Selecting the appropriate optional subject for the UPSC civil services examination is one such decision that has an impact on the success of an aspirant. With the number of 48 optional subjects, it is quite easy to make the wrong choice and affect your preparation. In this article, we will present the Top 10 Optional Subjects for UPSC, pros and cons & success rate. Moreover, we would bring to light how a reputed coaching institution like Plutus IAS, with its experienced faculty, helps aspirants in mastering these subjects.
1. Sociology
The thing with sociology is, its syllabus is very short, not just compared to all other subjects, even has a fair amount of intersection with other papers in the General Studies, like Paper 1, Essay, and Ethics. It is thus conceptually easy for those who are not from an arts background. However, what one requires in terms of scoring well is a necessary sociological imagination and really good answer-writing skills. Huma Ma’am-at Plutus IAS, a favorite among all, has studied many aspirants through her personalized ways of teaching to get the core sociological concept and hone their answer writing-that led to wonderful results.
2. Geography
Geography is chosen by both science and arts students. Logical and scientific, it overlaps to a large degree with GS Papers 1 and 3. Diagrams plus maps can be a hurdle, but can make it source-rich. Its extensive syllabus, particularly physical geography, can tend to haunt, but this subject still makes one of the most preferred optional papers that fare quite well when the preparation is thorough.
3. Anthropology
Anthropology has a short and fairly concrete syllabus. It has a good overlap with GS & Essay, but particularly scores high in the general elective. Disadvantages are mainly a lack of resources and specialization. But it has been scoring very well, particularly in the hands of aspirants taking the exam for the first time.
4. Public Administration
Administration speaks volumes on subjects that come very close to the work of civil servants, bringing in many governance issues found in GS paper 2 and Ethics. Thus, the subject is a natural choice for candidates who are inclined towards administration. An erratic recent marking scheme deterred some students. Nevertheless, with answers mapped to this subject, success mostly comes along in Public Administration.
5. Political Science & International Relations (PSIR)
PSIR is a chosen optional yet because it holds major overlap with GS Paper 2 and the Essay, and even the Interview stage. The availability of quality study material and the use of current affairs further strengthen its viability. It is quite abstract in terms of political theory and requires a sound understanding. Generally, it remains on top, often chosen by the toppers.
6. History
There is still the classical appeal of history for some people who love a good story and facts. Strongly lends itself to GS Paper 1 and to the Essay. It is, however, extremely factual with a vast syllabus and calls for a lot of memory work. Aside from these, real hard and continuous preparation should shine for dedicated students.
7. Economics
Economics is becoming a fast favourite amongst candidates having some background in commerce or economics. The subject has a large intersection with GS Paper 3 and complements a lot the coverage on several current economic issues. Plutus IAS is helping a huge number, but also has to offer well well-methodological approach.
8. Philosophy
This syllabus is one of those selective electives. If full moon day has come for philosophy, it must have a syllabus for which maturity is required to write and comprehend the contents due to its abstract and conceptual nature. It gives that extra mileage to aspirants with regard to Ethics and Essay. For those who derive joy from reading and spend a lot of time in contemplation, this subject would pay off very well. It has been recording very high success rates concerning candidates who understand its themes and logic.
9. Psychology
Psychology is an extremely scientific and captivating subject, and talents would prove invaluable not only during GS but also in the Essay as well as eventually at the personality test. It is all about understanding human behavior- his theories,s and real-life applicability. The syllabus is pretty fair, maybe demands a wee bit of scientific temperament, but not much at all.
10. Subject of Literature (English, Hindi, etc.)
In other words, one of the ‘underindustrialized’ subjects may be that of literature, English, Hindi, or any language, much unrevealed in terms. These subjects can be very propitious for students with having interest in languages. Usually, these subjects bear a well-scoped syllabus, thus providing opportunities to demonstrate creativity and a depth of understanding. However, this requires highly proficient command over the language, and coaching and reference materials might not provide much assistance. That said, students who have confidence in their literacy skills have reported getting very high rates of success.
Guidance through coaching is very fruitful. For instance, as of now, Plutus IAS has all its guidance, pre-planned study schedule, and its highly experienced faculty members to favor personal coaching like Huma Ma’am (Sociology) and innovative teaching practitioners like Pratik Tripathi Sir (Economics), who provide expertise and rendering support in perfect synchrony with the latest trends and requirements emerging from the UPSC.
Conclusion:
Every optional subject has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. It teaches you to understand the subject not only on your level of interest and academic objectivity but also to have the proper resources along with a coaching institute like Plutus IAS, aspirants indeed convert their optional subjects into a scoring one. For more details, you can visit its official website. This is all about the Top 10 Optional Subjects For UPSC. By reading the article Top 10 Optional Subjects For UPSC, you can select your best optional subjects. You can also make a comment below for which optional subject is best for your preparation.
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