● Choosing the best optional subject for the UPSC mains can be a crucial decision, as it accounts for 500 out of the total 1750 marks. While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, here are some insights to help you make an informed decision.
● The Optional is the only type of subject that aspirants get to choose in Civil Services Exam (CSE) and whose marks are considered in merit calculation. All the remaining papers are either the same for everyone or are only qualifying in nature
● Optional subject exam is the key to success in the UPSC CSE. In GS Mains exam, you may not be able to make much of a difference but in Optional, you can even have a lead of 20–50 marks if the choice is good and the efforts have been put in the right direction.
What Offers More — Optional or GS?
● The act of choosing the right optional is quite significant in the UPSC CSE. It is so because the scope of achieving higher marks is more in optional than General Studies (GS) Mains exam or any other category:
○ Although the weightage of the GS Mains exam is 1000 marks, taking average of two-three years, the marks of a GS Mains topper range from 475–525 out of 1000, which is only 50% of the total marks of GS Mains.
○ However, in case of the toppers of optional subjects, the scores range from 350–370 out of 500 which is more than 70% marks.
○ So, even if the weightage of optional subject exam is less than the GS Mains, the possibility of scoring higher marks is much better in the optional exam as compared to GS Mains exam.
What about the Potential of Different Optional Subjects?
● The potential of an optional subject in itself creates a huge difference in the total scores of the subjects.
● For instance, two students appearing for the same optional subject have a higher probability of achieving marks in the same range if their level of preparation is the same.
○ However, if they have two different optional subjects then the difference in their scores is quite likely to be more even in the case of the same level of preparation.
● Wrong choice of optional subject play a major role in being unable to clear UPSC CSE Mains exams.
○ For two serious candidates, the difference in their GS Mains exam will not be more than 10–15 marks whereas in case of optional subjects, this difference generally increases to 40–60 marks.
How Moderation in UPSC Optional Gives it an Edge?
● UPSC, unlike the State PSC Exams, does not believe in scaling of optional subjects rather only moderation.
● Scaling refers to equating the marks of two (or more) different optional subjects. It is done by making a presumption about similarity of level of students.
○ For instance, assuming that the top-scoring student in the Mathematics optional is at the similar level as the student scoring highest marks in Anthropology etc.
● UPSC doesn’t take this premise to be correct, it rather takes the approach of Moderation.
○ For instance, if an examiner in a particular subject has given a student some extra marks then the chief examiner will reduce (moderate) the marks on the basis of his/her understanding.
Choosing Optional Subject
One can go through this video to determine which optional subject is best for them
What should be the Criteria?
There are certain criteria for choosing the right optional, however, there are high possibilities that even the best suitable choice does not fulfil all of the criteria.
● Subject Scorability: It should be of highest priority to consider how (comparatively) easy it is to score in a given optional subject.
○ It would be wrong to consider that all the optional subjects in the UPSC are equally scoring.
■ For instance, about a decade ago, Psychology was ‘the’ optional subject for the students. Out of the total 700 selections, about 300–350 had Psychology as the optional subject.
■ In 2005–06, Public Administration was the optional subject and in the 1990s, Anthropology was the subject most chosen by the students.
● Students’ Own Abilities: One cannot be equally good for all the subjects and it is important to recognise what is the most suitable option for you and act accordingly.
○ For instance, if you have exceptionally good writing skills then you must choose a subject where subjectivity matters such as in Political Science, Sociology, Literature, Public Administration etc.
○ However, if writing skills are not your forte, but you can do well with flowcharts, maps, diagrams, then the right choice is going for an optional where diagramatic representation of the answers and maps works well such as Geography or an engineering subject like Physics.
● One’s Own Interest: The subjects that you really love to study will make the journey of UPSC very easy. You will not easily get tired of studying it, the moments of monotony are quite less likely to occur.
○ The interest that you have in a subject is one of the criteria that should be given primacy, however, it should be considered after the above two criteria.
● Commonality (Overlapping with GS): If an optional subject is also helpful in General Studies or in Essay or the Interview, then it automatically increases the preference for the particular subject.
○ The other things to consider in this regard is to see by how much marks the subject is helping you (what is the weightage of the contents of the subject in all the other exams.. GS, Interview, Essay etc.) and how much of your time is it saving (the time you are saving by not studying something extra that is comparatively less relevant).
● Length of Syllabus: Optional subject must be chosen keeping in mind the time in which the syllabus can be covered.
○ If you are able to save one or two months in a subject then it means a lot from the CSE perspective.
○ However, it should also be kept in mind that in order to save a month or two, not a few years are getting ruined due to choosing an unsuitable subject just because it’s syllabus is short.
● Sources of Information/Study: Other important aspects for choosing the right optional subject include having enough study materials and proper guidance from seniors and teachers.
● Dynamism of Subject: Lesser the dynamism, better the subject. In some subjects, questions are the same but answers change every year.
○ For instance, in Political Science Paper-II i.e., International Relations, almost every aspect in the subject is very dynamic and has to be updated regularly.
■ Even in Sociology and Public Administration, although not as much as political science, the aspects of dynamism are quite dynamic.
○ However, in subjects like History, Geography, any Literature subject, Philosophy, Psychology, the answers are not supposed to be changed every year.
● Background: However, not as significant as others, but if you have a serious background in a subject which also satisfies other important criteria of choosing optional, then the background should be given a good weightage in the selection of the subject.
Which Subjects have High Scorability (in English Medium)?
● A good thing about choosing English as the medium of giving UPSC CSE exams is that the scoring does not vary much from one subject to another.
● Based on the general trend, the subjects which have the potential to help you score about 330 marks in optional exams (with your immense dedication, ofcourse) are Mathematics, Anthropology, Sociology, any Literature, Public Administration and Geography.
○ Right after them comes History, Law, Management, Commerce & Accountancy.
How to Judge Scorability of a Subject?
● A good criteria for judging the scorability of a particular subject is to avoid including the rare marks obtained in that subject in your analysis — either the highest ones or the lowest ones.
● You should look for the subjects where more than 300 marks were scored by students in more than 10 cases (cumulatively not on yearly basis).
○ Also, avoid taking reference of subjects and marks before 2013 because that is when the curriculum of the UPSC Mains exams changed. Include the results of the following years in your analysis.
● Don’t forget to calculate the average marks of those students (who scored more than 300) as it would give you a generally achievable score in that subject, provided you are a serious, dedicated candidate with very good writing skills.