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Syllabus Source:
Friday, February 7, 2025 8:16 PM
🔴 Prelims (General Studies Paper-I)
1️⃣ History
✅ Ancient & Medieval:
• NCERTs (Class 6–12)
• Tamil Nadu Class 11 History Book
• "A Brief History of Modern India" – Spectrum
• RS Sharma (Ancient), Satish Chandra (Medieval)
✅ Modern India & Freedom Struggle:
"India’s Struggle for Independence" – Bipan Chandra
•
• Spectrum (Modern History)
✅ Art & Culture:
• NCERT Class 11 (Fine Arts)
• Nitin Singhania’s "Indian Art & Culture"
2 Geography
✅ Physical & Indian Geography:
• NCERTs (Class 6–12)
• "Certificate Physical Geography" – G.C. Leong
• "Oxford Student Atlas"
• Majid Hussain (World Geography)
3️⃣ Polity & Governance
• NCERT Class 9–12 (Political Science)
• "Indian Polity" – M. Laxmikanth
• "Introduction to the Constitution of India" – D.D. Basu
(Optional)
• "Governance in India" – M. Laxmikanth
4️⃣ Economy
• NCERTs (Class 9–12)
• "Indian Economy" – Ramesh Singh
• Economic Survey & Union Budget (Summary from Vision IAS)
• Newspapers (Business section of The Hindu/Indian Express)
5 Environment & Ecology
• NCERTs (Biology Class 12)
• "Environment" – Shankar IAS
• Reports: IPCC, UNFCCC, WWF, MoEFCC
6️⃣ Science & Technology
• NCERTs (Class 6–10)
• ISRO, PIB, and Science Reporter Magazine
• Current Affairs for new developments
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7️⃣ Current Affairs
• Newspapers – The Hindu / Indian Express (Editorial &
Explained Section)
• Magazines – Yojana, Kurukshetra, PIB
• Monthly Current Affairs – Vision IAS / Insights IAS
🔵 CSAT (General Studies Paper-II)
✅ Reasoning & Aptitude:
• R.S. Aggarwal (Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning)
• Arun Sharma (Quantitative Aptitude)
• Previous Year Papers
✅ Reading Comprehension:
• Editorials from The Hindu & Indian Express
• GMAT Reading Comprehension Guides
📘 Mains (General Studies Papers)
1️⃣ GS Paper-I (History, Geography, Society)
• History: Same as Prelims
• Geography: Same as Prelims + Majid Hussain (Human
Geography)
• Indian Society: NCERT (Sociology) + "Indian Society" by Ram
Ahuja
2️⃣ GS Paper-II (Polity, Governance, IR)
• Polity & Constitution: Laxmikanth + Current Affairs
• Governance: ARC Reports + Vision IAS Notes
• International Relations: Rajiv Sikri’s "Challenge and Strategy" +
Current Affairs
3️⃣ GS Paper-III (Economy, Environment, Science, Security,
Disaster Management)
• Economy: Same as Prelims
• Environment: Same as Prelims
• Science & Tech: PIB + The Hindu
• Security & Disaster Management: 2nd ARC Reports + Current
Affairs
4️⃣ GS Paper-IV (Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude)
• "Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude"
• "Ethics in Governance" (ARC Report)
• Case Studies – Solve Previous Year Papers
📌 Tips for Time Management
✅ Daily Schedule:
• 6 hours for Static Subjects (NCERTs & Standard Books)
• 2 hours for Current Affairs (Newspaper & Notes)
• 1 hour for Revision
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✅ Weekly Planning:
• 5 Days Static + Current Affairs
• 1 Day for Answer Writing Practice
• 1 Day for Revision
✅ Prelims Focus (Last 6 Months):
• 100+ Mock Tests
• Quick Revisions
• PYQs & MCQ Practice
✅ Mains Focus (After Prelims):
• Daily Answer Writing
• Essay Writing (One per Week)
• Mock Tests & Evaluations
🔍 Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Skipping NCERTs – These are foundation books, don’t ignore
them.
❌ Not Practicing Answer Writing – Start early, at least one
answer daily.
❌ Focusing Too Much on One Subject – Balance all subjects
properly.
❌ Ignoring Optional Subject – It has 500 marks, prepare it
thoroughly.
❌ Lack of Revision – Without revision, you will forget
everything.
📌 Final Checklist for Success
✅ Complete NCERTs & Standard Books (6-8 Months)
✅ Make Notes & Revise (3-4 Times)
✅ Practice Answer Writing & Essays
✅ Solve Previous Year Papers & Mock Tests
✅ Stay Consistent & Stay Motivated
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