One of the most common questions UPSC aspirants ask is:
“What are the best books to study for UPSC?”
At VVS IAS Academy, we guide our students to focus on quality over quantity. Here’s a subject-wise list of standard, recommended books that will help you prepare smartly for both Prelims and Mains.
📘 General Studies – Prelims & Mains
🏛️ Polity
- Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth
- Indian Constitution at Work (NCERT – Class 11)
🌍 Geography
- Certificate Physical Geography by G.C. Leong
- NCERTs from Class 6 to 12
- Atlas (Oxford or Orient Blackswan)
🕰️ History
- Ancient & Medieval – Old NCERTs by R.S. Sharma and Satish Chandra
- Modern India – Spectrum by Rajiv Ahir
- Art & Culture – Nitin Singhania
📊 Economy
- Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh (for Mains concepts)
- NCERT Class 11 & 12
- Economic Survey & Budget (selectively)
📰 Current Affairs
- Daily Newspaper (The Hindu / Indian Express)
- Monthly Magazines (Yojana, Kurukshetra)
- VVS IAS Monthly Current Affairs Compilation (Available on our website)
🌐 Environment
- Shankar IAS Environment Book
- NCERT Class 12 Biology (for ecology basics)
💻 Science & Technology
- NCERT Class 6–10 (Basic Science)
- Newspaper & PIB for current developments
✍️ Additional for Mains
📖 Ethics (GS Paper IV)
- Lexicon or Subbarao
- Case studies from mock tests or VVS classroom notes
📄 Essay
- No specific book; practice essays on relevant topics regularly
- Follow current issues, philosophical themes, and government initiatives
🧠 CSAT (Prelims Paper II)
- CSAT Manual by TMH or Arihant
- Previous year papers
- Practice tests & VVS IAS short-cut strategies
📌 Pro Tips
- Stick to one book per subject and revise it multiple times.
- Complement books with test series, notes, and answer writing.
- Don’t ignore NCERTs — they’re the backbone of your preparation.