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The Art of Choosing the Right Optional — What 99% Miss, but Toppers Master

 When aspirants start preparing for UPSC, the most dangerous trap isn’t GS or CSAT.

It’s an optional subject.

A wrong optional can drag your rank 300 places down.
A smart optional? It can make a 10,000-rank aspirant enter the top 100.

Yet, no coaching, no toppers’ talk, and no book tells you how to actually choose the right optional.

This guide breaks down a practical, proven, and strategic method to pick your optional—with zero regrets later.

Optional for UPSC


Why Choosing the Right Optional Is a Game-Changer

📌 500 Marks — 25% of Your Fate

Optional carries a whopping 500 marks in UPSC Mains.
A consistent optional score of 280+ instantly puts you in the top bracket.

📌 Toppers Secure Their Rank with Optional

  • Gaurav Agarwal (AIR 1, 2013) – Economics

  • Jagrati Awasthi (AIR 2, 2020) – Sociology

Their GS scores were good.
But their optional made them toppers.

How Toppers Differ From the 99%

Most aspirants pick optionals because:

  • Their friends chose it

  • Their coaching “recommended” it

  • A topper said it’s scoring

  • They already studied it in college

But toppers approach optional selection like analysts, not followers.

What toppers do differently:

✔ They study the syllabus deeply before deciding
✔ They analyze 10 years of PYQs like a research project
✔ They test-drive the subject for 2–3 days
✔ They measure writing comfort, not just theoretical interest
✔ They choose optional based on strengths, not trends

This single decision gives toppers a 300–350 marks edge, which most aspirants never realize until it’s too late.

UPSC Optional: Step-by-Step Guide to Choose the Best One for YOU

✅ Step 1: Go Through the Syllabus (Don’t Skip This!)

Download the syllabus PDF from UPSC or trusted institutes (VisionIAS, ForumIAS).
Highlight topics that feel familiar or interesting.

Check overlap with GS:

  • High overlap: Geography, Sociology, PSIR

  • Medium overlap: Anthropology, History

  • Low overlap: Maths, Literature, Engineering subjects

The more familiar it feels, the easier it is to score.

✅ Step 2: Analyze Previous Year Questions

This is where toppers gain the real advantage.

Some optionals are predictable (Sociology, Philosophy).
Others fluctuate wildly (Mathematics, Law).

Download PYQs of the past 10 years and check for:

  • Topic repetition

  • Difficulty trends

  • Pattern stability

👉 If the same themes repeat → the optional is stable and scoring.

✅ Step 3: Do a 3-Day Trial Study

Take any random topic.
Watch 1–2 YouTube classes + read a basic book/NCERT.

Ask these questions:

  • Do you enjoy the subject?

  • Can you recall ideas easily?

  • Can you explain the topic in simple terms?

📌 If you can teach it → you can score in it.

✅ Step 4: Check Resource Availability

Some optionals suffer because:

  • No good books

  • No test series

  • No structured notes

Before finalizing, check:

  • Telegram

  • Bookstores

  • Coaching websites

  • Toppers’ strategies and answer copies

If resources are weak → scoring becomes tough.

✅ Step 5: Check Writing Comfort

Even if you understand the subject, can you express it?

Try writing a 250-word answer from a PYQ.

If it feels natural and structured → you’re on the right track.

Choose Optional Like a Topper

📚 High Overlap Optionals

  • Sociology

  • Geography

  • PSIR

  • Anthropology

🔁 Repetitive Questions

  • Philosophy

  • Sociology

  • History

📉 Short Syllabus

  • Philosophy

  • Anthropology

🎯 Scoring Optionals

  • Sociology

  • Psychology

  • PSIR

💔 Risky Optionals

  • Law (low scaling)

  • Maths (very high accuracy needed)

  • Literature (subjective checking)

Final Checklist: Before Locking Your Optional

✔ Syllabus feels familiar and manageable
✔ PYQs show repetition
✔ Good resources available
✔ You enjoy reading it
✔ You can write 250 words in 15 minutes

If all these are YES → you’ve found your optional.

Conclusion

Don’t pick an optional because a topper did.
Don’t pick it because peers are doing it.

Pick it like a strategist.
Because GS gets you into the race. Optional makes you win it.

And the toppers?
They’re not extraordinary—
They just make extraordinary decisions at the right time.
Choosing the right optional is the first.

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