Should I switch to Spectrum after already studying Grover & Mehta? Feeling stuck with content gaps
Hi everyone I’m looking for some advice regarding Modern History.
I studied Modern History from E.Senaiah Sir, and he recommended doing the NCERTs, A New Look at Modern Indian History by B.L. Grover & Alka Mehta, and Bipan Chandra.
I’ve completed the NCERTs and have read more than half of Grover & Mehta. However, while solving PYQs, especially from the Gandhian phase, I realised that I’m struggling with content. I feel like I understand the events, but I don’t have enough points/content to construct a good UPSC Mains answer.
So I picked up Spectrum to see what I was missing, and honestly... I really like how comprehensively it covers the topics. It feels much more directly useful for PYQs and answer writing.
Now I’m stuck.
I’ve already invested a lot of time in Grover & Mehta, and I’m worried that if I start Spectrum properly from the beginning, I’ll have to spend a lot more time on Modern History and mess up my further deadlines.
At the same time, the content in Spectrum is exactly what I feel I’m lacking.
I’d especially appreciate advice from people who have actually written UPSC Mains and/or used these sources. I’m really confused about whether I’m overthinking this or whether switching sources at this stage would actually be beneficial.
Thanks!
Posted Aug 13, 2026, 4:56 PM UTC