There are two papers in Prelims (GS 1 and CSAT) and both are of objective type with negative marking.

Polity:

Polity is one of the most important subjects of UPSC syllabus and general awareness. Basically it deals with the political, constitutional and governmental build up of the nation.

The book, “Indian Polity by Laxmikanth”– is the most sought and referred book not only because of its availability but for its impressive coverage of contents and simplicity. It also has the distinction of being the best seller book in this category. It has a complete  edge over other available books in the market in various ways.

Despite Polity being boring subject for many, this book has truly ousted the boredom by its unique style of presenting and discussing the facts and figures. The language is simple and bullet pointers will ease your mental fatigue to remember enormous articles and constitutional changes.

Economy:

The book Ramesh singh-Indian Economy  is par excellence, it is endowed with exceptional quality of simplifying the difficult concepts of economics in a cogent and crystal-clear way.

NCERTS give you an edge on the basic concepts and terminologies so as to understand the daily current affairs

Art and culture:

Nitin singhania-Comes from the IAS officer himself, its a must book for absolute understanding of the subject. Suggested by everyone to have the book for UPSC Art & Culture. An incredible book on Indian art and culture. It is the updated latest edition. The best thing is the author has provided past years questions with solutions at the end of every chapter both for prelims and mains which makes this book even more resourceful.

Environment:

This book follows the paper pattern and syllabus given by Union Public Service Commission which conducts these examinations. The language of the book is simple and the content is engaging which ensures students face no trouble during studying. Plus the distinctive designing makes it easy to navigate and read.

The geography Paper of the Civil Service Examination includes topics on environment and hence it is important for students to have thorough understanding of this topic. This book is completely dedicated on environment and covers all concepts and points. It focuses on topics like environmental ecology, bio-diversity and Climate change. Some of the topics discussed in the book include ecological pyramid and nutrient cycling, ecosystem rainforest, deciduous monsoon forest, Biome, bread basket region, food chain, primary consumer, food web, ecological pyramid, ecological explosion, ecotone, chemosynthesis, biogeochemical cycle, Miss semple, possibilism, br>stratosphere, biosphere, species types, nutritional eutrophication, acid rain, marble cancer, soil types, biogeographical realm, xerophytic, Nitrogen cycle, greenhouse gas, biodiversity hotspots, Ozone depletion, club of Rome, planktonic, biological magnification, young lakes, good Ozone and bio-diversity loss. Along with clear explanations the book gives adequate practice for students so that they can test their knowledge and check their understandings.

Geography:

GC Leong-

  • Elementary details of most topics that comprise of physical and human geography have been covered in an easy to understand language, with many photographs, illustrations and maps offering detailed explanation, wherever required.
  • Much of geographical knowledge that one needs to possess is there in this book. And for it, the book is highly relied upon by students appearing for competitive admission examinations or those aspiring to make the grades at competitive examinations held for many government openings by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
  • The book is divided into two main sections. The first one deals with physical geography, where in-depth information about existing land masses, oceans, types of winds, rivers, glaciation, mountain types, groundwater, rainfall and its global patterns and such existing natural phenomenon is presented in a well illustrated manner that makes reading a pleasure. It also has information on Earth’s crust and the various natural forces present in our world. There is a detailed section on earthquakes and volcanoes too.
  • The second section details about the existing global climatic zones of Savanna, Steppe, Mediterranean, Equatorial and Tropical Monsoon Climate. Aspects of Human Geography spread over these varied climatic zones, the types of agriculture practiced, the urban centers, mineral wealth and the developed industrial belts have also been included.
  • At the end of each topic, a set of relevant questions have been put for practice and making a self-analysis about having obtained clarity of the subject presented.
  • The book is considered very helpful by aspirants appearing for preliminary examination of Civil Services and other prestigious competitive examination that test general knowledge, which includes knowledge about geography.

along with NCERT this book will be great help for the candidate to ace the exams easily.

Subject 
 
Author/Publication 
 
INDIAN POLITY   Laxmikanth 6th Edition BELIEVERS polity explained 
ECONOMY  Indian Economy Ramesh singh  Macroeconomics NCERT Class XII  Indian Economic Development NCERT Class XI  Economic Survey Selective reading from Prelims perspective  The Hindu / Business Standards Newspapers  BELIEVERS ECONOMY NOTES 
INDIAN ART & CULTURE  An Introduction to Indian Art Class XI NCERT  NCERT Chapters related to culture in Ancient and Medieval India  Centre for Cultural Resource and Training (CCRT) material  NCERT Heritage Crafts: Living Craft Traditions of India -NCERT Nitin Singhania 
ENVIRONMENT   Shankar IAS Material &   BELIEVERS Environment Notes 
ANCIENT HISTORY OF INDIA   MEDIEVAL HISTORY OF INDIA   MODERN HISTORY OF INDIA  Old NCERT RS Sharma Themes in India Part I  OLD NCERT SATISH CHANDRA Themes In India Part II  A brief history of Modern India Spectrum Publications  India’s struggle for Independence Bipan Chandra  NCERT Bipan Chandra  Themes in Indian History Part III 
GEOGRAPHY  Fundamentals of Physical Geography Class XI NCERT  India: Physical Environment Class XI NCERT  Fundamentals of Human Geography Class XII NCERT  India: People & Economy Class XII NCERT  Certificate Physical & Human Geography GC Leong  BELIEVERS Geography notes and maps