Preparing for the UPSC Optional Subject: Strategy, Time and Resources
How Should You Approach Optional Preparation?
The final preparation strategy should be decided by you, based on your individual circumstances. One suitable approach is to complete the entire GS syllabus once and then select the Optional Subject that best suits you.
You can prepare for different components simultaneously—GS, Essay and Optional—or follow a pipelined approach, completing one component before moving to another.
- Both approaches can work, provided that you complete the entire Optional syllabus before appearing for the UPSC Prelims.
- Completing the syllabus alone is not sufficient. You should also have practised answer writing for your Optional Subject before Prelims.
Objective vs Subjective Optionals: Which Suits You Better?
The distinction between objective and subjective subjects is based on the nature of answers expected.
Objective Subjects
An objective subject is largely factual and generally has one fixed or correct answer. Mathematics, Physics and, to some extent, Geography fall under this category.
- Candidates who do not have strong writing or creative-thinking abilities may consider engineering or science subjects.
- Geography can also be useful because several questions in Geography Paper I can be effectively addressed through maps, diagrams and flowcharts.
Subjective Subjects
A subjective subject allows more than one possible or appropriate interpretation or answer. Political Science, Sociology, Anthropology and Literature, among others, are relatively subjective subjects.
- Candidates with exceptionally strong writing and linguistic abilities, along with a good understanding of the humanities, should consider subjective subjects for their Optional.
Which Type Scores Better?
Neither objective nor subjective subjects have an inherently higher marking pattern than the other.
Both categories offer an equal possibility of securing good marks. Therefore, this distinction should not be treated as an absolute selection criterion. Its relevance depends primarily on how well the nature of the subject matches your individual strengths.
How Much Time Does an Optional Subject Require?
Different subjects vary in their breadth and depth.
For example:
- Philosophy has relatively less breadth but considerable depth.
- History has enormous breadth, with greater length and width but comparatively less depth.
Once depth is also taken into account, the overall time required to completely study different Optional Subjects becomes broadly similar.
Approximate Time Requirement
A complete study of an Optional Subject generally requires around 120 classes of 2.5 hours each, amounting to approximately 300 hours of classroom study.
However, these 300 hours do not include answer-writing practice based on Previous Year Questions (PYQs).
- Including answer-writing practice, the total requirement rises to around 400 hours.
- If we additionally consider revision, answer writing, basic conceptual understanding, PYQs, mock papers and preparation of short notes, around 700–1000 hours may be required in total to perform exceptionally well in the Optional examination.
How Should This Time Be Distributed?
If you are preparing only for the Optional Subject and can devote 10 hours a day, approximately 100 days should be sufficient to complete all these processes.
However, if you are simultaneously preparing for GS, Essay and other components and can devote around 2.5–3 hours daily to the Optional, you may need approximately 250 days.
A practical approach would therefore be to:
- Spend around 2–3 months focusing exclusively on the Optional Subject.
- Thereafter, devote around 1 hour every day to revision, answer writing and related practice.
Can You Clear the Optional Through Self-Study?
Yes. It is possible to clear the Optional examination through self-study.
If you are preparing without formal guidance or coaching, the following measures can help:
- Identify the institute that provides the best coaching for your chosen Optional Subject and obtain its notes.
- Practise using the mock-test papers of institutes specialising in your subject.
- Find at least one person who can evaluate your answers and provide feedback.
Choosing Subjects, Sources and Efficient Preparation
Are Literature Optionals a Good Choice for English-Medium Candidates?
For candidates appearing in English medium, Literature subjects can be highly scorable in the Optional examination.
One reason, although somewhat unusual, is that answer scripts are evaluated by subject experts, and there is a perception that in regional Literature subjects, the approach of helping candidates who have opted for regional literature tends to prevail.
Regional Literature: A Subjective Advantage
Regional Literature is particularly subjective in nature, especially in Paper II.
Even when you are unsure about the exact answer, you may make reasonable guesses and construct your response accordingly, which can potentially work in your favour.
The Main Limitation: Guidance
A major difficulty with choosing a regional Literature subject is access to guidance from subject experts.
If you are able to obtain appropriate expert guidance, however, selecting such a subject can be highly beneficial.
What Should Engineering Graduates Consider?
The recent performance trend of engineering Optional Subjects has been neither exceptionally strong nor particularly weak. They have generally produced average results.
Candidates who are very strong in their engineering subjects have scored around 310–320 marks.
When Should You Choose Your Engineering Subject?
If the subject you studied during graduation is directly available among the UPSC Optional Subjects, such as Civil Engineering, you can consider choosing it, provided you keep in mind that the average high scoring potential has been around 310–320 marks.
However, if you did not study your graduation subject well and would need an additional 4–6 months of preparation to make it suitable for the Optional, it is advisable to consider a subject that also forms part of the GS Mains syllabus.
Alternatives for Engineers
If an engineering graduate does not want to select an engineering subject and also does not possess particularly strong linguistic or writing skills, Geography can be an appropriate Optional.
Anthropology can also be a suitable choice because of its close connection with Science. Moreover, Physical Anthropology has a relatively more objective character.
Is Law a Good Optional for Law Graduates?
Like engineering subjects, Law has generally produced average results, rather than consistently exceptional or poor results.
If you do not want to continue with Law as your Optional, Political Science can be the best alternative for a candidate with a Law background.
The two subjects have common areas, particularly Jurisprudence and the Constitution, making Political Science a natural transition from Law.
Should NCERTs Be the First Step for Optional Preparation?
Starting with NCERT books can provide two major advantages.
1. They Strengthen the Basics
NCERTs help clarify fundamental concepts.
Higher-level UPSC books may contain all the relevant advanced content, but their treatment may not always explain the basic concepts in sufficient detail.
Building the foundation through NCERTs can therefore make subsequent preparation much easier.
2. They Teach Concise Answer Presentation
One of the major challenges in the UPSC Mains is expressing your answer within approximately 200–250 words.
Writing such an answer can be difficult, particularly when the same subject could be explained in around 600 words.
The older NCERT books are highly precise and concise. Reading them can help aspirants understand how to communicate substantial content effectively within a limited word count, which is an important skill for Mains answer writing.
When Can You Skip NCERTs?
If you have not studied NCERTs but are satisfied with your existing preparation, going back to them is not an essential requirement.
