The UPSC Optional Subject List is an important part of the Civil Services Examination, and selecting the best optional subject for UPSC can help aspirants perform well on the exam. UPSC permits applicants to select one optional subject from a wide variety of options, allowing them to specialise in an area of interest or skill. Choosing the proper UPSC optional topic has a huge impact on an aspirant's approach and exam performance.

List of Optional Subjects for UPSC

Below is the list of 48 UPSC optional subjects:

Agriculture
Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
Anthropology
Botany
Chemistry
Civil Engineering
Commerce and Accountancy
Economics
Electrical Engineering
Geography
Geology
History
Law
Management
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Medical Science
Philosophy
Physics
Political Science and International Relations
Psychology
Public Administration
Sociology
Statistics
Zoology
Assamese
Bengali
Bodo
Dogri
Gujarati
Hindi
Kannada
Kashmiri
Konkani
Maithili
Malayalam
Manipuri
Marathi
Nepali
Odia
Punjabi
Sanskrit
Santhali
Sindhi
Tamil
Telugu
Urdu
English

What is the importance of the optional subject in UPSC CSE?

The optional is the only type of subject available to aspirants for choosing in the Civil Services Exam (CSE), and its marks are used to calculate merit. All of the remaining papers are either identical for everyone or are just qualifying in nature.

The optional subject test is critical to succeed in the UPSC CSE. In the GS Mains test, you may not be able to make much of a difference, but in the Optional, you can have a 20-50 mark advantage if your decision is good and your efforts are directed in the proper area.

Which provides more benefits: Optional or GS?

The act of selecting the correct optional subject is very important in the UPSC CSE. It is because the scope of earning better marks is bigger in the optional than the General Studies (GS) Mains exam or any other category.
Although the GS Mains test has a weightage of 1000 points, a GS Mains topper's marks range between 475-525 out of 1000, accounting for only 50% of the total marks.
However, the highest scorers in optional subjects have scores ranging from 350 to 370 out of 500, or more than 70%.
So, even if the optional subject exam has a lower weightage than the GS Mains exam, the chances of earning greater marks in the optional exam are substantially higher.

Several things should be considered when picking an optional subject for the UPSC test:

Choose a subject in which you not only have an interest but also some prior experience or aptitude for. If you do this, studying will be a lot more fun and productive.
Take a look at the course outline for all of the UPSC optionals. Pick one that fits in with what you already know and what you're comfortable with.
Find out how many people passed the UPSC exams for each optional subject in past years. Historically, some classes have had more favorable scoring conditions, such as more manageable course loads or more objective forms of assessment.
You should check that there is a sufficient supply of books, study materials, and other resources for the subject you have selected.
Before committing to a coaching program, make sure that reputable coaching institutes provide subject-specific instruction.
Think about how much time you have available to study for both the required courses and the optional.
In order to be well-prepared for the UPSC exam, it is a good idea to look into whether your chosen subject has any commonalities with the General Studies papers.
Be well-versed in the language and literature of your chosen field of study before committing to a literature major.
Refrain from mindlessly following fads. Opt for a topic that truly captivates you instead of picking something just because it's seen as a scoring opportunity.
Some subjects may be easier to learn and excel in if you already possess relevant education or experience.
Throughout the months of studying, make sure your enthusiasm for the subject doesn't wain.
Depending on the course, you may be asked to provide an essay-style response or an objective question.

Top 10 Optional Subjects for UPSC 2026

Public Administration
Geography
Sociology
History
Philosophy
Anthropology
Law
Psychology
Political Science and International Relations
Agriculture

Best optional subjects for IAS for engineering students

Many candidates for the Indian Administrative Service mains struggle with selecting the appropriate optional subject. This is especially true for those aiming for careers in engineering, as the General Studies exams do not include any engineering-related topics.

Taking your graduation subject as an optional is a good idea if you are currently pursuing or have recently completed a degree in civil, mechanical, or electrical engineering, because you will still be learning the material. Because of this, you will have more time to devote to studying for other GS exams.

Alternatively, if you have a strong foundation and knowledge of your engineering subjects, you can still choose them as an option. But if you're no longer interested in or connected to them, it's best to choose something else.

For your optional subjects, you can choose between mathematics and physics or chemistry; the subject you select will depend on your interests and current skill set. If you are good at these topics, you can always review what you already know, even if starting from scratch is hard.

Since you have a background in engineering, you should find mathematics to be relatively easy to understand and implement. You might want to consider math as an optional subject instead of computer (software/hardware) engineering, since the UPSC does not provide that option. As a last option, you can always major in a liberal arts field like history, political science, public administration, etc. Assuming you're interested in learning more about them and have a preference for them. They will also help you a lot with your GS exams.

Considerations for Selecting an Optional Subject for the UPSC 2026 Exam

Make a list of four or five topics that pique your interest.
Review the UPSC course outline for each subject and underline the material you feel comfortable with.
Examine the past exams for the courses you've chosen. Mark the questions that you already know the answers to and see how well you do on the test. This step demonstrates how well you mesh with a specific field.
Inquire about the resources available for training on a specific topic.
If you're an engineering major who excels in your engineering classes, you can save yourself a lot of work by making that optional.
Over the years, UPSC has consistently found success with literature subjects. Consequently, opting for your native language as an optional is the better choice if you are fluent in it.

List of UPSC Topper Optional Subject 2024

Rank	Topper	Optional Subject	Educational Background
1	Shakti Dubey	Political Science & International Relations	Biochemistry
2	Harshita Goyal	Political Science & International Relations	Commerce
3	Dongre Archit Parag	Philosophy	Electrical & Electronics
4	Shah Margi Chirag	Sociology	Computer Engineering
5	Aakash Garg	Sociology	Computer Science

Optional Subjects Chosen by Past UPSC Toppers Trends

Year	Topper’s Name	Optional Subject
2024	Shakti Dubey	Political Science and International Relations
2023	Aditya Srivastava	Electric Engineering
2022	Ishita Kishore	Political Science and International Relations
2021	Shruti Sharma	History
2020	Shubham Kumar	Anthropology
2019	Pradeep Singh	Public Administration
2018	Kanishak Kataria	Mathematics
2017	Anudeep Durishetty	Anthropology
2016	Nandini K. R.	Kannada Literature
2015	Tina Dabi	Political Science and International Relations
2014	Ira Singhal	Geography
2013	Gaurav Agarwal	Economics
2012	Haritha V. Kumar	Economics
2011	Shena Aggarwal	Medical Science and Psychology
2010	S Divyadharshini	Public Administration

How Much Time Is Necessary to Spend on UPSC Optional?

Philosophy is one of those subjects that is narrow in scope but deep in meaning. In contrast, history is a hugely expansive field that covers a lot of ground but doesn't go into enormous detail.
Studying any optional in its entirety would take nearly the same amount of time if depth were also considered.
To finish studying an optional, you'll need approximately 120 2.5-hour classes, or 300 hours of class time overall.
On the other hand, practicing answers to questions from prior years does not count toward these 300 hours.
This adds up to a total of 400 hours that need to be set aside.
To do very well on the optional subject test, you will need to devote a total of 700 to 1000 hours to studying, writing practice answers, learning the material, working through sample questions and mock exams, and taking brief notes.
If you take only optional classes and study for ten hours daily, you should finish all these processes in 100 days.
On the other hand, you'll need to set aside around 250 days to study for other segments like GS and Essay simultaneously, assuming you put in 2.5–3 hours a day.
We think it's a good idea to devote two or three months to the optional and then devote an hour a day to studying and preparing for tests.

UPSC Optional Subject-wise Success Rate 2021

Sl. No.	Optional Subject	Candidates Appeared	Candidates Recommended	Success Rate (%)
1	Agriculture	115	12	10.4
2	Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science	18	1	5.6
3	Anthropology	1159	90	7.8
4	Botany	32	3	9.4
5	Chemistry	127	14	11.0
6	Civil Engineering	135	10	7.4
7	Commerce and Accountancy	140	21	15.0
8	Economics	190	25	13.2
9	Electrical Engineering	117	7	6.0
10	Geography	1079	66	6.1
11	Geology	29	1	3.4
12	History	574	25	4.4
13	Law	180	21	11.7
14	Literature of Bengali Language	3	0	0.0
15	Literature of English Language	27	3	11.1
16	Literature of Gujarati Language	32	2	6.3
17	Literature of Hindi Language	211	22	10.4
18	Literature of Kannada Language	60	7	11.7
19	Literature of Maithili Language	12	2	16.7
20	Literature of Malayalam Language	74	8	10.8
21	Literature of Manipuri Language	2	1	50.0
22	Literature of Marathi Language	8	1	12.5
23	Literature of Punjabi Language	15	2	13.3
24	Literature of Sanskrit Language	34	2	5.9
25	Literature of Sindhi (Devanagari) Language	2	0	0.0
26	Literature of Tamil Language	27	2	7.4
27	Literature of Telugu Language	20	1	5.0
28	Literature of Urdu Language	7	0	0.0
29	Management	31	5	16.1
30	Mathematics	513	50	9.7
31	Mechanical Engineering	160	11	6.9
32	Medical Science	196	24	12.2
33	Philosophy	265	20	7.5
34	Physics	131	7	5.3
35	Political Science and International Relations	1571	140	8.9
36	Psychology	127	15	11.8
37	Public Administration	361	31	8.6
38	Sociology	1087	92	8.5
39	Statistics	3	0	0.0
40	Zoology	56	4	7.1

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How to choose an optional subject for UPSC 2026?