BharatNotes Based on UPSC Annual Reports and CSE final-marksheet analysis (2019–2024), Anthropology, PSIR, and Sociology consistently produce the highest success rates and 300+ scorers. Geography and History are popular but show more volatility. The most reliable granular data is from the UPSC 28th Annual Report (CSE 2017).
Success Rate vs Scoring Trend — Two Different Things
Before quoting numbers, separate two concepts:
- Success rate = (candidates selected) / (candidates who appeared with that optional) — published in UPSC Annual Reports
- Scoring trend = the average and top marks scored in that optional — visible from public marksheets of selected candidates
UPSC's last fully-granular optional-wise success rate disclosure was in the 28th Annual Report (CSE 2017). Subsequent reports have been less detailed, so figures circulating online for 2018–2024 are either RTI-extracted or coaching-aggregator estimates from selected candidates' DAFs.
CSE 2017 Success Rates — The Last Fully Verified Snapshot
From the UPSC 28th Annual Report (rounded; cross-referenced with ClearIAS and PWonlyIAS aggregations):
| Optional | Appeared | Recommended | Approx. Success Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commerce & Accountancy | 224 | 28 | ~12.5% |
| Medical Science | ~313 | ~32 | ~10.2% |
| Anthropology | ~880 | ~85 | ~9.7% |
| PSIR | ~1,797 | ~152 | ~8.5% |
| Sociology | ~1,555–2,068 (source variance) | ~89–137 | ~5.7–8.0% |
| Mathematics | 441 | 26 | ~5.9% |
| Geography | ~3,225–4,351 (source variance) | ~210–314 | ~6.5–7.2% |
| History | ~2,090–2,431 (source variance) | ~110–174 | ~4.5–8.3% |
(Note: where sources diverge, both ranges are shown. Sub-1% subjects omitted.)
Trend over 2019–2024 (Aggregated from RTI + Coaching Data)
- PSIR — hovered around 8–10% success rate; CSE 2024 AIR 1 Shakti Dubey (PSIR 279/500) and AIR 2 Harshita Goyal (PSIR 269/500) reaffirmed its rank-maker status
- Anthropology — consistently 9–11%; gave AIR 1 in 2017 (Anudeep Durishetty, 318/500) and 2020 (Shubham Kumar, 320/500)
- Sociology — 8–10% historically, but CSE 2024 saw an unexpected scoring dip that surprised the coaching ecosystem (average marks dropped 15–20 from 2023 levels)
- Geography — 5–7%, with marks following an up-down-up cycle; CSE 2024 was a strong year for Geography aspirants
- History — 4–8%, vast syllabus penalises shallow preparation; Shruti Sharma's 306/500 (AIR 1, 2021) remains the high-water mark
Top Scorer Per Optional, CSE 2020–2024 (Indicative)
Reconstructed from public marksheets of selected candidates and coaching-released topper lists:
| Optional | Notable High Scorer | Year | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthropology | Shubham Kumar (AIR 1) | 2020 | 320/500 |
| Anthropology | Anudeep Durishetty (AIR 1) | 2017 | 318/500 |
| History | Shruti Sharma (AIR 1) | 2021 | 306/500 |
| PSIR | Shakti Dubey (AIR 1) | 2024 | 279/500 |
| PSIR | Ishita Kishore (AIR 1) | 2022 | ~290/500 |
| Electrical Engg | Aditya Srivastava (AIR 1) | 2023 | 308/600 (~257/500 normalised) |
| Sociology | Pradeep Singh (AIR 1) | 2019 | ~310/500 |
| Geography | (multiple high scorers) | 2024 | 280–300/500 band |
Niche High-Scorers
Niche optionals like Medical Science, Commerce & Accountancy, and Mathematics occasionally post double-digit success rates simply because the appearing pool is tiny and self-selected. Do not be misled — these are not 'easy' subjects; they are subjects only the well-prepared dare attempt. Mathematics in particular has a brutal floor: get one tough question wrong, and you can lose 25 marks without recourse.
The 2024 Marksheet Reality
From public marksheet aggregations of CSE 2024 selects:
- Top average optional scorers: Anthropology, PSIR, Geography
- Most surprising decline: Sociology (averages dropped notably)
- Most unexpected gainer: Geography (recovered after weak 2022–23 cycle)
- Engineering optionals: Volatile — Aditya Srivastava's Electrical Engineering 308/600 in 2023 proved engineering can deliver AIR 1, but few replicate it
Topper Voice — On Choosing for Scoring
Anudeep Durishetty, on his blog, writes about why Anthropology worked: "Always include names of relevant Anthropologists, publication year, and the tribe on which the study was done… if you talk about Kula Ring, your answer is incomplete without quoting Malinowski and his work on the Trobriand Islanders." That specificity discipline — citing specialist sources by name — is what separates 280-scorers from 320-scorers in any optional.
Mentor's Note
UPSC stopped publishing detailed optional-wise success rates after the 28th Annual Report era in the same granular format. The figures circulating online for 2018–2024 are coaching-aggregator estimates from RTI responses and selected candidate marksheets — credible but not 'official'. Treat them as directional, not gospel. The signal that genuinely matters is topper marksheets — those are public, verified, and tell you exactly what the ceiling looks like for each optional in any given year.
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