Selecting Right Optional Subject

Selecting the Right Optional Subject for UPSC CSE

What Factors Should Guide Your Optional Choice?

There are several parameters that can help identify the right Optional Subject. However, it is highly unlikely that even the most suitable optional will satisfy every single criterion.

1. Scoring Potential Should Come First

The first and most important consideration should be the comparative ease of scoring in a particular Optional Subject.

It would be incorrect to assume that all UPSC Optional Subjects have the same scoring potential.

1. Around a decade ago, Psychology was the preferred optional among students. Out of approximately 700 selections, around 300–350 candidates had Psychology as their optional.
2. During 2005–06, Public Administration was the popular choice, while Anthropology was the most commonly selected subject during the 1990s.

These trends indicate that the relative popularity and scoring perception of Optional Subjects can change over time.

2. Match the Subject with Your Individual Strengths

No candidate can be equally proficient in every subject. It is therefore important to identify your own strengths and select the option that best suits your abilities.

1. If you possess exceptionally strong writing skills, consider subjects where subjective expression plays an important role, such as Political Science, Sociology, Literature and Public Administration.
2. If writing is not your strongest area but you are comfortable using flowcharts, maps and diagrams, an optional that allows effective diagrammatic representation and map-based answers may be more suitable. Examples include Geography and engineering-related subjects such as Physics.

3. Consider Your Genuine Interest

A subject that you genuinely enjoy studying can make the UPSC preparation journey considerably easier.

You are less likely to become tired of studying a subject you find interesting, and the chances of experiencing monotony are also lower.

However, although personal interest is an important consideration, it should be given priority after subject scorability and your own abilities.

4. Look for GS, Essay and Interview Overlap

An optional becomes more attractive when its content also contributes to preparation for General Studies, Essay or the Interview.

However, simply having overlap is not enough. You should assess:

1. How many marks the subject can potentially contribute across GS, Essay, Interview and other examinations by examining the weightage of its content.
2. How much preparation time it can save, particularly the time that would otherwise be spent studying additional material with comparatively lower relevance.

5. Assess the Size of the Syllabus

The Optional Subject should also be selected according to the time required to complete its syllabus.

From the perspective of the CSE, saving one or two months of preparation time can be highly valuable.

However, this should not become the sole consideration. Saving a month or two is meaningless if choosing a short syllabus ultimately results in losing several years because the subject was unsuitable.

6. Check the Availability of Study Material and Guidance

Before finalising an optional, ensure that there are adequate study resources and reliable guidance available.

Access to sufficient study material and proper guidance from seniors and teachers is an important part of making the right choice.

7. Examine How Dynamic the Subject Is

In general, the lower the dynamism of a subject, the more manageable it is as an optional.

In highly dynamic subjects, the questions may remain similar while the content of the answers needs to be updated every year.

For example:

1. Political Science Paper II, particularly International Relations, is highly dynamic. Almost every aspect of the subject requires regular updating.
2. Sociology and Public Administration also contain dynamic components, although their level of dynamism is lower than Political Science.
3. In subjects such as History, Geography, Literature, Philosophy and Psychology, answers generally do not need to be substantially changed every year.

8. Give Appropriate Weight to Your Academic Background

Academic background is less significant than the other criteria. However, if you have a strong background in a subject and that subject also satisfies the other important criteria for optional selection, your prior background should be given reasonable weightage.

Recommended Priority Order

The hierarchy of these parameters—that is, the priority assigned to each criterion—should ideally follow the same sequence in which they have been discussed above.

Should Competition Influence Your Optional Choice?

Competition should not be used as a criterion for selecting an Optional Subject.

This is because the UPSC CSE Optional examination is not an intra-subject competition. The actual competition exists among candidates across all Optional Subjects.

Furthermore, UPSC does not reserve a fixed number or percentage of selections for individual subjects. There is no rule requiring a particular percentage of candidates to be selected from each optional.

Therefore, perceived competition within a particular subject should not be treated as a valid basis for choosing an optional.

Which Optionals Offer Strong Scoring Potential in English Medium?

One advantage of appearing for the UPSC CSE in English medium is that the scoring pattern does not vary significantly across subjects.

Based on the general trend, the subjects that have the potential to help a candidate reach around 330 marks in the Optional examination, provided they demonstrate immense dedication, include:

How Can You Objectively Assess the Scoring Potential of an Optional?

A useful method for evaluating the scorability of a subject is to exclude unusually high or unusually low scores from your analysis. Such rare marks can distort the overall assessment.

Instead, identify subjects in which more than 300 marks have been secured by students in more than 10 instances cumulatively, rather than looking at this criterion separately for each year.

Keep the Post-2013 Period in Focus

Marks and subject trends from before 2013 should not be used as a reference, because the UPSC Mains examination curriculum changed in 2013.

Therefore, the analysis should incorporate the results from the years following 2013.

Calculate the Average of High Scorers

Finally, calculate the average marks of candidates who scored more than 300 marks in the subject.

This average can provide an indication of a generally achievable score in that Optional Subject, provided the candidate is serious, dedicated and possesses very good writing skills.