M. Laxmikanth’s Indian Polity is the Best Book for MPSC, as the polity syllabus followed in MPSC is based on the same constitutional framework as that in the book.
Important books in total span seven disciplines, two per discipline for Geography, History, and Economy, one for the state-specific syllabus and the other for the larger national syllabus.
Preparation for MPSC Examination involves having the correct approach towards exam preparation along with the best books and regular revision.
Each year, toppers keep one important thing in mind, your book list makes your selection!
Best Books For MPSC: Subject-Wise Picks
The above table is also based on various parameters, including the author’s expertise, syllabus coverage, and languages.
| No. | Subject | Book | Author | Language | Stage Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Polity | Indian Polity | M. Laxmikanth | English | Prelims/Mains/Interview |
| 2. | Geography (State) | Maharashtra Geography (Bhugol ani Paryavaran) | A.B. Savadi | Marathi | Prelims/Mains |
| 3. | Geography (World) | Certificate Physical and Human Geography | G.C. Leong | English | Prelims/Mains |
| 4. | History (Modern India) | India’s Struggle for Independence | Bipin Chandra | English | Prelims/Mains |
| 5. | History (Ancient India) | India’s Ancient Past | R.S. Sharma | English | Prelims/Mains |
| 6. | History (Modern Maharashtra) | Adhunik Maharashtracha Itihas | Anil Kothare | Marathi | Mains |
| 7. | Economy (State-focused) | Bharatiya Arthavyavastha | Ranjan Kolambe | Marathi | Mains |
| 8. | Economy (National) | Indian Economy | Ramesh Singh | English | Mains/Interview |
| 9. | General Science | General Science | Lucent Publications | English | Prelims/Mains |
| 10. | Prelims Overview | MPSC Success Mantra | Anil Dabhade | Marathi/English | Prelims/Mains |
| 11. | Current Affairs | Yashachi Parikrama | – | Marathi/English | Prelims/Mains |
| 12. | CSAT (Paper II) | Quantitative Aptitude andAnalytical Reasoning | R.S. Aggarwal and M.K. Pandey | Marathi/English | Prelims |
| 13. | Environment and Ecology | Shankar IAS Environment Book | Shankar Devarajan | English | Mains |
| 14. | Science & Technology | NCERT Science (Class 6–10) and Lucent’s General Science | NCERT and Ravi Bhushan | English | Prelims/Mains |
Indian Polity: Best MPSC Book For Indian Polity
“Indian Polity” by M. Laxmikanth is the most popular textbook for MPSC. It covers the Constitution of India, its amendments, and governance in an easy and exam-friendly manner.
It is written for UPSC but still remains a good book for MPSC preparation because of its extensive coverage.
The aspirants combine it with some other books covering the administration of Maharashtra to cover questions regarding state-level governance.
Maharashtra Geography: Best MPSC Book For Maharashtra Geography
Maharashtra Geography authored by A.B. Savadi provides an in-depth study of the rivers, climate, soil, minerals, and administrative divisions of Maharashtra.
The book can be effectively used in conjunction with maps and atlases for studying geography.
However, since it is available only in Marathi, it becomes necessary for those preparing in English to have an additional source of information.
Certificate Physical and Human Geography: Best MPSC Book For Physical and Human Geography
“Physical & Human Geography” Certificate Course by G.C. Leong uses easy diagrams and simple concepts to explain physical geography.
This includes subjects like climate, weathering, ocean currents, etc., which are covered in competitive exams.
This book lays down the basics before moving on to Indian or Maharashtra geography.
As this book is based on world geography, candidates are advised to use it along with NCERT and Maharashtra geography books.
India’s Struggle for Independence: Best MPSC Book for Modern Indian History
The book India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipin Chandra is an account of the Indian struggle for independence from 1857 to 1947 presented in an interesting narrative manner that gives the reasons behind the happenings.
India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipin Chandra is a suitable source for understanding the concepts rather than memorizing the dates.
The book is highly comprehensive and thus requires sufficient time to read.
India’s Ancient Past: Best MPSC Book For Ancient Indian History
The book India’s Ancient Past by R.S. Sharma traces the history of India from prehistoric settlements to medieval kingdoms.
However, the MPSC questions on ancient history depend upon this era more than what is anticipated by most aspirants.
In the book, there is an analytical explanation about the Indus Valley Civilization and the Vedic era, which is better than NCERT books.
It enables aspirants to provide answers based on application rather than mere memorization of facts.
Adhunik Maharashtracha Itihas: Best MPSC Book for Maharashtra History
Adhunik Maharashtracha Itihas, authored by Anil Kothare, chronicles the history of Maharashtra from its early social reforms till its establishment as a state in the year 1960. The MPSC has made it compulsory reading as part of their core curriculum.
He has focused on regional social reformers and the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, which is only briefly touched upon in national history books.
The book also discusses the social reformers like Jyotiba Phule in detail in relation to their contribution towards the socio-political evolution of the state, an area generally covered in national books in one paragraph only.
Bharatiya Arthavyavastha: Best MPSC Book For Indian Economy (Marathi Medium)
India’s Economic Structure by Ranjan Kolambe is a book on economics in Marathi that explains the economic structure, policies, and vocabulary used in India.
The book covers all the concepts of budget, finance, and banking, etc., with examples taken from the economy of Maharashtra itself.
Those aspirants who are preparing for their examination in English will need an additional reference on the economy, because there is no English version of this book available. This book is ideal to be read first before English material.
Indian Economy: Best MPSC Book For Indian Economy (English Medium)
Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh includes information about national economy topics such as budgeting, planning, and financial institutions designed for civil service aspirants in India.
With each new edition, this book updates its statistics according to the newest budget and economic survey data. It is important since MPSC asks economy questions that follow the present-day fiscal policies.
This book covers the national economy and ignores the state budget of Maharashtra.
General Science: Best MPSC Book For General Science
General Science by Lucent Publications is a compilation of fundamental concepts in physics, chemistry, and biology all together in one cheap guide. It is not meant to be a textbook but rather serves as a guide for revision.
Lucent Publications established itself by writing concise books in a question-and-answer format for various government examinations in India.
This particular guide is one such book that has stood the test of time as one of the most important guides for all sorts of competitive examinations.
The guide provides facts and information regarding each concept in brief sections in the same way as MPSC conducts general science examinations, where questions are based only on facts and not concepts.
MPSC Success Mantra: A Map of the Whole Syllabus
MPSC Success Mantra, written by Anil Dabhade, provides aspirants with an overall perspective of the entire Prelims syllabus before they begin their preparation from the subject-wise books.
Anil Dabhade has specifically prepared the book keeping in mind the exam pattern of MPSC, and hence, it is structured according to the way the commission prepares the General Studies paper.
It enables new aspirants to get a fair idea about the importance of each subject in the exam and plan accordingly about the time to be spent on different subjects like polity, geography, etc.
Current Affairs: Best MPSC Book For Current Affairs
Yashachi Parikrama is one of the most sought-after current affairs journals for MPSC preparation.
This journal provides you with news related to the country as well as Maharashtra in a compact form.
This journal comes in both Marathi and selected English versions. It contains monthly current affairs, objective questions, and revision material according to the current pattern of the MPSC exam.
CSAT (Paper II): Best MPSC Book for CSAT
Quantitative Aptitude by R.S. Aggarwal gives a very solid basis of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data interpretation. Concepts have been explained in clear English, along with lots of solved questions.
Analytical Reasoning by M.K. Pandey covers logical reasoning, verbal reasoning, and analytical problems. Each subject is taught using solved questions first and then exercises that vary in difficulty levels.
These study materials are most effective when used along with frequent mock test revisions. They include almost all the important topics that need to be known for CSAT, but aspirants should practice actual-level questions along with them.
Environment and Ecology: Best MPSC Book for Environment and Ecology
Shankar IAS book of Environment is still one of the most recommended books on Environment and Ecology for competitive exams.
This book contains well-structured content regarding ecology, biodiversity, climate change, pollution, conservation, and environmental laws. This book also has some figures and chapter-wise questions, which make difficult topics easy.
Even though this book is designed for UPSC, its all-inclusive nature makes it equally useful for MPSC Mains as well.
Science & Technology: Best MPSC Book for Science and Technology
Science NCERT Classes 6 to 10 (Physics, Chemistry, Biology & Technology) provide knowledge of basic concepts of science. They provide conceptual clarity and are recommended books to prepare for MPSC Science.
Lucent’s General Science Ravi Bhushan summarizes important scientific facts on the subjects in a manner to crack exams. In addition, there are objective questions in this book, which are very helpful in revising before the MPSC exam.
Aspirants preparing for the MPSC examination start with NCERT books for learning concepts and then refer to the General Science book by Lucent for revision of facts.
Previous Year Question Papers
The MPSC previous year question papers play a very crucial role in your preparation, as through these you will get an idea about the actual format and toughness of the questions asked in the examination of the state of Maharashtra.
Directly download the MPSC Previous Years Question Papers (PYQs) from the official MPSC Website.
Practicing PYQs will give you an idea about the current syllabus, question importance, and time management. Also available at leading educational websites, such as Testbook MPSC Previous Year Papers.
MPSC Solved Papers
MPSC Solved Papers are the gateway to success in MPSC exams. These papers offer a great understanding of the exam format, question toughness level, and weightage of important topics such as history of Maharashtra, geography, polity, and economy.
For getting authentic previous year question papers along with their solutions and analysis, you can refer to the following sources:
Official Question Papers: You can download the official question papers along with answers for different MPSC Advts from the website of MPSC Previous Question Papers.
Topic-Wise Analysis & PDFs: You can download the fully solved previous years’ papers like Prelims and Mains (General Studies and language papers) from the website of Testbook MPSC Previous Year Papers.
Question Bank: You can practice extensively from Drishti IAS Maharashtra State PCS.
Marathi Medium vs English Medium: Which Books Actually Match MPSC’s Exam
There is no one particular book that includes the entire syllabus of MPSC. It is advisable to use a combination of Marathi and English books.
Laxmikanth’s Indian Polity and Kolambe’s Bharatiya Arthavyavastha solve different requirements. Laxmikanth provides knowledge about the constitution to the general public, whereas Kolambe talks about the economy of Maharashtra in Marathi.
Candidates require both the state and national level books for proper preparation.
A similar case applies to Geography and History too. Savadi and Kothare discuss the subjects of Maharashtra, whereas Leong and Bipin Chandra deal with wider issues. MPSC aspirants should know both fields.
MPSC Success Mantra proves beneficial only for starters to get acquainted with the syllabus, not later. Books such as Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh and General Science by Lucent still prove significant as they constantly provide updated information.
Conclusion
To crack MPSC, one needs a judicious blend of the national-level reference books and Maharashtra-based books.
The most effective way is to have the right books for the right subjects and revise them multiple times. One cannot rely on just one book because no book is capable of covering the entire syllabus of MPSC.
However, a correct blend of the aforementioned books will help the aspirant in preparing well for the Prelims, Mains, and Interview phases.
FAQs
The NCERT books are highly beneficial to those students who wish to appear in MPSC examinations. This is because these books comprise topics such as History, Geography, Polity, Economics, and many other important areas related to the MPSC examination.
To help prepare for MPSC completely and at no cost, MPSC Sarathi and MPSC Exam Prep from Sana Edutech are very highly rated. They provide a vast number of test questions in the form of tests and old paper sets in Marathi and English. For current affairs, MPSC Decoded is very much recommended.
Some important books are M. Laxmikanth for Polity, A.B. Savadi for Geography, and Ranjan Kolambe for Economics, along with the textbooks from the Maharashtra State Board for classes 10-12. For cracking the MPSC examination, you should concentrate more on the standard textbooks and question papers of previous years.
Free MPSC study materials, topic-wise notes, and PDFs of reference books can be downloaded from educational websites such as Testbook MPSC Notes and Prepp MPSC Study Notes. For authentic study material, Maharashtra State Board Textbooks can be downloaded from the Testbook State Board Books page.
