Best Books for UPSC Civil Services 2025 Exam Preparation - Check UPSC Civil Services Preparation Books Here

Updated By Aarushi Jain on 10 Feb, 2025 15:21

86 days Remaining for the exam

Looking for the best books for UPSC CSE preparation? Using the right study material is essential for an effective preparation and ultimately an excellent exam performance. Find the best books for UPSC CSE preparation right here!

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Best Books for UPSC CSE 2025

The best books for UPSC CSE 2025 help you have a comprehensive understanding of the vast UPSC Civil Services syllabus. The UPSC CSE 2025 Preliminary examination will be conducted on May 25, 2025. The UPSC CSE Mains Exam 2025 is scheduled for August 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26, 2025. To score well, you must go through the following list of books. These preparation books have been categorized into Prelims and Mains books. There are some free e-books as well. The first step in the preparation strategy is to know the UPSC CSE syllabus 2025 and UPSC 2025 exam pattern.

Knowing the exam pattern will help you prepare a study plan, based on which you can search for the right books, which will help in understanding the vast syllabus of UPSC Civil Services 2025. While selecting the books, you must ensure that you have sufficient UPSC Civil Services Previous Year Question Paper. You should make sure that you shortlist books that cover the most difficult topics explained in the simplest way. Books that have diagrams and images to explain topics can also be very helpful. You need to shortlist books that include everything in the exam curriculum.

Upcoming Exams :

Books For UPSC CSE Prelims 2025 (Subject Wise)

UPSC CSE prelims exams consist of two papers conducted by the organization. The prelims examination will be objective type with negative marking. Check out the major information about the books required for preparation from the table given below:

Subject

UPSC Books

History

Indiaโ€™s Struggle for Independence โ€“ Bipan Chandra

Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania

NCERT XI (Ancient & Medieval)

NCERT XII (Modern Indian History)

Geography

Certificate Physical Geography โ€“ G C Leong

NCERT VI โ€“ X (Old Syllabus)

NCERT XI, XII (New Syllabus)

World Atlas (Orient Black Swan)

Indian Polity

Indian Polity by M Laxmikanth

NCERT IX-XII

Economics

Indian Economy by Nitin Singhania

Economic Development & Policies in India โ€“ Jain & Ohri

NCERT XI

International Relations

NCERT XII (Contemporary World Politics)

Current Affairs

CSAT

Tata McGraw Hill CSAT Manual

Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning โ€“ R S Aggarwal

Solved Papers

IAS General Studies Prelims Solved Papers โ€“ Vishal Publications

Also ReadList of NCERT Books Required for UPSC Preparation 2025

Books For UPSC CSE Mains 2025 (Subject Wise)

There will be 9 theory papers in the main examination for UPSC CSE recruitment 2025. The candidates can check out the major information about books that are required to start the preparation for UPSC CSE Mains 2025 from the table given below:

Subject

UPSC Books

History, Indian Heritage & Culture

[GS Paper 1]

  • Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania
  • Indiaโ€™s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra
  • India after Independence by Bipan Chandra
  • History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra
  • Ancient India by R.S Sharma

Geography

[GS Paper 1]

  • Geography of India by Majid Husain
  • World Geography by Majid Husain
  • World Atlas (Orient Black Swan)
  • Certificate Physical and Human Geography โ€“ G C Leong
  • Fundamentals of Physical Geography NCERT Class 11

Polity & International Relations

[GS Paper 2]

  • Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth
  • Introduction to the Constitution of India by DD Basu
  • International Relations: Pushpesh Pant

Economy

[GS Paper 3]

  • Indian Economy โ€“ Nitin Singhania
  • Environment and Disaster Management โ€“ Tata McGraw Hill
  • Challenges to Internal Security of India โ€“ Ashok Kumar

Ethics

[GS Paper 4]

Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude for Civil Services Main Examination by Subba Rao and P.N. Roy Chaudary

Solved Papers

IAS General Studies Prelims Solved Papers โ€“ Vishal Publications

How to Select Best Books for UPSC CSE Preparation 2025

  • Candidates must try to buy the books of famous authors or known publication houses.
  • While selecting the books for the UPSC Civil Service 2025 exam, candidates must try to compare the contents of two or more books to get a correct explanation of important topics and subjects.

  • Always try to choose a book, which is easy to understand and covers the entire syllabus of the examination.

  • While selecting the books for the UPSC Civil Service entrance exam, it is advisable to check the year of publication of the book.

  • One factor that candidates must keep in mind is that the language used in the books has to be simple and understandable.

The dream of qualifying for the UPSC Civil Services Examination can come true. It can be achieved with a proper study plan and the right set of books for UPSC CSE. 

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