UPSC 2019 Topper’s Optional Subject: Optional Subjects of UPSC Topper 2019 to 2015

The UPSC civil services exam is one of the most competitive exams conducted in India. It is attempted by lakhs of candidates every year. However, only a fraction of those come out with flying colours in the end. Clearing this exam gives an entry into the prestigious civil services of the country. As soon as the IAS results are announced, the UPSC toppers gain limelight in the country. Pradeep Singh has become the IAS Topper of the Civil Services Examination 2019. The UPSC Final Results 2019 was declared on 4th August 2020. 829 candidates have been recommended to the services this time. What was the UPSC 2019 topper’s optional subject? It was Public Administration. Now let us compare it to other year’s optional subject choosing trends.

Which Optional Subject was of UPSC Topper 2019 to 2015?

The selection of the optional subject in the Main Exam (written stage) plays a crucial role in the success of candidates. UPSC allows candidates to choose one subject from about 50 optional subjects mentioned in the syllabus. Each subject has two papers (worth a total of 500 marks). There is a lot of speculation among aspirants regarding the scoring optional. Aspirants also tend to go behind the optional subject chosen by toppers. However, analysis of the trends in the last 7 years shows that the optional subject of All India Rank 1 in all these years was quite different. Let us look at the recent years’ trend of topper’s optional subject choices.

UPSC Toppers Optional Subject 2018

Rank	UPSC Toppers Name	Optional Subject
1	Kanishak Kataria	Mathematics
2	Akshat Jain	Anthropology
3	Junaid Ahmad	Geography
4	Shreyans Kumat	Anthropology
5	Srushti Jayant Deshmukh	Sociology
6	Shubham Gupta	Law
7	Karnati Varun Reddy	Mathematics
8	Vaishali Singh	Law
9	Gunjan Dwivedi	Political Science
10	Tanmay Vashistha Sharma	Mathematics

UPSC Toppers Optional Subject 2017

Rank	UPSC Toppers Name	Optional
1	Anudeep Durishetty	Anthropology
2	Anu Kumari	Sociology
3	Sachin Gupta	Anthropology
4	Atul Prakash	Mathematics
5	Pratham Kaushik	Geography
6	Koya Sree Harsha	Anthropology
7	Ayush Sinha	Geography
8	Anubhav Singh	Mathematics
9	Saumya Sharma	Law
10	Abhishek Surana	Physics

Also Read: A Detailed Guide to Choosing the Best Optional Subject for UPSC Exam

UPSC Toppers Optional Subject 2016

Rank	UPSC Toppers Name	Optional
1	Nandini K R	Kannada Literature
2	Anmol Sher Singh Bedi	Political Science
3	Gopalakrishna Ronanki	Telugu Literature
4	Saumya Pandey	Geography
5	Abhilash Mishra	Public Administration
6	Kothamasu Dinesh Kumar	Political Science
7	Anand Vardhan	Political Science
8	Shweta Chauhan	Geography
9	Suman Sourav Mohanty	Public Administration
10	Bilal Mohi Ud Din Bhat	Veterinary Science

UPSC Toppers Optional Subject 2015

Rank	UPSC Toppers Name	Optional Subject
1	Tina Dabi	Political Science
2	Athar Aamir Ul Shafi Khan	Philosophy
3	Jasmeet Singh Sandhu	Punjabi Literature
4	Artika Shukla	Medical Science
5	Shashank Tripathi	Sanskrit
6	Ashish Tiwari	Public Administration
7	Sharanya Ari	Sociology
8	Yogesh Kumbhejkar	Mathematics
9	Karn Satyarthi	Political Science
10	Anupam Shukla	Physics

Also Read: 6 Best Optional Subjects in UPSC: Guide to Choose Most Scoring Non-technical Subjects

How to Choose an Optional Subject that Is the Best Fit for You?

The optional subject of your choice should ideally interest you, make you be acquainted with more about it, should not bore you, make you think out of the box, and have books easily available. Practically speaking candidates should choose a subject that is:

• A scoring optional subject
• Most popular optional subject
• An optional subject that is easy to understand or which they find interesting
• The subject for which notes and study materials are easily available
• Optional for which best coaching is available
• The subject they have a background in graduation or post-graduation
• The optional subject with which the most candidates have cracked the IAS mains exam

Conclusion

Analysis of the trends in the last 7 years shows that the optional subject of All India Rank 1 in all these years was quite different, Medical Science has the highest success rate among UPSC optional subject, and that Geography is the most popular optional subject in the UPSC Civil Services Examination. However, even though these are facts, that doesn’t mean that these subjects suit you and will guarantee you a success. Thus it is very important to choose an optional subject according to your own strengths and interests.