UPSC Mains Optional

Learn how to become an IAS even before you start preparing!

UPSC Mains Optional Subtopics

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UPSC CSE IAS

25th June 2020

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25th June 2020

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UPSC CSE IAS

25th June 2020

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Select the program that suits you!

Skill Development (1 to 1 Mentorship)

  • Skill Development video lectures
  • 2 weekly mentorship classes in 1 to 1 manner
  • Live classes and discussions everyday
  • Batch debate every week
  • Regular Assessment
This course is available for: Rs. 35,000/- (Exclusive of GST)

Skill Development (1 to 3 Mentorship)

  • Skill Development video lectures
  • 2 weekly mentorship classes in 1 to 1 manner
  • Live classes and discussions everyday
  • Batch debate every week
  • Regular Assessment
This course is available for: Rs. 20,000/- (Exclusive of GST)

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Why choose AKS to become an IAS?

Personality Development

IAS is not a mere course you study for, but rather your way of life. The students are trained to be the best version of themselves through personality development training.

Online Classes

Time and place do not matter anymore with our online classes. The candidate can be working or studying and the online classes can be fitted to their schedule.

Advanced Course Material

The systematic and fine-tuned course material is used to build upon the NCERT basics. Subject experts are employed to train the students using the most advanced teaching methods.

No Language Barrier

The courses are offered in English, Hindi and Telugu to facilitate ease of learning for students from all walks of life.

Recorded Videos

Never worry about a missed class anymore. The students are provided with recorded videos of the classes they have missed to keep them updated with their peers.

NCERT for Basics

The course begins with NCERT syllabus to provide a strong course foundation. Question banks and recorded video lectures are used in addition to notes provided in class.

Mentorship

The students can approach the faculty members for valuable advice, tips, and guidance to ace the test.

Current Affair

Relevant, reliable and regularly updated current affairs material are provided. Weekly practice questions for Prelims based on current affairs are used to test the knowledge of the students.

UPSC Mains Optionals

UPSC is one of the most privileged recruitment bodies in India. Any one who wants to become an IAS, IFS or any other civil service officer. Once you decide that you want to take the UPSC exam, there is an important step of choosing the optional subject for the mains examination. One might think this is just another subject they have to learn along with all the current affairs, NCERT texts, etc. But choosing the right optional subject can be very helpful in boosting your score and even one single mark can make a difference in the UPSC exam. If you want to learn how to choose the optional subject that suits you the best, continue reading. 

The optional subject is split into two papers of 250 marks each. The candidates are offered twenty-six optional subjects to choose from. The twenty-six subjects offered are Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Anthropology, Botany, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Commerce and Accountancy, Economics, Electrical Engineering, Geography, Geology, History, Law, Literature, Management, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Science, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science and International Relations, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology, Statistics and Zoology. 

In Literature, candidates can choose from any of the following subjects: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, and English. Candidates can find the detailed syllabus for all the subjects above from the official UPSC website. 

How to select the best optional subject for you?

  • Analyse your strengths and weaknesses. Think of subjects that sparked your interest during school and college days. You need to be invested in the subject to get the best scores. Look for subjects with the highest scores. 
  • Pick the subject that is the closest to your undergraduate degree. For example, if you studied Psychology for three years in college, you are bound to know more about it than any other subjects. If you studied courses like Engineering where you have learnt multiple subjects, choose something that you find the easiest to learn. 
  • Choose subjects that have contents overlapping with the four General Studies papers. Some of those subjects are History, Geography, Law, and Political Science and International Relations.
  • Study the syllabus closely before choosing an optional subject. One can be proficient in English, but might know nothing about English literature or various in-depth subject details. It is important to familiarise yourself with the subject and test your proficiency before opting for it. 
  • The availability of study materials is very important. If your selected subject has little to no study material available, you will have to spend a lot of money and time collecting all the texts. Also, attempting to study everything from scratch with no guidance of how to learn can lead to scoring lesser marks. 
  • Take the statistics of the subjects with some of the highest scores from previous years and see if they match with any subjects that you like. 
  • If you are confused between two or three subjects, solve a few practice papers or previous year question papers. Compare the scores and see in which subject you have the best performance rate. While calculating your performance, also compare the time taken to solve it. 

A well thought out decision using all the above mentioned tips will get you the best results. Choose what is the best for you instead of simply choosing something out of peer pressure or advice from others. Take your strong suits into consideration before making a choice and you can ace the exams. Good luck!

Have a look at some of the sample videos

Here are some frequently answered questions

Mentorship is included in the foundation course and the students need not pay an individual fee for it. Mentors can be approached anytime during the regular working hours.
The classes are recorded and students can learn what they have missed from the recorded videos. Students can also use the recorded videos for future references.
The course basics are based on NCERT books. The students will be given key notes, and important questions along with the classes.
The courses are not only in English, but also in Hindi and Telugu medium. You can choose the language that is the most comfortable and familiar for you.
Personality Development classes focus on self-confidence, stress-management, emotional intelligence, social-interactions and interpersonal-relationships.