UPSC Preparation: Prelims and Mains Book List

Speaker

• Mudit Jain, IRS 2018 batch
• Twice selected for Indian Police Service (IPS)

Purpose

• Share a unique book list for UPSC Prelims based on feedback from 152 aspirants who cleared the CSE 2023 Prelims.

Prelims Book List

History

• Modern India: Spectrum, Lucent, Bipin Chandra
  • Key Strategy: Keep nerves in control during tough questions
• Ancient and Medieval History: Tamil Nadu board books, NCERT (Class 11), RS Sharma, Satish Chandra, Poonam Dalal, Ghatna Chakra
• Art and Culture: Nitin Singhania, NCERT (Class 11), Tamil Nadu board books
• Key Takeaway: Stick to consistent sources, revise multiple times

Polity

• Main Book: Laxmikanth
• Additional: NCERT, Bare Acts (optional)
• Notes: Create comprehensive notes for revision

Economy

• Sources: Economic Survey, Budget summaries (not full), Shriram IAS notes, Manal Sir notes, Vivek Singh book
• Recommendation: Choose one or two sources only, make notes, revise multiple times

Environment

• Static Book: Shankar IAS
• Current Affairs: Vision IAS Magazine, Shunya IAS Magazine, Newspapers
• Key Advice: Focus on current affairs along with static books

Geography

• Primary Sources: NCERT (Class 11, 12), GC Leong, Bajiram's Yellow Books
• Optional Resource: Rajtanil's YouTube videos

Science and Technology

• Primary Focus: Current affairs
• Static Preparation: Biology NCERT, Lucent GK Book

Current Affairs

• Strategy: Read newspapers daily, supplement with coaching magazines
• Feedback from aspirants: 60% read both newspapers and coaching magazines

CSAT Strategy

• Previous Year Questions (PYQs): Solve PYQs from 2018 onwards
• Mocks: Solve 5-6 mock tests, identify strengths and weaknesses
• Key Insight: Understand the difficulty level of sections (comprehension/quant) during mocks

Mains Book List

General Studies Paper 1

• Modern History: Notes condensed from online resources, Spectrum
• Ancient and Medieval History: Lucent GK, NCERT, Tamil Nadu board books
• Art and Culture: Nitin Singhania's notes
• World History: Arjun Dev
• Post-Independence: Class 11 Political Science NCERT
• Geography: NCERT (Class 11, 12), GC Leong, Bajiram's Yellow Books
  • Optional: Rajtanil's YouTube videos
• Society: IGNOU material, keep updated with current trends (e.g., cryptocurrency, LGBTQ rights)

General Studies Paper 2

• Polity: Laxmikanth for static portion
• Governance, RPA, NGO: Vision IAS material
• International Relations (IR): Rajiv Sikri book for static background, newspapers, and coaching magazine for current affairs

General Studies Paper 3

• Economy: Shriram IAS notes, Economic Survey, Budget summaries
• Agriculture: editorial articles from The Hindu, create comprehensive notes on key topics
• Science and Technology: Current affairs focus, create notes from editorials
• Environment and Disaster Management: Shankar IAS, Yojana magazine
• Security: Ashok Kumar IPS book for static portion, create notes from current resources

General Studies Paper 4 (Ethics)

• Ethics: 100-page self-made notes, 'Decode Ethics' book by Mudit Jain

Conclusion

• Consistent sources and multiple revisions are crucial.
• PYQs and mock tests are vital to understanding CSAT patterns and difficulty.
• Comprehensive note-making and reliance on current affairs are key to success in Mains.