The Ultimate Reading List for UPSC Zoology for IAS & IFS Main

Zoology is a popular optional subject among the UPSC aspirants. It has a reasonably sized syllabus which can be mastered with limited efforts. Besides, Zoology has a reputation of being a scoring subject. For the 30 years, Zoology has consistently been an optional subject of choice among the graduates of Zoology, Life Sciences, Biotechnology, Medicine, Microbiology, Biochemistry and Pharmacy. As a second optional for the IFS Examination, it is also taken by the students of Botany and Veterinary Science.

A large number of UPSC CSE and IFS toppers have taken this optional in the past. This makes it a popular choice among students looking to score in the upper range of their UPSC exam.

Evolution’s course for Zoology optional is considered as the best in the country.

Every year, nearly 83% of the Zoology selections in IAS & IFS are from Evolution. Top Rankers like Rachit Raj (Rank 3, IAS 2013), Dr. Arun Thambhuraj (Rank 6, IAS 2012), Dr. Adapa Karthik (Rank 1, IAS 2007), Dr. Amit Saini (Rank 2, IAS 2006), Dr. Basant Garg (Rank 2, IAS 2004), have all been trained by us for Zoology optional.

Here, we are suggesting you the books that will be very useful for Zoology optional. The books will help you build concepts and equip you with the latest information. They will provide a great base to prepare answers for any questions that you may encounter.

Books to build basic concepts

1. Animal Biology and General Biology related chapters in NCERT Biology chapters for Std. XI and XII
2. Wiley's Textbook of Zoology for NEET and other Medical Entrance Examinations: This is an excellent text touching most of the areas of the syllabus but at a basic level and not up to the level expected by the UPSC Examinations.

Before you read any further

These books are not needed for those students who will join our course for Zoology

Do not read any further if you are planning to join Evolution’s course for Zoology optional. If you join this course, you would not need any of the advanced level books which we are enlisting below.

The class-notes and material associated with this course will contain well-edited relevant facts and concepts from these books and many more advanced sources not listed here.

But, if you are planning to prepare Zoology by self-study, then these are the books you should go for. As mentioned earlier, they will help you with the right information and concepts to prepare Zoology well.

There is no preparation without making notes

Making notes is critically important to your success as a student. They help you to concisely organize the large volume of information you are expected to learn in an easy to revise format. Additionally, by making notes you develop a better understanding of the subject matter. The topics for which you make notes, you tend to retain them much better. Therefore, taking notes is an integral and unescapable part of your preparation.

You do not need to read any of these books end-to-end

To prepare for the Civil Services Examination or IFS Zoology, it is important to refer to the syllabus and then examine the previously asked questions. This will give you an idea of the scope of topics that are covered in the examination. Once you have a sense of the topics, you can prepare a detailed list of topics and subtopics. Then, you need to read selectively from the prescribed books to cover all topics and subtopics.

List of books

Books for Zoology Paper 1

1. Invertebrate Zoology: Invertebrate Zoology by P S Verma and E L Jordon
2. Chordate Zoology: Chordate Zoology by P S Verma and E L Jordon
3. Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates: Vertebrates Comparative Anatomy, Function, Evolution by K. Kardong
4. Ecology: Ecology and Environment by Dr. P.D. Sharma
5. Ethology: Animal Behaviour (Ethology) by Agarwal V.K.
6. Economic Zoology: Applied And Economic Zoology by Dr. V. B. Upadhyay and Dr. G. S. Shukla
7. Bioinstrumentation: Bioinstrumentation by Bhawana Pandey and M.H. Fulekar
8. Biostatistics: Fundamentals of Biostatistics by Veer Bala Rastogi

Books for Zoology Paper 2

1. Cell Biology: Karp's Cell Biology by Karp Gerald
2. Genetics: Concepts of Genetics by Klug and Cummings
3. Evolutionary Biology: Organic Evolution by Veer Bala Rastogi
4. Biochemistry: Biochemistry by U. Satyanarayana
5. Animal Physiology (with special reference to mammals): Tortora's Principles of Anatomy and Physiology
6. ‍Developmental Biology: Developmental Biology by Scott F. Gilbert