In this article, you will read about the UPSC CSE optional subject list and a few pointers on how to decide on an optional subject in UPSC for the IAS mains exam.
The Prestigious Civil Services examination conducted by the UPSC has three stages. The aspirants who have just begun their preparations have various questions such as “How many subjects in IAS Exam”, “How many optionals in UPSC?” etc. This article attempts to clear the air and familiarise the students with the IAS Exam subjects.The UPSC mains (written) examination comprises nine papers. This includes two qualifying papers and seven papers which will be calculated for ranking. Read on to knowwhat the optional subjects in IAS are.
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How many optional subjects for IAS?
According to the new IAS exampattern, the number of optional subjects for UPSC exam to be chosen by the candidate for the Mains exam has decreased to one. The civil services mains exam General Studies papers account for 1000 marks and the two Optional Papers account for 250 marks each. Therefore, it is very important for an aspirant to consider various pros and cons before choosing an optional subject for IAS Mains.
The UPSC Notification lists the number of optional along with their syllabus on a yearly basis. This article gives you information on how many optional papers are there in UPSC exam.
Here, we give the complete list of optional subjects for UPSC IAS Mains Examination. Aspirants can check the linked article to learn more about the UPSC Syllabus and IAS Exam.
To know in detail about the UPSC Online Application process, visit the linked article.
General Studies Paper I to IV for IAS Mains Exam
The Four General Studies Papers are:
| General Studies | Topics covered | Total marks |
| General Studies Paper-I | Indian Heritage and Culture,History and Geography of the World and Society | 250 |
| General Studies Paper-II | Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations | 250 |
| General Studies Paper-III | Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management | 250 |
| General Studies Paper IV | Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude | 250 |
To practise UPSC Mains Answer Writing for 2024, submit your answers in the linked article. You will get questions from different topics of GS 1-4, tailored as per UPSC needs.
What is the Optional Subject in IAS exam?
For the civil services examination, UPSC provides a list of optional subjects. Candidates have to choose one optional for the mains exam. The optional subject has two papers and each paper accounts for 250 marks. Candidates can choose from the list of optional subjects that also includes literature subjects (English and Indian languages).
The papers for the examination will be descriptive in nature. Each paper for UPSC mains exam will be of three hours duration. The question papers, other than the literature of language papers will be set in Hindi and English only. The optional paper plays an important role in the UPSC mains exam.
How many optional subjects in UPSC exam?/How many optional subjects in UPSC? The table below listshow many optional subjects to choose for IAS exam.
UPSC Civil Services Optional Subjects/Optional List for UPSC:
| S. No | List of Optional Subjects in UPSC | Syllabus of Optional Subject in UPSC |
| 1 | Agriculture | Syllabus |
| 2 | Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science | Syllabus |
| 3 | Anthropology | Syllabus |
| 4 | Botany | Syllabus |
| 5 | Chemistry | Syllabus |
| 6 | Civil Engineering | Syllabus |
| 7 | Commerce & Accountancy | Syllabus |
| 8 | Economics | Syllabus |
| 9 | Electrical Engineering | Syllabus |
| 10 | Geography | Syllabus |
| 11 | Geology | Syllabus |
| 12 | History | Syllabus |
| 13 | Law | Syllabus |
| 14 | Management | Syllabus |
| 15 | Mathematics | Syllabus |
| 16 | Mechanical Engineering | Syllabus |
| 17 | Medical Science | Syllabus |
| 18 | Philosophy | Syllabus |
| 19 | Physics | Syllabus |
| 20 | Political Science & International Relations | Syllabus |
| 21 | Psychology | Syllabus |
| 22 | Public Administration | Syllabus |
| 23 | Sociology | Syllabus |
| 24 | Statistics | Syllabus |
| 25 | Zoology |
List of literatureoptional subjects in UPSC
Aspirants can opt for a literature subject as their optional for UPSC Mains even if they had not taken that language as their graduation subject. There will be two papers. Each paper is of 250 marks. The languages prescribed here are from the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
| S.No | List of Literature Optional Subjects | Syllabus of Literature Optional Subject in UPSC |
| 1 | Assamese | Syllabus |
| 2 | Bengali | Syllabus |
| 3 | Bodo | Syllabus |
| 4 | Dogri | Syllabus |
| 5 | Gujarati | Syllabus |
| 6 | Hindi | Syllabus |
| 7 | Kannada | Syllabus |
| 8 | Kashmiri | Syllabus |
| 9 | Konkani | Syllabus |
| 10 | Maithili | Syllabus |
| 11 | Malayalam | Syllabus |
| 12 | Manipuri | Syllabus |
| 13 | Marathi | Syllabus |
| 14 | Nepali | Syllabus |
| 15 | Oriya | Syllabus |
| 16 | Punjabi | Syllabus |
| 17 | Sanskrit | Syllabus |
| 18 | Santhali | Syllabus |
| 19 | Sindhi | Syllabus |
| 20 | Tamil | Syllabus |
| 21 | Telugu | Syllabus |
| 22 | Urdu | Syllabus |
| 23 | English | Syllabus |
How to choose the right optional subject for the UPSC IAS Mains exam?
Aspirants have a lot of confusion regarding the right optional subject and often tend to focus on some criteria for choosing an optional subject for IAS exam. Some common criteria that students consider while choosing the optional are:
- A scoring subject
- Most popular one
- An easy-to-understand subject or that 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 most candidates have cracked the IAS mains exam
However, aspirants must choose optional subjects that are:
- Interesting to study or that holds your interest
- Have easily accessible study materials
- Helps you understand the topic to the core or that lets you think from another perspective
| Related Links | |
| Topic-Wise GS 1 Questions in UPSC Mains | Topic-Wise GS 2 Questions for UPSC Mains |
| Topic-Wise GS 3 Questions for UPSC Mains | Topic-Wise GS 4 Questions for UPSC Mains |
FAQ about UPSC Mains Optional Subjects
Q1
What is the success rate of optional subjects in the UPSC exam?
From 2016 and 2017 data, the success rate for a few Literature papers in the IAS mains exam is the highest. However, considering that few candidates opt for these subjects in UPSC mains, these success rates should be taken only as a broad reference. To know the success rate of optional subjects in the IAS mains exam in detail, please check the linked article.
Q2
Which subject is best for IAS Mains optional?
Subjects with high syllabus overlap with General Studies are usually considered to be a good bet. However, other factors like individual preference, study material availability and nature of syllabus, etc are equally important. Toselect the best UPSC mains optional subject visit the linked page.
Q3
Is Psychology a good optional for IAS?
In 2017, a total of 193 candidates had opted for this optional out of which 21 were recommended for the UPSC interview round. That gives it a success rate of 10.9% that year. Psychology is an interesting subject with a scope of citing real-life examples. However, there is no significant overlap with the General Studies syllabus for both UPSC Prelims and IAS Mains. Know about the pros and cons of selecting Psychology as the optional in the UPSC mains exam.
Q4
Is Agriculture a good optional for IAS
In the recent past, Agriculture has emerged as a scoring optional in UPSC mains. The syllabus for Agriculture Paper 1 has significant overlap with GS in mains and in Prelims. However, Paper 2 has concepts related to Botany. It’s relatively contained syllabus adds to its popularity. Know about the pros and cons of selecting Agriculture as the optional in the UPSC mains exam.
Q5
Is Geography a good optional for IAS?
Geography is one of the most popular optional subjects for IAS aspirants. The significant overlap of the Geography optional syllabus with GS 1 and CSE Prelims exam is one of the key reasons behind its popularity. In 2015, AIR 1, Ira Singhal aced the exam with the same optional. However, it’s comprehensive syllabus is a challenge. To know about the pros and cons of selecting Geography as the optional in the UPSC mains exam, please click here.
Now that you have a clear picture of how many optional subjects are chosen for IAS, you can choose the right optional and start preparing for your IAS exam.
| More UPSC Preparation Articles |
| Popular Optional Subjects In UPSC Mains |
| UPSC 2024 |
| UPSC syllabus |
| Best Optional Subject For UPSC |
| Scoring Optional Subject In IAS Exam |
| Scoring Optional Subject UPSC Civil Services Exam |
| List of IAS Toppers Optional Subjects |
| Best Optional Subject For MBA Student |
| Optional Subjects Overlap With General Studies |
| Choose Optional Subject With Background |
| Choosing Right Optional Subject For UPSC Mains |
| Geology Optional Subject UPSC Mains Exam |
| Optional Subjects Success Rates |
