Most Important NCERT Books for UPSC Civil Services Examination

The Civil Services Examination conducted by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) is considered the toughest exam in India. And anyone preparing for this exam is always advised to first read the NCERT textbooks of Humanities subjects from class VI to XII. These books are definitely beneficial for a basic understanding of the topics in the UPSC syllabus, but all textbooks from classes VI to XII are not important.

If you have enough time to study or you’re planning to appear in the UPSC Civil Services Exam after 2-3 years, and you’re starting your preparation now then you can and should read all the NCERT books. But let’s say you have 8-9 months left for the Preliminary exam and you’ve now begun preparation then you can also skip some and read only the important books.

Important NCERT Books for UPSC IAS Exam

  • Indian Constitution at Work – Class XI
  • Political Theory – Class XI
  • Fundamentals of Physical Geography – Class XI
  • India: Physical Environment – Class XI
  • Fundamentals of Human Geography – Class XII
  • India People and Economy – Class XII
  • An Introduction to Indian Art Part I – Class XI
  • Indian Economic Development – Class XI
  • Introductory Macroeconomics – Class XII
  • Indian Society – Class XII
  • Social Change and Development in India – Class XII
  • Themes in Indian History Part I, Part II, Part III – Class XII
  • Themes in World History – Class XI
  • Chemistry Part II – Class XI (last chapter on Environment)
  • Biology – Class XII (last four chapters on Ecology)

NCERT History Books for UPSC

There are 3 sets of History books that toppers recommend from which reading any one set is enough to cover the syllabus of History of General Studies. You can definitely refer to some advanced books for History but these are important to read.

New NCERTThemes in Indian History Part I – Class XII
Themes in Indian History Part II – Class XII
Themes in Indian History Part III – Class XII
Themes in World History – Class XI
Old NCERTAncient India History by RS Sharma
Medieval India History by Satish Chandra
Modern Indian History by Bipan Chandra
Contemporary World History for Class XII Part I
Tamil Nadu
State Board
Class XI and XII History Books (Check on Amazon)

UPSC Standard Books (Amazon Link)
NCERT Books for UPSC Exam (Find in a local bookshop first, if not available then check on Amazon)

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