How Many Optional Subjects in UPSC

Introduction

There is only 1 optional subject for UPSC candidates. According to the revised syllabus of the UPSC, there are a total of 7 papers, out of which, 5 papers are fixed and mandatory for all aspirants, and 1 subject is optional with 2 papers that can be selected from languages or subjects. A candidate is free to choose one of the optional subjects out of many preferable subjects.

The Optional Subject plays a crucial role as a game-changer for the UPSC candidates. In the Civil Services Main Exam, out of 9 papers, 2 papers are optional, Paper 6th and Paper 7th for the UPSC. Each optional paper has a weightage of 250 marks. So, it is a fact that UPSC optional subjects contain 500 marks out of 2025 marks for all nine papers, which is a huge score. These marks obtained in the optional subjects are evaluated for calculating the Final Merit.

It is necessary to choose the optional subject carefully, as a UPSC aspirant can opt for only one optional subject.

List of the UPSC Optional Subjects

The names of Optional Subjects for the UPSC Main examination are listed below:

1. Agriculture

2. Chemistry

3. Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science

4. Botany

5. Anthropology

6. Civil Engineering

7. Geography

8. Commerce and Accountancy

9. Electrical Engineering

10. Economics

11. Geology

12. Mathematics

13. History

14. Management

15. Law

16. Mechanical Engineering

17. Political Science and International Relations

18. Medical Science

19. Physics

20. Philosophy

21. Psychology

22. Zoology

23. Public Administration

24. Statistics

25. Sociology

The optional subject can also be chosen from the Literature of the following languages:

1. Assamese

2. Bengali

3. Bodo

4. Dogri

5. Gujarati

6. Hindi

7. Kannada

8. Kashmiri

9. Konkani

10. Maithili

11. Malayalam

12. Manipuri

13. Marathi

14. Nepali

15. Odia

16. Punjabi

17. Sanskrit

18. Santhali

19. Sindhi

20. Tamil

21. Telugu

22. Urdu

23. English

Guidelines for Choosing The Optional Subject

There are several Subjects, which are more scoring than the others. It has been observed that the UPSC especially the IAS aspirants have scored more than 320 marks in both non-technical and technical subjects. But it is still important to take the right subject into consideration.

There are a few guidelines that may help in choosing the right optional subject. But, it is always an excellent idea to take guidance from a UPSC expert or teacher.

1. The technical subjects can help you get more marks as their answers are absolute.

2. Humanities like subjects can vary for each person, and there is a chance that the examiner may not preferably take your answer.

3. Check the length of the Subject’s syllabus.

4. According to the time for preparation you have.

5. If you have advanced knowledge of the subject from your graduation level.

6. The coaching and study material must be available for you, for that subject.

7. Check the overlap of the subject with General Studies, it can help you score better.

8. Subjects that have the most overlap with General Studies include Geography, Public Administration, Law, Sociology, History, and Political Science.

9. Lastly, you will have to go through the entire syllabus of the optional subject, so make sure that you have relative interest and knowledge in the subject.

Conclusion

The One Optional Subject has great importance in the Final Merit calculation. It contains two papers, which are known as Paper 1 and Paper 2. Choosing the best optional subject is always beneficial, and it saves your preparation time as well as helps you score more. The Essay paper and General Studies papers are Merit-Oriented. So, if you opt for a lengthy optional subject then, you will have to give more of your time to preparing that subject. Hence, one should choose a subject with the minimum syllabus, relative interest, and which saves time.

Some aspirants may choose their optional subject according to the success ratio, or like what other aspirants are taking. But, it is not the best way to choose. This way has its own shortcomings. A candidate should always keep in mind that the answers and their presentation will be precisely on your terms. So always go for the subject that you are comfortable with.