Aligarh Muslim University conducts its own admission tests for many courses, and uses CUET (UG) scores for some others. Each test has its own syllabus. So the first step is not a book, it is the official syllabus. Below is a list of standard books that students commonly use, grouped by section.
Step 1: Read the official syllabus
The Controller of Examinations publishes the syllabus of admission tests and the Guide to Admissions on amucontrollerexams.com. Note which sections your test has (for example subject knowledge, general awareness, English, reasoning) and the weight of each. Our AMU admission 2026-27 guide explains which courses use AMU tests and which use CUET.
Subject knowledge
- NCERT textbooks. Class 9 and 10 books for school-level tests such as Class 11 admission. Class 11 and 12 books for undergraduate tests in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, History, Political Science, Economics and other subjects.
- CUET (UG) courses. For courses admitted through CUET, the domain subject papers follow the Class 12 syllabus, so NCERT Class 12 books are the base.
General knowledge and current affairs
- Lucent’s General Knowledge for static GK: history, geography, polity, economy and science.
- Manorama Yearbook (latest edition) for facts and figures.
- A daily newspaper and a monthly current affairs magazine for the last 6 to 12 months of news.
- AMU-specific facts often help in general awareness sections. Read our interesting facts about AMU.
English
- High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin for grammar.
- Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis for vocabulary.
Reasoning and aptitude
- A Modern Approach to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal.
- Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by R.S. Aggarwal, for tests that have a numerical ability section.
Previous years’ papers
Books build knowledge, but past papers show you the pattern, the level and the time pressure. Solve them under timed conditions. See our page on AMU previous years’ question papers.
A simple plan
- Download the syllabus and mark every topic.
- Finish NCERT books for your subjects first.
- Add 30 minutes of GK and current affairs every day.
- From the last month, solve one past paper a week and revise weak topics.
Note: The Aligarian has no tie-up with any publisher. Always buy the latest edition, and check the syllabus again when AMU releases the new Guide to Admissions.
