UPSC IFoS exam preparation requires a blend of essential books for Prelims, Mains, and Optional subjects. Key books cover History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Science, and specific subjects like Forestry, Botany, and Engineering.
UPSC IFoS Books play an important role in UPSC IFoS preparation as it helps students in exam preparation for both prelims and mains stages of examination. All the IFoS books to be referred should be of latest editions as they include all the updated current affairs, all the changes government amendments, policies and schemes relevant for IFoS examination. In this article, we are going to cover all the important books for UPSC IFoS Prelims and Mains that will help you in preparation.
Important Books for UPSC IFoS Preliminary Exam 2025
UPSC IFoS Preliminary Exam 2025 will include a general studies paper and a CSAT Paper. To prepare for this exam, the following UPSC IFoS Prelims Books can be referred to:
Subject
UPSC Books List
History
NCERT 11th Ancient and Medieval
NCERT 12th Modern Indian History
Indian Art & Culture by Nitin Singhania
India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra
Geography
NCERT VI-X Old Syllabus
NCERT XI, XII New Syllabus
World Atlas (Orient Black Swan)
Certificate Physical Geography – G C Leong
Indian Polity
NCERT IX-XII
Indian Polity – M Laxmikanth
NCERT XI
Economic Development & Policies in India – Jain & Ohri
Economics
Indian Economy by Nitin Singhania
International Relations
Current Affairs
NCERT XII (Contemporary World Politics)
CSAT
Tata McGraw Hill CSAT Manual
Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by R S Aggarwal
UPSC IFoS Books for UPSC IFoS Mains
UPSC IFoS Mains requires students to prepare for General English, General Knowledge and four optional subjects. The students who qualify UPSC IFoS Preliminary exam are eligible to appear for UPSC IFoS Mains. The following best books can be referred to appear for UPSC IFoS Mains:
Subjects
Recommended IFoS Book List
Paper I (English)
“High School English Grammar and Composition” by Wren and Martin (Selective Reading for Understanding Concept)
“Word Power Made Easy” by Norman Lewis
“Descriptive English” by S.P. Bakshi and Richa Sharma
“Essays for Civil Services and Other Competitive Examinations” by Pulkit Khare
“151 Essays” by S.C. Gupta
Prelims and Mains Pointers by Vajiram & Ravi
Paper II (General Knowledge)
History-Culture (Only One Combination)
Tamilnadu Class 11-12 history books +Spectrum
Old NCERT + Spectrum
Geography / Environment
For Theory: (NIOS + NCERTs)
For Current: Newspapers and The Recital Magazine
Polity
Laxmikanth for theory + Hindu / Indian Express for current affairs/PRS legislative
Economy
Budget, Survey, Schemes
Economic survey, and budget documents (selective reading).
Emphasis should be on the current economy and general awareness about current issues.
International Issues
For Theory
NIOS Political Science or IGNOU PDFs.
For Current
Newspaper + Vajiram and Ravi Current Affairs
Science-Tech
Theory/contemporary
Selected Google search like Nanotech, AI, cryo-tech + current from newspapers.
UPSC IFoS Books for IFoS Optional Subjects
For UPSC IFoS Optional Subjects the following UPSC IFoS Books can be referred to:
Subject
IFS Book List for Optional
Agriculture
Agriculture Science a complete study package by Pushpendra K. Karhana.
Principles of Agronomy by Reddy T. Yellamanda
An Introduction to Agriculture Extension by K. S. Sidhu
Agriculture at a Glance by R.K. Sharma
Soil Science by D.K. Das
Genetics by B.D. Singh
Plant Breeding by B.D. Singh
A Textbook of Animal Husbandry by G.C. Banerjee
Agricultural Engineering
Soil and Water Conservation by Dr. R Suresh
Principles of Agricultural Engineering by A.M. Michael and T.P. Ojha
Farm Machinery and Equipment by Dr. K. Sahay
Food Process Engineering and Technology by P.J. Fellows
Irrigation Engineering and Hydraulic Structures by Santosh Kumar Garg
Renewable Energy Sources and their Applications by S.C. Bhatia
Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
A Textbook of Animal Husbandry by G.C. Banerjee
Veterinary Microbiology by D.V.M. Dryden
Veterinary Anatomy of Domestic Mammals by Singh, Singh, and Roy
Veterinary Physiology by James G. Cunningham
Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science by G. Subrahmanyan
Botany
NCERT- Plant Biology and General Biology related chapters in NCERT Biology chapters for Std. XI and XII
Cryptogams: A Text Book of Botany by Singh, Pandey and Jain
Gymnosperms by S. P. Bhatnagar, Alok Moitra
Angiosperm Systematics and Families: Plant Systematics by Gurucharan Singh
Plant Anatomy by Dr. B. P. Pandey
The Embryology of Angiosperms by Sant Saran Bhojwani and S. P. Bhatnagar
Karp’s Cell Biology by Karp Gerald
Concepts of Genetics by Klug and Cummings
Plant Breeding: Principles and Methods by B D Singh
Biotechnology: Expanding Horizons by B D Singh
Fundamentals of Biostatistics by Veer Bala Rastogi
Plant Physiology and Development by Eduardo Zeiger, Lincoln Taiz
Ecology and Environment by Dr. P D Sharma + Resources from Newspapers, Magazines, and Web Resources
Chemical Engineering
Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics by Y.V.C. Rao
Principles of Mass Transfer and Separation Processes by B.K. Dutta
Principles of Mass Transfer and Separation Processes by B.K. Dutta
Chemical Process Calculations” by D.C. Sikdar
Introduction to Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics by J.M. Smith, H.C. Van Ness, and M.M. Abbott
Transport Processes and Separation Process Principles by Christie J. Geankoplis
Chemical Reaction Engineering by Octave Levenspiel
Essentials of Chemical Reaction Engineering” by H. Scott Fogler
Process Dynamics and Control
by Dale E. Seborg, Thomas F. Edgar, and Duncan A. Mellichamp
“Heat Transfer” by J.P. Holman
Mass Transfer Operations” by Robert E. Treybal:
Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering by Warren L. McCabe, Ernest Thiele
Chemical Process Equipment Selection and Design by Stanley M. Walas
Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics by P.K. Nag:
Chemical Process Industries by R. Norris Shreve and Joseph A. Brink.
Civil Engineering
Building Materials by S.K. Duggal
Structural Analysis by R.C. Hibbeler
Design of Structures- by N. Subramanian
Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering by Dr. K.R. Arora
Principles of Geotechnical Engineering by Braja M. Das
Fluid Mechanics by Frank M. White and
Hydraulics and Fluid Mechanics by Modi and Seth
Water Supply Engineering by S.K. Garg
Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Reuse by Metcalf and Eddy
Highway Engineering by S.K. Khanna and C.E.G. Justo
Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning by L.R. Kadiyali
Surveying by B.C. Punmia
Geotechnical Engineering by C. Venkatramaiah
Environmental Impact Assessment by Larry Canter
Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Science by Gilbert M. Masters
Numerical Methods for Engineers by Steven C. Chapra and Raymond P. Canale
Construction Planning and Management by P. S. Gahlot
Forestry
Principles and Practice of Silviculture by L.S. Khanna
Theory and Practice of Silviculture Systems by Ram Prakash, L S Khanna and S. Prabhu
Introduction to Forest and Renewable Resources by R. Manikandan:
A Textbook of Forest Management by G. Kuppusamy
Forest Ecology and Environment by P. P. Dhyani and M. S. Rawat
Forest Mensuration by Parshotam Kaushik and A. K. Misra
Forest Policy and Law by Ram Parkash
Forest Resource and Sustainable Development by Kailash Chanda Bebarta
Agroforestry in India by KG Tejwani
Indian Forestry by S.Prabhu
Principles and Practice of Agroforestry by P. K. Ramachandran Nair
Forest Hydrology and Watershed Management by S. L. Dingman:
Mathematics
Linear Algebra by A.R Vasishtha
OR
Linear Algebra by Kenneth Hoffman and Ray Kunze
Differential Calculus by S Chand OR
Krishna Prakashan
Integral Calculus by S Chand OR
Vector Calculus by Krishna Prakashan
Analytic Geometry by Krishna Prakashan (S Chand)
Numerical Analysis by Richard L. Burden and J. Douglas Faires
Abstract Algebra by David S. Dummit and Richard M. Foote
Real Analysis by Royden and Fitzpatrick:
Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences by Mary L. Boas:
Mathematical Statistics by S.C. Gupta and V.K. Kapoor
Partial Differential Equations by M.D. Raisinghania
Mechanical Engineering
Engineering Mechanics
Strength of Materials
Theory of Machines
Mechanical Vibrations
Machine Design
Design of Machine Elements
Fluid Mechanics:
Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach
Heat and Mass Transfer
Material Science and Engineering
Material Science by R.K. Rajput
Manufacturing Science by
Manufacturing Engineering and Technology
Industrial Engineering and Management
Automobile Engineering
Environmental Studies: From Crisis to Cure
Ecology and Environment
Numerical Methods
Numerical Methods for Engineers
Physics
Classical Mechanics by Herbert Goldstein
Introduction to Mechanics by
Kleppner and Kolenkow
Principles of Quantum Mechanics by R. Shankar
Quantum Mechanics: Concepts and Applications by Nouredine Zettili
Introduction to Electrodynamics by David J. Griffiths
Classical Electrodynamics by John David Jackson
Thermal Physics by Charles Kittel and Herbert Kroemer
Mathematical Physics by B.S. Rajasekaran
Atomic Physics by Max Born
Introductory Nuclear Physics by Kenneth S. Krane
Introduction to Elementary Particles by David J. Griffiths
Introduction to Solid State Physics by Charles Kittel
Solid State Physics by Neil W. Ashcroft and N. David Mermin
Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory by Robert L. Boylestad and Louis Nashelsky
A Course in Electrical and Electronic Measurements and Instrumentation by A. K. Sawhney
Principles of Optics: Electromagnetic Theory of Propagation, Interference and Diffraction of Light by Max Born and Emil Wolf
Modern Physics by Kenneth S. Krane
Statistics
Mathematical Statistics by Hogg, McKean, and Craig
Introduction to Probability Models by Sheldon M. Ross
A First Course in Statistical Methods” by Ott and Longnecker
An Introduction to Generalized Linear Models by Annette J. Dobson
Applied Multivariate Statistical Analysis by Richard A. Johnson and Dean W. Wichern
Sampling Techniques by William G. Cochran
Design and Analysis of Experiments by Douglas C. Montgomery
Introduction to Time Series and Forecasting by Peter J. Brockwell and Richard A. Davis
An Introduction to R by William N. Venables and Brian D. Ripley
Biostatistics: The Bare Essentials by Geoffrey R. Norman and David L. Streiner
Statistics for Environmental Science and Management by Bryan F.J. Manly
Geology
Textbook of Geology by P.K. Mukerjee
Principles of Physical Geology by Arthur Holmes
Introduction to Mineralogy by William D. Nesse
Dana’s New Mineralogy: The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana by Richard V. Gaines, et al.
Igneous Petrology by Myron G. Best
Sedimentary Petrology: An Introduction to the Origin of Sedimentary Rocks by Maurice E. Tucker
Metamorphic Petrology by Bruce Yardley
Structural Geology by Haakon Fossen
Basic Methods of Structural Geology by Stephen Marshak and Gautam Mitra
“Invertebrate Paleontology” by Raymond C. Moore,
Vertebrate Paleontology by Michael J. Benton
Stratigraphy:
Principles of Sedimentology and Stratigraphy by Sam Boggs Jr.
Stratigraphy: A Modern Synthesis by Andrew D. Miall
Ore Geology and Industrial Minerals: An Introduction by Anthony M. Evans
Introduction to Economic Geology by E.J. Guilbert and Charles F. Park Jr.
Environmental Geology by Edward A. Keller
Introduction to Geophysics by Seth Stein and Michael Wysession
Applied Hydrogeology by C.W. Fetter
Remote Sensing and GIS in Geology by Ravi P. Gupta
Introduction to Environmental Remote Sensing by Eric C. Barrett
Geological Field Techniques by Angela L. Coe
Zoology
Invertebrate Zoology by P.S. Verma and E.L. Jordan
Chordate Zoology by P.S. Verma and E.L. Jordan
Vertebrates Comparative Anatomy, Function, Evolution by K. KardongEcology:
Ecology and Environment by Dr. P.D. Sharma
Animal Behaviour (Ethology) by Agarwal V.K.
Economic Zoology:
Applied And Economic Zoology by Dr. V. B. Upadhyay and Dr. G. S. Shukla
Bioinstrumentation by Bhawana Pandey and M.H. Fulekar
Fundamentals of Biostatistics by Veer Bala Rastogi
Karp’s Cell Biology by Gerald Karp
Concept of Genetics by Klug and Cummings
Organic Evolution by Veer Bala Rastogi
Biochemistry by U. Satyanarayana:
Principles of Anatomy and Physiology by Tortora
Developmental Biology by Scott F. Gilbert
Chemistry
Atomic Structure by Principle of Physical Chemistry by Puri, Sharma & Pathway
Advanced Inorganic Chemistry by J.D. Lee
Physical Chemistry by Ira N. Levine
Chemical Periodicity, Chemical bonding, Coordination compound by Maden, Malik, Tuli
Theoretical Principles of Inorganic Chemistry by G.S. Manku,
Extradition of metals, Principle of inorganic chemistry by Puri, Sharma, Jauhar.
Rest all the chapters – An advanced inorganic chemistry by J.D. Lee
Pollution and its control – A textbook of environmental chemistry and pollution by S.S. Dara.
Effective time management is crucial for success in the UPSC IFoS exam. Allocate sufficient time for both study and rest to maintain efficiency. Follow these strategies to create an effective timetable:
Understand the Syllabus: A thorough knowledge of the UPSC IFS syllabus is essential. Identify and list topics that require more attention.
Prioritize Strengths: Begin with subjects you are confident in, as this boosts confidence and saves time for challenging topics.
Practice Previous Year Papers: Solving past papers provides insight into question patterns and helps tailor your preparation accordingly.
Make Concise Notes: Summarize key concepts from multiple sources for quick revision and easy access.
Use Visual Aids: Incorporate diagrams, tables, graphs, and mnemonics to enhance memory retention.
Attempt Mock Tests: Regular practice tests improve speed, accuracy, and help identify areas that need improvement.
