Free UPSC Study Materials for IAS Preparation - PDF Download (2025)

While starting to prepare for IAS, the aspirants are generally confused over how to start and what to study? Numerous queries are roaming in their minds regarding eligibility, dates, etc. In the last article, we have covered the details of the application form. Now, it’s time to move with the IAS study material.

Most of the aspirants prefer coaching, but when the same material is available online, then why spending thousands of money over enrolling in those expensive coaching centers.

A single misguidance can cost you your precious attempt. Most of the coaching institutes teach using traditional methods.

But to make the things go simpler, upscbuddy.com has curated all the study material for you over a single platform that too for free. Just bookmark this page, and you will get all UPSC study materials on this single page.

Free UPSC Study Materials – Download in PDF Format

NCERT Books for IAS

The preparation for the UPSC Exam is a prolonged activity which is definitely not a job of few days but it requires months of thorough study to c rack the UPSC exam.

If you are performing self study then you definitely need to follow a strict time table for your preparation. Here comes out first study material i.e. NCERT. The NCERT textbooks, solutions and notes help the aspirants to build a strong foundation for the IAS exam.

NCERT Textbooks and Solutions

NCERT textbooks play a very important role in UPSC preparation. Even all the coaching centers prefer going through NCERT books first. It’s indeed the first step of the UPSC ladder.

There is absolutely no need to ask your neighbour’s boy to lend him his NCERT books. You can download them freely from the links given below. The books are latest and are converted into high quality PDF. The print is very clear and adept.

You may also need some old NCERT books as the newer ones may not contain detail for some subjects such as history, economics etc. You can also download old NCERT books here.

Also, we are providing solutions for all the books. Solution book will eliminate the need of any instructor as they are self explanatory. The NCERT textbooks and solutions will strengthen your base for UPSC. You can download free UPSC NCERT study material for free.

NCERT Notes

Our team has also complied NCERT notes to aid in your preparation. It’s a human tendency that you will forget once the book is closed or you move out from the class until revised properly. But when you prepare for the IAS exam it is not possible to carry all the books every-time and everywhere.

Also, there is no time left for making handwritten notes. To simplify the process we are providing very concise and apt NCERT notes for your preparation. High print quality is assured.

Importance of NCERT Notes

When an aspirant starts preparing for IAS there is a lot of pressure of performing well and regarding the study material. If a proper time table isn’t followed then you will start feeling exhausted and will get bored soon. By preparing notes, you are sure that you won’t be opening the book again and again. It will help you to revise in an effective manner.

There is no single coaching center which provides relevant study material for your preparation. So we have taken the pain and have complied NCERT notes which will help you to crack your dram IAS exam. All the notes are properly indexed and are available chapter-wise and in PDF format.

UPSC IAS Preparation Books

Choosing right study material is the game changer for your IAS preparation. We just cannot afford to buy each and every book related with your subjects and start experimenting them. Based on our extensive research, we have curated a list of standard IAS books which are recommended by professionals and Ex-IAS toppers.

Once the strong foundation has been laid by completing the NCERT books, it’s time now to move ahead in your IAS preparation with the standard books.

If you want to win the IAS battle, you need to study the right books for UPSC. You can download the books at a single click of your mouse. But, remember keep the spirit of motivation alive in you and never let the fire die out in any case.

IAS Standard Books – Buy Now!

There are many websites which offer IAS preparation books but all the books are scattered across different pages of their websites.

All the standard books listed above are highly recommended by the IAS toppers.

Coaching Material

But still in case you want to join a coaching institute because the material provided there is good and most relevant. We have a solution for that too. Below mentioned links provide you the best of study material from the respective coaching institutes. Our team has collected this material after extensive research and with our networking connections.

The coaching material provided here is 100% genuine and authentic. You can refer to the coaching material so as to get a good idea over their pattern and approach. But still the key to success is your time management and revision.

Optional Paper Study Material

The selection of optional paper is a very common dilemma for every aspirant. Every year the trend changes. But we would say that never go with the trend, choose an optional subject in which you are comfortable. There is no point in studying a subject in which you were never interested.

It’s just like that a student with science background takes history or economics as his/her optional subject. The subject may be easy but will never interest you and you will get bored very quickly. But if you would have taken a science subject, you could have scored much better than taking humanities subjects as optional.

The optional paper is of 500 marks out of 2025 of the written examination (mains). You optional paper is counted as a ranking factor so why take risks? Click here to download the latest and the most perfectly tailored optional paper study material which will help you secure good rank in UPSC.

UPSC previous year question papers

We all know that “practice makes a man perfect”, but along with practice you need a combination of hard-work and smart-work. You need to revise and practice relay hard so that you are able to handle every type of question in your IAS real exam. Solving previous year question papers is very important from a practical aspect which is it:

• It will help you improve your time management skills
• It gives you an idea you about the pattern followed in the examination.
• It will improve your speed and accuracy in solving the questions.
• You will get an idea how questions are framed in the paper and so that you can study accordingly.
• You can do a self evaluation about your strengths and weaknesses.

Solving previous year’s papers for both mains and prelims helps you understand yourself better. You may find a pattern similar in all papers which will help you in your preparation. Also, they will help you to know which areas are to be focused more and which not.

IAS previous year question paper – PDF Download

Solving these papers is very essential for your revision. We highly recommend you to solve these papers thoroughly. You should start these solving these papers once you are done with your subject wise preparation. It has been seen that there are many repeated question which have been either rephrased or have a change of values. There may be slight variation in the questions. So get a better hold of them.

It is always better to gauge the understanding of grasped concepts and self-evaluate the subject you have been studying so far. So, if you really want to crack the IAS exams, better start solving them. Slowly you will master the art of balancing to maximise the scores and reduce the negatives.

Download the previous year question papers from the link given below and get to know the trends in UPSC exams for free. No doubt the difficulty level varies every year. Previous year papers will give you an idea over the difficulty levels and help you prepare accordingly.

Secondly, our collection of civil services papers will help you in a thorough revision of your concepts which will formulate self-assessment.

Last but not the least, learn from your mistakes. No one can become a winner without failing or making mistakes. A good learner always learns from the failures. Believe in yourself and stay connected with upscbuddy.com for more such useful content.
Alongside, the study material makes sure that you are reading newspapers and making notes accordingly.

Newspaper helps you connect the subjects with the latest happenings across the world. Read the newspaper for at least 60-90 minutes. If you don’t have time to read newspaper or don’t want to hard copies, then you can get e-copies of the newspapers over your mobile phones or laptop. You can read them while commuting. But stay updated always.

How much marks are needed to clear the IAS Exam?

After analyzing the previous year’s question papers of the last few years of the UPSC exam, some interesting facts have been unveiled. The pattern shows that in questions coming in GS paper are more focused on the current affairs related to international relations, polity, economy, etc. rather than conventional topics.

The standards are being raised continuously; that’s why the marks scored by the toppers are going down by each passing year. In the last couple of years, the percentage of top ranks has fallen from 60% to 50%.

Final Words

Buying handwritten notes and books is not enough for your preparation. You need a focused approach and motivation to drive the fire in you. So, strategic planning and determination are two essential keys which will keep you motivated. Make a time table and follow it strictly. Believe in yourself and stay motivated. All the Best!.