Botany is not a highly popular optional subject for the Union Public Service Commission unlike subjects like political science, geography or public administration. It is a science subject and is specific in nature that’s why most of the aspirants don’t opt for it.
Only aspirants with a background in biotechnology or botany are the ones who choose this subject as their optional in the Civil Service Mains examination. Read on to learn more if Botany is a good optional subject for IAS and IFOS.
Is Botany a Good Optional for IAS and IFOS?
Yes, Botany is a good optional for IAS and IFOS. Botany is a scoring paper. If you have a good knowledge of this subject it can help you secure good scores in the Union Public Service Commission Mains exam.
There are several benefits of taking Botany as an optional such as more room for interpretation in the written answers and less subjectivity, most of the parts are static, straightforward and direct questions and the vast scope to secure marks with diagrams.
Also Read: Which Optional Subject is Easy for UPSC? Choose the Most Suitable UPSC Optional Subject!
Botany Optional UPSC
There are certain basic factors you should keep in mind before choosing the optional subject like your interest, availability of study materials, proper guidance and whether the subject is scoring or not. If you follow these steps you will be able to choose the best optional for yourself.
If you are opting for the Botany subject in the Civil Service Mains exam, you should know that Botany is the study of the distribution, physiology, classification, genetics, ecology, structure and economic significance of plants.
It is a science subject so if you have studied science at the time of your graduation or if you are interested in the subject you can choose this as the elective paper for the Mains examination. It is important to have proper knowledge about this subject before deciding to opt for it. Because the marks you secure in this paper will ultimately affect your final scores in the UPSC exam.
How is Botany as Optional?
The most common question asked by the aspirants is how is Botany as optional? Botany as optional is a good paper that you can opt for. It is a scoring paper if you have proper knowledge about it. If you are just taking it for the namesake without any interest then your scores will be pulled down by this subject. So choose carefully what you are opting for if you seriously want to clear the Civil Service examination.
Also Read: Highest Scoring Optional in UPSC: List of IAS Toppers with Optional Subjects
How to Prepare for Botany Optional?
How to prepare for Botany optional? You can simply follow the given below strategy for effective preparation.
Avoid Ready-Made Study Materials
Try not to study ready-made materials from unreliable sources. Because if you do so, the wrong concepts will clash with the right concepts that you have studied before. It is better if you take the expert’s opinion on which sources are legit.
Study Syllabus Wise
Start your preparation syllabus wise. So that you know which topic you have prepared and which are left. If you pick up random topics it will create a hassle during your preparation.
Clear Your Basic Concepts
Try to clear your basic concepts and do frequent revisions. As you know diagrams are very scoring so mug up all the diagrams thoroughly.
Focus on Important Areas
Try to focus on those areas which are new for you as it will take more time for you to understand the concept. The topics which you have already done in your college time and have knowledge about it just go through it.
Don’t waste much time reading everything, just focus on important topics. You will get to know the important topics by practising previous year’s question papers. There are some topics that are frequently asked in the exam so identify those.
Practice Diagrams
Try to explain the questions with the help of diagrams (where it’s required). Practice diagrams properly as you get direct marks in them, attempt all the diagram related questions, don’t miss the chance to secure marks.
Make Notes
Make notes after reading every topic. Because these notes will help you with your revision. Revision is the key to effective preparation. So revise as much as you can before you appear for the exam.
Don’t keep any topic to study at the last moment because it will create a lot of chaos, you might end up not studying the topic. Do not miss out on any topic because in the exam anything can come so it’s better you study every topic rather than regretting it later on.
Suggested Books for Botany Subject
Given below are the book list for this paper that will help you with your Union Public Service Commission exam preparation and clear all your basic concepts.
| Book | Author |
| Cell Biology | De Robertis & Ambrose and Easy or Powar |
| Plant Anatomy | B.P. Pandey |
| Botany for Degree Students; Pteridophyta (Vascular Cryptogams) | P.C. Vashishta |
| Taxonomy | R Nair; Datta |
| Microbiology | Powar |
| Plant Anatomy | Esau |
| Cryptograms | B.R. Vasista |
| Economic botany in the tropics | S. L. Kochhar |
| Ecology, Microbiology, Animal Behaviour, Pollution and Toxicology For B. Sc. Part III, Paper III | Dr. Veer Bala Rastogi |
| Genetics | Dr. Veer Bala Rastogi |
| Genetics | Strickberger |
| Embryology Of Angiosperms | S P Bhatnagar |
| Physiology and Biochemistry | Salisbury and Ross or Fritz and Noggle |
Conclusion
In the above article, we discussed the Botany paper. Aspirants who are interested in this subject should opt for it because it is a high scoring paper in the Mains. This paper can help you add to the Union Public Service Commission Mains exam marks. All you need to focus is on effective preparation for this paper.
Join UPSC Pathshala to get proper guidance to clear your concepts. You will also be provided with detailed study material. So hurry up and join now.
Also Read: UPSC Optional Syllabus 2022: Know the Entire Syllabus with Important Topics to Prepare
Thank you for sharing this significant Information.
I was confused to choose my optional subject. Thank you for giving me this information.