How to select Optional Subject for Civil Service Examination

Optional subject is the most important factor in deciding final Rank in civil services examination. The optional has high potential for improving score. Like, an extra effort in GS papers can push score by about 5-15 marks only, like from 105 to 120 or so.  But similar effort in optional can push score at-least by 30-40 marks in each paper. Making total of up to 60-75 marks in optional.

Factors on which optional to be decided:

• Graduation Subject: If you have good command over graduation subject  go for it. I opted for Electrical Engineering as I spent four years in college reading this subject and I feel I was pretty good at this. If you are not comfortable with your graduation subjects you can take other optional.
• Select based on your interest. Which-ever subject you feel comfortable to read, comprehend and present well. Since this subject you have to study for at-least 1-2 years, you have to have interest to read it for long hours and days.
• HOW TO DECIDE THAT YOU HAVE INTEREST IN THAT OPTIONAL OR NOT

I would recommend that do not choose optional immediately when you make up your mind for civil services. Take little time(2-3 months). As soon as you will start reading various subjects, NCERTs  you will start feeling some inclination toward few subjects. You will find some subjects interesting, and some very boring. This will be the first point where you will have three-four subjects in your mind which might be your potential optional subject for civil service examination.

           Here comes the second stage. Now one by one

• Go through the syllabus of the optional subjects, see how comfortable you are with them (rough idea). You can see previous years question papers of that subject and think for a while that can you write answer of those questions with whatever knowledge you have gained so far.you can also go through paper analysis of previous years ( you can get in you tube or google)
• You can watch toppers talk regarding preparation strategy for that particular optional. Look for availability of material and books in market.
• If  the optional which you have decided is completely new to you and you have time for your attempt you can join coaching classes for that. If you don’t live in delhi, No need to worry. You can join online classes. They are as good as offline classes. There are platforms such as Flavido, NeoStencils where you can get online coaching of almost all optionals. Just Google.
• You can speak with seniors or people those who cleared with this optional subject or some more internet research and you tube research or meet some teachers in those subjects.

General inputs

Choosing right optional is just the beginning; you have to continue this with right preparation. I suggest you to plan preparation or coaching for optional early. Few basic points here…

• Complete coaching/ study for optional by November/December.
• You should have got decent idea of syllabus, books to read, what types of questions asked, pattern and question spread in the exam by December or January
• If you need to make notes for optional, please do it before December and be ready with that. It will give you edge over other candidates post prelims
• You should be able to at least identify and frame answers (even roughly) for that year’s mains optional paper.
• To put it simple you should have done one reading of optional with material and books ready to ready post prelims.
• Post prelims spend good time on optional. Choose good test series and attempt all exams as per schedule. Do not break schedule. You can be flexible with your GS tests.
• See some toppers test papers, talk to some people who consistently did well in that optional before you write tests. you can get first hand feel of exam requirements.
• Get the test papers reviewed and keep improving.
• Understand the presentation. Refer toppers papers for idea and some suggestions.
• You should do at least 3-4 readings of optional before mains.

Few don’ts:

• Do not select them just because some friend has suggested or senior has suggested that.
• Please do not choose, seeing the topper that year.
• So many coaching centres will tell their optional is safe, and suited to score more in current pattern. Don’t buy them there are no scoring and less scoring subjects in UPSC.
• Do not worry about what if optional is removed or not. Don’t delay your preparation considering optional subject will be eliminated. That is not our job, our job is to get top rank in any format or any subject that UPSC conducts exam.
• Do not run after too many materials or books. Prepare some good material or good books and get expertise with books.
• Do not go for optional having the trends in mind. For example, views that this optional is not performing, this optional is less scoring. Everybody will be taking Anthropology and Maths right now as optional  since this year in CSE 2017 these particular optionals have performed exceptionally  well but what is the guarantee that these will perform in CSE 2018 as well. What if these optionals are butchered badly in CSE 2018. Every optional will have Ups and Downs. There will be Horses and Donkeys  in every race(optional). There are people who score very well even if their optional does not perform well(Horse). Believe in you. You have to be the horse.

Go with your heart not your brain !!!