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Home / IAS Preparation / Best Optional Subject For UPSC

UPSC Optional Subject List: Best Optional Subjects for UPSC IAS 2025

Last Updated on Jul 16, 2025
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Choosing the Best Optional Subject for UPSC will help the aspirants to score well in the exam. UPSC allows candidates to choose one optional subject from a diverse range of options, enabling them to specialize in an area of their interest or expertise. Selecting the right optional subject for UPSC plays a significant role in shaping an aspirant's strategy and performance in the examination.

Here, we provide the complete list of 48 UPSC optional subjects to help candidates make informed decisions regarding their UPSC preparation. Additionally, we'll explore how to determine the best optional subject for the UPSC CSE exam by looking at the previous year trends. So, let's begin!

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UPSC Optional Subject List 2025 [48 Subjects]

Below is the list of 48 UPSC Optional Subjects that you can choose from.

  • Agriculture
  • Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
  • Anthropology
  • Botany
  • Chemistry
  • Civil Engineering
  • Commerce and Accountancy
  • Economics
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Geography
  • Geology
  • History
  • Law
  • Management
  • Mathematics
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Medical Science
  • Philosophy
  • Physics
  • Political Science and International Relations
  • Psychology
  • Public Administration
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • Zoology
  • Assamese
  • Bengali
  • Bodo
  • Dogri
  • Gujarati
  • Hindi
  • Kannada
  • Kashmiri
  • Konkani
  • Maithili
  • Malayalam
  • Manipuri
  • Marathi
  • Nepali
  • Odia
  • Punjabi
  • Sanskrit
  • Santhali
  • Sindhi
  • Tamil
  • Telugu
  • Urdu
  • English

Choosing the best optional subject for the UPSC CSE exam can greatly impact your performance. We'll now delve into strategies and considerations to help you make this crucial decision.

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Which is the Best Optional Subject for UPSC Mains 2025?

Selecting the optimal optional subject for UPSC Mains 2025 is crucial as it accounts for a total of 500 marks out of 1750 marks of UPSC Exam influencing everything, from final rankings to final services allocation. As per recent trends, Political Science & International Relations (PSIR), Sociology, and Anthropology have emerged as the top choices of UPSC Optional Subjects among successful candidates. 

  • In the 2024 UPSC exam, both AIR 1 Shakti Dubey and AIR 2 Harshita Goyal opted for PSIR, despite their academic backgrounds in Biochemistry and Commerce, respectively.
  • Sociology and Anthropology are also favored for their concise syllabi and substantial overlap with General Studies papers, enhancing preparation efficiency.
  • Success rates further underscore these preferences; for instance, in 2020, Philosophy had a success rate of 21.57%, while PSIR and Anthropology had rates of 18.54% and 18.33%, respectively.

Ultimately, the best optional subject for UPSC is based on an aspirant's interest, academic background, and the availability of resources. All aspirants must choose their Mains Optional Subject strategically to leverage their knowledge to get a strategic advantage in the exam. 

Top 10 Optional Subjects for UPSC

The ideal UPSC optional subject for you should align with your interests, academic background, and offer advantages like a manageable syllabus, overlap with General Studies (GS) papers, and a strong success rate as per previous years’ UPSC Result trends. Based on recent trends, success rates, and choices of top rankers, the following are the top 10 optional subjects for UPSC 2025 –

Rank

Optional Subject

Success Rate (%)

GS Overlap

Notable Toppers

1

Political Science & International Relations (PSIR)

18.54%

GS Paper II (Polity, IR), Essay

Tina Dabi (AIR 1, 2015), Ishita Kishore (AIR 1, 2022)

2

Anthropology

18.33%

GS Paper I (Society), GS Paper II (Tribal Issues)

Anudeep Durishetty (AIR 1, 2017), Shubham Kumar (AIR 1, 2020)

3

Sociology

16.35%

GS Paper I (Society), GS Paper II (Social Justice), Essay

Ira Singhal (AIR 1, 2014)

4

Geography

16.59%

GS Paper I (Geography), GS Paper III (Environment)

Jivani Kartik Nagjibhai (Rank 8, 2020)

5

History

15.36%

GS Paper I (History), Prelims

Shruti Sharma (AIR 1, 2021)

6

Public Administration

15.28%

GS Paper II (Governance), Essay

Pradeep Singh (AIR 1, 2019)

7

Philosophy

21.57%

GS Paper IV (Ethics), Essay

Dongre Archit Parag (AIR 3, 2024)

8

Law

15.15%

GS Paper II (Polity), Essay

Akshat Jain (AIR 2, 2018)

9

Psychology

16.87%

GS Paper IV (Ethics), Essay

Nandini K.R. (AIR 1, 2016)

10

Economics

16.98%

GS Paper III (Economy)

Gaurav Agarwal (AIR 1, 2013)

Go through the detailed UPSC Syllabus 2025 to find out which is the right optional subject for you!

Scoring Optional Subject in UPSC Mains Exam

UPSC Toppers have consistently chosen the optional subjects with high scoring potential, due to their overlap with the UPSC Prelims Syllabus as well as their intersection with Current Affairs. Below is a table highlighting some of the most popular optional subjects by their scoring potential, their overlap with other papers, and the number of aspirants who chose them in the past few years –

Subject

Syllabus Overlap

Number of Aspirants

Geography

Prelims, GS Paper I & GS Paper III

3,500

History

Prelims, GS Paper I

3,500

Public Administration

Prelims, GS Paper II

3,000

Sociology

Essay, GS Paper I & GS Paper II

1,800

Political Science

Prelims, GS Paper II

1,800

Philosophy

Essay, GS Paper IV

1,000

This data indicates that subjects like Geography and History are among the ones with highest scoring potential among other optional subjects due to their extensive overlap with the General Studies papers, which can streamline preparation. Sociology and Political Science also offer significant advantages, especially for aspirants with backgrounds in humanities or social sciences. Philosophy, while chosen by fewer candidates, has a concise syllabus and overlaps with the Ethics paper. Accounting for these factors can help aspirants choose the best optional subject for UPSC as per their interests and strengths. 

How to Choose the Best UPSC Optional Subject For UPSC?

Choosing the best optional subject for UPSC Civil Services proves to be important. The optional subject helps increase the candidate’s confidence in scoring high marks on the exam. There are certain factors that help decide the best optional subject for the UPSC Mains exam. Before choosing a subject, try to answer the following questions.

  • How extensive is the syllabus of the optional subject that you wish to choose?
  • How much time do you have in hand for the preparation?
  • How much knowledge of the subject do you have prior, at the graduate level?
  • What portion of the syllabus overlaps with the General Studies part?
  • Are the essential learning resources easily accessible?
  • Have you gone through the trends of marks, the difficulty level and the previous year papers of the subject?
  • Are you really interested and willing to learn the subject?

Once you arrive at the answers to these questions, you can make an individual choice for choosing your preferred optional subject for the UPSC exam.

Points To Remember While Choosing the UPSC Optional Subject

  • Draw up a list of 4-5 subjects that you feel you have an interest in.
  • Go through the UPSC syllabus for each of the subjects and highlight the topics you think you know something about.
  • Have a look at the previous year papers of the subjects in your list. Highlight the questions you are familiar with and measure the knowledge you have to answer them. This shows your compatibility with a particular subject.
  • Carry out research on the availability of training material for a particular subject.
  • If you are an engineering student and are good at your engineering subjects, choosing that as an optional subject will reduce the burden of preparing a new subject from scratch.
  • Literature subjects have performed well in UPSC all these years. So, if you are a person having good command over your native language, it would be wiser to choose that as your optional subject.

Optional Subjects of UPSC Toppers [2024-2000]

The table below provides the list of Optional Subjects Selected by UPSC Toppers over the last 24 years.

Year

UPSC Topper Name

(Rank 1)

Optional Subject Chosen

Home State Cadre

Service Opted

2024

Shakti Dubey

Political Science & International Relations (PSIR)

Uttar Pradesh

IAS

2023

Aditya Srivastava

Electrical Engineering

Uttar Pradesh

IAS

2022

Ishita Kishore

Political Science & International Relations (PSIR)

Bihar

IAS

2021

Shruti Sharma

History

Uttar Pradesh

IAS

2020

Subham Kumar

Anthropology

Bihar

IAS

2019

Pradeep Singh

Public Administration

Haryana

IAS

2018

Kanishak Kataria

Mathematics

Rajasthan

IAS

2017

Anudeep Durishetty

Anthropology

Telangana

IAS

2016

Nandini K. R.

Kannada Literature

Karnataka

IAS

2015

Tina Dabi

Political Science

Delhi

IAS

2014

Ira Singhal

Geography

Delhi

IAS

2013

Gaurav Aggarwal

Economics

Rajasthan

IAS

2012

Haritha V. Kumar

Economics & Malayalam Literature

Kerala

IAS

2011

Shena Aggarwal

Medical Science and Psychology

Haryana

IAS

2010

S Divyadharshini

Public Administration & Law

Tamil Nadu

IAS

2009

Shah Faesal

Public Administration & Urdu Literature

Jammu & Kashmir

IAS

2008

Shubhra Saxena

Psychology & Public Administration

Uttar Pradesh

IAS

2007

Adapa Karthik

Zoology & Psychology

Telangana

IAS

2006

Mutyalaraju Revu

Electrical Engineering & Mathematics

Andhra Pradesh

IAS

2005

Mona Pruthi

English Literature & Sociology

Haryana

IAS

2004

S. Nagarajan

Geography & Sociology

Tamil Nadu

IAS

2003

Roopa Mishra

Psychology & Public Administration

Odisha

IAS

2002

Ankur Garg

Physics & Chemistry

Punjab

IAS

2001

Alok Ranjan Jha

Geography

Bihar

IFS

2000

Vijaylakshmi Bidari

Kannada Literature

Karnataka

IAS

Also check – UPSC Toppers Optional Subjects With Marks

Best Optional Subjects For UPSC & their Success Rates

Based on the analysis carried out on the optional subjects having high success rates in UPSC Mains 2019, it is clear that Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science a list of the Best Optional Subject for the UPSC IAS Mains Exam has been given below.

Success Rate of Optional Subjects in UPSC 2019

Optional Subjects

No. of Candidates

Success Rate in Percentage

Appeared

Recommended

Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science

16

3

18.80%

Management

54

6

11.10%

Commerce & Accountancy

183

20

10.90%

Economics

243

26

10.70%

Agriculture

124

13

10.50%

Medical Science

247

26

10.50%

Civil Engineering

146

15

10.30%

Law

186

19

10.20%

Sociology

1263

126

10.00%

Anthropology

1189

108

9.10%

Zoology

44

4

9.10%

Psychology

164

15

9.10%

Chemistry

156

13

8.30%

Mathematics

539

45

8.30%

Public Administration

705

58

8.20%

Political Science & International Relations

1662

137

8.20%

Electrical Engineering

200

16

8.00%

Physics

165

12

7.30%

Botany

28

2

7.10%

History

751

51

6.80%

Philosophy

439

27

6.20%

Mechanical Engineering

213

12

5.60%

Geography

1916

105

5.50%

Geology

30

0

0.00%

Statistics

2

0

0.00%

UPSC Optional Subject List & Syllabus 2025

The UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus 2025 comprises two papers—Paper VI and Paper VII—each carrying 250 marks, totaling 500 marks. Knowing the optional subjects syllabus is important before choosing the most apt optional subject. Selecting an optional subject that aligns with one's academic background and interests can increase preparation efficiency and performance in the examination –

UPSC Optional Subjects List & Syllabus

UPSC Agriculture Syllabus

Assamese Literature Syllabus

UPSC Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science Syllabus

Bengali Literature Syllabus

UPSC Anthropology Syllabus

Gujarati Literature Syllabus

UPSC Botany Syllabus

Manipuri Literature Syllabus

UPSC Chemistry Optional Syllabus

Odia Literature Syllabus

UPSC Civil Engineering Syllabus

Sanskrit Literature Syllabus

UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus

Telugu Literature Syllabus

UPSC Economics Syllabus

Bodo Literature Syllabus

UPSC Electrical Engineering Syllabus

English Literature Syllabus

UPSC Geography Optional Syllabus

Hindi Literature Syllabus

UPSC Geology Syllabus

Kannada Literature Syllabus

UPSC History Syllabus

Maithili Literature Syllabus

UPSC Law Syllabus

Sindhi Literature Syllabus

UPSC Management Optional Syllabus

Tamil Literature Syllabus

UPSC Maths Syllabus

Malayalam Literature Syllabus

UPSC Mechanical Engineering Syllabus

Nepali Literature Syllabus

UPSC Medical Science Optional Syllabus

Marathi Literature Syllabus

UPSC Philosophy Syllabus

Dogri Literature Syllabus

UPSC Physics Syllabus

Konkani Literature Syllabus

UPSC PSIR Syllabus

Urdu Literature Syllabus

UPSC Psychology Syllabus

Santali Literature Syllabus

UPSC Public Administration Syllabus

Kashmiri Literature Syllabus

UPSC Sociology Optional Syllabus

UPSC Zoology Syllabus

UPSC Statistics Syllabus

–

Summing Up
  • Based on the data, it is quite evident that there are certain subjects which are chosen by a large number of aspirants consistently over the years.
  • The popularity of these subjects is primarily owed to the fact that there is a significant amount of syllabus overlap with the GS subjects. We can tell this conclusively because History, Geography, Political Science, International Relations and Sociology are among the optional subjects opted for the IAS Exam by a large number of candidates consistently.
  • However, the success rates of these optional subjects are not consistent enough for drawing any inferences on the feasibility of choosing these as the best optional subjects for UPSC.

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Best Optional Subject for UPSC Mains 2025 FAQs

Geography, Sociology and Public Administration subjects have been easy to score more marks. Many aspirants have scored 400+ marks in these subjects as per the previous result trends of UPSC.

As per the recommendations of the candidates, the optional subject Geography has a high success rate followed by History, Public Administration and Sociology subjects.

Philosophy Optional Subject has the smallest syllabus. Candiates interested in Philosophy can choose it as their Optional Subject for UPSC mains exam.

No, Do not choose an optional subject just because many of the candidates are opting for it. Picking up a subject depending solely on the talks of the toppers may land you in trouble. Choose an optional subject based on your area of interest, understanding and knowledge.

It is a wise idea to choose an optional for UPSC, which has already been covered in the General Studies paper because it proves to save time. So, while it is smarter to take an overlapping optional subject to save time, it is, even more, smarter to take a subject that you may have already done in your master’s or graduation as you would be aware of the fundamentals of the subject.

While there is no such thing as a best optional subject for UPSC, the choice of optional subjects depends on the candidates’ interests, academic background and strengths that can give them a strategic advantage in the Mains exam. However, Political Science & International Relations (PSIR), Sociology, and Anthropology have consistently been top choices among successful candidates. In 2024, both AIR 1 Shakti Dubey and AIR 2 Harshita Goyal selected PSIR, despite their academic backgrounds in Biochemistry and Commerce, respectively . These subjects offer significant overlap with General Studies papers and the Essay paper. Ultimately, the best subject aligns with an aspirant's interest, academic background, and the availability of resources.

Success rates of optional subjects indicate that Philosophy had a success rate of 21.57%, while PSIR and Anthropology had rates of 18.54% and 18.33%, respectively, in recent years . These subjects are considered high-scoring due to their concise syllabi and substantial overlap with General Studies papers.

In the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025, Philosophy recorded the highest success rate at 21.57%, followed by Political Science & International Relations (PSIR) at 18.54% and Anthropology at 18.33%. These figures indicate the proportion of candidates who cleared the exam with these subjects as their optional choices.

Tina Dabi, who secured All India Rank 1 in the UPSC CSE 2015, chose Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) as her optional subject. She scored 299 out of 500 marks in this subject, contributing significantly to her total score of 1063 marks.

Optional subjects like Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy, and Public Administration are often considered easier due to their concise syllabi, overlap with General Studies papers, and availability of study materials. However, the ease of an optional subject is subjective and depends on a candidate's background and interest.

There are 48 Optional Subjects in UPSC that a candidate can choose from. These 48 UPSC Optional Subjects List includes the technical & literature subjects.
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