UPSC Optional Subject plays a great role in being the score-differentiator for UPSC aspirants. In the CSE Main exam, out of the nine papers, two papers, Paper VI and Paper VII are of Optional Subject Paper 1 and Optional Subject Paper 2. Each of them carries 250 marks. And the marks obtained in the optional subject papers are considered for the preparation of final merit. Hence, the choice of an optional subject for UPSC must be made cautiously. Unlike the earlier times, candidates have to now choose just one optional subject, and hence, “how to choose the best optional subject for UPSC” remains the most frequently asked question by UPSC aspirants!
In this article, we have listed the UPSC optional subjects that a candidate can choose from with an expert strategy on how to choose the best optional subject for UPSC. You can click on the hyperlinks to check out the syllabus and strategy to prepare the particular subject. .
The names of UPSC optional subjects for the UPSC CS(Main) examination are mentioned in the table below. Click on the link of the subject to get detailed information about the syllabus, preparation strategy, and booklist of the optional subject for UPSC:
Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science |
Anthropology |
Botany |
Chemistry |
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Civil Engineering |
Commerce and Accountancy |
Economics |
Electrical Engineering |
|
Geology |
Law |
Management |
Mathematics |
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Medical Science |
Physics |
Political Science and International Relations |
||
Psychology |
Statistics |
Zoology |
Literature of following languages are also a part of the UPSC optional subjects for UPSC Mains exam from which you can choose your best suited optional subject for UPSC:
Assamese |
Bengali |
Bodo |
Dogri |
Gujarati |
Hindi |
Kannada |
Kashmiri |
Konkani |
Maithali |
Malayalam |
Manipuri |
Marathi |
Nepali |
Odia |
Punjabi |
Sanskrit |
Santhali |
Sindhi |
Tamil |
Telugu |
Urdu |
English |
|
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UPSC optional subject plays a very important role in the UPSC CS Main Examination as it consists of a total of 500 marks out of a total of 2025 marks. If you choose wisely, then these 500 marks can make a great difference in the final total marks. The definition of best UPSC optional subject can vary from one candidate to another based on his educational background.
Most students commit a mistake of choosing optional subjects for UPSC on the basis of toppers’ score in that subject, or because of other factors like popularity, availability of study groups, etc. However, you should be very careful while choosing an optional subject on such parameters as it may cost you an attempt!
Here are some of the factors that you may consider to choose the best from the list of optional subjects for UPSC:
Other than these, factors such as relevance to the civil services job role, a consistent choice of subject among high rankers, scoring potential, and comfortability with the subject may also be considered while evaluating the optional subjects. So, this was a brief overview of the optional subjects available for the UPSC Main Examination. Check out the detailed exam pattern and exam syllabus of UPSC CSE here.
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