NCERT Books for UPSC Prelims

The UPSC conducts the civil services exam every year to recruit officers into the Indian civil
service. Clearing the UPSC civil services is your ticket to a profession in the coveted civil
services of the country. This exam is conducted in three stages. The first stage to cross is the
UPSC prelims exam. This could be considered the easiest of all the stages but it is also the one
with the most intense competition. In this article, we give you a list of the NCERT books you
should read for the IAS prelims exam.
Why NCERTs?
NCERTs are a must-read at least in part for the UPSC civil services exam. This is because:

1. The NCERTs explain basic concepts in clear and simple language (because they are
designed for school children).
2. They contain authentic information as the information in these books is provided by
government institutions. When there are doubtful facts about a certain topic (when
multiple sources give varied information), you can safely go by what is given in the
NCERTs.
3. They contain information that is given after extensive research.
4. The basic concepts given in these books can serve as the basis for you to upgrade to
advanced textbooks.

NCERT books for UPSC Prelims

HISTORY

 NCERT Class VI – Our Past

 NCERT Class VII – Our Past –I
 NCERT Class VIII – Our Past II and III
 NCERT Class XII – Themes In Indian History – I
 NCERT Class XII – Themes in Indian History – II
 NCERT Class XII – Themes in Indian History – III
INDIAN SOCIETY

 NCERT Class XI – Sociology: Understanding Society

 NCERT Class XII – Indian Society
 NCERT Class XII – Social Change and Development in India
ART & CULTURE

NCERT Class XI – An Introduction to Indian Art

 NCERT Class XI – Living Craft Traditions of India (Chapters 9 & 10)
GEOGRAPHY

 NCERT Class VI – The Earth Our Habitat

 NCERT Class VII – Our Environment
 NCERT Class VIII – Resource and Development
  NCERT Class IX – Contemporary India – I
 NCERT Class X – Contemporary India – II
 NCERT Class XI – Fundamentals of Physical Geography
 NCERT Class XI – India – Physical Environment
 NCERT Class XII – Fundamentals of Human Geography
 NCERT Class XII – India – People and Economy
POLITY

NCERT Class IX – Political Science: Democratic Politics Part – I

 NCERT Class X – Political Science: Democratic Politics Part – II
 NCERT Class XI – Political Science: Indian Constitution at Work
 NCERT Class XI – Political Science: Political Theory
 NCERT Class XII – Political Science II: Politics in India since Independence
ECONOMICS

 NCERT Class IX – Economics

 NCERT Class X – Understanding Economic Development
 NCERT Class XI – Indian Economic Development
 NCERT Class XII – Introductory Microeconomics
 NCERT Class XII – Introductory Macroeconomics
SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY/ECOLOGY/ENVIRONMENT

 NCERT Class VI
 NCERT Class VII
 NCERT Class VIII
 NCERT Class IX
 NCERT Class X
 NCERT Class XI
 NCERT Class XII – Biology (chapters 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 & 16); Chemistry
(chapter 16)

Complete List Of NCERT Books Needed For UPSC Preparation

Reading NCERT textbooks is essential for your IAS exam preparation and if you have a question
on your mind about which NCERT books to study for UPSC, then here are some relevant UPSC
Books from the NCERT catalogue. Ideally, it would help if you worked your way through all
UPSC-related books from class 6 to class 12. But even in these books, some topics are more
important than the others, so here’s the list of all important NCERT books for IAS and topics
which are essential for the civil services exam.
UPSC Books List PDF:-Download PDF Here
 Quiz of the Day!

This article tries to answer the question, ‘Which NCERT books are important for the IAS exam?’
and gives a detailed NCERT book list for UPSC preparation. These NCERT books required for
the Civil Services Exam will help you in both UPSC Prelims and Mains.

Subject Wise UPSC Preparation Books from NCERT Books Catalog for
IAS
The UPSC CSE Syllabus for Prelims and Mains examination is comprehensive and requires a lot
of information sources to address the challenges of the UPSC question paper adequately. Here,
we are giving the list of NCERT books for the IAS 2022 Prelims & Mains Examination. This
UPSC book list drawn from the NCERT Book Catalog will help the aspirants to prepare for the
exam thoroughly. This list includes books for UPSC prelims and books for IAS mains. The
download link for all essential NCERT books for UPSC – IAS is given at the end of the article.

NCERT Books for General Studies Paper I

 UPSC Preparation Books from NCERT History Books:



 History: NCERT Class VI – Our Past

 History: NCERT Class VII – Our Past -I
 History: NCERT Class VIII – Our Past II and III
 History: NCERT Class IX – India and the Contemporary World – I
 History: NCERT Class IX – India and the Contemporary World – II
 History: NCERT Class X – Themes In World History
 History: NCERT Class XII – Themes In Indian History – I
 History: NCERT Class XII – Themes in Indian History – II
 History: NCERT Class XII – Themes In Indian History – III

 NCERT Books about Indian Society for UPSC exam:

 Indian Society: NCERT Class VI – Social Science: Social & Political Life I
 Indian Society: NCERT Class VII – Social Science: Social & Political Life II
 Indian Society: NCERT Class VIII – Social Science: Social & Political Life III
 Indian Society: NCERT Class XI – Sociology: Understanding Society
  Indian Society: NCERT Class XII – Indian Society
 Indian Society: NCERT Class XII – Social Change and Development in India
 IAS aspirants can also refer the class 12 book for Sociology.
NCERT Indian Art and Culture books for UPSC:
 Art & Culture: NCERT Class XI – An Introduction to Indian Art
 Art & Culture: NCERT Class XI – Living Craft Traditions of India (Chapters 9 & 10)
UPSC Preparation Books from NCERT Geography Books for IAS:
 Geography: NCERT Class VI – The Earth Our Habitat
 Geography: NCERT Class VII – Our Environment
 Geography: NCERT Class VIII – Resource and Development
 Geography: NCERT Class IX – Contemporary India – I
 Geography: NCERT Class X – Contemporary India – II
 Geography: NCERT Class XI – Fundamentals of Physical Geography
 Geography: NCERT Class XI – India – Physical Environment
 Geography: NCERT Class XII – Fundamentals of Human Geography
 Geography: NCERT Class XII – India – People and Economy

 Additional IAS preparation books for reference: Old NCERT books for History (Pre 2000s):

 Ancient India (class XI) by RS Sharma: This covers the ancient Indian history syllabus
completely
 Alternative Published version: India’s Ancient Past – RS Sharma: Covers all of the NCERT
syllabi for IAS and is more detailed in all aspects. Should be a good substitute
 Medieval India (class IX) by Satish Chandra
 Alternative Published version: History of Medieval India – Satish Chandra: More detailed
than the NCERT but less easy to read. NCERT would be better
 Modern India (class X) by Bipin Chandra: Best book for UPSC Medieval History
 Alternative Published version: India Before Independence: Bipan Chandra’s published
book is readily available and is more comprehensive, but the NCERT is more objective
and more comfortable to read
 World History (Class X): Should be enough for an intro to world history
Continue reading below to know which NCERT books to study for IAS for General Studies
Paper-II.

NCERT UPSC Preparation Books for General Studies Paper-II:

 Polity NCERT Books for UPSC

 Polity: NCERT Class IX – Political Science: Democratic Politics Part – I

 Polity: NCERT Class X – Political Science: Democratic Politics Part – II
 Polity: NCERT Class XI – Political Science: Indian Constitution at Work
 Polity: NCERT Class XI – Political Science: Political Theory
 Polity: NCERT Class XII – Political Science I: Contemporary World Politics
  Polity: NCERT Class XII – Political Science II: Politics in India since Independence
 For Polity: Class 9 to 12 NCERT books should be read in detail, with a focus on 11th and
12th (of which World Politics, only if time permits).
Read on for information on which books to read for UPSC GS Paper III.

UPSC Books from NCERT for General Studies Paper III:

 NCERT Books on Economy for UPSC

 Economy: NCERT Class IX – Economics

 Economy: NCERT Class X – Understanding Economic Development
 Economy: NCERT Class XI – Indian Economic Development
 Economy: NCERT Class XII – Introductory Microeconomics
 Economy: NCERT Class XII – Introductory Macroeconomics
Science & Technology IAS Preparation Books from NCERT
 Science: NCERT Class VI
 Science: NCERT Class VII
 Science: NCERT Class VIII
 Science: NCERT Class IX
 Science: NCERT Class X
 Science: NCERT Class XI – Chemistry: Unit 14 & Biology: Units 4 & 5
 Science: NCERT Class XII – Chemistry: Unit 16 & Biology: Units 8, 9 & 10
UPSC Books from NCERT on Environment & Ecology
 Science: Class XII – Biology: last four Chapters (13 to 16)
For Economics: Reference of class 9 to 12 NCERT books for IAS should be ideal, but if you are
familiar with the subject, class 11 and some chapters in class 11 and class 12 (micro + macro)
would be sufficient. So, read selectively!
For Science: Refer textbooks of class IX and X that would be good enough for your IAS exam
preparation.
The next list covers IAS Books from NCERT for Civil Services GS IV.

NCERT IAS Books for General Studies Paper IV

 Ethics: NCERT Class XII – Psychology: Not too significant from the exam perspective, however
good for some basics. Read selectively.

Must read UPSC books from NCERT book catalogue

Here’s a class-wise list of must-read NCERT Books for UPSC Civil Services Examination 2022:

Class Textbooks
6th  History: Our Past
 Geography: The Earth Our Habitat
 Social Science: Social & Political Life I
 Science: Science: Class VI

7th  History: Our Past – II

 Geography: Our Environment
 Social Science: Social & Political Life II
 Science: Science – Class VII

8th  History: Our Past III – Part I & II

 Geography: Resource and Development
 Social Science: Social & Political Life III
 Science: Science – Class VIII

9th  History: India and the Contemporary World-I

 Geography: Contemporary India – I
 Political Science: Democratic Politics Part – I
 Science: Class IX
 Economics: Economics

10th  History: India and the Contemporary World – II

 Geography: Contemporary India – II
 Political Science: Democratic Politics Part – II
 Science: Class X
 Economics: Understanding Economic Development

11th  History: Themes in World History

 Geography:

 Fundamentals Of Physical Geography

 India- Physical Environment
Science:
 Chemistry: Unit 14
 Biology: Unit 4 & 5
Economics: Indian Economic Development
Sociology: Understanding Society
Political Science: Indian Constitution at Work
Indian Culture:
 An Introduction to Indian Art
  Living Craft Traditions of India (Chapters 9 & 10)

12th  History: Themes in Indian History

 Geography:

 Fundamentals Of Human Geography

 India – People & Economy
Science:
 Chemistry: Unit 16
 Biology: Unit 8, 9 & 10
Economics: Introductory Macroeconomics
Sociology:
 Indian Society
 Social Change and Development in India
Political Science: Contemporary World Politics

We are sure that the comprehensive UPSC Books list from NCERT that we have provided in this
article will help you save time during IAS Preparation. We hope now that your query ‘Which
NCERT books should I read for UPSC?’ has been answered and you have the complete list of
NCERT UPSC preparation books so that you can start your IAS preparation today!

Frequently Asked Questions on List of NCERT Books Needed for

UPSC Preparation

Is NCERT a must for UPSC?

Yes, the NCERT books have concise information in straightforward language, making it easy to
understand. Moreover, they are essential from both UPSC Prelims and Mains exam perspective.

Are NCERT books enough for IAS?

NCERT books are a must for the IAS exam. However, candidates should also refer to subject-specific
books (e.g. Indian Polity by Laxmikant) and keep tabs on current affairs.

Which is the best book for geography for IAS?

Best books for geography preparation in UPSC exam:

 NCERT books – 6th to 12th standard

 Any decent Atlas
 Geography of India – Majid Hussain
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