UPSC: Choosing the right IAS exam books for different stages of the UPSC exam is quite important. Given an ocean of reference books available online and offline a candidates should be selective about the UPSC preparation books. The best IAS books can vary from candidate to candidate depending on their expertise and knowledge of the subject matter. However, the books for UPSC recommended by experts for GS II are listed in this article subject-wise. The GS Paper II syllabus comprises of topics related to Polity, Governance, International Relations & Social Justice.
UPSC Mains GS I Book List & Important Resources - Polity & Governance
In General Studies II, Polity, and constitution hold the major portion of the whole syllabus and questions come every year. If you are a beginner in this, start your polity preparation with NCERT books. When you have completed the basic stage, go for the advanced books which will give you the depth of knowledge. You can refer to the following resources for Polity preparation:
- Constitution of India at Work (Class XI) NCERT Publication
- Indian Polity by Laxmikant
- ARC 2 Report
- Ethics in Governance, ARC Report
- The Hindu
- Yojana Magazine
- The Big Picture on RSTV
- PRS India for the latest legislation
- All India Radio
UPSC Mains GS I Book List & Important Resources - International Relations
International Relations is an important topic for General Studies Paper-II as well as Essay paper of UPSC IAS Mains. To ease the complexity, you can refer to the below-mentioned study resources:
- India’s Foreign Policy Since Independence by V.P. Dutt
- Challenge and Strategy: Rethinking India’s Foreign Policy by Rajiv Sikri
- International Relations in the 21st Century - Pant
- India’s World on RSTV
UPSC Mains GS I Book List & Important Resources - Social Justice
This section is actually accumulated form of several topics like Social Justice Poverty and Hunger, Human Development, Welfare scheme, current affairs, etc. For this section, following current affairs minutely is a very useful key.
- Governance, Constitution and Social Justice - Salman Khurshid and Gaurav Gupta
- NCERT Class IX – Political Science: Democratic Politics Part – I, & II
- Polity: NCERT Class XII – Political Science II: Politics in India since Independence
- Polity: NCERT Class XII – Political Science I: Contemporary World Politics
Points to Remember:
Memorize Important Statistics: Cram latest statistics pertaining to health, employment, women, education, poverty, etc. Also apart from committees, you may quote authentic reports from reputed organizations such as Lancet, Transparency International, UNICEF, FAO, etc to substantiate your point.
Keep a Copy of Syllabus Handy: Along with these books, get a printout of the syllabus and read it carefully. Your final aim should be to have enough content to write a 250-word answer.
Previous Years’ Papers: Go through the past five years’ question papers to understand the type of questions usually asked by UPSC.
Focus on Current Affairs: Apart from the books and resources mentioned here, you should simultaneously read current affairs and make relevant notes out of it. For eg: any welfare scheme launched by the Government or a study conducted by the International Organisation could be useful information to quote in your answers.
Practice Answer Writing: Reading and revision is an important part of the preparation. But if you cannot concise your answers in the word limit or not able to complete the paper in the allotted time period, the revision will be of no use. Therefore it is important to practice answer writing.
Also Check: UPSC IAS Mains 2020: Strategy to Prepare GS Paper II