Upsc Prelims Preparation Books To Refer
1. CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Important Sources ; one for editorial ; and one Business newspaper ; only editorials .
- The Hindu
- The Indian Express
- Press Information Bureau
- PRS
- IDSA: Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis
- Yojana and Kurukshetra
- LokSabha and RajyaSabha Debates
2. HISTORY
- NCERT Class 8th Our Pasts III
- NCERT-Class 12th Modern India
- Tamil Nadu Edition- Class 12th
- Spectrum Modern India Rajiv Ahir
Reference Book:;Indias Struggle for Independence Bipan Chandra; Plassey to Partition by Sekhar Bandyopadhyay
Medieval India
- NCERT Class 7th Our Pasts II
- NCERT Class 11th Medieval India – Satish Chandra
- Tamil Nadu Edition-Class 11th
Reference material : Shankar IAS notes on Environment
8. SOCIAL ISSUES & NEW POLICIES/SCHEMES
- India yearbook
- Current affairs
Ending notes:
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We will never make you restrict your choices. But the above is essential for a solid preparation.;
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There are people who qualify without even reading NCERTs or any most followed resources. The key to their success is smart study. They spend more time in chalking out what not to study than what to study.
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If they follow one source, they keep on revising from the same along with complementing it with dynamic updates.
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If you trust your resource, please stick to it. Never rush to fascinating books or suggested resources that are never ending. You are bound to fall. Because you are running behind them.
Thank you
Focus Areas For Upsc Prelims Exam
The most important aspect of the examination is conceptual clarity; fundamentals should be cleared at any cost. Another such important aspect is current affairs.;Revise the basic concepts multiple times- History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Environment, and Ecology should be thoroughly revised.;
History
- Modern History can be revised through Spectrum; the summary given here helps a lot to retain better. It is advisable for revision during the last phases of the preparation. In history, timeline or chronology is very important, factual aspects such as associations, personalities involved in the freedom struggle, GoI Acts-1850,1909, 1919, 1935 and their provisions, events after second world war like August Offer, Wavell Plan, Cabinet Mission, Cripps Mission, Cabinet Plan etc. must be known thoroughly.
- Medieval or Ancient History should be revised from crisp notes such as Lucent, but while studying, one has made self-notes then stick to that source only. While brushing through Ancient History, keep a tab on topics or items or sites mentioned in the Union Budget and have relevance in ancient sites.;;
Art and Culture
- Various schools of Indian Philosophy like Nyaya, Vaiseska, Samkhya, Yoga, Purva Mimamsa, Vedanta, Carvaka etc.
- Religious Movements like Jainism, Buddhism etc.
- Archeological
- Refer to NCERT books selectively as in-depth knowledge is not needed
- Focus on current affairs part
8. Environment and Ecology
9. Geography:
- Latitudes and longitudes
11. Current Affairs
Tips To Prepare For Ias Prelim Exam In 3 Months
UPSC CSE or IAS Preliminary examination requires the right action plan along with hard and smart work. It also requires effective time management besides diligence and endurance to get through it. This article will highlight some important tips about how to prepare for the IAS Prelims exam in three months.
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Best Ways To Prepare Geography Optional Subject
Below you can find the preparation strategy, which one should follow while preparing for UPSC Civil Services Exam.
- Go through NCERT Books sincerely
- Refer to Atlas
- Must have Current Affairs update
- Explore news from your surroundings
- Newspapers are your best friend
Practice answer writing on regular basis
About The Upsc Cse Geography Exam

The UPSC Civil Services Examination is organized every year by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment of candidates to various governmental positions in civil services. These civil services include Indian Administrative Service , Indian Civil Accounts Service , Indian Foreign Service , and Indian Police Service etc. A UPSC aspirant has to clear three levels of screening UPSC Prelims, UPSC Mains, andUPSC Interview.
UPSC Prelims is the first stage in the UPSC recruitment process. The Prelims consist of two separate papers General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II. General Studies Paper I consist of Geography as one of the compulsory subjects in the Prelims exam.
Know more about UPSC IAS Eligibility here.
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Salary/perks Of An Ias/ips Officer
The candidates who achieve the higher ranks are offered the position of IAS or the Indian Administrative Service and IFS or Indian Foreign Service officer.
The starting salary of an IAS officer is INR 56,000 per month. It goes on to reach about INR 2,25,000 per month depending on promotions and seniority. Moreover, you earn a plethora of perks that you wont get with a job in the private or corporate sector. You get huge houses at very low rent. You would also be allotted with transport. Also, you would be provided with a vehicle or two with chauffeurs for official purposes. Your bills are also subsidised. Even when you got out on vacations with your family, you can get free accommodations at guest houses that are available all across the country.
Everyone remains intimidated by the high perks, salary package, job profile that comes along with this job. Not to mention the ample amount of respect you earn. Becoming a high ranking government officer is in itself the biggest perk you could get. Even after you retire, the perks dont seem to end, you will keep getting the pension. However, the most important aspect of this position definitely has to be the job security.
But In April 2014 After The Cse Interview The Results Arrived And Akand Could Not Make The Cut By Just 10
Refusing to give up, he decided to give another attempt, while continuing his practice on Quora.
I was so close, but missed it. I knew I had to try again. But, I was losing confidence. I had wasted one whole year and was without a job. I felt emotionally weak. Yet, I was determined. All I told myself was this was just one way. And, picking up the pieces from there, I started to explore options of other competitive exams that would allow me to work for the country, said Akand, who, in 2015, sat for the Reserve Bank of India Exam and also took the test to join the Intelligence Bureau of India.
Once again, he cleared the UPSC Prelims and Mains as well as the RBI exam but saw failure again in the CSE Interview. But, life had something else in store for him, as he cracked the Intelligence Bureau recruitment with flying colours, landing himself the position of an Assistant Central Intelligence Officer .
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What After Shortlisting The Subject
The main aim of our whole discussion is to know which is the easiest optional subject for UPSC ;mains for me. So its time for a decision, now we are going to finalise our optional subject.
- Check out the syllabus of all the 4-5 subjects selected. While going through the topics of the syllabus if you feel you know about them or you are interested in reading, learning about them then mark the subject.
- Repeat the above process for all 4-5 subjects. I am sure you will be able to pick 2 subjects out of them in which you have deep knowledge and interest.
- If you can pick one subject after the above process then congratulations your task is complete.
The last factor you must consider is going through previous year papers. Pick the last 3 year papers and go through them. You must keep 2 things in mind while analyzing previous papers:
2. Mark out the questions for which you know the answers or you have some knowledge about.
Once you have marked and analyzed the previous year papers of both subjects. You will know which one to choose and why to choose it.
Geography Syllabus For Upsc Civil Services Prelims & Mains
Salient Features of World’s Physical Geography |
Geomorphology |
Geomorphic Processes â Endogenic & Exogenic Landforms & their Evolution |
Movement of Oceans â Waves, Tides, Currents |
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Climatology |
Earths Atmosphere â Composition & Structure Solar Radiation, Heat Budget & Temperature Atmospheric Circulation & Weather Systems |
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Distribution of Key Natural Resources Across the World |
Types of Resources |
On the Basis of Origin, Ownership, Exhaustability etc. |
Land Resources |
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Types & Distribution â Grasslands, Forests etc. Causes of Depletion |
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Water Scarcity & Need For Conservation Integrated Water Resources Management |
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Contribution to Economy, Employment & Output Food Security |
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Classification of Minerals â Ferrous & Non-Ferrous Occurrence of Minerals Classification of Energy Resources â Conventional & Non-Conventional Occurrence of Energy Resources |
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Factors Responsible for the Location of Industries |
Classification of Industries |
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Location & Distribution of the Industries on the Basis of |
Raw Material |
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Distribution of Major Industries â Iron & Steel, IT, Cotton Textile |
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Agglomeration & Footloose Industries |
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Mitigating the Impact of Tsunami |
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Volcanoes |
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Geographical Features and their Location |
Factors Causing Changes in Critical Geographical Features Examples of Changing Geographicl Features – Mealting of Ice Sheets, Desertification etc. Impact of Changing Geographical Features |
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Upsc Prelims 201: How To Prepare Indian Geography Through Atlas/maps
Your UPSC exam prelims preparation will not be complete if you dont study an atlas. Map-based questions are a regular feature in the UPSC civil services prelims exam. Many maps based questions in UPSC Prelims confuses the aspirants. Many aspirants are confused about where to begin when it comes to maps or atlases.; This article gives you a few pointers on how to effectively utilise the maps or atlas for preparing Indian Geography and tackle the map-based questions in UPSC exam.
You can buy either the Oxford student atlas or the Orient Blackswan school atlas.
Benefits of studying for UPSC exam with an Atlas:
- Makes Geography easier to learn
- Covers physical and human Geography
- Enhances your ability to recall names of places, physical features, etc.
How To Read Ncert For Upsc Civil Services Examination
Civil services aspirants are generally advised to start with NCERT for the UPSC preparation. These books should be read before other standard reference books. The reason is very simple and clear – because they help in building a strong foundation. Even, the previous yearsâ question papers analysis underscores the importance of NCERT for UPSC. It has been clearly mentioned in the analysis that questions are consistently asked directly or indirectly from NCERT books. Moreover, NCERT books offer concise coverage of most of the topics which are mentioned in the UPSC Civil Services Syllabus. If youâre on a time crunch, simply download our NCERT compilations for UPSC and kickstart your UPSC preparation!
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Aishwarya Sheoran Who Cracked The Prestigious Civil Services Examination 2019 In Her First Attempt Shares Her Journey And What Exactly She Did To Crack The Exam
Over the past few days, a lot has been written and said about my UPSC journey. I know how it feels to be on the other side when you are preparing or deciding to start. For all those inspired by my success, heres a heartfelt and honest description of what I did and feel in the past two years.
Initial Phase: From May 1-15, I just spent time understanding the exam pattern, watching Mrunal videos on how to read the newspaper. Also, read geography NCERT for an entire day to figure out how much time can I actually study without getting zoned out. Came out with the 10+8+6 formula that is 10 hours study, 8 hours sleep, six hours everything else.
READ | UPSC calendar 2021 released, civil services exam in June;
Phase 2: Revision
I started reading new subjects including geography, society etc during the first half of the day. The second half was devoted completely to the revision of at least three books which I had read in the previous phase and two for current affairs. I changed the way I made current affairs notes. Now, I first made them from Insight current affairs, then go on Indian Express app to see any essay punchlines from editorials and finally go through The Hindu to see if theres anything left all in 40 minutes. By the end of July, I started gaining some confidence in the polity, government schemes, history, and culture but geography was still pretty bad.
Phase 4: Back to GS
Phase 5- Answer writing
PHASE 6: Prelims
Phase 7 Prelims-Mains interface
Best Way To Study Geography For Upsc

Tips to make Geography fun and easy:
Know what to learn:
First things first. Read the UPSC syllabus many times so that you know precisely what to learn from your IAS study material. Start with the NCERTs and then graduate to higher-level books.
Know the question paper pattern:
Go through as many past years UPSC question papers and internalize the pattern. Understand how the UPSC sets papers so that you dont get any surprises at the exam hall.
Relate what you read to your surroundings:
You read about Geographical phenomenon almost on a daily basis on the newspapers. When you read about a natural calamity or phenomenon, relate it to what you have read in the textbooks. This way, you are also preparing for the current affairs. Current affairs have a high dose of geography as well.
Relate Geography to history, economics and other topics:
The history, culture, economy, socio-political turmoil of a region all have a strong connection to Geography. For instance, to know which are the oil-producing countries, you only have to study the socio-political situation of that region. Geography is related to anthropology also. For instance, the culture, clothes, customs, etc. of a place are direct consequences of its climatic conditions.
Fun with mnemonics:
We bring you some fun mnemonics to aid your memorization of certain facts in Geography.
Remembering the Central American countries
Mexico
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Mistakes To Avoid During Upsc Cse Preparation
1. Starting without a proper Strategy and Vision
Many aspirants watch Toppers talk, strategy, booklist, and much more and then buy all those books and start reading. If you are also doing that same thing, please think about it that without a plan and strategy how anyone can clear this exam, Dont do that! and make a proper strategy and plan, then start reading.
2. Not committing to a single strategy
A lot of aspirants make a proper strategy and try to follow that strategy but after some time, they are watching a new strategys video on youtube of another topper and then change your strategy. Dont do that!. Take your own time to make a proper strategy but when you have made your strategy, please stick to it but if your performance is not improving in the tests then change your old strategy.
3. Not being Mains ready before Prelims
Make your strategy in this way that your whole syllabus is completed before the prelims exam. Your preparation and strategy must be prelims+Mains oriented, Do not prepare prelims and mains separately.
4. Not preparing your notes
It is scientifically proved that if you are writing something himself, it will be more memorable for a long time, therefore, please make your short notes.
5. Not writing answers and tests periodically
Success in the;IAS;exam;is all about;UPSC Answer writing Practice, and It is said that;UPSC;answer writing is an Art.
Therefore, Start your answer writing from the beginning of your preparation.
Live Coaching For Geography Preparation For Upsc
The geography syllabus for UPSC Prelims is huge and you cannot always be dependent on the internet searching for how to prepare geography for UPSC Quora or how to prepare geography for UPSC Mrunal. Nothing can beat the experience and knowledge you get from live classes. UPSC IAS Foundation Live Coaching provides live classes to cover the geography syllabus for Geography Prelims. These unprecedented times have almost crossed out the option of going out and taking classes. Testbook brings high quality live classes from experienced faculty with full study materials and practice questions. If you enroll in the Testbook Live Coaching, you get access to the following features:
UPSC CSE Current Affairs Online Coachingfor UPSC IAS helps you in preparing the current affairs section in the most comprehensive manner with live classes, quizzes, notes, and tests. You do not have to keep your doubts with you anymore. With Testbook Current Affairs Online Coaching, get access to
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How To Prepare Geography For Upsc
To Download
Dr Vijay Agarwal
After unravelling the strategy of preparing history and politics for civil services, we will now delve into the methodof preparation for the third important pillar of general studies Geography. Before we jump to the plan of action, it will be better to first identify the practical, parallel boundary lines within which we should prepare. As discussed earlier, mixing topics can lead to lack of focus and disrupt our efforts.
The two boundary lines which one should keep in mind are:
a) The syllabus set by the Union Public Service Commission
b) The number of questions asked on the subject in the prelims and mains.
The unsolved question papers of previous years will help one determine the level of preparation this subject requires. Hence, let us simplify the above mentioned points.
Syllabus
The curriculum for Geography for the preliminary examination consists of mere nine words -Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World. Actually, this brief makes the exam sound complex, too detailed and quite scary. Ideally, most of the knowledge on geography we have till now gets embodied in these nine words. If you go on to pick up books related to each mentioned topic, you will definitely be exhausted. But dont worry, we have a solution to this problem.
Background of the examination
Nature of questions
Method of preparation