Last updated: October 2026
This guide lists the standard books for Civil Engineering for the ISRO Scientist/Engineer exam and GATE CE, subject by subject. Heavy civil engineering textbooks are best approached after you have understood the basic concepts from video lectures or a short course, so that you can follow the language of the book.
Please note: These are suggestions based on widely used standard texts. Syllabus and editions change, so confirm the syllabus in the current notification on isro.gov.in and use the latest edition where one exists.
In this guide
1. How to use a standard book
- Treat reference books like dictionaries. Do not read them cover to cover. Use them for the topics your lectures left unclear and for the unsolved problems at the end of each chapter.
- Prefer workbooks and previous year questions to long textbook reading. For EE and ECE, time spent solving problems pays more than time spent reading theory.
- One main book per subject. Do not buy three books for the same subject.
- Finish every chapter by solving its ISRO questions on the ISRO Civil PYQ page.
2. Subject-wise standard books
| Subject | Main books | Also useful |
|---|---|---|
| Strength of Materials | H.J. Shah and S.B. Junnarkar | B.C. Punmia |
| Structural Analysis | S. Ramamrutham; R.C. Hibbeler | - |
| Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) | B.C. Punmia; Ashok Kumar Jain and Arun Kumar Jain; P.C. Varghese | - |
| Prestressed Concrete | N. Krishna Raju | - |
| Steel Structures | S.K. Duggal; N. Subramanian | NPTEL course on steel structures by Prof. Damodar Maity (IIT Kharagpur) |
| Geotechnical Engineering | Gopal Ranjan and A.S.R. Rao (best overall); V.N.S. Murthy | - |
| Fluid Mechanics and Open Channel Flow | R.K. Bansal (numericals); K. Subramanya (highly recommended) | - |
| Environmental Engineering | S.K. Duggal; S.K. Garg | - |
| Highway and Transportation | Khanna and Justo; S.C. Rangwala | - |
| Hydrology and Irrigation | K. Subramanya (hydrology); S.K. Garg (irrigation) | - |
| Surveying and Geomatics | B.C. Punmia | - |
| Engineering Mathematics | B.S. Grewal | - |
3. ISRO Civil papers on CMB Space
The ISRO Civil paper of 2023 (95 questions) is available on CMB Space at the ISRO Civil 2023 page. It combines civil subjects with aptitude. For example:
- Question 55 asks about the factors that control highway alignment (see Khanna and Justo).
- Question 16 is a chain surveying problem on correction for a chain of incorrect length (see B.C. Punmia).
- Question 89 is an aptitude puzzle on symbol transformation, which needs reasoning practice rather than a civil text.
Because only one ISRO Civil paper is available so far, also practise the civil questions of GATE and ESE-type objective banks to cover the full syllabus.
4. A suggested study order
- Engineering Mathematics and Strength of Materials, then Structural Analysis.
- RCC, steel structures and prestressed concrete, which build on structural analysis.
- Fluid Mechanics, hydrology and irrigation together.
- Geotechnical engineering, with its own definitions and formulae.
- Environmental, highway and surveying, which are descriptive and suit revision.
- Aptitude daily, for 20 to 30 minutes.
This order is a suggestion and should be adjusted to your strengths.
5. Free resources
- NPTEL (nptel.ac.in) has full IIT lecture courses on almost every subject in the table. For example, Prof. Damodar Maity (IIT Kharagpur) teaches steel structures.
- Previous year questions: ISRO Civil papers.
- Related guides: Standard Books for ISRO and GATE (all branches) and How to Prepare for ISRO ICRB 2026.
- Discussion and doubts: the Civil Engineering community channel.
Frequently asked questions
Which book is best for Geotechnical Engineering?
Gopal Ranjan and A.S.R. Rao is widely considered the best overall. V.N.S. Murthy is a good alternative.
Should I start with a textbook or a video course?
Start with a short video course or lectures to understand the language of the subject, then use the textbook for depth and numericals.
Is there an ISRO Civil paper to practise?
Yes, the 2023 paper is available free on CMB Space, with more papers to be added.