.?…and what to study..?…I mean we have to just read the textbooks or learn each and every concept.?

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1. Nilesh says:
  
  December 25, 2016 at 10:08 am
  
  You don’t need to learn. Just read it like you are reading a story. After completing every chapter, read it all again in the same way and you will understand and remember everything………no need to parrot it or go in depth
  
  Reply
Apurv says:

September 23, 2015 at 8:10 pm

Do we have to read all these books for the preliminary examinations? Can we get a separate list meant only for the preliminary examinations? It would be a big help. Thank you.

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jayati says:

September 25, 2015 at 7:03 pm

can u help on how to prepare and how much time to devote for each subject? please reply…

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pooja katkar says:

October 16, 2015 at 2:34 pm

Thnx this website is so much helpful for us

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Ranbir Singh says:

October 27, 2015 at 2:19 pm

Which language would be benefitable to praparation for the I.A.S. Exam for fresh graduate students.

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Adarsh Kumar says:

October 28, 2015 at 11:00 pm

Can you plz guide as how to make notes from ncert

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bobbyshakya says:

November 17, 2015 at 8:44 pm

I want to help clearias exam . plz help . what I do???

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SNEHAL says:

November 28, 2015 at 12:58 pm

I am new and now I am completing 12th std I am preparing for UPSC so is there any need of reading board text book from 8th to12th std

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pankaj says:

December 22, 2015 at 10:47 pm

Hello sir/mam
I am to much confused about either study old ncert or new published ncert.
Suggest me please.

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aniruddha waghmare says:

January 7, 2016 at 3:14 pm

very helpful thanks for sharing such a valuable information

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shalini says:

January 7, 2016 at 10:24 pm

now im 1st yr…. i hav some idea to prepare tq team…

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Surajdeep Singh Gouria says:

February 26, 2016 at 9:00 am

Sir/Madm I am prepering for upsc how can i start

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focus4ias says:

April 10, 2016 at 3:55 am

Thanks for this post. Are these old or new NCERTs?

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focus4ias says:

April 11, 2016 at 6:14 pm

For OLD NCERTs, download from here – http://www.civilsdaily.com/download-ncerts-for-ias/

This is optional – mostly people prepare culture from ccrt.

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prince says:

May 25, 2016 at 11:52 am

Which subject i take in graduation for better preperation of civil service……

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ashish gupta says:

May 28, 2016 at 10:59 am

Hi,
I am new for exam and want give exam in hindi. so kindly suggest me NCERT is required or not?
I want to take optional subject is Sociology. Which book is required for CSAT for Hindi medium student?
Please suggest me.
Thanks

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1. Naveen says:
  
  August 20, 2016 at 2:10 am
  
  100% required
  
  Reply
narpat solanki says:

June 1, 2016 at 1:25 am

hello sir i am from hindi medium and i am taking political science and international relation as optional suggest me books for main and other sources for it like external affair site and all

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Shefali says:

June 8, 2016 at 9:25 pm

Hello, the chapters mentioned to read from science ncert, are all that are to be considered? Other chapters or not so necessary? As mostly current affairs are relevant. Hoping for a valuable reply from clearias.

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Rohit says:

June 10, 2016 at 9:50 am

sir could you plz suggest the name of chapters or books which more important for pre and mains .mail plz

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ABHISHEK KUMAR SINGH says:

June 14, 2016 at 4:52 pm

I was afraid when my friend told me that we have to study all the subjects from 6-12th from ncert. just let me know that, we really don’t need to cover any subjects apart from history, geography and science from 6-8th class???
please do answer.

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Shekhar Agrawal says:

June 24, 2016 at 4:04 pm

Sir i am in second year of b.com now and i have 2 years + i am thinking to join coaching for 1 year so now i am starting reading ncert so please advice me

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Rabi says:

June 27, 2016 at 3:08 pm

Reply me all about new acts,news and question of ias .please

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prabaharan ravi says:

July 7, 2016 at 5:42 pm

Nice work team clear ias, you gave us a clear overview about clearing the exam

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chumpa says:

July 15, 2016 at 2:46 pm

this article is of great help

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srisai says:

July 19, 2016 at 1:22 pm

Thanks a lot clear ias, you gave me a clear idea about wht to have study regarding ncert ..

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sanjit says:

July 21, 2016 at 5:33 pm

the NCERT books list which has been given were of great help to me..thank you so much clear ias

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Kiran says:

July 26, 2016 at 6:41 pm

Can I prepare for exam at home

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purva says:

August 17, 2016 at 11:58 pm

thank you, this is really helping.

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Jeep says:

August 19, 2016 at 9:48 pm

which Edition of NCERT is the syllabus for Science from?? None of the chapters you’ve recommended correspond to the chapters in my NCERT .

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jitender singh says:

September 17, 2016 at 1:15 pm

dear sir/mam
how many book requird to clear IAS please explain it
Thanks

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Sushant says:

September 20, 2016 at 12:48 pm

i want to buy all ncert books sets .. hindi medium books are not available in mumbai . so online is only option. are all ncert books available online ? plz share sites.

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ASHOKKUMAR says:

October 13, 2016 at 4:12 pm

SIR, MY NAME IS ASHOKKUMAR I AM STUDYING LLB 2/5 SO I WANT TO PREPARE FOR CIVILS EXAM BUT I DO NOT HAVE INTEREST TO STUDY SCIENCE SO THERE IS ANY CHOICE FOR IN PLACE OF SCIENCE I AM VERY MUCH INTERESTED TO TO STUDY NCERT BOOKS BUT I DO NOT KNOW WHERE IT WAS AVAILABLE SO PLS PROVIDE INFORMATION

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Aakib Dawood says:

November 3, 2016 at 3:12 pm

Can you please specify which chapters of which NCERTs should one read ??
It will be of great help.
Thank You

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Inderjeet says:

November 19, 2016 at 1:58 pm

How to study Laxmikant…. Do we have to make notes of each page……… For an aspirant without coaching how should he deal with new subjects like micro and macro economy ncerts which is difficult to understand………….upsc keeps varying degrees of questions asked from different sections… So WATS d need of referring previous years questions….. Eg…. If medieval history come with a heavy weights den is it necessary d same repeats next time… I have hell lot of queries… Any one can help me.. Plz….hitherto no has guided me….

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Manigriba says:

December 9, 2016 at 4:40 pm

I am preparing for oas wit optionals history and geography. Is history of ncert xi and xii enough for it

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Shagun Kumari Pundir says:

January 7, 2017 at 3:04 am

Thankyou for providing useful information.
My optional subject is public administration so from where to start?

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Anjali says:

January 15, 2017 at 8:56 am

Can I become an IPS officer without having sports background or NCC

Reply
Anjali says:

January 15, 2017 at 8:58 am

Can I become IPS officer without sports background or NCC.or which skills are required to become an IPS officer

Reply
1. Sultan+919097355055 says:
  
  February 8, 2017 at 7:11 pm
  
  Hey
  
  No NCC is not important in IPS exam.
  And there is no extra preference given to the NCC candidates in IPS exam.
  Nothing is stated regarding NCC but if you are a NCC candidate they might give you importance in interview level but in prelims and mains no importance will be given.
  
  Reply
Rahul Rathod says:

January 26, 2017 at 8:13 am

NCERT class 12th micro and macro economics book are important for UPSC

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Jyoti chaudhary says:

February 14, 2017 at 10:33 am

Can a candidate fill all three forms those are IPS/IAS/IFS .exam will be on same day or differently.

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Adeeba qureshi says:

February 15, 2017 at 2:24 pm

I really like ur daily updates on my email… I wanna ask whether to read ncert books serial wise or class wise…
I m new here…
From where to start is a great confusion..

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pawara Sunil lotan says:

March 10, 2017 at 6:04 pm

Have to prepare IAS exam

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Md Azhar Ansari says:

April 11, 2017 at 8:00 pm

I am a electrical and electronic engineering final year student and i want to preparation of civil services please suggest how should i preparation of this exam

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Harshitha says:

May 24, 2017 at 10:18 pm

sir i want to crack ias xam how to start it can u gie explanation what books to be prefered for prelims and as well mains

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anvesh says:

June 2, 2017 at 7:57 am

hi
i am anvesh studying btech 2nd year. i started prepartion for upsc for the year 2020
i am going through ncerts i want question banks and tests to test what i have studied in ncert either subject wise or class wise please help in getting these ncert question banks

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tina says:

June 4, 2017 at 8:42 pm

i am 23 right now.. a bright student and post graduate.. can i now strt preparing for UPSC? is it too late to strt? pls pls help and suggest.. also i am working and i can’t leave my job as i am only working in my family.. kindly advice

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Abhijit Reddy says:

June 22, 2017 at 9:28 am

Is it necessary to study sociology 11th and 12th if we don’t take sociology as an optional ?

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Abhijit Reddy says:

June 22, 2017 at 9:33 am

Is ncert arts Textbook compulsory ?
After completing the ncert Textbook what should we prefer to study
Please explain paper wise..

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Ashish Jha says:

June 30, 2017 at 6:11 pm

As far as IAS examination is concerned, NCERT books are a must. For those who want to get more comprehensive content on a particular topic/chapter, NCERT Refresher can prove to be of great help.
NCERT books are mandatoday

Reply
Sarita says:

July 6, 2017 at 7:19 am

Very nice sight…

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vardhman Balande says:

August 23, 2017 at 5:35 pm

Very healful page,
The bolded books name are liked me too much… The candidates who have very limited time, can read the highlighted books… Very nice concept sir… Thanks allot CLEARIAS.COM

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omkar says:

September 5, 2017 at 11:31 pm

Sir I am started study of CSE from 1 month but now I m in SYIT so I try to finish NCERT and optional subjects study before my TY. So sir isn’t M Laxmikant is enough for Political science as a optional…please reply

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Vijaya says:

January 30, 2018 at 2:46 pm

can we crack IAS prelims by only reading the above mentioned NCERT books?
or we must read other authors books also?

Reply
1. ClearIAS.com says:
  
  January 30, 2018 at 3:19 pm
  
  You need to read other books too. We have a list of recommended books. Start with 4-5 books from the list.
  
  Reply
chandralekha chakraborty says:

March 12, 2018 at 1:38 pm

actually i wanted to know about the science ncerts..do we particulary need to focus on the above mentioned chapters would that be enough??

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prem sagar says:

April 10, 2018 at 5:44 pm

sir according to your experience how many years of preparation is needed to crack out this examination?

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Muzammil says:

May 8, 2018 at 10:15 am

Sir plz tell me how to make notes out of ncert books & news paper editorials Plz guide me because overhere I got no one to show me the right direction u r the only hope So plz

Reply