NCERT books are essential for building a strong foundation in UPSC preparation. Here I provide the list of NCERT books you need for UPSC preparation:

History

Class 6–8: Our Past series

Class 9: India and the Contemporary World – I

Class 10: India and the Contemporary World – II

Class 11: Themes in World History

Class 12: Themes in Indian History I, II & III

Old NCERTs by RS Sharma, Satish Chandra, and Bipan Chandra are also highly valued

Geography

Class 6: The Earth Our Habitat

Class 7: Our Environment

Class 8: Resource and Development

Class 9–10: Contemporary India I & II

Class 11: Fundamentals of Physical Geography, India – Physical Environment

Class 12: Fundamentals of Human Geography, India – People and Economy

Polity

Class 9: Democratic Politics – I

Class 10: Democratic Politics – II

Class 11: Indian Constitution at Work, Political Theory

Class 12: Contemporary World Politics, Politics in India Since Independence

Economics

Class 9: Economics

Class 10: Understanding Economic Development

Class 11: Indian Economic Development

Class 12: Introductory Microeconomics, Introductory Macroeconomics

Science & Environment

Class 6–10: General Science textbooks (especially for Prelims)

Class 12 Biology: Last 4 chapters (for Environment & Ecology)

Sociology & Society

Class 11: Understanding Society

Class 12: Indian Society, Social Change and Development in India

Art & Culture

Class 11: An Introduction to Indian Art

Class 12: Living Craft Traditions of India (select chapters)