Ans. The Mains Written Examination consists of the following papers:

• Paper A – One of the Indian Languages (300 Marks)
• Paper B – English (300 marks)
• Paper I – Essay (250 marks)
• General Studies‐I – Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society (250 marks)
• General Studies‐II – Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations (250 marks)
• General Studies‐III – Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management (250 marks)
• General Studies‐IV – Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude (250 marks)
• Optional Subject – Paper 1 (250 marks)
• Optional Subject ‐ Paper 2 (250 marks)

This brings the total marks for the mains examination to 1750. 275 marks for Personality Test are also included in this, which brings the total to 2025 marks

To answer this question, one must understand the UPSC exam pattern. The IAS exam comprises three stages, namely Prelims, Mains and Interview. Out of which, marks in Mains and Interview form the basis of Final Merit List.

To be a part of the final list of recommended candidates, usually close to 50% marks are needed in total (Mains + Interview). The GS part in Mains is diverse and comprehensive, so it becomes essential from the exam point of view to identify key areas which can fetch more marks with reasonable effort.

Broadly speaking, there are three focus areas for candidates who wish to score high marks without getting bogged down by the vast UPSC syllabus.

• Interview (275 marks) – 20-odd minute discussion with the UPSC panel
• Essay (250 marks) – two essay topics of 125 marks each
• Optional (500 marks) – two papers of 250 marks each

There are many factors which combine to form the ‘best’ optional from an individual’s perspective. Before impulsively deciding on a subject, a candidate must ask herself/himself the following six questions.

• How vast is the syllabus of the optional?

• How much preparation time do you have?

• Do you have prior knowledge of the subject at the graduate/PG level?

• How much syllabus overlap is there between your optional choice and GS part in Prelims/Mains?

• Are the study material and coaching readily available?

• Do you have the requisite drive/interest to study the subject for UPSC exam?

Depending on the answers to the above six questions, a candidate should make an ‘individual’ choice as to the best optional for them.

The following subjects are popular among IAS aspirants from both technical and non-technical backgrounds because of the high overlap with GS or other parts of the UPSC exam:

• Public Administration – Highly relevant, compact syllabus, paper II (Indian Administration) has a lot of overlap with polity and governance part in GS II.

• Sociology – the study of society, lots of material which can be used in GS I, Essay and even in Ethics paper.

• History – relevant for prelims as well as GS I.

• Geography -relevant for prelims as well as GS I

• Political Science – relevant for prelims as well as GS II

• Law – relevant for prelims as well as GS II

Optional subjects like Economics, Philosophy, Anthropology, and Agriculture are also good choices.