According to me as well as several toppers of previous IAS exams, the best way to start your UPSC preparation is by reading through the NCERT books for UPSC and then moving on to the standard UPSC book list for 2022 (consisting of the standard books).

Also, you should be mindful about the type of IAS books that you choose for your preparation, given that the UPSC prelims and UPSC mains are very different from each other and would need 2 different sets of reading material for each.

Let’s now look at the How to Optimally Utilize Suggested UPSC Books, which i have mentioned in the below:

  • It should be noted that the UPSC Syllabus is vast, and therefore, it takes a minimum duration of at least a year to read through comprehensively. Thus, make sure that you do not waste precious time reading from books that are not up to the mark or are below standard. By below standard, I mean books that might contain unauthenticated or incorrect information.
  • Make sure to take notes while reading from the IAS books that I have listed for you above.
  • There are some excellent books for UPSC preparation like Laxmikanth, & the NCERTs. Books such as these are tailor-made for the UPSC exams.
    This is because a lot of questions related to the subject of polity are asked directly from this book. These are the kind of books that you should read as thoroughly as possible.
  • In addition to the points that I have written above, there are a lot of books that consist of information in a “notes”- like format. So, in a way, books like these already do provide you with the notes that you need to prepare for the exam. Therefore, while reading such books do not waste your time making notes.
  • Lastly, you need to understand that even though there are books that are exceptionally well-written and informative, they might not be that useful. Therefore, as far as preparing for the UPSC is concerned, make sure that you read from books that are relevant only from the UPSC preparation standpoint.

That brings us to the end of this section of the blog. Now, considering that you understand the value of reading from all the IAS books that I have mentioned above, it’s time to understand why it’s equally important to test your waters by attempting UPSC mock tests.

Also check: UPSC Commerce Coaching