Study plan

90 days mains ready

A beginner-friendly, syllabus-wise structured 90-day UPSC Mains plan for GS Papers 1-4. Simple daily targets so you always know what to study next.

Book list for beginners

One primary source per area. Stay with these standard books; use WRAP for PYQs, practice, evaluation, and current affairs.

Paper / area Standard sources
GS1 — History Spectrum (Modern India); Bipan Chandra / old NCERT where useful; Culture: NCERT fine arts or standard notes
GS1 — Geography NCERT 11–12; GC Leong (physical); Atlas (Oxford / Orient Blackswan)
GS1 — Society NCERT Sociology / syllabus-linked chapters; standard notes
GS2 — Polity M. Laxmikanth (primary); Bare Constitution for reference
GS2 — Governance Laxmikanth + selective ARC / government report summaries; scheme themes
GS2 — IR One standard IR overview + The Hindu / Indian Express; MEA / PIB for facts
GS3 — Economy Ramesh Singh or Economic Survey + Budget summaries + NCERT basics
GS3 — Environment Shankar Environment or NCERT + MoEFCC notes
GS3 — S&T / Security / DM NCERT + reliable current affairs; NDMA overview for disaster management
GS4 — Ethics Lexicon or any one standard Ethics book; case practice from PYQs
Current affairs The Hindu or Indian Express (daily); monthly magazine optional
Answer practice UPSC PYQs (last 5–10 years) on WRAP year-wise pages, then evaluate on WRAP
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