Cracking the UPSC Mains: Choosing the Right Optional Subject

Media, R&D Team
Mar 22
3 min read

The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is a marathon, and the Mains exam is a crucial stage. While General Studies papers test your overall awareness, the optional subject is where you can truly score and significantly boost your rank. But with a long list of subjects to choose from, how do you pick the right one? This blog post will guide you through the process of selecting an optional subject that aligns with your strengths, interests, and the demands of the exam. to cracking the UPSC Mains below will help you.

Factors to Consider When Choosing an Optional Subject

Before diving into the list of subjects, consider these factors:-

1. Your Interest:

• This is the most important factor. Choose a subject you truly enjoy learning. You’ll be

spending a lot of ;me with it, so passion is key.

• Consider your academic background and places you’ve always been curious about.

2. Availability of Resources:

• Ensure there’s sufficient study material, coaching (if needed), and guidance available

for the topic.

• Check for standard textbooks, online tools, and reliable mentors.

3. Syllabus Overlap with General Studies:

• Some optional topics have syllabus overlap with GS papers (especially GS 1, 2, and 3).

This can save you ;me and effort in the long run.

• Subjects like Public Administration, Political Science, and Economics have great overlap.

4. Scoring Trends and Success Rate:

• Analyse the past few years’ UPSC results to understand the scoring trends and

success rates of different optional topics.

• However, don’t mindlessly follow trends. Focus on your skills and interests first.

5. Time Commitment:

• Assess the syllabus length and the time needed to prepare for the subject

thoroughly.

• Choose a subject that you can reasonably cover within the available ;me frame.

6. Availability of Guidance:

• Are there teachers and mentors available to help and support you throughout your

preparation?

• Coaching and test series can be helpful for some subjects.

Here’s the table format:

Optional Subject	Perceived Difficulty Level	Pros	Cons
Sociology	Easy to Moderate	Relatively easy to understand, relevant to contemporary society, static syllabus, good availability of resources.	Can be subjective, requires analytical skills, competition is high.
Public Administration	Easy to Moderate	Overlap with GS papers (especially GS 2), readily available resources, relatively static syllabus, helpful in practical administration.	Can be scoring, but requires analytical skills and understanding of current affairs; syllabus is vast.
Anthropology	Moderate	Relatively shorter syllabus compared to other subjects, scoring potential if prepared well, interesting for those with an interest in human evolution and cultures.	Requires understanding of anthropological concepts and theories, limited overlap with GS papers.
Political Science & IR	Moderate	Overlap with GS 2, develops analytical skills, relevant for understanding current events, interesting for those passionate about politics and international relations.	Requires understanding of political theories and concepts, can be subjective, lengthy syllabus.
Literature (any language)	Moderate to Difficult	High scoring potential if you have a strong command of the language and a deep understanding of the literature, allows for creative writing and interpretation.	Requires significant time investment in reading and understanding literary works, can be subjective, limited overlap with GS papers, specific to the language.
History	Moderate to Difficult	Interesting for those with a passion for history, readily available resources.	Syllabus is very vast, requires memorization of facts and dates, can be time-consuming.
Geography	Moderate to Difficult	Overlap with GS 1, interesting for those with an interest in the environment and physical sciences, map-based questions can be scoring.	Syllabus is vast, requires map-reading skills, can be technical.
Economics	Difficult	Overlap with GS 3, relevant for understanding economic issues, develops analytical skills	Requires understanding of economic theories and concepts, can be technical and mathematical, dynamic syllabus.
Mathematics	Difficult	Objective scoring, definite answers, less subjectivity, good for those with a strong mathematical background.	Requires strong mathematical skills and consistent practice, limited overlap with GS papers, challenging for those without a mathematical background.