Best Study Material for IAS Exam, UPSC Prelims & Mains

Preparing for the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) exam can be a challenging task, but with the right study material and preparation strategy, you can increase your chances of success. Also, remember that just reading the study material and books once will do no good. You need to do thorough revisions, at least 3 times to remember effectively. Therefore, focus on reading less material a greater number of times instead of reading more material one time. Having said, that, here are some of the best study materials that you can use to prepare for the IAS exam, both prelims and mains:

1. CSAT Books: CSAT books help the students to prepare for the Civil Services Aptitude Test or GS Paper 2 in the UPSC Prelims examination. While there are several books available in the market, there is nothing better than the CSAT book by Arihant. It not only covers all the syllabus but also provides last 10 years question papers for practice. If you don’t want to take any chances, go for the books that several successful IAS/IPS/IFS candidates read – Cracking the Civil Services Aptitude Test Paper-II by Arihant.
   
2. NCERT Books: The NCERT textbooks are considered as the backbone for the preparation of the IAS exam. The textbooks cover all the fundamental concepts of different subjects that are required for the exam. Every year almost 30% of questions come from the NCERT Books.
   The books particularly of interest include Science, History, & Geography NCERT Books 6th to 12th Std, 11th NCERT book for fine arts, 12th std Biology, last 4 chapters for Environment, and NCERT textbooks of 11th to 12th std for Economy.
   
3. Coaching Material: There are many coaching institutes that provide comprehensive study material for the IAS exam. However, you should choose a coaching institute carefully and ensure that the material provided is of good quality. If you need help in selecting the Best IAS coaching center in India, then you can read our review here.
   Sometimes, students read study material of different coaching centers for different subjects. For example, Vision IAS monthly PT365 is famous for Current Affairs, Shankar IAS notes are famous for environment, and SriRam IAS notes are famous for Economics. You need not necessarily study in these centers to get access to notes. They are easily available in the market, like SriRam’s IAS notes are even available on Amazon here https://amzn.to/3Ik6pRL and https://amzn.to/3xLo0Ny
   
4. Newspapers & Magazines: Reading newspapers like The Hindu, and magazines like Yojana, Kurukshetra, or Frontline can help you stay up-to-date with current affairs and help you improve your understanding of the subjects.
   
5. Previous Year Question Papers: Solving previous year’s question papers can give you an idea of the exam pattern, the type of questions asked, and the level of difficulty. Enroll in test series of a good IAS coaching center and do analyze the papers after solving.
   
6. Online Resources: There are many online resources like blogs, websites, and YouTube channels that provide free study material for the IAS exam. Some of the popular ones include Mrunal (Hindi), and Unacademy (English). You should avoid the YouTube channels that are famous for entertainment rather than content.

UPSC Exam Structure – Prelims

UPSC Exam Structure – Mains

It is important to remember that simply having study material is not enough. You need to have a structured study plan, consistent practice, and self-discipline to prepare effectively for the IAS exam.