Books for GATE Civil Engineering | Explore Best Books for GATE 2023

To have an extra edge in the GATE exam it is always advisable to go through some of the best books during preparation. This gives extra confidence to solve difficult or new questions that could show up in the GATE exam. In this blog, we have discussed the best books out there for preparation.

Best Books for GATE Civil Engineering

Subject Wise Books for Preparation

In this section, the best books for preparing each subject have been listed.

1. Strenght of Materials

The strength of materials is the best subject to start the preparation. Below listed are the top books that portray the subject in an easily understandable way.

1. Mechanics of Materials by James M. Gere

2. Mechanics of Materials by Beer and Johnston

3. Strength of Materials by SS Bhavikatt

2. Fluid Mechanics

Fluid mechanics also forms the basics of civil engineering. Covering the subject at first is advisable. Listed below are the best books to cover the subject.

1. Fluid Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications by John Cimbala and Yunus Cengel

2. Fox and McDonald's Introduction to Fluid Mechanics by Philip J. Pritchard

3. Hydraulics & Fluid Mechanics by Modi and Seth

3. Soil Mechanics

Soil mechanics has the highest weightage of all subjects. Listed below are the top books for preparing the subject with ease.

1. Basic and Applied Soil Mechanics by A. S. R. Rao & Gopal Ranjan

2. Soil Mechanics by A. Aysen

3. Soil Mechanics by Braja M. Das

4. Highway & Transportation Engineering

Highway engineering also has an equal weightage compared to soil mechanics. Here are the best books to prepare the subject.

1. Fundamentals of Traffic Flow by Adolf D. May

2. Highway Engineering by Khanna and Justo

3. Railway Engineering by S. C. Saxena

5. Water and Waste Water Engineering

Listed below are the best books that cover the most important topics of the subject in detail.

1. Waste Water Engineering by Metcalf and Eddy

2. Sewage Waste Disposal and Air Pollution Engineering by SK Garg

3. Wastewater Engineering by B. C. Punmia

4. Water Supply Engineering by SK Garg

6. Surveying

Surveying is one of the easiest subjects to prepare. Listed below are the best books to prepare.

1. Surveying by B. C. Punmia

2. Engineering Surveying by W. Schofield

7. Irrigation Engineering

Listed below are the top books that portray the subject in an easily understandable manner.

1. Irrigation Engineering and Hydraulic Structures by SK Garg

2. Irrigation and Drainage Engineering by Peter Waller and Muluneh Yitayew​

8. Engineering Hydrology & Open Channel Flow

Engineering hydrology and open channel flow are some of the minor topics that are actually extensions of fluid mechanics. Listed below are the best books to cover the same.

1. Applied Hydrology by Ven Te Chow

2. Engineering Hydrology by K. Subramanya

9. Design of Steel Structures

It is one of the minor subjects that have very little weightage. Still covering the subject will be helpful in understanding the topic in depth. Here are the best books to cover the same.

1. Design of Steel Structures by SS Bhavikatti

2. Design of Steel Structures by S. K. Duggal

10. Design of Reinforced Concrete

Similar to the design of steel structures this too is a minor subject. Still gaining some in-depth knowledge could be helpful in a post-graduate degree in structures. Here is the list of books.

1. Design of Reinforced Concrete by Devdas Menon

2. R.C.C. Design by PC Punmia

With these, all the books that are required for preparation have been shared. Still referring to books at first might be confusing and could be an information overload. All the tips for self-preparation have already been shared in our previous blog GATE 2023 Self Study, do check that out.

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