Selecting an optional subject for the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is a crucial decision that can significantly influence your final rank. Though its weightage has reduced since the Mains syllabus revision, it still accounts for 500 marks (Paper I & II) — which is often decisive in one’s final selection.
Aspirants often get confused between their academic background, personal interest, scoring trends, and the advice of peers or coaching institutes. This blog attempts to demystify this decision-making process with an evidence-backed, structured approach.
Why Is the Optional Subject Important in UPSC CSE?
- Contributes 500 out of 1750 marks in UPSC Mains.
- Acts as a rank-booster, with many toppers securing top ranks due to strong optional marks.
- Can influence interview discussions if related to one’s DAF (Detailed Application Form).
- Decides how much time you spend for other subjects.
Example:
AIR 1 (2022) Shruti Sharma — Chose History despite being a sociology graduate because of deep personal interest and essay integration potential.
Factors to Consider While Choosing the UPSC Optional (Evidence-Based)
1. Interest and Aptitude:
UPSC data and topper interviews repeatedly confirm that personal interest improves consistency, retention, and writing quality.
According to Delhi Knowledge Track aspirant survey 2023:
78% of top 100 rankers felt interest mattered more than background.
Tip: Go through the syllabus and previous 3 years’ papers and marks being awarded before deciding.
2. Availability of Resources and Mentorship
Ensure quality material, test series, and guidance are available.
Some optionals like Anthropology, PSIR, Sociology, and Geography have abundant resources and online communities.
Also see if you have right peer group. For example, if you take literature papers, the availabilty of peer group might be less.
Example:
PSIR consistently sees a high number of selections due to both scoring potential , test series availability and mentorship availability . Also remember that the aspirants who take PSIR are also high in number.
3 .Overlap with General Studies and Essay:
Subjects like Anthropology, Sociology, PSIR, Public Administration,History, and Geography overlap with GS and Essay.
This reduces overall preparation burden. However, aspirants need to remember that many students write optional content and explicit optional bias in essay, GS and ethics papers. Reference is good but not imitation. Optional should be treated seperately.
Around 65% of top 50 UPSC rankers in 2022 chose optionals overlapping with GS syllabus.
4. Scoring Trends and Consistency
While UPSC ensures moderation and rationalisation od scores, some subjects see consistent scoring trends. Literature papers if dealt rightly can help the aspirant score 280s.
Example:
Anthropology, PSIR, and Sociology have shown stable high-scoring patterns in the last 5 years. Public Administration, History and Geography was heavily dealt despite few AIR-1s.
Caution: Avoid choosing solely on recent trends — UPSC has a history of balancing scores across years.
5. Length of the Syllabus and Revision Feasibility
Optionals like Philosophy or Anthropology have relatively shorter, well-defined syllabi.
History, Law, and Literature subjects are comparatively vast and need more time. These subjects are so absobing that they wont give much time to other GS subjects.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Blindly following toppers or coaching institute recommendations.
Choosing based on perceived ‘scoring’ nature without assessing personal interest.
Ignoring syllabus length and resource availability.
How Toppers Chose Their Optionals: An Analysis
| Name | Year | Optional | Reason |
| Shruti Sharma (AIR 1) | 2022 | History | Deep personal interest + GS overlap |
| Ankita Agarwal (AIR 2) | 2021 | PSIR | GS overlap + good mentorship availability |
| Junaid Ahmad (AIR 3) | 2018 | Geography | Syllabus familiarity + map-based advantage |
| Chaitanya Jadhav(AIR 68) | 2024 | Anthropology | Concise syllabus, deep personal interest, good test series |
| Sai Vinod (AIR 577) | 2024 | Mathematics | IIT background and personal interest |
Checklist Before Finalizing Your Optional
- Do I enjoy reading this subject beyond exams?
- Is the syllabus manageable and interesting to me?
- Are quality resources, test series, and mentorship easily available?
- Does it offer overlap with GS/Essay?
- How have scoring trends behaved — without relying solely on them?
Conclusion
There’s no universally ‘best’ optional for UPSC — the best one is what aligns with your interest, resource accessibility, GS overlap, and aptitude. Evidence from topper strategies and UPSC trends makes it clear that sustained interest and consistent practice, more than scoring myths, determine final success.
Advice: Take a week, go through 2-3 shortlisted syllabi and past papers, and attempt a few answers before deciding.
Final Thought:
Choosing an optional isn’t a lottery. It’s a strategic, self-aware decision — and with the right balance of interest, practicality, and discipline, any optional can be scoring.
Here is the video of Dr. Rambabu Sir on how to choose optional for UPSC:
For more such preparation strategies, you can read here: https://laex.in/category/preparation-strategy/
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