The UPSC gives its aspirants 48 subjects out of which the aspirant has to select just one optional subject out of this total of 48 subjects. These 48 subjects have been divided into 25 core subjects and 23 literary subjects. 

The popularity level of these 48 subjects differs a lot. Political Science and Sociology & Anthropology are popular subjects, whereas Bodo Literature is not.

UPSC Optional Subject List

The table below lists every optional subject the UPSC allows, grouped by core disciplines and language literature options.

No.	Optional Subject	Category
1	Agriculture	Core Subject
2	Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science	Core Subject
3	Anthropology	Core Subject
4	Botany	Core Subject
5	Chemistry	Core Subject
6	Civil Engineering	Core Subject
7	Commerce and Accountancy	Core Subject
8	Economics	Core Subject
9	Electrical Engineering	Core Subject
10	Geography	Core Subject
11	Geology	Core Subject
12	History	Core Subject
13	Law	Core Subject
14	Management	Core Subject
15	Mathematics	Core Subject
16	Mechanical Engineering	Core Subject
17	Medical Science	Core Subject
18	Philosophy	Core Subject
19	Physics	Core Subject
20	Political Science and International Relations	Core Subject
21	Psychology	Core Subject
22	Public Administration	Core Subject
23	Sociology	Core Subject
24	Statistics	Core Subject
25	Zoology	Core Subject
26	Assamese Literature	Literature Subject
27	Bengali Literature	Literature Subject
28	Bodo Literature	Literature Subject
29	Dogri Literature	Literature Subject
30	Gujarati Literature	Literature Subject
31	Hindi Literature	Literature Subject
32	Kannada Literature	Literature Subject
33	Kashmiri Literature	Literature Subject
34	Konkani Literature	Literature Subject
35	Maithili Literature	Literature Subject
36	Malayalam Literature	Literature Subject
37	Manipuri Literature	Literature Subject
38	Marathi Literature	Literature Subject
39	Nepali Literature	Literature Subject
40	Odia Literature	Literature Subject
41	Punjabi Literature	Literature Subject
42	Sanskrit Literature	Literature Subject
43	Santhali Literature	Literature Subject
44	Sindhi Literature	Literature Subject
45	Tamil Literature	Literature Subject
46	Telugu Literature	Literature Subject
47	Urdu Literature	Literature Subject
48	English Literature	Literature Subject

A candidate submits only one subject when filling out the Mains application, and this choice cannot be changed once the form is locked for that cycle.

Most Chosen Optional Subjects

Eight subjects account for the bulk of every year’s optional choices. Here is what sets each one apart, beyond what any list can show.

1. Political Science and International Relations

Political Science and International Relations is one of those subjects that tends to favor those who are in the habit of studying foreign policy, parliament, and constitution-related issues.

Shakti Dubey, who secured AIR 1 in the CSE 2024 cycle, opted for PSIR and achieved 279 out of 500 marks in the subject, which is one of the highest optional scores of that year.

There is much similarity between the subject and GS Paper II, and therefore, time invested in PSIR yields a double benefit in the optional paper as well as GS paper.

However, this similarity can be a trap as candidates tend to merge static theory with current affairs and write subjective answers, which do not fetch many marks.

2. Sociology

Optional Sociology Rajeshwari Suve M scored All India Rank 2 in the CSE 2025 cycle, thereby ending a streak of success for Sociology as an optional.

However, this streak ended momentarily in the 2024 cycle. The average Sociology marks decreased by fifteen to twenty marks when compared to 2023, taking everyone in coaching institutes by surprise.

Sociology remains an easy optional for starters, but the above dip confirms that this optional is not exempt from any sudden changes in marking trends of the examiners.

3. Anthropology

In the case of anthropology, Anudeep Durishetty came first in the CSE 2017 cycle, with Anthropology being his optional subject, while Shubham Kumar did the same with All India Rank 1 in CSE 2020, earning 320 marks out of 500 in the subject.

For candidates opting for Anthropology, usually three to four months are sufficient to complete the syllabus, leaving all the remaining time for General Studies and Ethics.

Quality coaching for Anthropology is concentrated in very few cities, making it difficult for candidates from other cities to get good coaching.

4. Geography

In Geography, candidates who come from either a science or an engineering background tend to opt for Geography since it has a lot of benefit from using diagrams in the answer.

The popularity of Geography as a subject has seen a drastic decline in the last decade. While around 3,515 candidates opted for Geography in 2014, only about 1,079 candidates opted for it in 2021.

It continues to suit the correct candidate but not in the same numbers as before.

5. History

In History, Shruti Sharma was the topper in the CSE 2021 session with AIR 1, and she obtained 306/500 in History, which is one of the highest optional scores in recent times.

It covers history from ancient to medieval and then modern and even world history; thus, a superficial study becomes apparent from the very answers themselves.

History is an optional subject that is good for those who like reading and the subject itself.

6. Philosophy

Dongre Archit Parag got an AIR of 3 in CSE 2024 with Philosophy as his optional subject, which shows that philosophy can take you all the way up to the ranks.

Though the syllabus is small, the concepts covered in it are complex. Poor communication skills will convert the small syllabus of Philosophy into a low score very fast.

Philosophy is a subject where clarity of thought scores over breadth of reading in terms of scoring.

7. Public Administration

Public Administration: This is an area of study that focuses on government servants or people who are already aware of the administration system. 

Just like Geography, Public Administration is one field whose number of candidates applying to it has been dwindling year after year because people prefer shorter syllabi.

This area of study favors innovative ideas, although years of routine textbook answers from fewer candidates have made such unique answers uncommon.

8. Commerce and Accountancy

Commerce & Accountancy: Akansh Dhull got AIR 3 in the CSE 2025 cycle by choosing Commerce & Accountancy, thus proving how this subject can score as effectively as much more popular ones.

Questions based on numbers/ calculations give less scope for subjective evaluation, which helps maintain uniformity while scoring.

However, the subject can be chosen only by those aspirants who have basic knowledge of finance/accountancy. Otherwise, the syllabus is very harsh on other candidates.

How to Choose Your UPSC Optional Subject

The choice of the right optional will depend on interest in the subject, its relation to GS, availability of study material, and past performance trends in the subject.

1. Interest in the Subject

If any subject is to be studied for a period of more than one year, then it should definitely continue to interest you.

This is indeed a very crucial point.

2. Study Materials Availability

You should ensure that:

Books, Previous year questions, test series, topper copies, etc. are available.

3. GS Overlap

There are subjects such as Geography, Sociology, PSIR, History, and Public Administration that can aid in preparing for GS. Thus, a lot of aspirants opt for such subjects.

4. Mentorship Availability

You will require adequate guidance or mentorship; this will enhance your performance significantly. Don’t ignore this point, since this factor is indeed very vital.

5. Answer Writing

Those subjects that contain analytical portions as well as diagram-based answers would help improve your scores. Thus, you can assign this criterion a high importance.

UPSC Optional Subject Success Rate

Success ratio refers to those applicants who were recommended for selection from among the applicants who appeared for that optional.

Optional Subject	Approximate Success Rate	Why It Performs This Way
Anthropology	Around 9% to 11%	Short syllabus, high scoring potential
Political Science and International Relations	Around 8% to 10%	Strong overlap with GS Paper II
Sociology	Around 8% to 10%	Relatable themes, structured material
History	Around 4% to 8%	Long syllabus, rewards depth
Geography	Around 5% to 7%	Falling candidate numbers over the years
Philosophy	Varies widely by examiner	Short syllabus, needs sharp writing

More Suggestions:

• Compulsory Subjects For UPSC
• Best IAS Books For UPSC Preparations

Conclusion: Choose the UPSC Optional That Fits You Best

It specifies that while popularity guarantees consistency, preparation leads to success. CSE 2025 saw 958 candidates with options being made from almost all 48 optional subjects. 

The PSIR was amongst the top three popular optional subjects, along with Sociology and Anthropology, because of its relevance to the subject of General Studies. 

On the other hand, 306/500 scored by Shruti Sharma in History (CSE 2021) is considered one of the best in recent times. 

FAQs