Best Books for APSC CCE 2025: Prelims and Mains

Introduction to APSC CCE 2025

The APSC CCE or Assam Public Service Commission, Common Competitive Examination is a highly competitive examination conducted by the APSC in Assam. It is often considered one of the most challenging competitive exams in the state, because it is the gateway to a career in the prestigious Assam Civil Services. The details with respect to the APSC CCE SYLLABUS, Exam Cycle, Process and Procedure or Notifications are released by the Assam Public Service Commission only, on its official website.

The APSC CCE 2023 (mains) examination was successfully conducted from July 26 to July 28, 2024. Similarly, the notification for the upcoming examination of APSC CCE 2024 (prelims) will be announced around February-March 2025 tentatively.

Best Books for APSC CCE Prelims 2025

Selecting the right APSC CCE Books is crucial for each stage of the exam, because the Prelims consist of objective-type questions, while the Mains require descriptive answer writing skills. Hence, it is essential for aspirants to be discerning in their choice of books/materials and categorize their reading list into Prelims and Mains preparation materials accordingly. Here is a list of all the important APSC CCE Prelims Books, that one should read to prepare for the exam.

Books for General Studies Paper I

1. NCERT 11th Ancient and Medieval
2. NCERT 12th Modern Indian History OR New NCERTs for History 6th-12th
3. Indian Art & Culture by Nitin Singhania
4. A Brief History of Modern India by Spectrum Books by Rajiv Ahir
5. India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra

Assam Part

1. Assam: From Yandabo to Partition by Priyam Goswami
2. A Comprehensive History of Assam by S.L. Baruah
3. History of Assam by Sir Edward Gait

1. NCERT VI-X Old Syllabus
2. NCERT XI, XII New Syllabus
3. Certificate Physical Geography – G C Leong
4. World Atlas (Orient Black Swan/Arihant)

1. NCERT IX-XII
2. Indian Polity – M Laxmikanth
3. Introduction to the Constitution of India - DD Basu
4. Economic Development & Policies in India – Jain & Ohri

1. Indian Economy by Nitin Singhania
2. The Indian Economy - Sanjiv Verma
3. NCERT XI-XII

1. NCERT Biology- Class XII
2. Environment by Shankar IAS Academy
3. Environment by PMF IAS

1. NCERT Class 6-10 Science
2. Current Affairs Magazine/Newspaper

1. The Assam Tribune
2. The Hindu OR The Indian Express
3. Yojana Magazine
4. Economic and Political Weekly
5. Kurukshetra Magazine
6. Manorama Yearbook
7. Assam Year Book
8. Assampedia by Chinmoy Bordoloi
9. Assam General Knowledge by Sailen Baishya
10. The Assam Tribune Newspaper

Books for General Studies Paper II (CSAT)

1. Tata McGraw Hill CSAT Manual
2. Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning by R S Aggarwal
3. Analytic Reasoning by M K Pandey
4. CSAT Manual – Pearson
5. English For General Competition Vol-1 by Neetu Singh
6. How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for the CAT by Arun Sharma, Meenakshi Upadhyay 

Best Books for APSC CCE Mains 2025

Only those candidates who clear the prelims exam can appear for the Mains exam. The APSC CCE Mains examination includes a total of 6 papers and has a weightage of 1500 marks. And, books for APSC CCE Mains should provide in-depth knowledge of the diverse syllabus, offering a structured approach to learning, cover the latest trends and developments in their respective fields, and help the aspirants understand complex concepts.

Here is a list of all the important APSC CCE Mains Books, that one should read to prepare for the exam.

General Studies Paper I – ESSAY

1. Civil Services Mains Examination: Essay Paper" by Abhishek Kumar
2. Anudeep Durishetty: Fundamentals of Essay and Answer Writing
3. Essays Demystified for UPSC CSE & Competitive Exams: A Comprehensive Guide to Essay Writing in UPSC Exam

General Studies Paper 2 - Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society

1. Ancient India by RS Sharma
2. Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania
3. History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra

1. India after Independence by Bipan Chandra
2. India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra
3. A Brief History of Modern India by Spectrum Books by Rajiv Ahir

1. Sociology NCERT Books Class 11th-12^th
2. Newspapers

1. World Atlas (Orient Black Swan)
2. World Geography by Majid Husain
3. Geography of India by Majid Husain
4. Certificate Physical and Human Geography by G C Leong
5. Fundamentals of Physical Geography NCERT Class 11

General Studies Paper 3 - Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations

1. Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth
2. Indian Governance by M. Laxmikanth
3. Introduction to the Constitution of India by DD Basu

1. International Relations: Pushpesh Pant
2. Newspapers

General Studies Paper 4 - Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management

1. Indian Economy – Nitin Singhania
2. Newspapers

1. Environment by Shankar IAS Academy
2. Current Events- Newspapers

1. Current Affairs Magazine
2. Newspapers

1. Challenges to Internal Security of India by Ashok Kumar
2. Newspapers

1. Environment and Disaster Management by Tata McGraw Hill
2. Newspapers

General Studies Paper 5 - Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude

1. Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude for Civil Services Main Examination by Subba Rao and P.N. Roy Chaudary
2. Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude by Mudit Jain
3. Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude for IAS General Studies

General Studies Paper 6 - History, Culture, Geography, Heritage, Politics, Social Justice, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, International Remedies, Security, Disaster Management of Assam. 

1. Assam: From Yandabo to Partition by Priyam Goswami
2. A Comprehensive History of Assam by S.L. Baruah
3. History of Assam by Sir Edward Gait
4. APSC Mains General Studies Paper 6 by Maniram Sharma & Mahaveer Editorial Board
5. Assampedia by Chinmoy Bordoloi
6. Assam General Knowledge by Sailen Baishya
7. The Assam Tribune Newspaper

Additional Reference Books for APSC CCE 2025

1. Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) CCE (Preliminary Exams) General Studies Previous Years Solved Papers: 1997-2018 (available on APSC website also)
2. APSC Question Bank for ACS/ APS
3. ASSAM PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION MAINS COMBINED COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION: ASSAM PSC CCE 2023-24 MAINS EXAMINATION – by Swapnanil Barua
4. Errorless 12 Previous Year Assam APSC Prelims General Studies Year-wise Solved Paper 1 (1999 - 24) & Paper 2 (2022 - 24) 3rd Edition| PYQs Question Bank | State Public Service Commission by Maniram Sharma
5. APSC book 2025: General Studies Manual for Assam Civil Services Examination |English| 4th Edition| APSC- GS Manual by Raj Kumar Das & Biswajit Dutta

How to Choose the Best Books for APSC CCE 2025

Books for APSC Common Competitive Examination preparation are considered best, when it offers a well-organized and comprehensive coverage of the syllabus. Also, the books should further help the candidates to save time by providing detailed explanations and the required updates with respect to the latest changes in the exam pattern and syllabus. So, here are some of the best books are compiled above, among which you can select whichever suits you best with respect to your aptitude and the respective syllabus of APSC CCE.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About APSC CCE Books

Q1: What are the best books for APSC CCE Prelims?

APSC book 2025: General Studies Manual for Assam Civil Services Examination |English| 4th Edition| APSC- GS Manual by Raj Kumar Das & Biswajit Dutta, Assampedia by Chinmoy Bordoloi, Assam General Knowledge by Sailen Baishya are some of the best books for APSC CCE Prelims. For more you can go through the compiled list of important books, mentioned above.

Q2: How many books are required to cover the APSC CCE syllabus?

It is not about the total number of books an aspirant must follow, but its about the clarity of concepts with respect to the topics mentioned for APSC CCE examination. All the important books are mentioned above.

Q3: Are NCERT books enough for APSC Prelims preparation?

NCERTs are for basic building, it is one of the most important pillars for Civil Services Examination’s preparation. But along with it, the aspirants must cover the important reference books also, for in-depth understanding of the topics given in the syllabus.

Q4: Should I refer to online study material along with books for APSC?

Yes, you can, but in a limited manner. If you have completed the basic books, that are referred for the APSC CCE preparation, role of other online stuffs are minimal.

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