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Best Optional Subject For UPSC depends on your background, scoring trends, and study material. Select the Best Optional Subject For UPSC that aligns with your strengths and preparation goals.
Aditi Sinha
June 27, 2025
Best Optional Subject for UPSC: Choosing the right optional subjects for the UPSC exam 2025 is crucial for scoring high marks. The two optional papers in the UPSC Mains 2025 carry 250 marks each, making a total of 500 marks out of 1750 marks. Picking the best optional subject is important because it can significantly impact the overall rank of the candidates. Candidates should examine the success rate of different optional subjects in the previous year’s civil services exams to make the right choice.
Choosing the right optional subject for UPSC Mains 2025 plays a crucial role in your overall score and final rank. With the optional paper carrying 500 out of 2025 total marks, it can significantly shape your outcome.
Selecting an optional is not about popularity but about what best suits your interest and preparation strategy. The decision should be well-researched and personalised to your background, aptitude, and resources.
There is no universally easy optional subject for the UPSC 2025 exam.
Choose a subject that aligns with your academic background, interests, and strengths.
Assess the availability of standard books, study material, and coaching for the subject.
The optional paper carries 500 marks, making it a high-impact component of the Mains.
Selecting the right optional can make a major difference in your final rank.
Consider prior knowledge, overlap with GS papers, and time required to prepare.
Graduates often choose their degree subject, but it’s not a strict rule.
Take adequate time to analyse and select your optional subject carefully.
Based on current trends and analysis, several subjects continue to dominate the choices of aspirants. However, a popular optional does not automatically mean it’s the best or most scoring for everyone.
In 2025, optional subjects with a good balance of analytical content, structured syllabus, and GS overlap are more preferred. Even technical subjects are being increasingly chosen due to their scoring potential.
The best optional may not always be the most popular or the most scoring one for all.
Many aspirants score well in a variety of optional subjects, depending on preparation quality.
Commonly opted subjects in 2025 include Geography, History, Sociology, and Public Administration.
Mathematics and Anthropology are technical/scientific subjects with high-scoring trends.
Some subjects gain a false reputation as low-scoring due to improper strategy or lack of effort.
UPSC toppers have consistently scored 320+ marks in both technical and non-technical optionals.
Non-technical subjects with overlapping GS syllabi (like Political Science, Sociology) offer strategic advantages.
Choosing a subject that overlaps with GS can save time and boost overall preparation efficiency.
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Most Opted UPSC Optional Subjects |
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| Optional Subjects | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Geography | 4351 | 4049 | 2669 | 1993 | 1916 |
| History | 2090 | 3870 | 1074 | 842 | 751 |
| Sociology | 2490 | 1555 | 1421 | 1072 | 1263 |
| Public Administration | 7077 | 3301 | 1165 | 726 | 705 |
| Psychology | 1163 | 1061 | 193 | 128 | 164 |
| Political Science & IR | 1107 | 1320 | 1246 | 1317 | 1662 |
| Philosophy | 1116 | 2092 | 755 | 463 | 439 |
Before finalising your optional subject for UPSC Mains 2025, it is crucial to evaluate certain strategic and personal factors. A well-thought-out decision can significantly improve your chances of success and boost your final score.
With increasing competition and evolving exam trends, a thoughtful selection process becomes all the more essential. Consider the following updated factors while making your choice in 2025:
Prior Knowledge and Academic Background: Opt for a subject you’ve already studied or are familiar with. Prior exposure can reduce your learning curve and give you a head start.
Interest and Long-Term Engagement: Choose a subject you genuinely enjoy. Passion towards the subject ensures consistency, better retention, and reduced burnout during long preparation months.
Scoring Potential and Success Trends: Examine the latest scoring trends and average marks in various optional subjects based on the 2024 and previous years’ UPSC results. A subject with a strong scoring record is worth considering.
Availability of Updated Study Resources: Confirm that updated books, online resources, and reference material are accessible in 2025 for your chosen subject. The quality and availability of material directly affect preparation quality.
Coaching and Mentorship Support: Research whether reliable coaching, online courses, or mentors are available for your optional subject. Many aspirants in 2025 are relying on hybrid and online support for niche subjects.
Syllabus and Time Management: Review the syllabus length and complexity. Match it against your available preparation time, especially if you’re also managing a job or college.
Overlap with GS Papers and Essay: Subjects like Political Science, Sociology, Geography, and Anthropology have significant overlap with the GS syllabus and Essay paper, making preparation more integrated.
Previous Year Topper Analysis: Go through the optional subjects chosen by the 2023 and 2024 toppers. Understand why they made those choices and how it benefited their rank.
Personal Strengths and Analytical Skills: Be honest about your aptitude. If you are more analytical, subjects like Mathematics or Philosophy may suit you, while the humanities may benefit those with strong writing and conceptual clarity.
Remember, choosing the best optional subject for UPSC preparation is highly individualised. Carefully evaluate these factors and make a well-informed choice based on your unique circumstances and preferences.
Many candidates have chosen the highest-scoring UPSC optional subjects in recent years. These subjects have an overlapping syllabus with the UPSC Prelims and UPSC mains exams, including General Studies I, II, III, IV, and essays.
Based on feedback from toppers, the best optional subject for UPSC should be closely related to other parts of the UPSC syllabus. Let’s explore the top optional subjects in detail.
| Best Optional Subject for UPSC | Number of Candidates (Approx) | Syllabus Overlaps with |
| Philosophy | 1000 | GS IV. Essay |
| Sociology | 1800 | GS I, GS II, Essay |
| Political Science | 1800 | Prelims, GS II |
| Public Administration | 3000 | Prelims, GS II |
| Geography | 3500 | Prelims, GS I, and GS III |
| History | 3500 | Prelims, GS I |
Upon reviewing the table provided below, it becomes evident that Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science achieved the highest success rate of 18.8%. However, according to the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), the success rates of various UPSC optional subjects in 2025 are presented in the table.
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Success Rate of UPSC Optional 2025 |
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| Best Optional Subject for UPSC | Number of Candidates Appeared | Number of Candidates Recommended | UPSC Success Rate (Percentage) |
| Geography | 1916 | 105 | 5.5% |
| Political Science & International Relations | 1662 | 137 | 8.2% |
| Sociology | 1263 | 126 | 10.0% |
| Anthropology | 1189 | 108 | 9.1% |
| History | 751 | 51 | 6.8% |
| Public Administration | 705 | 58 | 8.2% |
| Mathematics | 539 | 45 | 8.3% |
| Philosophy | 439 | 27 | 6.2% |
| Medical Science | 247 | 26 | 10.5% |
| Economics | 243 | 26 | 10.7% |
| Mechanical Engineering | 213 | 12 | 5.6% |
| Electrical Engineering | 200 | 16 | 8.0% |
| Law | 186 | 19 | 10.2% |
| Commerce & Accountancy | 183 | 20 | 10.9% |
| Physics | 165 | 12 | 7.3% |
| Psychology | 164 | 15 | 9.1% |
| Chemistry | 156 | 13 | 8.3% |
| Civil Engineering | 146 | 15 | 10.3% |
| Agriculture | 124 | 13 | 10.5% |
| Management | 54 | 6 | 11.1% |
| Zoology | 44 | 4 | 9.1% |
| Geology | 30 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Botany | 28 | 2 | 7.1% |
| Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science | 16 | 3 | 18.8% |
| Statistics | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
Choosing a scoring subject from the UPSC optional subject list can significantly impact the overall scores of candidates. To simplify the preparation process, we have compiled the top 10 IAS optional subjects, considering various factors:
These subjects have been identified based on their potential for scoring well in the UPSC exams. Candidates can consider these subjects for their preparation.
Medical Science is often the top choice among medical aspirants when selecting the best optional subject for UPSC. However, candidates can also consider other options such as Zoology, Veterinary Science, and Animal Husbandry.
If none of these subjects pique their interest, they can opt for non-technical subjects that overlap with the General Studies syllabus. This allows them to leverage their knowledge in both areas and potentially enhance their performance in the UPSC exams.
Every year, numerous aspirants with engineering backgrounds participate in the UPSC civil services exam. Those looking to choose an optional subject related to their field are limited to Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical engineering.
However, engineering aspirants also have the option to choose Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as their optional subjects. Interestingly, it has been observed that many engineering aspirants opt for non-technical subjects as their preferred choice.
This suggests that while engineering-related subjects are available as options, non-technical subjects tend to be more popular among engineering aspirants participating in the UPSC civil services exam.
The table below provides the list of Optional Subjects selected by UPSC Toppers over the previous 10 years.
| Year | UPSC Topper Name (Rank 1) | Optional Subject Chosen | Home State Cadre |
| 2024 | Shakti Dubey | PSIR | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2023 | Aditya Srivastava | Electrical Engineering | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2022 | Ishita Kishore | PSIR | Delhi |
| 2021 | Shruti Sharma | History | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2020 | Subham Kumar | Anthropology | Bihar |
| 2019 | Pradeep Singh | Public Administration | Haryana |
| 2018 | Kanishak Kataria | Mathematics | Rajasthan |
| 2017 | Anudeep Durishetty | Anthropology | Telangana |
| 2016 | Nandini K. R. | Kannada Literature | Karnataka |
| 2015 | Tina Dabi | Political Science | Delhi |
| 2014 | Ira Singhal | Geography | Delhi |
| 2013 | Gaurav Aggarwal | Economics | Rajasthan |
| 2012 | Haritha V. Kumar | Economics & Malayalam Literature | Kerala |
| 2011 | Shena Aggarwal | Medical Science and Psychology | Haryana |
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