How to choose an optional subject for IAS preparation?
Most IAS aspirants get contemplations regarding what optional subject they should choose for themselves. UPSC has revamped the pattern of mains examination back in 2013. It did away with the lengthy outlook of conducting the exam with two optional papers. Now the aspirants will have to choose only one optional subject with two papers of 250 marks each. You can get a better understanding of the mains syllabus and the optional subject marking scheme on the website of Legacy IAS Academy. A detailed exam pattern is explained for the aspirants. Coming back to why exactly you should choose an optional subject wisely.
Why an optional subject?
In a demanding exam like UPSC where even a difference of a single mark can slide you down 10 rankings, it is very important to keep your strategy sleek and simple. As often stressed by the veterans from the Best IAS Coaching in Bangalore, the primary focus should be to gain knowledge but scoring good marks isn’t something you can compromise with. Anything that you do in your preparation should lead you to score more. An optional subject is the window where you can get this opportunity.
Now the question arises how to determine which subject is scoring. Looking at the trends we can identify that subjects like Geography, Political Science, Philosophy, Sociology, Public administration etc. have the highest number of students who cracked IAS exam. Does this mean these subjects are scoring? Are they easy? There is no easiest subject or the most scoring subject in UPSC. You find the analysis of recent trends on the homepage of Best IAS Coaching in Karnataka, LIA. It hugely depends upon the candidate. What subject they might find interest in or what subject they are able to grasp easily. It is a matter of an individual’s will and capacity. However a suited optional subject will give you a leverage of extra marks over others because that will work as your domain you are best at.
A right optional subject
Candidates often depend on the suggestions or recommendations of others when it comes to pick up an optional subject. They tend to follow the herd and choose the subjects that were either picked by the toppers or by the peers or by the acquaintances. It is a very wrong approach, if not satisfactory. According to Best IAS Academy in Bangalore, an optional subject will become a convenient affair if you have a previous background regarding it. It means that you can go for the subjects you already studies in your Graduation or Post Graduation or High school, that way you need not start from scratch. Following are some generic suggestions for the aspirants on the basis of above criteria: –
- Science students can go for Anthropology
- Geography is preferred by Doctors, Engineers for its law and principles based questions.
- Humanities students can go for Sociology, History, Political Science
- Public administration is preferred among Lawyers
But, not every aspirant would want to continue with their previously studied cores. They seek to learn something new which is not a bad deal. A survey from IAS Coaching in Bangalore entails some of the other ways that aspirants follow while choosing an optional subject:-
- Availability of coaching/guidance
- Easily available study material
- Common or popular
- Scoring and easy to understand
- High success rate
It would not be a good idea to assume look at it as one size fits all approach. It is only one’s perspective. As there are a few aspirants who have cleared UPSC Civil Services with out of the box optional subjects like mathematics, physics, literature etc. just because they loved the subject. Relying on the availability of coaching institute is yet another setback because the paper of UPSC is becoming more and more unpredictable even for the maximum IAS Academy in Bangalore. Hence a most suitable advise that comes from the desk of the most UPSC stalwarts in the process of choosing optional subject is as follows:-
- The subject should make you think and analyse
- Should make you contradict your own thoughts
- Should not bore you
- Should bring interest
- Should be easy to understand
- Should have easily available books
As the distinguished UPSC Coaching in Bangalore, LIA has a reservoir of almost all the popular optional subject’s notes and study materials. They are specifically designed in a way that even a candidate with zero prior background can study and understand them. Expert tutors have been cherry picked for the specialised mentoring that an optional subject would require. Making it the most preferred IAS Institute in Bangalore.
Hope this helps in you choosing an optional subject for UPSC Civil Services. Whichever optional subject you choose, know that only your hard work and effort will help you in sailing through the exam. Stick to your paper and work for it diligently. All the best!
