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UPSC General Studies Books: Prelims and Mains Examination 2024

PWOnlyIAS July 23, 2024 12:47 1434 0

In this article, we explore the best General Studies booklist for UPSC IAS Prelims and Mains examination to maximize your preparation.

UPSC General Studies Books: Prelims and Mains Examination 2024

UPSC General Studies books for the UPSC Prelims and Mains exam are of utmost importance for the UPSC Aspirants.UPSC General Studies books provide in-depth coverage of a wide range of topics that are part of the UPSC syllabus. They include subjects like History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Environment, Science and Technology, and Current Affairs.

General Studies forms the core subject for the UPSC exam. The subject covers a wide-range of topics that an aspiring bureaucrat is expected to know. In this article, we look at all the UPSC General Studies books that need to be studied to cover the General Studies syllabus.

Let us have a look at a complete list of UPSC General Studies books for UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam 2024. The recommended UPSC General Studies books by PWOnlyIAS Publications for every subject is also given here. 

UPSC General Studies Books Overview

General Studies is the main paper in UPSC prelims as well as UPSC mains. In UPSC prelims, the general studies paper carries 200 marks and the marks scored in the paper will determine a candidate’s eligibility for UPSC Mains. In UPSC Mains, General Studies papers carry a combined value of 1000 marks and are vital to determine final merit.

The table below contains the overview of the UPSC CSE Exam:

UPSC CSE Exam Overview
Exam Stage General Studies Paper Marks Nature of Paper
Prelims General Studies (Paper 1) 200 Qualifying
Mains General Studies I 1000  Used in Calculating Final merit
General Studies II
General Studies III
General Studies IV

UPSC Civil Services exam consists of two stages: Prelims and Mains. Prelims stage has two papers, General Studies (paper 1) and CSAT (Paper 2). To cover General Studies Paper (Paper 1) of Prelims, UPSC General Studies Books are needed. As far as UPSC Mains is concerned, there are four General Studies papers that have to be covered from UPSC General Studies books. 

UPSC General Studies Books will cover all the sub-topics mentioned in the syllabus comprehensively so that candidates can score maximum marks in prelims as well as mains. 

Candidates will be required to identify individual topics under General Studies and then collect the required books from the list given below.

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UPSC General Studies Books List

Candidates have to study General Studies subject in both prelims as well as mains. In the prelims stage, the questions from General Studies will be in the form of MCQs. In the mains stage, questions from General Studies will require descriptive answers. The book sources of subjects will remain more or less the same. The approach of the candidate must be different based on the demands of the exam.

The complete list of UPSC General Studies books is given below:

UPSC General Studies Books for Prelims

General Studies paper in prelims consists of static topics such polity, history, geography etc and dynamic topics such as science and technology, international relations etc. The book list also varies depending on the nature of questions asked in each topic. The list of books for UPSC general Studies Prelims is provided below:

Subject Booklist
Polity
  • Indian Polity by M Laxmikant
  • NCERT IX to XII
  • Introduction to the Constitution of India by DD Basu

PW OnlyIAS Publications

History
  • NCERT VI – X
  • NCERT XI (Ancient & Medieval)
  • NCERT XII (Themes in Indian History)
  • India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra
  • Ancient India by R.S Sharma
  • A Brief history of Modern India by Spectrum

PW OnlyIAS Publications

Geography
  • Certificate Physical Geography – G C Leong
  • NCERT VI – XII
  • Geography of India by Majid Husain
  • World Geography by Majid Husain

PW OnlyIAS Publications

Economy
  • NCERT Class XI – India’s Economic Development 
  • NCERT Class XII – Introductory Macroeconomics
  • Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh
  • Praarambh Indian Economy by PW OnlyIAS
Art and Culture
Science and Technology
International Relations
Environment and Ecology
  • Textbook of Environmental Studies by Erach Bharucha
  • Environment and Ecology – Biodiversity, Climate Change and Disaster Management by Majid Hussain
  • Praarambh Ecology And Environment by PW OnlyIAS
Current Affairs
  • Newspapers (The Hindu, The Indian Express)
  • Magazines (Down to Earth, Yojana, Kurukshetra)
  • Reports (NITI Aayog, Budget, Economic Survey)

UPSC General Studies Books for Mains

The UPSC Mains stage consists of 9 papers, of which four are general studies papers. The sub-topics in each General Studies paper, along with the required book list, are given below:

Books for UPSC General Studies I 

Below is the Book list for UPSC General Studies I:

1. History 

  • NCERT VI – X
  • NCERT XI (Ancient & Medieval)
  • NCERT XII (Modern Indian History)
  • NCERT Class XI – Themes In World History
  • India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra
  • Ancient India by R.S Sharma
  • A Brief history of Modern India by Spectrum

        (PW OnlyIAS Publications)

2. Art and Culture

3. Geography

  • Certificate Physical Geography – G C Leong
  • NCERT VI – X 
  • Geography of India by Majid Husain
  • World Geography by Majid Husain
  • NCERT XI, XII 

        (PW OnlyIAS Publications)

4. Social Issues

  • NCERT Class XII – Social Change & Development in India
  • NCERT Class XII – Indian Society
  • Social Problems in India by Ram Ahuja
  • Contemporary Issues in Globalization by Soumyen Sikdar
  • Praarambh Indian Society by PW OnlyIAS

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Books for UPSC General Studies II

Below is the Book list for UPSC General Studies II:

1. Welfare

2. Polity and Governance

3. International Relations

Books for UPSC General Studies III

Below is the Book list for UPSC General Studies III:

1. Economic Development

  • NCERT Class XI – India’s Economic Development 
  • NCERT Class XII – Introductory Microeconomics
  • Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh
  • Praarambh Indian Economy by PW OnlyIAS

2. Internal Security

3. Environment and Ecology

  • Textbook of Environmental Studies by Erach Bharucha
  • Environment and Ecology – Biodiversity, Climate Change and Disaster Management by Majid Hussain
  • Praarambh Ecology And Environment by PW OnlyIAS

4. Disaster Management

5. Science and Technology

Books for UPSC General Studies IV

Below is the Book list for UPSC General Studies IV:

Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude

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UPSC uses General Studies papers to test a candidate’s knowledge level. This is the reason for including multiple topics in these papers. Candidates have to prepare well for General Studies papers if they want to qualify exams. UPSC General Studies books are easily available in stores as well as e-commerce sites. Candidates are advised to read them thoroughly and develop an understanding of the concepts to increase their chances of qualifying for this exam.

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Must Read
NCERT Notes For UPSC UPSC Daily Current Affairs
UPSC Blogs UPSC Daily Editorials
Daily Current Affairs Quiz Daily Main Answer Writing
UPSC Mains Previous Year Papers UPSC Test Series 2024

 

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UPSC General Studies Books FAQs

Marks scored in General Studies in prelims determine a candidate's qualification for mains. In mains, General Studies carries 1000 marks and is important for determining the final merit list.

No. General Studies for prelims does not include topics such as disaster management, ethics, internal security, etc.

Yes. The same books can be referred to for prelims and mains as far as core subjects are concerned. However, the mains exam contains additional topics that have to be covered from other sources.

Yes. NCERT books cover topics comprehensively and also provide a solid foundation for future learning. This makes them vital components of UPSC General Studies books.

No. Current affairs is mostly covered from newspapers such as The Hindu and magazines such as Down to Earth, Yojana, etc. Some documents, such as the Economic Survey and budgets, are also important sources of current affairs.
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 Final Result – CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION, 2023.   Udaan-Prelims Wallah ( Static ) booklets 2024 released both in english and hindi : Download from Here!     Download UPSC Mains 2023 Question Papers PDF  Free Initiative links -1) Download Prahaar 3.0 for Mains Current Affairs PDF both in English and Hindi 2) Daily Main Answer Writing  , 3) Daily Current Affairs , Editorial Analysis and quiz ,  4) PDF Downloads  UPSC Prelims 2023 Trend Analysis cut-off and answer key

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 Final Result – CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION, 2023.   Udaan-Prelims Wallah ( Static ) booklets 2024 released both in english and hindi : Download from Here!     Download UPSC Mains 2023 Question Papers PDF  Free Initiative links -1) Download Prahaar 3.0 for Mains Current Affairs PDF both in English and Hindi 2) Daily Main Answer Writing  , 3) Daily Current Affairs , Editorial Analysis and quiz ,  4) PDF Downloads  UPSC Prelims 2023 Trend Analysis cut-off and answer key

Quick Revise Now !
AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD SOON
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध
Quick Revise Now !
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध

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