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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Below is the list of 48 UPSC Optional Subjects that you can choose from.
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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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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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 |
Political Science & International Relations (PSIR) |
Uttar Pradesh |
IAS |
|
2023 |
Electrical Engineering |
Uttar Pradesh |
IAS |
|
2022 |
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
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% |
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 |
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Important Links For UPSC Exam |
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Subject-wise Prelims Previous Year Questions |
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