UPSC Optional Syllabus

UPSC stands for the Union Public Service Commission, which is a conducting body of Civil Services Examination. The commission has released the official UPSC Optional Syllabus along with the official notification on the official website.

UPSC aspirants are advised to pick UPSC optional paper carefully as it carries a total of 500 marks which is around 25% of marks of the mains exam and interview round altogether. Furthermore, UPSC CSE optional syllabus covers subjects like Agriculture, Geography, Geology, Mathematics, History, etc.

However, the standard of questions asked in the UPSC Mains Optional Syllabus is of bachelor’s honors degree level. As per the UPSC CSE syllabus, two out of the nine papers in the mains exam Paper-VI and Paper-VII are the optional subject that the candidates choose.

With this, candidates must note that they cannot change the UPSC optional paper after the successful submission of the UPSC online application form.

In this blog, we have compiled the detailed UPSC Syllabus for Optional subjects to guide the candidates in the right direction. Hence, check out the list of optional subjects along with the UPSC Optional syllabus PDF link for reference purposes.

UPSC Optional Syllabus 2023-List of Subjects and PDF Links

Candidates must choose the optional subject in the UPSC mains exam on the basis of their academic background, interest, and prior knowledge of the subject. In the UPSC main optional syllabus, there is a total of 26 optional subjects available and the aspirants need to pick one out of the list elaborated below.

Download Here: UPSC Prelims Syllabus

How to Choose an Optional Subject for UPSC Mains Exam 2023?

Candidates need to consider certain factors before choosing the UPSC optional paper in order to perform well in the exam. Some of the important factors include individual choice, availability of study resources, UPSC detailed syllabus, academic background, etc.

Hence, we have shared below a list of a few important factors that the candidates should keep in mind when choosing the optional papers in order to obtain desired UPSC results.

• The candidates should give first preference to the subject studied in graduation/post-graduation at the time of choosing UPSC optional papers as per the list. This will simplify their preparation because they will have prior knowledge of the subjects and can easily score high on the exam.
• If the UPSC optional syllabus does not include the subject studied in academics, then they pick the subject covered in the IAS prelims and mains preparation. This will help them to grasp the concepts easily and reduce their preparation time as well.
• As the UPSC syllabus is quite vast, so the aspirant should pick the optional subject with less syllabus until and unless that subject is covered in graduation/post-graduation.
• Next, candidates should check the availability of study resources and books while choosing the optional subject of the main exam to avoid any last-minute confusion and unnecessary stress. Also, they are advised to pick the optional books based on the recommendation of IAS Toppers and experts for effective preparation.

Download UPSC Admit Card Here!

How to Prepare for UPSC Optional Subjects 2023

Acing UPSC Mains Exam is no cakewalk. Candidates need to check the complete UPSC exam details and adhere to the best preparation strategy to maximize their qualifying chances. Have a look at the best tips and tricks to score well in the optional papers.

• Download the latest UPSC mains optional syllabus from the link above to get an idea of the type of questions asked in the exam.
• Analyze the UPSC exam pattern of optional papers to understand the exam format and marking scheme followed by commission.
• Next, solve UPSC Previous Year Question Papers PDF to understand the important topics, difficulty level, and nature of questions usually asked in the exam.
• Download UPSC Prelims Answer Key 2022 when solving previous year’s papers to check the number of answers marked correctly by them and evaluate their overall preparation level.
• Go through the UPSC Cut Off to get an idea of previous trends, and competition levels, and set the target score accordingly for the upcoming civil services examination.
• Lastly, revise everything learned so far to retain all the important concepts for a longer period.

FAQs

Q1. Which UPSC optional is most easy?

Ans. As per the trends, the Philosophy subject has a minimum syllabus out of all the UPSC optional papers. Similarly, Anthropology, Public Administration and Sociology also have fewer syllabus when compared to other subjects.

Q2. Which optional is most scoring in UPSC?

Ans. Many candidates pick Geography as their optional subject in the IAS CSE exam because it is one of the highest-scoring papers in UPSC.

Q3. Is UPSC removing optional?

Ans. Yes. The commission has removed optional papers and has introduced two new general studies papers in the UPSC exams.

Q4. Which optional syllabus is vast in UPSC?

Ans. Agriculture has a vast syllabus out of all the optional subjects for the UPSC CSE examination.

Q5. Which is the safest optional in UPSC?

Ans. Medical Science is the safest choice out of all the options in the UPSC optional syllabus. There are numerous IAS toppers with medical backgrounds who took this subject as their optional paper in the IAS exam.

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