Rachit Kumar SaxenaManager-Editorial
Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) conducts the HCS (Exe.) Branch exam every year to recruit the candidates for its state civil services. The Haryana Civil Service (HCS) is the topmost state service. The candidates prepare for the HCS exam round the year to get selected in the HCS exam. The HCS exam is a three-stage examination. The candidate needs to qualify in each stage to get selected in the exam.
The HCS preliminary exam is a screening exam and the marks secured in the prelims exam are not considered for the final merit list but the passing percentage of the HCS prelims is very low and most of the candidates fail in this exam.
The HCS syllabus is akin to the IAS syllabus and almost all the components are same except the addition of the Haryana centric General Knowledge topics and the current events. The candidates need to keep in mind that the HCS is the state civil services exam and hence it requires more factual information than the analysis counterpart.
See here: HPSC HCS Syllabus
The important books for the HCS exam are more or less similar to the IAS exam. Besides those books, some specific books related to the Haryana’s history and geographical features of Haryana. The candidates need to lay stress on the local folklores of the state.
The HCS prelims exam can also ask the state-specific dance forms, language, specific tribes living in the state. The candidates need to prepare about the details of state administrative structure and the local government system prevailing in the state. The candidates need to prepare about the various personalities who were very prominent in the state's development and contributed to the nation-building.
The HCS syllabus also clearly mention the topics for the official HCS syllabus notified in the HCS notification each year.
The following is the list of section-wise books for the HCS exam. The candidates can go through the books and check whether the questions asked in the previous year question papers can be covered from these books.
General Science
General Science means the scientific principles applicable to the day to day life. The application part needs to be prepared for the HCS exam. The General Science topics will include the topics from Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
The candidates need to prepare the fundamental topics of the above-mentioned subjects and to prepare these topics, NCERT books are the best option. To expand the horizon and linking it with the present conditions and happening around the world, constant updating is required.
Special edition of any monthly current affairs magazine will suffice. If still, the candidate requires enhancing his or her knowledge, the candidate can refer to the following books.
- Lucent General Science
- Science and technology by Ravi P Agrahari
Current Affairs
For current affairs, the candidate needs to read the monthly current affairs magazine and the daily newspaper is a must. For covering the contemporary topics, the candidates can refer to Rajya Sabha TV, DD news and the likes.
History of India and Indian National Movement.
The candidates are expected to have a broad idea of historical events. The candidates need to prepare the Indian National Movement thoroughly and the events specifically related to the Mahatma Gandhi and Jawahar Lal Nehru.
The candidates refer to the NCERT books of History for all the important History topics to get authentic information.
In addition to the NCERT books, the candidates can also refer to the following
- A Brief History of Modern India- Spectrum
- India’s Struggle for Independence–Bipan Chandra
- History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra
Indian and World Geography
The HCS prelims ask about the factual information of the geographical features. The candidates need to learn and revise the factual information related to India and the world.
NCERT books are very important to understand geographical concepts. For factual information, the candidates can refer to the following books.
Geography-following.Comprehensive Study by Mahesh Kumar Barnwal
Indian Culture, Indian Polity and Indian Economy
This section is very much dependent on the NCERT books. The Indian Culture topics can be prepared from the Indian Society NCERT books. The candidates can refer to the Indian Economic Development, Macro Economics and Micro Economics for the fundamental structure of the Indian Economy.
Besides this, the candidate needs to monitor the latest economic news through the newspaper and monthly magazine.
For Indian Polity, there are two books.
- Indian Polity by M Laxmikant
- Constitution of India
Facts related to Haryana
The candidates should refer to the books specifically written about the Haryana’s General Knowledge facts. There are two-three books which are important and the candidates can study from these books.
- Know your state by Arihant Publications
- Haryana Samanya Gyaan by Spectrum
These books can also help in the Main exam preparation.
See here: HCS exam dates
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