IAS Training Centre & Its Prep Work

Ask any IAS Academy in Chennai or any other metropolitan in the nation and they will unequivocally answer one thing. Prep work is the key to successfully clearing the IAS exam. Good teachers, hard work, and passion for the civil services will take you to a certain level. But, to cross it, one needs books and materials that are par excellence. We advice all our students to begin with subject wise notes that are detailed and structured. Then to move onto questions papers of previous years, mock test of Prelims and then UPSC mains mock tests.

Top IAS Coaching In Chennai Approved UPSC Materials

Mock tests and last year’s questions papers are a good way to become familiar with the standards of a civil exam.  Most of the top IAS coaching centers train their students and assess their level of understanding with the past question papers. But books along with other UPSC materials are vital for proper learning. We comprehend that not many students can afford to buy every book that is recommended. Therefore, we list down some free books that can be downloaded like:

  • Pratiyogita Darpan Magazine
  • NCERT Books
  • IGNOU Books
  • Kurukshetra Magazine
  • Yojana Magazine

These books and materials will give just a gist of the syllabus. To actually get the full picture and supplement your coursework, there are some other civil services tomes that should be read thoroughly. For any aspirant who is serious about clearing one the toughest exam in the country the following are a must:

  • School and Graduation Text Books of NCERT, NIOS or IGNOU
  • Online UPSC Study Materials available at government websites like PIB
  • Standard IAS Books for Civil Services Exam, a good option is Laxmikanth for Indian Polity.
  • Newspapers and Magazines like The Hindu, The Times, etc.

IAS Academy Referenced UPSC Materials Essential For Prelims

Multiple books on UPSC syllabusIf a student has given even a cursory glance at the books and materials listed above, then the question ‘which books are needed to pass IAS?’ will be more explicit. To further clear any doubts an aspirant may have we cultivated a list that is divided phase wise. There is a section essential for prelims and then a category for the mains exam. The entire list was created after taking input from past toppers.

For the UPSC Prelims the books listed below are vital. They cover the entire syllabus and it is recommended that aspirants take complete benefit of them. The books can be bought online or at a typical store. We have divided the books as per subject to make it easier for the student.

  • India Year Book (Current Affairs)
  • Manorama Yearbook (Current Affairs)
  • Current Affairs Capsule (Current Affairs)
  • Certificate Physical and Human Geography – Goh Cheng Leong (Geography)
  • Geography of India – Majid Husain. (Geography)
  • Oxford School Atlas – Oxford (Geography)
  • History Of Modern India – Bipan Chandra (History)
  • India’s Ancient Past – R.S. Sharma (History)
  • History Of Medieval India – Satish Chandra (History)
  • India’s Struggle For Independence – Bipan Chandra (History)
  • The Wonder That Was India – A.L. Bhasham. (Culture)
  • Indian Art and Culture – Nitin Singhania (Culture)
  • Indian Polity for Civil Services Examinations – M. Laxmikanth. (Polity)
  • Indian Economy – Ramesh Singh. (Economy)
  • Economic Survey (Economy)
  • Science and Technology in India – TMH (Science and Technology)
  • Environmental Studies: From Crisis to Cure – Rajagopalan (Environment)
  • Environment for Civil Services Prelims and Mains – Khuller (Environment)
  • Analytical Reasoning – M. K. Pandey (Analytical Reasoning)
  • Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning – R. S.Aggarwal (Reasoning)
  • CSAT Paper – 2 Manual by MHE or CSAT-II by Arihant
  • NCERT Books Set for UPSC Exam

UPSC Material For Mains By Renowned IAS Coaching Centre

In Chennai, the best providers for IAS Coaching rely on subject matter experts to reach the syllabus. The Course Books and materials framed for Main exams can overlap with books recommended for the Prelims as the syllabus overlap. Besides the books listed above some other material that every student should study are given below. Again, we have divided them as per subject for easier access.

  • Governance in India for CSE (Governance)
  • Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude (Ethics)
  • IAS Mains General Studies – GS3 (Arihant Manual)
  • Pax Indica – Shashi Tharoor (Foreign Policy)
  • India and the World by Surendra Kumar (Foreign Policy)
  • India’s National Security: A Reader (Internal Security)
  • Challenges to Internal Security of India (Internal Security)

Also Read: COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION ON IAS EXAMINATIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

How many attempts can one give to the CSE exam?

There is a set of rules governing the UPSC CSE examination. A candidate can appear for the IAS examination only for a specific number of times. Candidates belonging to the General category can appear for the IAS exam only for four times within their age limit. Likewise, candidates belonging to the OBC category can appear for the IAS examination only seven times. However, for the SC/ST candidates, there is an exemption as they can appear for the IAS examination as many times as they want until they reach 37 years of age. Remember that appearing for one paper in the Prelims exam is also considered an attempt.

Do physically handicapped candidates have any relaxation in the number of attempts?

The physically handicapped person should have a disability of 40% or more. A physically handicapped candidate belonging to the general category is eligible for 7 attempts. The maximum number of attempt for a physically handicapped belonging to SC, ST and OBC categories who want to appear in IAS examination is 9 times. The maximum age limit which is required for the candidate to appear in the IAS examination is 45 years. There is an age relaxation of 10 to 15 years according to your disability and you are exempted from fees also. However, for others, there is no such exemption.

Can a candidate who has graduated from an open school or university apply for UPSC CSE examination?

Yes, the candidate who has completed education from an open school or university can apply for the Commission’s examination provided that the candidate has passed a Bachelor degree from any of Indian universities or equivalent qualification from any recognized university. The minimum educational qualification required to apply for the Commission’s examination is a bachelor’s degree. There are some open universities such as NIOS and IGNOU which are recognized by the government of India. The candidates from these universities are capable to apply for the Commission’s examination. It is important to have completed the graduation from a recognized university, be it any field.

Do the evaluation standard different based on the language in which the IAS exam in written?

No, the evaluation standard is the same for the IAS examination irrespective of the language or medium. As per the rules set by UPSC, a paper can be written in English or any Indian regional language recognized by the board. In that case, the medium or language in which the exam has been written does not affect the evaluation standards. Candidates are allowed to choose different languages to make them feel comfortable and confident while answering the UPSC CSE examination. And, it is not mandatory to appear for the IAS examination in any specific language or medium.

Can a candidate know the ‘question-wise ‘marks for a paper?

In a competitive examination, the absolute performance of a candidate is not relevant. It is the relative performance that determines if the candidate is qualified or not. And if the candidate qualifies, the candidate position in the merit list. The process of evaluation is not complete after the initial assessment by the examiner. Moderation is applied on the total marks initially given and not on a per question basis. So, when the evaluation process is done, neither question-wise marks or raw-marks subsist. At the end of the assessment process, it is only the total marks of the candidate in the paper that matters. The total marks are made available to the candidate on the UPSC website.