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IAS Exam 2016 – IAS Syllabus
IAS Exam is one of the most competitive exams of the country. To crack one of the toughest exams , you need to start preparing right away. The first step leading towards your preparation is to know and understand the IAS syllabus completely.
IAS Exam Overview
The Civil Services Exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) each year.
The Civil Services exam is conducted in 2 stages
Prelims
Mains
Mains Exam consists of Written Exam plus Interview.
There are two papers in Prelims
Paper I
Paper II
Paper I tests you on General Studies and Paper II tests you on Aptitude.
Qualifying Paper I lets you appear for the Mains examination.
Paper II is only to analyze you i.e it is only of qualifying nature.
The marks scored in Paper II are NOT added for the overall merit of the Civil Services Preliminary Examination.
Paper I
200 Marks
Duration: Two Hours
Number of Questions: 100
IAS Syllabus General Studies (Paper 1)
- Current Affairs: Events of national and international importance
- History of India and Indian National Movement
- Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic geography of India and the World.
- Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
- Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
- General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change (no subject specialization required)
- General Science
CLICK HERE TO VIEW BEST STRATEGY FOR PREPARING GENERAL STUDIES PAPER 1
IAS Exam Paper I Recommended Books
Current events of national and international importance
India Year Book
Manorma Year Book
Newspapers – The Hindu
Magazines -Yojana, Kurukshetra and CST
History of India and Indian National Movement
Old NCERT for Ancient History class 11
New NCERT for classes 11 and 12
ICSE Books of classes 8, 9 and 10
Specturm /India Struggle for Independence
India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipin Chandra
India’s Art and Culture – Nitin Singhania
Indian and World Geography -Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World
NCERT books of classes 6 to 10
NCERT books of classes 9 , 10 , 11, 12
ICSE Books of classes 9 and 10
Geography of India – Majid Hussain
Certificate Physical and Human Geography – GC Leong
Oxford School Atlas
Indian Polity and Governance
NCERT books for classes 11 and 12
Indian Polity – Laxmikanth
Constitution of India – D D Basu
Economic and Social Development
NCERT books for classes 11 and 12
SRIRAM’s IAS notes
Indian Economy – Ramesh Singh
Economic Survey Summary
General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change
NCERT 7th
Biology NCERT 12
Chemistry NCERT 12 Part 2
ICSE Class 8, 9, 10 books on Environment
Shankar IAS Notes
General Science
NCERT Books for Class 6-10
ICSE Books for Class 8, 9, 10
Science Reporter
IAS Exam Paper II (Aptitude)
200 Marks
Duration: Two Hours
Number of Questions: 80
Civil Services Preliminary Exam General Studies Paper 2 is popularly known as CSAT.
There are many who call not only the General Studies Paper 2, but also the complete preliminary stage exam as CSAT (Civil Service Aptitude Test).
Aspirants should note that a terminology like “CSAT” is nowhere mentioned in the UPSC notification.
IAS Syllabus General Studies (Paper II)
- Comprehension
- Interpersonal skills including communication skills
- Logical reasoning and analytical ability
- Decision making and problem solving
- General mental ability
- Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude etc.) (Class X level), Data Interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. – Class X level)
A through understanding of the IAS Syllabus will go a long way in helping you crack the exam.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW BEST STRATEGY FOR PREPARING GENERAL STUDIES PAPER 2
Recommended Books for Paper II
Analytical Reasoning – M.K. Pandey
A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning – Dr. R.S.Aggarwal
How to Prepare Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT – Arun Sharma
Proficiency in Reading Comprehension – Ajay Singh
Reading Comprehension GMAT Prep Guide
UPSC Portal : General Mental Ability Logical Reasoning & Analytical Ability
Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Exams – Dr. R.S. Aggrawal
Recommended Books for Hindi Medium Aspirants
- Prarambhik Bharat Ka Parichay (Hindi).
- Madhyakaleen Bharat: Rajniti, Samaj Aur Sanskriti.
- Adhunik Bharat Ka Etihas – By Vipan Chandra OR Adhunik Bharat Ka Etihas – By Spectrum.
- Bharat Ka Rashtria Aandolan – Bipan Chandra.
- Bharatiya Kala, Sanskriti Evam Virasat: Civil Sewa Pariksha Hetu.
Geography Books
- Bhugol – Spectrum OR Bharat Ka Bhugol.
- Orient Blackswan Vishwa Atlas Laghu Sanskaran (Hindi).
- Bharat Evam Vishwa Ka Bhugol – Hussain.
Indian Polity Books
- Bharat Ki Rajvyavastha (भारत की राजव्यवस्था) – By M. Laxmi Kanth.
- Bharat Ka Samvidhan: Ek Parichaya – D. D. Basu.
- Hamari Sansad – Kashyap S
Indian Economy Books
- Bhartiya Arthvyavastha – By Ramesh Singh.
Science, Technology and Environment Books
- Vigyan Evam Prodhyogiki Ka Vikas: Civil Sewa Pariksha Hetu – TMH.
- Vigyan Avum Prodhogyki – Spectrum.
- Paryavaran Evam Paristhitiki: Civil Sewa Pariksha Hetu.
General Studies Manual – Prelims Paper 1 and Paper 2 (CSAT)
- Samanya Adhyayan: Paper I 2016 (Hindi Edition) – Mc Graw Hill Education.
- Samanya Adhyayan: Paper II 2016 (Hindi Edition) – Mc Graw Hill Education.
Useful Links for IAS Aspirants
CLICK HERE TO VIEW IAS MAINS PATTERN, SYLLABUS AND RECOMMENDED BOOKS
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST IAS MAINS OPTIONAL
CLICK HERE TO VIEW HOW TO READ THE HINDU EFFICIENTLY
IAS Preparation Packages
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