The UPSC Main Exam includes Optional Subjects and candidates have the freedom to choose their preferred UPSC Optional Subject. The Optional Subject plays a great role in being the score-differentiator for UPSC aspirants. In the UPSC Main exam, out of the nine papers, two papers, Paper VI and Paper VII are based on the UPSC Optional Subject. They are known as UPSC Optional Subject Paper 1 and Optional Subject Paper 2 and carry 250 marks each- adding up to 500/1750 of the total marks. The Optional Subject marks are considered in the final merit.
Since candidates only get to choose one optional subject, the choice must be made cautiously. Read on for the UPSC Optional Subjects List and for a comprehensive guide to choosing the Best Optional Subject for UPSC.
Aspirants get a choice between 48 UPSC Optional Subjects, of which 25 are the core subjects, and 23 are the literature optional subjects. From these, candidates can choose any one. Based on historical trends, some of the most popular UPSC Subjects are history, geography, political science and international relations, public administration, and sociology to name a few.
The UPSC Optional Subjects for the UPSC Main Exam are mentioned below. Click on the links of the UPSC Optional Subjects to get detailed information about the syllabus, preparation strategy and booklist for that optional subject.
Literature of the following languages is also a part of the choice of UPSC Optional Subjects for the UPSC Main Exam. The list is as follows.
Some subjects are more scoring than others. However, IAS toppers have scored 320+ marks in both technical and non-technical subjects. Some subjects are perceived as low scoring because candidates do not put in the requisite effort or have selected an optional subject that isn’t right for them.
Technical subjects (such as Mathematics) can fetch you high marks as the answers are absolute. Unlike humanities subjects, the examiner’s biases or preferences have less of a role to play. However, non-technical subjects, especially those that have some overlap with the GS syllabus, give more preparation time and reading material overall, thus increasing the overall Main score if studied well.
There are many factors to decide which is the best optional subject in UPSC. Before deciding, a candidate must ask themselves the following six questions.
Depending on the answers to the above six questions, a candidate should make an informed decision as to the best UPSC Optional Subject for them.
However, for most aspirants, the top ten UPSC optional subjects include:
The following UPSC Optional subjects are popular among UPSC aspirants from both technical and non-technical because of the high overlap with GS or other parts of the UPSC exam:
UPSC Optional Subjects like Economics, Philosophy, and Agriculture are also good choices.
The following is the Subject-Wise Success Rate of Candidates from 2021 as per the latest UPSC Report.
|
Subject |
No of Candidates Appeared |
No of candidates Selected |
Success Rate |
|
Agriculture |
115 |
12 |
10.4% |
|
Anthropology |
1159 |
90 |
7.8% |
|
Chemistry |
127 |
14 |
11.0% |
|
Commerce and Accountancy |
140 |
21 |
15.0% |
|
Electrical Engineering |
117 |
7 |
6.0% |
|
Geology |
29 |
1 |
3.4% |
|
Law |
180 |
21 |
11.7% |
|
Mathematics |
513 |
50 |
9.7% |
|
Medical Science |
196 |
24 |
12.2% |
|
Physics |
131 |
7 |
5.3% |
|
Psychology |
127 |
15 |
11.8% |
|
Sociology |
1087 |
92 |
8.5% |
|
Animal Husbandry |
18 |
1 |
5.6% |
|
Botany |
32 |
3 |
9.4% |
|
Civil Engineering |
135 |
10 |
7.4% |
|
Economics |
190 |
25 |
13.2% |
|
Geography |
1079 |
66 |
6.1% |
|
History |
574 |
25 |
4.4% |
|
Management |
31 |
5 |
16.1% |
|
Mechanical Engineering |
160 |
11 |
6.9% |
|
Philosophy |
265 |
20 |
7.5% |
|
Political Science and International Relations |
1571 |
140 |
8.9% |
|
Public Administration |
361 |
31 |
8.6% |
|
Statistics |
3 |
0 |
0.0% |
|
Zoology |
56 |
4 |
7.1% |
The following is the Subject- Wise Success Rate of Literature subjects of Candidates from 2021 as per the latest UPSC Report.
|
Optional Subject |
Candidates Appeared |
Candidates Recommended |
Success Rate |
|
English Literature |
27 |
3 |
11.1% |
|
Manipuri Literature |
2 |
1 |
50.0% |
|
Hindi Literature |
211 |
22 |
10.4% |
|
Maithili Literature |
12 |
2 |
16.7% |
|
Punjabi Literature |
15 |
2 |
13.3% |
|
Marathi Literature |
8 |
1 |
12.5% |
|
Gujarati Literature |
32 |
2 |
6.3% |
|
Kannada Literature |
60 |
7 |
11.7% |
|
Bengali Literature |
3 |
0 |
0% |
|
Sindhi (Devanagari) Literature |
2 |
0 |
0% |
|
Tamil Literature |
27 |
2 |
7.4% |
|
Telugu Literature |
20 |
1 |
5.0% |
|
Urdu Literature |
7 |
0 |
0.0% |
|
Sanskrit Literature |
34 |
2 |
5.9% |
|
Malayalam Literature |
74 |
8 |
10.8% |
The UPSC Optional Subjects play a vital role in the UPSC Main Examination, as they make up 500 of the total 2025 marks. If chosen wisely, the 500 marks can make a huge difference in the final marks. The definition of the best UPSC Optional Subject can vary from candidate to candidate based on their educational background. Many students commit to a particular subject based on the toppers’ scores in that subject or because of factors like popularity, availability of study groups, etc. However, you should be careful while choosing an Optional Subject based on such parameters as it may cost you an attempt.
Here are some factors to consider before choosing the best UPSC Optional Subject from the list of options.
Some of the optional subjects like History, Political Science & International Relations, Sociology, Geography, Economics, Public Administration, etc have syllabuses that overlap with the General Studies syllabus in both Prelims and Mains. Hence, choosing these might save you some preparation time.
Since you already have four General Studies papers and an essay paper that are merit-oriented, choosing an optional subject with a lengthy syllabus would mean that you’ll have to dedicate more time for its preparation. Hence, choose a subject whose syllabus you can comfortably cover in the stipulated time.
Some candidates feel a good UPSC optional subject is the one that has a high success ratio in terms of the number of candidates appearing to the recommended candidates.
However, this is only partially true. Your copy is evaluated based on your answer’s comprehensibility. Hence, choose a subject that you are comfortable with, over everything else.
There are 47 optional subjects available, but resources like educators, study materials, and relevant books are limited. Although, with the rise of online education, more resources are accessible from the comfort of your home. Still, you must evaluate the choice of optional subject based on available resources.
Another essential factor to consider while choosing the best UPSC Optional Subject is familiarity. If you have studied a particular subject previously in your graduation or post graduation, choose that. Otherwise, opt for one that you can consistently study without losing interest.
Other than these, factors such as relevance to the civil services job role, a consistent choice of subject among high rankers, scoring potential, and comfortability with the subject may also be considered by candidates while evaluating the optional subjects.
Here’s how you can get your UPSC Optional Subject Preparation started.
This was a brief overview of the UPSC Optional Subjects available for the UPSC Main Examination. Check out the detailed exam syllabus of UPSC here.
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CSAT Test Series CSAT Online Coaching CSAT Study Material CSAT Classroom CoachingThe subjects that cover the maximum PT syllabus or have the highest score-making trend in the past exams can be considered as the easiest optional subjects for UPSC Mains. It can include Public Administration, Sociology, Philosophy, etc Your interest in a subject can also make it the best option for you.
The optional subjects with the highest success rate so far include Commerce and Accountancy, Management, Economics, Medical Science, Chemistry etc.
The Literature subjects with the highest success rate so far include Manipuri, Maithili, Punjabi Literature, etc.
The following optional subjects syllabus overlaps with the GS papers syllabus. This makes them a popular choice amongst candidates from all academic backgrounds. These are public administration, sociology, history, geography, political science and law.
While selecting the optional subject for Mains, candidates should consider their interest in the subject, their aptitude for a particular subject, their background knowledge in the subject and the availability of study material and resources.
NCERT books are a good first step for optional subjects preparation. They help to build conceptual clarity, and a strong foundation. But, they are not enough. Aspirants should refer to other supplementary materials such as the standard reference books, newspapers and magazines and past years papers, in order to get a comprehensive understanding of the syllabus.
UPSC Optional Subjects are the only part of the syllabus a candidate gets to choose. Optional papers combined carry 500 out of the total mains score, i.e. 1750 marks. Hence, if the choice is made correctly, it can greatly raise the candidate's overall merit score. Therefore, it is important to make the choice wisely, based on one's strengths, interests and previous knowledge.
Yes, UPSC allows candidates to select optional subjects different from their graduation stream. Aspirants can select any optional subject of their preference.
Yes, you can choose different UPSC optional subjects in different attempts. However, make this choice carefully as covering the new syllabus will take a lot of extra time and effort.
No, UPSC does not give preference to any particular optional subject. Answers are simply evaluated based on their quality. All UPSC subjects are considered equal by UPSC, and are evaluated neutrally.
