Sociology optional is a popular optional subject in civil services examinations. Many students have cleared UPSC civil services examination with sociology optional. It can fetch 315 to 350 marks in the UPSC mains examination. It is helpful even at the time of UPSC civil services interview as well as post-selection field work. So choosing the right optional paper is very important to find your name in the final UPSC selection list.

• Unlike the optional subjects related to the field of science or engineering, sociology optional can be prepared by students of any academic background easily. It doesn’t need any pre-existing knowledge base or specialised qualification in the subject.
• Sociology optional has a short and concise syllabus hence one can cover it in a limited time with multiple revisions.
• Sociology optional can fetch an average of 275 marks even 310-320 in many cases. Which is the most important aspect to clear the civil services examination.
• Sociology optional helps in general studies papers: for example in GS paper 1 Indian society- women’s empowerment, social empowerment, communalism, socialism, urbanisation and globalisation etc. Hence you don’t need to cover it separately
• Sociology optional help in an interview of UPSC CSE- awareness about problems of society, various social issues and their impact on governance will make you give impressive answers during the interview. It can also-ran help you to make a good analysis and diverse viewpoints about any topic.
• Essay-Paper is again the most dynamic, and important to score a good paper which needs an understanding of various Indian and global aspects. Sociology optional provides wider dimensions and diverse viewpoints. You can interconnect the points with the help of sociological studies, case studies, data etc. And it will help you to score well in essays.