Union Civil Service Commission,
The UPSC Prelims 2022 exam date is June 5, 2022 as per the UPSC Schedule. The CSE Prelims document has 2 parts – General Studies I and CSAT. Both tests usually take place on the same day and include objective-type or MCQ-based questions.
But the UPSC Civil Services program is very advanced. It cannot be ignored that what they study for IAS Prelims is also beneficial for the UPSC Mains exam. So it is here that IAS aspirants plan what, where and how to study. Let’s take a look at the best books and topics recommended by UPSC Toppers.
Cracking UPSC Prelims 2022: CSE Toppers Recommended Books
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Every UPSC civil service aspirant knows that NCERT books are a mandatory preparatory resource for this exam. Be it history or economics, every aspiring IAS must go through the NCERT books with others. The recommended books by subject are –
Topic | UPSC Toppers Recommended Books |
Story | A Brief History of Modern India by Spectrum, India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipin Chandra, Class 11 NCERT Books on Ancient India and Medieval India. |
Geography | Certificate in Physical and Human Geography by GC Leong, Oxford School Atlas, Class 9, 11 and 12 NCERT books |
Indian art and culture | Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania, NCERT Class 11 and 12 – An Introduction to Indian Art |
Indian politics | Indian Politics by M. Laxmikanth, Introduction to Indian Constitution by DD Basu and NCERT Class 6 to 8 Books for Basics, NCERT Class 9 to 12 Books for Democracy and Federalism |
Economy | Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh, Economic Survey by Ministry of Finance, Class 11 and 12 NCERT books |
Science and technology | NCERT for Grades 6-12 and Current Affairs |
Environment and Ecology | NCERT especially classes 10 to 12, notes Shankar IAS |
CSAT | Tata McGraw Hill CSAT Manual, Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning by RS Aggarwal and Previous Year Questionnaires (latest for all) |
Besides these books, all IAS aspirants should read the following articles for current affairs – Yojana Magazine, Economic and Political Weekly, Press Information Bureau (PIB) and Newspapers.
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Cracking UPSC Prelims 2022: the topics not to be missed
Every year in the UPSC Prelims exam, some topics become more important than others depending on current events. However, there are certain topics that every UPSC Civil Services topper recommends – topics that you should not leave. Take a look.
To start, be very good with your basic grammar rules. If you are not too clear about them, take an English book and practice grammar exercises to do better. Then have some basic math formulas on your boards. It would help to solve the questions quickly.
- Story: Indian Independence Movement (main sessions of congress, their presidents and important resolutions; important viceroys and their rulings; Indian Government Acts of 1909, 1935, etc., and Charter Acts); Ancient history (Hindu philosophy, Buddhism and Jainism; Mauryan, Chola dynasty and Gupta period); Medieval History (Babur, Sher Shah, Akbar, Delhi Sultanate, etc.)
- Political regime: Ongoing cases; constitutional amendments; All new acts and regimes; Fundamental rights, fundamental duties, guiding principles of state policy; Parliament and parliamentary work; Judicial etc.
- Environment and Ecology: United Nations Conventions; Declarations; the IUCN Red List; International organizations, biosphere reserves, tiger reserves, etc.
- Geography: Names of rivers and dams; latitudes and longitudes; Layers of atmosphere; Solar system; Pressure belts, monsoon; Jet Streams and Ocean Currents; hills and ground; Minerals; Maps etc.
- Economy: Most recent budget and main provisions; New bills and committees; Poverty, unemployment, development, inflation; Mondial economy; GDP and economic survey, etc.
The UPSC Prelims 2022 preparation can be as complete as you want. However, every Topper in the public service believes in having limited resources and sticking to them. The key is conceptual clarity and multiple revisions.