“It is better to know one book intimately than a hundred superficially.”– Every UPSC topper and senior IAS mentor echoed this sentiment.
We believe it and that’s why Top rank-seeking aspirants always get in touch with us.
Unfortunately, the internet is flooded with countless UPSC videos, coaching material e-books, and PDFs, etc. But, have you ever considered that if just by following material one could become an IAS, only the children of bookshop owners would have cracked this exam!
Not surprisingly, For prelims, knowing the most appropriate sources for GS without CSAT is just meaningless.
What to do?
- Cover as widely as possible – revise regularly what has been covered
- Maintain a proper balance between memorization and understanding – both are needed
- Quality of coverage is more important than the quantity of material covered.
Many fail to understand the importance of experienced Mentors and jump into reaching the destination by any means in every walk of life. This however can be misleading in preparation for UPSC-CSE.
The more you think of the results independently, the more you miss in fine-tuning and adhering to a sustainable resource & routine. A mentor’s guide is the key to reaching your goal.
How Much Content Should You Refer To For UPSC Preparation?
When an experienced mentor stands beside you, the UPSC journey becomes more enjoyable: CLICK TO GET MENTOR.
Apart from NCERT books, be mentally prepared to spend in at least 15-20 standard textbooks for various topics. This is since the UPSC-CSE Prelims and Mains both include at least 15 subjects/topics. To cover each subject in-depth, you’ll probably need to read several volumes.
Even though you should prioritize what you learn, you should never limit your reading. Your reading should be extensive and in-depth. Advanced books can be used as supplements to your internet preparation and can greatly aid self-study.
Most of the essential books will be covered automatically as per the timetable if you use Civilsdaily Test-based strategy to clear UPSC Prelims.
If you only have a limited amount of time to complete the syllabus before the exam, compact books are preferable to bulky ones. There’s no need to read all of the books in order. Concentrate on the most crucial parts of each book.
How Civilsdaily helps thousands of UPSC Aspirants in PDFs + Online video content selection?
Most of the topics for UPSC-CSE will be covered in class lectures and coaching notes if you are pursuing a UPSC-CSE online/offline foundation course.
To save aspirants from being misled, Civilsdaily has been conducting these from time to time:
- On-demand Mentorship Program
- Weekly free webinars of Toppers & Toppers’ mentors
- Daily Category-wise current affairs in Civilsdaily App & website
- IAS online/offline foundation batch
- Samachar Manthan Program
- Smash Prelims & mains Test series.
- Prelims MahaSangram
- Interview Programs
- Free lessons on the Civilsdaily youtube channel
However, if you are preparing for the UPSC totally on your own, you may not have access to a few of these tools. In this scenario, books are your most influential UPSC companions.
Bottom Line:
Yet, even with so extensive list of books published on the various websites, they cannot cover the syllabi of UPSC comprehensively. There are some portions, which need to be picked up from periodic sources.
Now, the question surfaces, as it does for many new aspirants: if such well-known sources are widely available, what do successful candidates do in addition to getting an advantage over their competitors? What are the additional resources that should be utilized to overcome the large influx of aspirants? Are there any hidden or secret materials that only a select few have access to?
Such resources, to be honest, do not exist. Honestly, the books and sources mentioned here only cover a small portion of the material available in bookshops and markets. In reality, a lesser number of sources than those mentioned above will suffice.
Remember: despite having all the books, toppers couldn’t have become toppers without mentors’ guidance. Their meticulous preparation, consistency in studies, self-belief, thirst for success, zeal to achieve their goals, and patience are what set them apart.
All the best.
