Books recommended by IITians for JEE Mains and Advanced

Do you want to know the best material out there? Can the books you study from really help you in getting an under 1000 ranks in JEE? Is it possible to secure a good rank just by reading books?

It doesn't matter whether you are planning to prepare solely from books or you are taking coaching classes (as I did). Using the books I've listed will surely give you an edge over others.

Let's find out... 
Almost every book written for JEE claims to be the best book out there in the market. However, I DO NOT AGREE WITH THEM.

It requires a lot of time, effort and dedication to completely solve a book.
These books helped me in flying past the competition, unfortunately not all the books I owned have made it to the list. It's safe to assume that the books not mentioned here are not worth buying and we shouldn't waste any time on that. Your time is precious, and I would advise you to seek help from your seniors or this blog for finding out which books to buy without wasting much of your time. 
Just NEVER EVER buy a book by reading few pages at the book store.

Suggested Article: How to follow your time-table?

Which books should you consider buying?
If you do not go to coaching or planning to prepare for JEE on your own, you will need books for both reading theory and practicing questions. But that doesn't mean YOU BUY ALL THE BOOKS MENTIONED HERE. I've rated the difficulty level of book on a scale of 10, which will help you in deciding what's best for you. For example if you are not good at Physics, you should not give I.E. IRODOV (rated 10 on my scale) a try. 
Similarly, there are other scales. Books which have almost no error/ambiguity in answer keys have got a 10/10 in accuracy department. A score of 9 is good and there is no problem in buying that book.

If you have joined any coaching institute, then you'll only need the books that are built for practicing questions. A lot of the theory part will be taught to you in coaching centers. 

You should not at all hesitate in switching from a poor book (like Indian Edition of University Physics which contains a hell lot of errors) to good book.

DON'T START DAYDREAMING???
At the end you'll find two special books, which a very few people know about but they are worth every penny. This article is very long, but includes everything you should know before making your buying decision. You'll also get answer to a popular question: What to do if I am unable to grasp what's written in books?

A lot of books  recommended for JEE are from foreign authors. They have two things in common. First they all contain excellent theory explanation, Second none of them are written from JEE point of view. However all good books have got a modified version for JEE point of view which I would recommend you to buy.


Concepts of Physics by H.C. Verma

For solving problems
Difficulty: 6

Accuracy: 10
Unless you’re not living under a rock, you must be knowing about this wonderful book. I have also published a detailed review which you can read here. 

Principles of Physics by Resnick and Halliday

For reading theory and strengthening concepts

Conceptual Clarity: 10

The book has a very different approach when it comes to learning, it talks to you as if you’re attending their lecture which will help you in developing interest towards subject. You won’t even require to go through the book again and again, just read the book once and all your concepts are crystal clear. It feels great when you uncover hidden concepts sprinkled throughout the book. This book covers almost all concepts JEE Advanced requires. For all you physics requirements in JEE, HCV and Resnick Halliday forms a perfect match.

Problems in general physics by I.E. Irodov

For solving excellent problems

Difficulty level: 10

Accuracy: 10

If you’re able to solve questions given in H.C. Verma within seconds, then this is the book for you. This book is filled with brain-storming questions which require you to have deep understanding of the subject. However, I found the questions way harder than what JEE Advanced actually requires, but you'll find that your IQ level is improving day by day. Also, you might not be able to solve all the problems given, and that’s why you should go with the solved edition of the book.

Another book of Physics you can go with:

D.C. Pandey- No doubt, this book is excellent and will increase your efficiency of solving problems. It will serve both the purposes, reading theory as well as practicing questions. However, me and my friends found some major conceptual mistakes in some solved questions and to our surprise questions based on similar concept are already asked in JEE Advanced. I would be very happy to recommend this book to all my readers once those mistakes are rectified. However, you can use the book if you go to a coaching institute as they will let you know about the errors. Overall the book is nice.

Next up is Mathematics, and the best part: no matter where you study from, you are going to get results you desired.

Comprehensive Mathematics for JEE Advanced by T.M.H.

For solving problems

Difficulty level: 8

Accuracy: 9

Mathematics is all about practicing, and this book contains a plethora of problems which will be more than sufficient for JEE preparations. I love the fact that different types of problems are classified into different sections and the difficulty level of questions gradually increase from easy to hard. Solving problems asked in JEE mathematics requires you to have an art and that art can be mastered by practicing more and more.

There is no problem in going with other mathematics books by M.L. Khanna, Cengage. All the three book sets I have mentioned will give you sufficient practice for JEE Advanced and opinions of my IITian friends varied on which one is the best. And did I forgot to mention that the questions given in Cengage and Resonance study material are very similar.

Objective Mathematics by R.D. Sharma

For strengthening basics, clearing concepts and solving easy problems

Difficulty level: 5

Conceptual Clarity: 8

Facing difficulties in solving JEE level problems, then this is the book for you. I found the theory to best among all books mentioned above. It acts a good bridge between boards and JEE Mains. Simple questions will help you in memorizing formulas easily PLUS [+] It contains a large number of solved examples, an ideal package for a beginner. I recommend switching to M.L. Khanna, TMH or Cengage as soon as you are clear with basic concepts.

Finally, it's time for Chemistry:

Organic Chemistry by Paula Bruice

For reading theory

Conceptual Clarity: 9

An ideal book for beginners as well as experts. Seriously, you’ll never need to learn mechanisms ever again after going through this book. All your concepts will be crystal clear, you’ll also get reasons to why reactions happens. This book is really long, but still I had pleasure time reading it. However, from practice point of view; I would rather suggest you another book by M.S. Chauhan.

Advanced problems in Organic Chemistry by M.S. Chauhan

For solving problems

Difficulty level: 9

Accuracy: 8

Organic Chemistry is all about mechanisms and practice. This book, contains questions and questions and questions. Authored by an Ex- HOD, Organic Chemistry, Bansal Classes, it contains excellent collection of problems pertaining to JEE Advanced level. But I have only one problem, some questions require those concepts which are not even a part of JEE syllabus.

Physical chemistry for competitions by O.P. Tandon

For clearing basics, reading theory and solving problems

Difficulty level: 7

Accuracy: 9

Do you know that directly 10 questions were asked from O.P. Tandon? You can find those questions here. I would like to call this book; a perfect blend of theory, solved examples and practice questions. It covers a large variety of concepts, which are missing in books by other authors. I am really impressed to see that books by Indian authors now have error free answer keys and almost no conceptual mistake.

Concise Inorganic Chemistry by J.D. Lee

For quick revision and solving questions

Difficulty level: 8

Accuracy: 9

Questions are always asked from N.C.E.R.T. books only in Inorganic Chemistry. However, this subject requires you to mug up lot of things. To memorize things easily, you’ll need to practice questions and that’s where this book comes in handy. You can easily practice and revise inorganic chemistry using this book.

Apart from these, you must have an idea of what type questions are practiced in coaching centers. You can also join various distance learning programmes, and in that case you'll not need to purchase any additional books but they cost a lot more.
Resonance has a large number of students clearing JEE Mains. You might have also heard about Kalpit V. who secured first ever 360/360 in JEE Mains 2017. So, for Mains Resonance Rank Booster is worth considering.

For JEE Advanced, you can go with Vibrant Academy's success package. V.A. is formed by ex-HOD's of Bansal Classes who have a vast experience of teaching. They know JEE inside-out, also the conversion ratio of JEE Mains selected students into JEE Advanced winners in excellent. Almost half of their students (including me) clear JEE Advanced every year with flying colors.

NOTE: The following books are not distance learning programs. And what else do you require, both of them are completely solved for your ease. I would not advise you to go with FITJEE - GMP as it is way harder than JEE Advanced and I found it to be a waste of time.
To have an idea of what kind of questions are asked in examinations, you should practice questions asked earlier in JEE Mains and Advanced. The books listed below are from renowned authors and are completely solved.

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