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
- 6th – Our Pasts 1
- 7th – Our Pasts II
- 8th – Our Pasts III – Part 1, Part 2
- 9th – India & the Contemporary World 1
- 10th – India & the Contemporary World II
- 11th – Themes in World History (Focus on Industrial Revolution)
- 12th – Themes in Indian History I, Themes in Indian History II, Themes in Indian History III
Geography – Must Read NCERT Books
- 6th – The Earth: Our Habitat
- 7th – Our Environment
- 8th – Resources & Development
- 9th – Contemporary India 1
- 10th – Contemporary India 1I
- 11th – Fundamentals of Physical Geography, 11th – India – Physical Environment
- 12th – Fundamentals of Human Geography, 12th – India – People & Economy
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
- Introducing Sociology Textbook for Class – 11
- 12th – Social Change & Development in India
- Indian Society Textbook in Sociology for Class XII
Culture/Fine Arts – Must Read NCERT Books
Science – Must Read NCERT Books
For science, aspirants are advised to go through at least these selected chapters from the mentioned standards.
- 6th – Chapter 9: The Living Organisms & their Surroundings
- 7th – Chapter 7: Weather, Climate & Adaptations of Animals, Chapter 9: Soil
- 8th – Chapter 1: Crop Production & Management, Chapter 5: Coal & Petroleum, Chapter 7: Conservation of Plants & Animals, Chapter 12: Friction, Chapter 18: Pollution of Air & Water
- 9th – Chapter 14: Natural Resources
- 10th – Chapter 14: Sources of Energy, Chapter 15: Our Environment, Chapter 16: Management of Natural Resources
- Biology Textbook for Class – 11
- 12th (Biology) – Unit X: Ecology ( Chapter 13 – Organisms & Population, Chapter 14 – Ecosystem, Chapter 15 – Biodiversity & Conservation, Chapter 16 – Environmental Issues)
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!
indu says
March 15, 2015 at 10:33 amI 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
ClearIAS.com says
March 15, 2015 at 10:36 amStart with NCERT Books. Then get books from the list http://www.clearias.com/ias-books/.
Harshavardhan says
July 3, 2018 at 6:54 pmYes you can order COD, and you must have to read NCERT books from standard 6th to 12th
jot anttal says
February 12, 2019 at 5:03 pmI m doing last year of my graduation can i start my prep now and appy for exam in next 3 years??
Pransi says
April 10, 2015 at 5:31 amBut how to study.?…and what to study..?…I mean we have to just read the textbooks or learn each and every concept.?
suresh says
March 26, 2019 at 4:06 pmtextbooks are not the newspapers as we read it daily.for a kind suggestion go through each and every concept in a flowery language
kamla says
May 21, 2015 at 5:51 pmI 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).
jaychandra says
May 28, 2016 at 2:18 pmbetter go with NCERT Books and complete those ..then u will have an idea..
Aakash Thakur says
June 9, 2016 at 1:29 pmlooks lyk v have the same goals
Rekha says
August 12, 2016 at 3:20 amKamla 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.
Rekha says
August 12, 2016 at 3:21 amKamla 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!!
Mohinder Singh Mann says
May 30, 2015 at 4:54 pmNCERT book titles on environmental studies and from where to purchase
neeraj kumar says
June 28, 2015 at 3:30 ammy dream of 1st rank (IAS 2015-2016)
Praveen R says
August 7, 2015 at 9:49 amHello Team!!!
I would like to convey thanks for your effort.
The website contains so many information for beginners.
Many thanks for that!!!
ClearIAS.com says
August 18, 2015 at 10:00 amOur pleasure!
Dhrimon says
November 20, 2018 at 10:28 pmI have 4 years tine to conplete ias how to prepre from now
jaya says
August 24, 2015 at 5:56 pmapart from this ncert books which book i can read for IAS exam
priyesh pandey says
September 10, 2015 at 10:29 amTHANKYOU SO MUCH clearIAS
IT WAS A GREAT HELP 🙂
priya says
September 10, 2015 at 8:40 pmBut how to study.?…and what to study..?…I mean we have to just read the textbooks or learn each and every concept.?
Nilesh says
December 25, 2016 at 10:08 amYou 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
Aiswarya v l says
February 1, 2019 at 9:18 pmFrom where I to start study for upsc becoz am totally confused by wast syllubus and book
Apurv says
September 23, 2015 at 8:10 pmDo 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.
jayati says
September 25, 2015 at 7:03 pmcan u help on how to prepare and how much time to devote for each subject? please reply…
pooja katkar says
October 16, 2015 at 2:34 pmThnx this website is so much helpful for us
Ranbir Singh says
October 27, 2015 at 2:19 pmWhich language would be benefitable to praparation for the I.A.S. Exam for fresh graduate students.
Bikram Keshari Jena says
December 10, 2018 at 9:41 amLanguage never makes a difference in UPSC.. what do u thnk in which language you are best then just make t your own choice
Adarsh Kumar says
October 28, 2015 at 11:00 pmCan you plz guide as how to make notes from ncert
bobbyshakya says
November 17, 2015 at 8:44 pmI want to help clearias exam . plz help . what I do???
SNEHAL says
November 28, 2015 at 12:58 pmI 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
pankaj says
December 22, 2015 at 10:47 pmHello sir/mam
I am to much confused about either study old ncert or new published ncert.
Suggest me please.
aniruddha waghmare says
January 7, 2016 at 3:14 pmvery helpful thanks for sharing such a valuable information
shalini says
January 7, 2016 at 10:24 pmnow im 1st yr…. i hav some idea to prepare tq team…
Surajdeep Singh Gouria says
February 26, 2016 at 9:00 amSir/Madm I am prepering for upsc how can i start
focus4ias says
April 10, 2016 at 3:55 amThanks for this post. Are these old or new NCERTs?
focus4ias says
April 11, 2016 at 6:14 pmFor OLD NCERTs, download from here – http://www.civilsdaily.com/download-ncerts-for-ias/
This is optional – mostly people prepare culture from ccrt.
prince says
May 25, 2016 at 11:52 amWhich subject i take in graduation for better preperation of civil service……
ashish gupta says
May 28, 2016 at 10:59 amHi,
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
Naveen says
August 20, 2016 at 2:10 am100% required
narpat solanki says
June 1, 2016 at 1:25 amhello 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
Shefali says
June 8, 2016 at 9:25 pmHello, 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.
Rohit says
June 10, 2016 at 9:50 amsir could you plz suggest the name of chapters or books which more important for pre and mains .mail plz
ABHISHEK KUMAR SINGH says
June 14, 2016 at 4:52 pmI 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.
Shekhar Agrawal says
June 24, 2016 at 4:04 pmSir 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
Rabi says
June 27, 2016 at 3:08 pmReply me all about new acts,news and question of ias .please
prabaharan ravi says
July 7, 2016 at 5:42 pmNice work team clear ias, you gave us a clear overview about clearing the exam
chumpa says
July 15, 2016 at 2:46 pmthis article is of great help
srisai says
July 19, 2016 at 1:22 pmThanks a lot clear ias, you gave me a clear idea about wht to have study regarding ncert ..
sanjit says
July 21, 2016 at 5:33 pmthe NCERT books list which has been given were of great help to me..thank you so much clear ias
Kiran says
July 26, 2016 at 6:41 pmCan I prepare for exam at home
purva says
August 17, 2016 at 11:58 pmthank you, this is really helping.
Jeep says
August 19, 2016 at 9:48 pmwhich Edition of NCERT is the syllabus for Science from?? None of the chapters you’ve recommended correspond to the chapters in my NCERT .
jitender singh says
September 17, 2016 at 1:15 pmdear sir/mam
how many book requird to clear IAS please explain it
Thanks
Sushant says
September 20, 2016 at 12:48 pmi 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.
ASHOKKUMAR says
October 13, 2016 at 4:12 pmSIR, 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
Aakib Dawood says
November 3, 2016 at 3:12 pmCan you please specify which chapters of which NCERTs should one read ??
It will be of great help.
Thank You
Inderjeet says
November 19, 2016 at 1:58 pmHow 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….
Manigriba says
December 9, 2016 at 4:40 pmI am preparing for oas wit optionals history and geography. Is history of ncert xi and xii enough for it
Shagun Kumari Pundir says
January 7, 2017 at 3:04 amThankyou for providing useful information.
My optional subject is public administration so from where to start?
Anjali says
January 15, 2017 at 8:56 amCan I become an IPS officer without having sports background or NCC
Anjali says
January 15, 2017 at 8:58 amCan I become IPS officer without sports background or NCC.or which skills are required to become an IPS officer
Sultan+919097355055 says
February 8, 2017 at 7:11 pmHey
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.
Rahul Rathod says
January 26, 2017 at 8:13 amNCERT class 12th micro and macro economics book are important for UPSC
Jyoti chaudhary says
February 14, 2017 at 10:33 amCan a candidate fill all three forms those are IPS/IAS/IFS .exam will be on same day or differently.
Adeeba qureshi says
February 15, 2017 at 2:24 pmI 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..
pawara Sunil lotan says
March 10, 2017 at 6:04 pmHave to prepare IAS exam
Md Azhar Ansari says
April 11, 2017 at 8:00 pmI 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
Harshitha says
May 24, 2017 at 10:18 pmsir 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
anvesh says
June 2, 2017 at 7:57 amhi
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
tina says
June 4, 2017 at 8:42 pmi 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
Abhijit Reddy says
June 22, 2017 at 9:28 amIs it necessary to study sociology 11th and 12th if we don’t take sociology as an optional ?
Abhijit Reddy says
June 22, 2017 at 9:33 amIs ncert arts Textbook compulsory ?
After completing the ncert Textbook what should we prefer to study
Please explain paper wise..
Ashish Jha says
June 30, 2017 at 6:11 pmAs 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
Sarita says
July 6, 2017 at 7:19 amVery nice sight…
vardhman Balande says
August 23, 2017 at 5:35 pmVery 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
omkar says
September 5, 2017 at 11:31 pmSir 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
Vijaya says
January 30, 2018 at 2:46 pmcan we crack IAS prelims by only reading the above mentioned NCERT books?
or we must read other authors books also?
ClearIAS.com says
January 30, 2018 at 3:19 pmYou need to read other books too. We have a list of recommended books. Start with 4-5 books from the list.
chandralekha chakraborty says
March 12, 2018 at 1:38 pmactually i wanted to know about the science ncerts..do we particulary need to focus on the above mentioned chapters would that be enough??
prem sagar says
April 10, 2018 at 5:44 pmsir according to your experience how many years of preparation is needed to crack out this examination?
Muzammil says
May 8, 2018 at 10:15 amSir 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
Sai says
November 17, 2018 at 12:19 amCan I prepare for cse exam at home without any coaching
THUBA SHAIKH says
November 27, 2018 at 2:11 pmgood afternoon………
i need information, my daughter is in 9th standard and i wanted and it is her wish to get prepared for upsc studies , so can any one please help me for finding books for her, any mobile number where i can contact, and get the books. iam from goa ( india ). please help me finding it.
tnx
Gazy says
January 9, 2019 at 10:38 pmI want to thank you first.
Sir, Can I skip NCERT, As i do not hv any issue while reading direct books of History like of Bipin Chandra,Polity laksmikant,Economy Ramesh Singh etc.
ClearIAS.com says
January 10, 2019 at 8:31 amSome questions are asked directly from NCERTs which you may not find in other textbooks. Better not to skip. Start from NCERTs. Take ClearIAS NCERT-based mock exams (subject-wise). It would help you cover important questions, faster.
Shafaq Ahmed says
January 13, 2019 at 9:51 pmHello Team!!!
I am UPSC aspirant and preparing for the year 2019. I have a query about my optional subject, I am looking for Management subject as I did MBA in HR/Finance recently, and I think the syllabus is quite similar as in my MBA syllabus. I am just confused to take the same or not, and if I am eligible for this which books I should prefer for better preprations,
Please help me in this regard
Thank you
Sanjeev Sunar says
February 6, 2019 at 3:34 pmsir, i am serving indian army soldier i want an information that i can apply for civil service exam my age is thirty five and i am voluntarily retiring on jun 2022 after completion of 15 years regular service please guide me if i am eligible or not i am a graduate in bsc (biochemistry).