One of the major challenges that one faces while
preparing for UPSC CSE Exam is that the resources are plenty. There’s ample
amount of information available for access everywhere. Thus, choosing the right
resources for the exam preparation can be difficult. Therefore, here’s a list
of essential resources (mobile apps, magazines and books) you can use and
rely-on for your UPSC CSE Exam preparation. This list is brought to you by
Oliveboard, an online exam prep platform for government and
banking jobs.
Mobile
Apps
Dictionary.com (Vocabulary)
Dictionary.com is a leading dictionary app. It has over
2, 000, 000 definitions, features like Word of the day, audio pronunciation,
origin of words, translator, thesaurus and many more.
The Hindu (Current Affairs)
The Hindu is one of the most preferred and most
recommended newspapers for UPSC Aspirants. The Hindu App is one of the best
sources of current affairs and news.
World Geography (Geography)
This geography app provides quizzes that help you
learn about continents, countries, their religion, population, languages, etc.
in a fun way.
IAS Syllabus Tracker (UPSC) (Syllabus
tracker)
The IAS Syllabus tracker app helps you track your
syllabus progress by breaking down the syllabus into topics and creating a
check list. It has the latest UPSC Syllabus.
IAS UPSC by Civilsdaily (Integrated
news)
This app brings you integrated news
summary relevant to UPSC Exam preparation from different sources
like The Hindu, Indian Express, PIB, etc. The app has features like
bookmarking (to read offline), newscards (like flashcards), etc.
Oliveboard Mobile App (Mock Tests)
Oliveboard provides UPSC (IAS) CSE Mock Tests,
created by Exam toppers, experts and top faculty across the country. The mock
tests include thousands of quality questions of various difficulty levels as
per the latest exam pattern. The app also provides analytics feature that helps
you determine your all-India rank, speed and
accuracy and identify your weak areas.
Magazines
·
Yojana: Published
by the Government of India, the magazine is devoted to Socio-Economic issues and is
published in 13 different languages.
·
Kurukshetra: A monthly magazine published by the Ministry of Rural
Development, Government of India. The magazine primarily focuses on Rural
Development. The topics discussed in the magazine hold a significant relevance
in the Civil Services Examination.
·
Frontline: It is a National Magazine of India and is published
by The Hindu. It’s a fortnightly magazine that covers topics such as,
Politics, Economics, Environment, Culture, Entertainment, etc.
·
Economic and
Political Weekly (EPW): Economic and Political Weekly
is a weekly social science journal, that publishes contemporary issues and
their analysis along with academic papers.
Books
NCERT Books – 6th to
12th Standard Books. NCERT Books help you get your
concepts clear from the basics. It is highly recommended by experts that you
start your preparation with NCERT Books, before moving on to other books.
History
·
India
Since Independence by Bipan Chandra
·
India’s
Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra
·
India
After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha
·
History
of Modern India by Bipan Chandra
Economics
·
Indian
Economy (For Civil Service Examinations) by Ramesh Singh
·
Economic
Survey 2016-17 by Ministry of Finance, Government of India
·
India
Yearbook 2017 (Economic Schemes)
Polity
·
Indian
Polity by M. Laxmikanth
·
Introduction
to the constitution of India by D. D. Basu
Geography
·
India
and World Geography by Majid Husain
·
Certificate
Physical and Human Geography by Goh Cheng Leong
Art
& Culture
·
Indian
Art & Culture by Nitin Singhania
Current
Affairs
·
India
Yearbook 2017
·
The
Hindu (Newspaper)
Science
& Technology
·
Science
and Technology by Ashok Kumar Singh
·
The Hindu (Science
& Technology supplement)
Environment
·
Biodiversity,
Climate Change and Disaster Management by Majid Husain
·
Ecology
and Environment by P. D. Sharma
English
·
High
school Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin
·
Word
Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
CSAT
·
Analytical
Reasoning by M. K. Pandey
·
Verbal
and Non-verbal Reasoning by R. S. Agarwal
Ensure that you practicemock tests often along
with study. You can practice full-length and sectional practice tests from Oliveboard.
