There is a long list of subjects to cover in General Studies and the time to prepare for the exam is short. The list of recommended books is as follows.
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| Subject | Basic source (for understanding/ not required to be revised as rigorously as the primary source) | Primary source (needs to be understood and revised very rigorously) |
| Polity | NCERTs up to XII standard | M. Laxmikanth
CD Module – https://www.civilsdaily.com/polity/ |
| Modern History | NCERTs for XI, XII (new/old, anything can do) OR Tamil Nadu Board books for XI, XII | A Brief History of Modern India by Spectrum (exam oriented book) OR India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra (novel/story format) |
| Geography | New NCERTs VI-X + Old NCERTs VI-VIII (for old NCERTs, only second part of each book related to world geography should be seen) | New NCERTs for XI, XII + G. C. Leong + Supplement with Civilsdaily’s coverage on Geography (http://www.civilsdaily.com/indian-geography-for-ias-mains/) |
| Economy | NCERTs XI, XII (focus more on macro-economy part) | Eco by Dr. V – https://www.civilsdaily.com/economy-concepts/
http://www.civilsdaily.com/indian-economy-gs-for-ias-prelims-and-mains/ https://www.civilsdaily.com/demystifying-economics-core-current-affairs-buildup-lecture-series/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvGX0OC17i8&list=PLZTYLkxalE7IubY1hvcFCarPV7n7Ma0RF |
| Current Affairs | Daily reading of news and editorials from Civilsdaily or newspaper | Monthly or Weekly Compilation like Civilsdaily’s monthly magazine or Samachar Manthan Program |
| Art and Culture + Ancient + Medieval History | Old NCERTs XI, XII + Fine Arts NCERT XI std + Selective reading of CCRT website + supplement with Civilsdaily’s coverage on art and culture http://www.civilsdaily.com/ancient-medieval-history-art-and-culture/ | |
| Environment | XII Biology new NCERT (last 4 chapters relevant to ecology) + XI Chemistry new NCERT (only one chapter related to environmental chemistry) | Shankar IAS’s notes can be used selectively (not more than 100 pages are relevant).
Read other important topics asked in tests and previous years from the internet. |
#1. Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
NCERTs (11th & 12th)
Laxmikanth
The Hindu
This is one area where, luckily, the questions have been straightforward and simple. Laxmikanth takes care of all our needs, especially for Prelims. But when you read Polity be very careful about what you are reading because here the examiners are experimenting with words and phrases only. For example, Head of State vs. Head of Government. Can these phrases be substituted for each other?
#2. Modern History
Spectrum (this is mostly compressed short notes. Like Laxmikant for Modern History)
Old NCERTs
New NCERTs have taken a different perspective to cover History. They are focusing on a lesser number of topics but are putting in elements that give the reader a better feel of what is being discussed.
There are few sources which are more academic in nature. They help you develop a deeper understanding of what was happening back then in a story format.
-Brief History of Indian Freedom Struggle – Bipin Chandra
-From Plassey to Partition – Sekhar Bandyopadhyay (this is denser and more difficult as compared to Bipin Chandra)
Just pick one academic book and spectrum and you should be good to go.
#3.Indian and World Geography-Physical Social, Economic Geography of India and the World
NCERTs (11th & 12th)
Goh Cheng Leong – especially chapters on Climate.
An Atlas( Oxford/Orient)
This is one section where many of the questions are derived from current affairs. For example, When a place or a river or a hill range et al make headline locate it on the map. For example, if there is a talk of tribal agitation in Niyamgiri Hills then you should locate it on the map. Similarly, if a river makes headline due to an inter-state dispute, trace its path in the map, locate its point of origin, identify its tributaries, identify the states it traverses. If a tribe has been in news, find out the state it belongs to. If these have been articles on industries or minerals, identify their distribution, any change in their distribution. Right?
Even otherwise, several questions in this section are pooled from map reading. For example, rivers flowing through Arunachal Pradesh, or the islands separated by Ten Degree Channel. Such questions can be answered only if you have your map pointing in place.
#4.Ancient and Medieval History Indian and World Geography-Physical Social, Economic Geography of India and the World
Old NCERTs and Quick Revise@CD
#5.Art and Culture
L1 – NCERT (Intro to Indian Art) + Civilsdaily Ancient and Medieval Module.
L 2 – CCRT Website
For many questions from this section, there is no one standard source because questions seem to be pooled from a large array of books. Reading all those books militates against the cost-benefit ratio and can be safely avoided.
#6. Economics
12th NCERT
Eco by Dr. V – https://www.civilsdaily.com/economy-concepts/
http://www.civilsdaily.com/indian-economy-gs-for-ias-prelims-and-mains/
https://www.civilsdaily.com/demystifying-economics-core-current-affairs-buildup-lecture-series/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvGX0OC17i8&list=PLZTYLkxalE7IubY1hvcFCarPV7n7Ma0RF
#7. General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity, and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization
Ref: Shankar IAS, CD material on Conventions and Organisations, NIOS Material. Last 4 sections of 12th NCERT.
#8. General Science & Technology
Ref: CD material on Science and Technology and Current Affairs.
Past trends suggest that doing NCERTs is not beneficial when it comes to Science and Technology.
And not to forget – Current events of national and international importance
www.civilsdaily.com + Civilsdaily’s Android App
Most of us go with The Hindu/Indian Express and it has paid rich dividends over the years in Prelims as well as the Mains (Written + interview)
CD covers the important news items on a daily basis not only from these two dailies but from a motley of sources like PIB, Mint, BBC et al. So following CD on a daily basis might save you a hell lot of efforts.
