UPSC Optional Subject Coaching
Your optional subject is two papers of the Main Examination and 500 of its 1,750 marks. (UPSC Civil Services Examination Rules.) It is also the only part of the examination where you can be genuinely expert rather than adequately informed, which is why ranks are frequently decided in it.
What we teach in Coimbatore
We do not currently teach optional subjects in Coimbatore. We teach the General Studies papers, run the Prelims and Mains test series, and run the Interview Guidance Programme.
If we do not teach your optional
Say so at counselling and we will tell you plainly. What we can still do:
- Help you decide whether to keep it. Changing an optional after one attempt is sometimes right and usually is not. It costs six months and it is often a way of avoiding a diagnosis. Bring your Mains marksheet and we will look at what the scores actually say.
- Cover the rest of your preparation. General Studies, Essay, Ethics, answer writing and the test series are subject-independent, and many candidates take their optional elsewhere while taking everything else at one place. That is a normal arrangement and we will not pretend otherwise.
- Evaluate your optional answer scripts.
- Prepare you for the optional questions in the Personality Test. Boards question candidates on their optional regardless of where it was studied, and that is part of DAF guidance.
Tamil Literature
Tamil Literature is one of the literature optionals available in the Civil Services Examination and is taken by a meaningful number of Tamil Nadu candidates each year. It has its own considerations, including the availability of teaching, the availability of evaluated answer practice, and the relationship between the optional and the medium in which you write the rest of the examination.
Those are set out on our page on Tamil Literature as an optional.
Choosing an optional, if you have not yet
Do not choose from a list of which subjects "score well". Scoring patterns move, and a subject that suits somebody else's mind will not suit yours. The questions that actually matter are whether you can read the subject for two years without resenting it, whether good material and teaching are available to you, how much of it overlaps with General Studies, and whether you can obtain evaluated answer practice in it.
Our framework for working through that is on choosing an optional subject, and the complete list of subjects UPSC permits is on UPSC optional subjects.
Talk to us about your optional before you commit two years to it →FAQs
Which optional subjects does Samkalp Coimbatore teach?
None at present. We teach the General Studies papers, run the Prelims and Mains test series and run the Interview Guidance Programme. If you have already chosen an optional, we can still help you decide whether to keep it and cover the rest of your preparation — book a free counselling session →.
How many marks is the optional subject worth?
Two papers of 250 marks each, 500 marks in total, out of 1,750 for the written Main Examination. (UPSC Civil Services Examination Rules.)
Can I take my optional elsewhere and General Studies at Samkalp?
Yes. It is a common and sensible arrangement, particularly for candidates whose optional is taught by a specialist somewhere else. We do not require you to buy your whole preparation from one place.
Should I change my optional after a poor Mains score?
Usually not, and never before you have seen where the marks were actually lost. A low optional score can come from the subject, from your answer writing across the whole paper, or from time management on the day, and those have different remedies. Bring your marksheet to a counselling session.
Do you teach Tamil Literature as an optional?
No. We do not offer Tamil Literature teaching, but we are happy to help you decide whether the subject suits you. See our guide to the Tamil Literature optional →.
Further Reading
Optional Subject Modules
Refund Policy: Cancellation refunds are based on how far in advance of the course start date you request them.