How to choose Best Optional Subjects for UPSC Exam in 2023 {List of 6 Best Optional Subjects}

Dear friend, are you searching for the best optional subjects for UPSC exam in 2023? If yes, then then you are in the right place. This article can help you on “how to choose the best optional subjects for UPSC civil services exam”.

We all are aware there many optional subjects for the UPSC exam that you can choose from. UPSC aspirants come from various educational backgrounds.

However, the marks scored in the best optional subjects for UPSC exam are taken into account for the preparation of the final merit list. Therefore, the selection of the UPSC optional subjects must be made thoughtfully

Here we present you with the best possible list of the best optional subjects. The choice of the best optional subjects for UPSC plays an important role in the UPSC exam.

As already mentioned, the marks scored in the UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination are taken into account for the preparation of the final merit list.

Hence, the choice of the best optional subjects for the UPSC exam must be made thoughtfully.

Which are the best optional subjects for UPSC Exam?

How to choose best optional subjects for UPSC exam in 2023? There are many ways by which you can choose the best optional subjects for the UPSC Mains exam.

As we know that UPSC aspirants come from various educational backgrounds and as such the selection of UPSC optional subjects must be made thoughtfully. The choice of the best optional subjects for UPSC plays an important role in your overall performance in the UPSC exam. Therefore, we recommend you browse through the given list of the best optional subjects for UPSC Main Exam and choose the most suitable optional subjects.

Here, we present you with a carefully selected set of the best optional subjects for the UPSC Mains examination.

List of Best Optional Subjects for UPSC  Exam

1. Public Administration

Public Administration: Public Administration is a hot favourite among the aspirants. Moreover, the success rate for this easiest optional subject for UPSC  is higher than some other non-technical subjects.

This subject is highly relevant to your future role as an administrator.

2. Sociology

Sociology: Sociology is the study of human society, social relations, habits, practices and cultures. It is another best scoring optional subjects for UPSC Mains.

It is also one of the easiest optional subjects for UPSC  with plenty of study material as well as guidance. The syllabus is interrelated, and Sociology gives you an in-depth understanding of Indian society.

3. Sociology

Philosophy: Sociology is the study of knowledge, values, existence and mind. Philosophy had a success rate higher than History, Geography, Public Administration and Political Science.

There is plenty of study material available online and offline that presents the thoughts of the philosophers in a simplified manner.

4. Political Science & International Relations

Political Science & International Relations: Political Science & International Relations is popular non-technical subject. It is considered one of the best optional subjects for the UPSC exam.

The subject can easily be understood by anyone and for those who have a flair for writing, this subject is rewarding.

5. Geography

Geography: Geography is an interesting mix of technical as well as non-technical subjects and that makes it popular with both arts and science background students.

A vast amount of free and best study materials are available both online and offline about Indian geography as well as world geography. Geography is related to the environment, international relations, ecology and even economics to some extent.

6. Anthropology

Anthropology: Anthropology, a combination of science and social science, is the study of human evolutions, human societies and their development. The subject Anthropology is yet another best optional subjects for the UPSC exam.

It is a fascinating subject for all categories of candidates. The subject of anthropology concentrates on the study of human beings, the evolution of man, the nature of human society and the nature of human culture.

The Anthropology optional syllabus  consists of the evolution of man, human society and the human culture

The Eligibility Criteria of a Candidate  for  the UPSC Exam

The Candidates have to ensure the following eligibility criteria for the UPSC Examination, before applying.

1. Nationality of a UPSC aspirant
2. Educational Qualification of a UPSC aspirant
3. The age limit of a candidate for the UPSC Exam
4. Number of Attempts within the Age Limit of a candidate for  the UPSC Exam
5. Number of Attempts allowed for a candidate for the UPSC Exam
6. Special Restrictions for the candidate for the UPSC Exam
7. Physical Standards of the candidate for the UPSC Exam

Download the PDF of the eligibility criteria of a candidate for the UPSC Exam here.

Technical FAQs for filling of the online application form

Frequently asked questions while filling out the UPSC application form are compiled here. Visit the official link of the UPSC here to get authentic and updated information on filling out the UPSC application form.

How can I select the best UPSC optional subjects for UPSC Civil Services Exam?

Which are the best optional subjects for UPSC civil services exam? The choice of the best optional subjects for the UPSC exam plays an important role in the UPSC exam.

This is because the marks scored in the best optional subjects for UPSC exam papers are taken into account for the preparation of the final merit list. Hence, the choice of the best optional subjects for the UPSC exam must be made thoughtfully.

Some important factors that may be taken into account while choosing the best optional subjects for the UPSC exam are listed below.

1. Overlapping of the best optional subjects for UPSC exam syllabus: Some optional subjects like Public Administration, Sociology, Economics, History, Geography and Political Science & International Relations have syllabuses that overlap with the General Studies syllabus in both Prelims and Mains.

2. Lengthy syllabus of the best optional subjects for the UPSC exam: Choose a subject that you can conveniently cover in the specified time.

3. Competition level of the best optional subjects for the UPSC exam: Choose a subject that you are happy with.

4. Availability of resources for the best optional subjects for the UPSC exam: Choose and assess the preference of optional subjects based on the availability of the resources.

5. Familiarity with the best optional subjects for the UPSC exam: Choose a subject that you can consistently study without losing enthusiasm.

Above all the scoring potential, comfortability with the subject may also be considered when choosing the best scoring optional for the UPSC exam.

Here in this section of the article “Which are The best optional subjects for UPSC?”, we discuss some of the best scoring optional for the UPSC exam

The best optional subjects for UPSC

Which are the best optional subjects for UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE)? Here is a list of optional subjects in the UPSC Civil Services (Mains) examination.

UPSC Optional Subject list  for Social Science

The list of optional subjects for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) is given here for your reference and further action.

UPSC optional subject list  for Science

UPSC optional subject list  for Engineering

1. Electrical Engineering
2. Mechanical Engineering
3. Civil Engineering

UPSC Optional Subject list for Commerce and Management

1. Management
2. Commerce

UPSC Optional Subject list  for Indian scheduled  Languages

The UPSC optional subject list for Indian scheduled languages is given below for reference and further action.

The list of the  best scoring optional for UPSC

The list of the most popular and scoring  IAS toppers’ optional subjects is given below.

How many optional subjects are there for IAS?

The UPSC offers  48 best optional subjects for IAS   (civil services exam). This article contains the names of all the IAS toppers’ optional subjects For IAS.

What is the IAS optional subjects success rate?

According to a  report the IAS optional subjects success rate is given in decreasing order.

The list of IAS toppers optional subjects

Which are the best optional subjects for the UPSC examination? The list of the most popular and best-scoring  IAS toppers’ optional subjects for UPSC is given below.

Best Optional Subject for UPSC Quora

What is best optional subject for UPSC Quora?  It means the best answer to the question “best optional subjects for UPSC”  found in the question-answer forum Quora.

Which subject is best for IAS in class 11?

Which subject is best for IAS in Class 11?  The subjects such as Sociology, History, Law, Political Science, and  Geography are popular among IAS aspirants in class 11.

These subjects overlap with General Studies in the Civil services exam (IAS exam). Indian literature has continuously performed well in all years. A candidate can choose his native language literature as an alternative paper.

Which is the smallest Syllabus Optional UPSC?

It is very difficult to find the Smallest Syllabus Optional subject of  UPSC  to score more. Therefore finding a perfect optional subject is very important.

Choose the Smallest Syllabus Optional subject based on the syllabus, the subject content and prior knowledge of the subject. One of the most popular subjects with the Smallest Syllabus of the  Optional subject of  UPSC is Anthropology.

The study of humans and human behaviour is known as Anthropology. Anthropology is the combined study of History and  Sociology. Anthropology is classified into the following branches.

1. Social anthropology is the study of  human behavioural patterns
2. Cultural anthropology is the study of human culture
3. Linguistic anthropology is the study of human language
4. Biological anthropology is the study of the biological evolution of human beings.

Optional Subjects list for IAS

How many optional subjects for IAS?   Which are the best optional subjects for UPSC? The Optional Subjects List For IAS is classified into two classes. They are (a) IAS Optional Subjects and (b) IAS Literature(Indian scheduled language) Optional Subjects.

The optional subjects list for IAS contains 25 IAS Optional Subjects and 23 IAS  literature optional subjects. The 25 optional subjects list for IAS (list of optional subjects in UPSC ) is as follows.

Literature (Indian languages) Optional Subjects list for IAS

The optional subjects list for IAS (list of optional subjects in UPSC) also includes Literature in the following Indian languages as the best optional subject for UPSC.

The 23 Indian languages optional subjects list for IAS (list of optional subjects in UPSC)   is as follows.

Which are the best Optional Subjects for UPSC?

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)is an independent organisation under the government of India.

The UPSC conducts exams to select officers for all Indian services like  Indian civil services, Indian engineering services, Indian medical services and Indian forest services.

Full details about UPSC Exam

UPSC manages the UPSC civil services Examination in three phases. A civil services aspirant has to clear all three phases of the UPSC Exam to achieve the dream of becoming a civil servant.

1. Level I    UPSC  prelims exam (IAS Prelims)
2. Level II   UPSC Mains  examination (IAS Mains)
3. Level III UPSC Personality Test (IAS Interview)

Stage I: UPSC Prelims Exam (IAS Exam )

The UPSC Prelims Exam is a written examination comprising 2 papers. They are as follows.

Stage II: UPSC Mains  Exam (IAS Exam)

The second stage of the UPSC  exam  (UPSC IAS Exam) is the UPSC  Mains Exam. It is a written examination comprising 9 papers.

Stage III: Finally, the UPSC interview or the personality test

Candidates who pass the UPSC Mains exam qualify for the Personality Test or the UPSC IAS Interview.

Union Public Service Commission CSE preparation

Which are the best optional subjects for UPSC? Candidates who don’t have proper guidance in the preparation for the UPSC exam find it difficult to crack the UPSC exam.

So here comes the role of the best IAS coaching centres. Some candidates prepare for the UPSC exam in one year while others might take more than a year.

You can take admission to the best IAS coaching centres in Bangalore and elsewhere. The experts and professionals here help us to explore the best books, IAS  syllabus, previous and model question papers, recruitment, jobs etc.

Union Public Service Commission CSE syllabus

The reason is the syllabus of the UPSC exam is so vast and it is difficult to finish it in one year. Youngsters like you can take 2 years or 3 years integrated IAS programme to prepare for the UPSC exam.

Union Public Service Commission Eligibility (Criteria)

You need to be an Indian citizen to become eligible to attend the UPSC exam. Therefore, The candidate for the UPSC exam must be an Indian citizen.

Union Public Service Commission Eligibility (Nationality)

• A UPSC candidate must be a citizen of India.
• A UPSC candidate must be a person of Indian Origin who has migrated permanently to settle in India

Union Public Service Commission qualification (Educational qualification).

• A UPSC candidate must hold a Bachelor’s Degree from any of the recognized universities

Union Public Service Commission age limit

The Prescribed union public service commission age limit is 21 – 32 years for the general category candidates. The eligible age for the UPSC exam is between 21-32 for the General Category. (upper age relaxation for reserved candidates)

Union Public Service Commission Number of attempts

There is a Restriction on the maximum number of attempts on the union public service commission exams.

• For General Candidates: 6 attempts (Up to 32 Years).
• Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Candidates (SC/ST): No Limits (Up to 37 Years).
• Other Backward Classes (OBC): 9 attempts (Up to 35 Years).
• Physically handicapped- 9 attempts for general and OBC, while unlimited for SC/ST.

Union Public Service Commission in India

The Union Public Service Commission or better known as UPSC is the principal recruiting agency for the government of India.

Functions of Union Public Service Commission

Union public service commission is responsible for appointments and examinations for All India services and group A & group B of Central government services.

Union Public Service Commission recruitment

The union public service commission is responsible for appointments to the services of the Union and All India Services. It also advises the government on the appointment, promotion and disciplinary matters of the officials.

Union Public Service Commission details

The commission reports directly to the President of India and also advises the Government. UPSC is a constitutional institution that functions with freedom and liberty.

Union Public Service Commission address

The commission operates through its administrative secretariat headquartered in New Delhi. Union Public Service Commission in Delhi address is at Dholpur House, in New Delhi.

Visit the official website of the UPSC to get the official details like an official telephone directory, contact number, first chairman, chairman list, website etc.

Union Public Service Commission Chairman

Pradeep Kumar Joshi is the present union public service commission (UPSC), chairperson.

Optional subjects UPSC

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) provide us with a list of optional subjects UPSC.

The UPSC aspirants have to choose the right civil services optional subjects for the mains exam.

The optional subject for IAS has two exams, and each exam is for 250 marks. The optional subject in the UPSC exam paper is descriptive.

There is a vast range of IAS exam optional subjects an aspirant can choose such as, Agriculture, Zoology, Geography and regional languages such as Hindi, Bengali, Marathi etc.

Candidates must be very cautious with UPSC subject choice, as it can make or break your final score.

While choosing the best scoring optional subject for UPSC make sure you have ample knowledge of the chosen subject.

Look at the syllabus of all UPSC CSE optional subjects and foresee which is the easiest optional for UPSC and make a choice based on that.

If you find the easiest optional subject for UPSC then prefer that subject.

What are the optional subjects in UPSC?

Which is the best optional subject for the UPSC exam is a question that runs through one’s mind.

The UPSC civil services examination exam has three stages. They are as follows;

• Civil Services Examination (Prelims), is an objective type exam
• Civil Services Examination (Mains), is a descriptive type of exam
• Personal interview or the Personality Test

The Civil Services Examination (CSE) (Prelims)

The Civil Services Examination (Prelims) is a qualifying examination for the IAS Mains exam.

The UPSC Prelims question paper consists of two compulsory papers. They are as follows;

• General Ability Test (GAT)
• The Civil Service (CSE) Aptitude Test (CSAT)

The Civil Services Examination (Prelims) question paper follows an objective multiple-choice format.

The Civil Services Examination (Mains)

The civil Services Examination (Mains) consists of nine papers including two language papers.

The marks obtained in Civil Services Examination (Mains) determine the final rank of a UPSC aspirant.

Personal interview or the Personality Test

The personality test or personal interview is the final part of the UPSC Civil Service Examination process.

The candidates who qualify for the Civil Services Examination (Mains) will be called for the interview conducted by the UPSC.

What are optional subjects in UPSC?

As mentioned, Civil Services Examination (Mains) consists of nine papers including two language papers.

In Civil Services Examination (Mains), two papers, say Paper VI and Paper VII are from the UPSC optional subjects list.

They are optional Subjects Paper 1 and Paper 2. The marks scored in Civil Services Examination (Mains) are also taken into account for making the final rank of a UPSC aspirant.

The marks scored in the UPSC optional subjects examination are also taken into account for making the final merit.

Hence, the choice of the best optional subject in UPSC must be made cautiously.

Hence, “how to choose the easiest optional subject for UPSC” remains one of the most frequently asked questions.

The Civil Services Examination (Mains) has two sets of optional subjects. They are as follows;

• The subject or course-related optional subjects of the Civil Services Examination (Mains).In this category, there are 25 optional subjects in UPSC civil services examination.
• The literature optional subjects of the Civil Services Examination (Mains). In this category, there are 23 literature optional subjects.

UPSC optional subjects list

The list of optional subjects for UPSC is given below for the reference of our readers.

This UPSC optional list contains the best optional subject in UPSC as well as the most scoring subjects for IAS as well.

The list of optional subjects in UPSC is grouped into two categories. They are as follows;

• The subject or course-related
• Literature optional subjects

IAS optional subjects list

The IAS optional subject list is as follows;
The list of the subject or course-related Optional Subjects in UPSC

UPSC Exam optional subjects

List of the literature optional subjects in UPSC Civil Services Examination (Mains).

The UPSC Aspirants can opt for any of these best optional for UPSC for their UPSC Mains examination.

The list of the best optional subject for IAS ( languages) is given below for the reference of our readers.

The literature optional subjects given here are considered the highest-scoring optional in UPSC by the experts in the field.

Best optional subject for UPSC for Engineering students

Choosing the best optional subject for UPSC for Engineering students is no more a difficult decision for IAS aspirants now.

The easy optional subject for UPSC for an engineering graduate is the graduation subject itself as the best subject for IAS since the knowledge would still be fresh in the mind.

If an engineering student has a strong foundation and knowledge in engineering subjects, it would be best to opt for engineering subjects as the most scoring optional subject in UPSC.

Further, engineering students can also opt for mathematics or physics/chemistry as the most scoring optional in UPSC according to one’s interest and knowledge.

The top 10 optional subjects for UPSC Civil Services Examination (Mains)

According to expert opinion and by considering the UPSC syllabus and results, the top 10 optional subjects for UPSC is listed as follows:

Best optional subject for Commerce students in UPSC Civil Services Examination (Mains)

Choosing the best optional subject for commerce students in UPSC is no more a difficult decision for IAS aspirants now.

The easy optional subject for UPSC for a commerce graduate is the graduation subject itself as the best subject for IAS since the knowledge would still be fresh in the mind.

If a commerce student has a strong foundation and knowledge in the commerce subjects, it would be best to opt for the commerce subjects as the most scoring optional subject in UPSC.

Further, commerce students can also opt for the following most scoring optional in UPSC according to one’s interest and knowledge.

How many optional subjects for UPSC Civil Services Examination(Mains)?

How many optional subjects are in UPSC? As mentioned above, there are two sets of optional subjects in the Civil Services Examination (Mains). They are as follows;

• The subject or course-related optional subjects of the civil services examination. In this category, there are 25 optional subjects in UPSC civil services examination.
• The literature optional subjects of the civil services examination. In this category, there are 23 literature optional subjects.

How many subjects do we have to choose in UPSC Civil Services Examination? (Mains)?

A UPSC aspirant has to choose one optional for the UPSC mains exam. The best optional subject for UPSC in English medium has two papers and each paper accounts for 250 marks.

Which optional subject is easy for UPSC Civil Services Examination(Mains)?

According to subject experts and by considering the UPSC syllabus and results, the easy optional subject for UPSC is listed as follows:

The following list of easy optional subjects for UPSC is popular among technical and non-technical UPSC aspirants as the overlap of contents is high.

Which optional subject is best for IAS Civil Services Examination (Mains)?

According to subject experts and by considering the IAS syllabus and results, the following is considered the best subject for IAS.

The following list of best optional subjects for IAS is popular among technical and non-technical IAS aspirants as the overlap of contents is high.

Best optional subjects for IAS like Economics, Philosophy and Anthropology, are also popular among IAS aspirants.

Which optional subject is best for UPSC Civil Services Examination (Mains)?

According to subject experts and by considering the UPSC syllabus and results, the following is considered the best scoring optional subject for UPSC.

The following list of the best optional subjects for UPSC is popular among technical and non-technical IAS aspirants as the overlap of contents is high.

The best optional subjects for UPSC list

Which subject is best for IAS Civil Services Examination(Mains)?

Easy optional subject for UPSC like Economics, Philosophy and Anthropology, is also popular among IAS aspirants.

According to subject experts and by considering the IAS syllabus and results, the following is considered the best scoring optional subject for IAS.

The following list of the best optional subject for IAS is popular among IAS aspirants as the overlap of contents is high.

Best optional subjects for UPSC

Most easy optional subject for IAS like Economics, Philosophy and Anthropology, is also popular among IAS aspirants.

Which subject is best for UPSC Civil Services Examination(Mains)?

According to subject experts and by considering the UPSC syllabus and results, the following is considered the best scoring optional subject for UPSC.

The following list of the best optional subject for UPSC is popular among IAS aspirants as the overlap of contents is high.

Best optional subjects for UPSC

Most easy optional subject for UPSC like Economics, Philosophy and Anthropology, is also popular among IAS aspirants.

Toughest optional in UPSC Civil Services Examination (Mains)

In my opinion, there is no toughest optional in UPSC as far as a UPSC aspirant is concerned.

As far as a UPSC aspirant is concerned hardworking only matters. Invest much more time in the learning process as it can produce wonderful results.

UPSC toppers optional subjects in the Civil Services Examination (Mains)

By considering the UPSC results, the following best optional subjects for UPSC is considered as the UPSC toppers’ optional subjects.

The following list of UPSC toppers’ optional subjects is also very popular among UPSC aspirants as well.

The UPSC toppers’ optional subjects list is as follows;

Best optional subjects for UPSC

The Anthropology success rate in UPSC Civil Services Examination (Mains)

One of the best optional subjects for UPSC, Anthropology is a popular choice for UPSC aspirants.

Anthropology is an interesting best scoring optional subject for UPSC for many.

The best optional subject for UPSC anthropology enjoys a better success rate of around 10%, according to the data available in the public domain.

UPSC optional subjects success rate in the Civil Services Examination (Mains)

According to the data available in the public domain, the success rate for a few literature optional subject papers for UPSC appears to be the highest.

However, this data is only an indicator and does not necessarily portray the true picture.

UPSC optional subjects syllabus

The UPSC Optional Subjects constitute a total of 48 Optional subjects. Out of the 48 Optional subjects, a UPSC aspirant can select one of the most suitable UPSC Optional Subjects for both papers.

Each optional subject has two exams (Paper I and Paper II) with 250 marks each. The following is the list of UPSC optional subjects, along with the link to download the UPSC optional subjects syllabus.

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs on the best optional subjects for UPSC

Conclusion

We have seen that there are many best optional subjects for UPSC mains exam in 2023. Further, we know that the UPSC aspirants come from various educational backgrounds and as such the selection of the UPSC optional subjects must be made thoughtfully.

This is because the marks scored in the civil services (Main) Examination are taken into account for the preparation of the final merit list.

Therefore, the choice of the best optional subjects for UPSC plays an important role in your overall performance in the UPSC exam. 

Further, it is recommended that you browse through the list of the best optional subjects for UPSC Main Exam and choose the most suitable optional subjects.

The UPSC does not impose any restriction on a  UPSC aspirant on the choice of an optional subject in the IAS exam. A UPSC aspirant is free to make one’s own choice of optional subject in the IAS exam.

However, a UPSC aspirant should consider the trends like the most opted optional subject, the optional subjects which have the highest success rate and the most scoring optional subjects for the UPSC mains exam.

There are several technical and non-technical best optional subjects a UPSC aspirant can opt for.

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