NCERT Books for UPSC Preparation – A Complete List (Subject-Wise)

NCERT Books for UPSC Preparation – A Complete List (Subject-Wise)

If you're starting your UPSC preparation, NCERT books are the best place to begin. They help build a strong foundation in basic concepts with simple language and structured explanations.

Whether you're a beginner or revising core subjects, NCERTs are a must-read. Below is a subject-wise list of important NCERT textbooks useful for the UPSC Civil Services Exam (Prelims + Mains).

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🏛️ POLITY:

• Class XII – Politics in India Since Independence

• Class XII – Contemporary World Politics

• Class XI – Political Theory

• Class XI – Indian Constitution at Work

• Class X – Democratic Politics-II

• Class IX – Democratic Politics-I

• Class VIII – Social and Political Life-III

• Class VII – Social and Political Life-II

• Class VI – Social and Political Life-I

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💰 ECONOMICS:

• Class XII – Introductory Microeconomics (Part-1)

• Class XII – Introductory Macroeconomics (Part-2)

• Class XI – Indian Economic Development

• Class X – Understanding Economic Development

• Class IX – Economics

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🎭 ART & CULTURE:

• Class XII – Craft Traditions of India: Past, Present and Future

• Class XI – Living Craft Traditions of India

• Class XI – An Introduction to Indian Art – Part-1

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📜 HISTORY:

• Class XII – Themes in Indian History

• Part-01 
• Part-02
• Part-03

• Class XI – Themes in World History

• Class X – India and the Contemporary World – II

• Class IX – India and the Contemporary World – I

• Class VIII – Our Pasts – III (Part-2)

• Class VII – Our Pasts – II

• Class VI – Our Pasts – I

Additional NCERT History Books:

• Ancient Indian History by R.S. Makkhan

• Modern India by Bipan Chandra

• Medieval India by Satish Chandra

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🌍 GEOGRAPHY:

• Class XII – India – People and Economy

• Class XII – Fundamentals of Human Geography

• Class XI – India – Physical Environment

• Class XI – Fundamentals of Physical Geography

• Class XI – Practical Work in Geography – Part-1

• Class X – Contemporary India – II

• Class IX – Contemporary India – I

• Class VIII – Resources and Development

• Class VII – Our Environment

• Class VI – The Earth: Our Habitat

Mapping:

• Class 6 To 12 History NCERT Maps
• Tamil Nadu History Class 11th and 12th Maps

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🔬 BIOLOGY (for Environment & Science Basics):

• Class XII – Biology

• Class XI – Biology

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⚗️ CHEMISTRY (for Science & Tech basics):

• Class XII

• Chemistry – Part I

• Chemistry – Part II 

• Class XI

• Chemistry – Part I

• Chemistry – Part II 

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👥 SOCIOLOGY (for GS1 + Essay writing):

• Class XII – Social Change and Development in India

• Class XII – Indian Society

• Class XI – Understanding Society

• Class XI – Introducing Sociology

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🧲 PHYSICS (For basic understanding in Science & Tech):

• Class XII

• Physics – Part I

• Physics – Part II 

• Class XI

• Physics – Part I

• Physics – Part II 

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✅ Why NCERTs Are Important for UPSC?

• Written in simple and clear language

• Good for conceptual clarity

• Useful for both Prelims (factual info) and Mains (conceptual & analytical questions)

• Helps in writing clear and well-structured answers

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🔖 Final Tip:

Start from Class 6 onwards for History, Geography, and Polity. For subjects like Economics, Sociology, and Science, focus mainly on Class 9 to 12.

Keep learning, keep revising. NCERTs are your first step towards clearing UPSC