Every year, Union Public Service Commission, commonly known as UPSC, conducts one of the reputed IAS exams. This exam consists of three major stages, the initial stage is UPSC Prelims, followed by UPSC Mains, and ending with a Personality Test interview. It is one of the most competitive and rewarding exams in India.
The process and the format of this examination are the same for every UPSC aspirant. Yet, each aspirant has to choose an optional subject for UPSC Mains. The optional subject accounts for 500 marks out of the total of 2,025. There are two papers of the same optional subject with 250 marks each.
Which Optional Subject is Easy for UPSC?
Optional subject is one of the crucial sections in the UPSC mains exams. However, questions like, ‘Which optional subject is easy for UPSC?’, ‘Why choose a peculiar optional subject over the other?’, or ‘How much emphasis on an optional subject is essential?’ may arise while opting the same.
Nonetheless, there is no need to worry at all. Till the end of this article, you will be able to choose one of the most accessible optional subjects without any confusion. Let’s first start with why choosing an easy optional subject is crucial for UPSC Mains exams!
Importance of Opting for an Easy Optional Subject for UPSC
The optional subject has a weightage of around 25% in the UPSC main paper. So, isn’t it a bonus if you can score about 25% of marks from a single subject? That too from a topic from your area of interest!
So, it becomes crucial to choose a subject that aids your interest throughout the preparation. Also, this subject should be straightforward to understand so that you can score the maximum marks. You can shortlist some of the optional subjects based on the following factors:
#Go for a subject that interests you the most.
#You must be familiar and comfortable with the subject.
#Choose the most accessible subject, as per the statistics of the preceding years.
#The availability of the study material for the chosen subject also plays a vital role while preferring an optional subject. As more the availability of the notes, the easier is your part of the job.
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Best scoring optional subject for UPSC
There are a few subjects in which you can score more than the other optional subjects. Even the experts say that lower marks in UPSC exams are either because students do not answer the questions to full potential or prefer a wrong optional subject.
As per some of the previous year’s trends, technical subjects like Maths are the scoring ones! As the ‘subjectivity remainder’ is quite limited in the technical matters. The non-technical topics, like that of literature, are also based on the examiner’s point of view. Hence, you may score less than that of the technical subjects.
Although some of the non-technical subjects are interrelated to UPSC’s prelim papers, they may or may not be fruitful for you. After all, it comes down to your preparation and potential in that particular subject.
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Also Read: How to Study Geography for UPSC? A Step-by-step Guide to Study Geography for Mains and Prelims
Which Optional subject is Easy for UPSC Mains?
Over the past few years, some of the optional subjects are constantly preferable options for most aspirants of UPSC Mains. These subjects are one of the easiest as the syllabus of these subjects correlates with the other topics of UPSC Mains.
These subjects are interrelated to either the topics from UPSC Prelims or with the General Studies papers of UPSC Mains. Subjects like History, Philosophy, Political Science, Geography, Sociology, and Public Administration are the popular choices of UPSC aspirants.
Few students avoid these popular subjects to learn something new or to attempt the subject they already know. You can genuinely try for any of the mentioned subjects, as there are ample experts and study material available for these subjects. Also, the success rates of the subject tend to be much higher than other optional subjects.
Which Optional subject is Easy for UPSC CSE and IFS?
If you are aspiring for UPSC IFS, the optional subject preferring trend may change. You can go for an optional issue in which you have deep knowledge. Choosing such a subject will help you to score very quickly.
Agriculture, Botany, Zoology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Forestry, etc., are the subjects that can bolster your score in UPSC Mains. These are go-to subjects because the availability of resources for the study is more than that of other subjects. Even the success rate in these subjects of UPSC Mains is relatively higher.
The Most Favourable ‘Top 9’ Optional Subjects
After considering all the essential factors, the UPSC syllabus, experts’ advice, and the latest UPSC exam results, here are the Top 9 most favourable optional subjects.
#History
#Anthropology
#Law
#Geography
#Medical Science
#Any Literature Subject
#Agriculture
#Public Administration
#Sociology
Based on success rates, recommended candidates, overlapping of the syllabus, length of the portion, scoring possibilities, choices, and availability of essential study resources, one can consider the subjects mentioned above as the top-9 most suitable subjects for UPSC Mains perspective.
Also Read: Global Climate Risk Index 2021: Check out these Important Points for the Upcoming UPSC Examination
How to Choose an Apt Optional Subject for yourself?
As per the above instructions, you must have selected a few optional subjects. However, let’s not delay the process of choosing the apt topic for you! So firstly,
#Mark the subject in which your curiosity to learn is more.
#Look for the subject with less syllabus or portion because you have to catch up on the other topics.
#If you are successful in picking that one optional subject, then well done. Now start focusing on the same.
#If not, don’t worry; reconsider the marked subjects and check on their previous year’s question papers. Choose the optional topic in which you gain maximum marks!
And Viola! You made it to select the easy subject for UPSC.
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In Conclusion
Choosing a better optional subject is one of the best ways to crack UPSC Mains. You can select an optional topic either according to your preferences or according to the study material available. The length of the syllabus of that subject also plays a vital role, for that matter.
Hence, properly research each optional subject and reflect on it accordingly! All the best for choosing the most accessible optional subject for UPSC Mains.
Despite following all the instructions choosing an optional subject may be a tedious task, but don’t worry, we got your back. We at UPSC Pathshala provide you with a personal coach who will help you choose your optional subject and help you clear UPSC exams with flying colours!
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