📘 List of 48 UPSC Optional Subjects
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) offers 48 optional subjects for the Civil Services Mains Examination — divided into 25 Core Subjects and 23 Literature Subjects. Each optional has two papers — Paper VI and Paper VII — of 250 marks each (total 500 marks).
Core Optional Subjects (25)
- 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
Literature Optional Subjects (23)
- Assamese Literature
- Bengali Literature
- Bodo Literature
- Dogri Literature
- Gujarati Literature
- Hindi Literature
- Kannada Literature
- Kashmiri Literature
- Konkani Literature
- Maithili Literature
- Malayalam Literature
- Manipuri Literature
- Marathi Literature
- Nepali Literature
- Odia Literature
- Punjabi Literature
- Sanskrit Literature
- Santhali Literature
- Sindhi Literature
- Tamil Literature
- Telugu Literature
- Urdu Literature
- English Literature
💡 Tip: Choose your optional wisely — based on your interest, academic background, and availability of study materials. Popular choices include Geography, Sociology, and Public Administration. For official syllabus and updates, visit the UPSC Website.
📘 UPSC Optional Subject — The Backbone of Your Success
ENGLISH: If you want easy selection in the UPSC exam, you need to score well in the optional subject because the optional subject is considered the backbone of UPSC.
To qualify the Mains exam, you will need at least 750 marks minimum, and the optional is worth 500 marks.
Since it is so important, do not select any optional for your preparation without mentor discussion. First discuss with a mentor, then decide.
हिन्दी: यदि आप UPSC परीक्षा में आसानी से चयन चाहते हैं, तो आपको वैकल्पिक विषय (optional subject) में अच्छा स्कोर करना होगा क्योंकि वैकल्पिक विषय को ही UPSC की backbone कहा गया है।
मुख्य परीक्षा (Mains exam) को पास करने के लिए न्यूनतम आपको 750 अंकों की आवश्यकता होगी और वैकल्पिक विषय 500 अंकों का होता है।
जब यह इतना महत्वपूर्ण है, मेंटर चर्चा के बिना अपनी तैयारी के लिए कोई वैकल्पिक विषय न चुनें। पहले मेंटर से चर्चा करें, फिर निर्णय लें।