State Civil Service Examination conducted by Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) is the most difficult exam in Uttar Pradesh. If you want to get a high rank in UPPSC/UPPCS Exam, you will need to prepare with the right books.
In light of this, we have created a list of books that are crucial for preparing for the UPPSC prelims and mains examinations as per the UPPSC topper’s recommendations.
UPPSC/UPPCS Exam Pattern
When it comes to the UPPSC exam pattern, you should know that the UP PCS exam is conducted in three phases:
- Prelims
- Mains
- Interview
UPPSC Prelims Exam Pattern
UPPSC prelims exam consist of two paper namely, the General Studies paper and a CSAT paper.
- Both the papers are objective-type i.e. Multiple choice questions.
- It also has negative markings.
- Paper 2 i.e. CSAT is qualifying in nature which required a minimum of 33% score.
- Each Paper has a limited time of 2 Hours
| Paper | No. of Questions | Total Marks | Time | Negative Marking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Studies I | 100 Questions | 200 Marks | 2 Hours | Yes |
| General Studies II (CSAT) | 80 Questions | 200 Marks | 2 Hours | Yes |
| Total | 180 Questions | 400 Marks | 4 Hours |
[PDF] Download UPPSC Previous 10-Year Question Papers
UPPSC Mains Exam Pattern
UPPSC Mains Exam consists of papers all of which are elucidated below:
| Paper | Subject | Time | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Essay | 3 Hours | 150 Marks |
| Paper 2 | Hindi | 3 Hours | 150 Marks |
| Paper 3 | General Studies 1 | 3 Hours | 200 Marks |
| Paper 4 | General Studies 2 | 3 Hours | 200 Marks |
| Paper 5 | General Studies 3 | 3 Hours | 200 Marks |
| Paper 6 | General Studies 4 | 3 Hours | 200 Marks |
| Paper 7 | Optional-1 | 3 Hours | 200 Marks |
| Paper 8 | Optional-2 | 3 Hours | 200 Marks |
| Total | 8 Papers | 1500 Marks |
UPPSC Booklist – Best Books For UPPSC Prelims Exam
The UPPSC Prelims Exam consists of two objective-type papers GS 1 and CSAT. It also has negative markings. Below are the best books for the UPPCS/UPPSC preliminary examination:
| Subject | UPPSC Prelims Booklist |
|---|---|
| Polity | Indian Polity – By M Laxmikanth Polity Ghatna Chakra |
| Ancient History | India’s Ancient Past – By R.S. Sharma History Ghatna Chakra |
| Medieval History | History of Medieval India – By Satish Chandra |
| Modern History | Indian Modern History – Spectrum |
| Art & Culture | Indian Art and Culture – By Nitin Singhania |
| Environment | Environment – By Shankar IAS Environment Ghatna Chakra |
| Economy | Indian Economy – Ramesh Singh Economy Ghatna Chakra |
| Science | Lucent Science Ghatna Chakra |
| UPPSC Question Bank | UPPSC Previous Year Question Paper |
**Other important sources: Along with UPPSC/UPPCS prelims booklist, there are also some other sources that need to be referred to while preparing for the prelims exams such as Union and state budget, Economic survey, census, UPPSC Current Affairs, and UPPSC Previous Year Question Paper.
UPPSC Booklist – Best Books For UPPSC Mains Exam
Candidates who qualify UPPSC prelims exam move to the second stage which is the Mains exam. UPPSC PCS Mains consists of 8 theory papers out of which one is an essay paper, one is Hindi, four are General studies papers and two are optional papers. For the finest preparation, aspirants must use the crucial UPPSC/UPPCS General Studies Mains Books provided below.
The Best General Studies Books for UPPSC Mains are listed below:
| Subject | UPPSC Mains Booklist |
|---|---|
| History and Art & Culture [GS Paper 1] | India’s Ancient Past – By R.S. Sharma Medieval History – By Satish Chandra Modern History – Spectrum [Must]History of Modern India by Bipan Chandra NCERT HISTORY BOOKS Indian Art and Culture – By Nitin Singhania World History by Arjun Dev |
| Geography [GS Paper 1] | NCERT Geography Books 6th to 12th Geography by GC Leong |
| Women, Society, and Globalization [GS Paper 1] | NCERT Sociology for Class 11 & 12 |
| Polity & International Relations [GS Paper 2] | Indian Polity – By M Laxmikanth |
| Economy [GS Paper 3] | Indian Economy – Ramesh Singh NCERT Economy Class 9-12 |
| Environment, Disaster Management, Science & Technology and Internal Security [GS Paper 3] | Environment – By Shankar IAS Challenges to Internal Security by Ashok Kumar |
| Ethics [GS Paper 4] | Lexicon for Ethics Ethics Integrity and Aptitude -DK BALAJI |
| Mains Solved Paper | UPPSC Mains Year-wise Solved Papers |
Other important things to cover General Studies section:
- Current Affairs Magazine
- Rajya Sabha Debates
- Daily News Paper
- Various Government reports like the 2nd ARC
- Government sources – Niti Aayog
- Uttar Pradesh Specific current affairs
4-Pillar strategy for UPPSC Prelims paper
- Syllabus
- Previous Year Questions: Previous Year Question Paper will help you in understanding the trends and patterns of questions. For this, you can also refer to Ghatnachakra.
- Core Subjects
- Current Affairs
- Newspaper: like The Hindu or Indian Express
- Monthly magazine
- UP-specific current affairs
Important topics for UPPSC Prelims Exam
- India & UP Budget, Economic Survey, and Census
- Wildlife
- Awards
- Books
- Sports
- Personalities
FAQ
How similar are UPPSC and UPSC Exam Patterns?
Since 2018, the major pattern of UPPSC/UPPCS is similar to that of the UPSC exam, with exception of Uttar Pradesh-specific questions. Even the UP PCS syllabus is also curated along the lines of UPSC.
So, it can be concluded that UP PCS has intensely developed a pattern similar to UPSC to make it easy for the aspirant to sit in both exams.
How to prepare for CSAT for the UPPSC prelims exam?
For CSAT preparation, attempt UPPSC CSAT previous year paper as much as you can. This will give you an overview of how questions are asked in CSAT paper 2. Also, this will help you in practice.
