UPSC CSE Main: Political Science & International Relations most preferred additional subject

The Minister also informed that the majority of the candidates recommended in the Civil Services (Main) exam have been from the engineering stream, which has been a constant trend since 2017, followed by humanities, science and medical science.

Political Science and International Relations have gained popularity as optional subjects in the Civil Services (Main) Examination in the past few years. As per data shared by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr Jitendra Singh, the subject has been the most popular additional subject since 2018.

Singh today shared data on the most popular additional subjects for the Civil Services Main exam, which revealed that while ‘Political Science and International Relations’ was the fourth most popular additional subject in 2017, it quickly rose to the second spot in 2018 and has remained at the top spot since 2019.

Other than ‘Political Science and International Relations’, Sociology has also remained a constant favourite in the past few years. In 2017, a total of 137 recommended candidates had opted for Sociology (putting it at the second spot), which changed to 107 (first spot) in 2018, but has remained constantly at the second spot since 2019.

Geography, Anthropology and Public Administration have remained three other popular choices among recommended candidates since 2017.

The data also revealed that the total number of male candidates recommended in the Civil Services (Main) examination has decreased from 802 in 2017 to 547 in 2021. A similar trend was observed in female candidates where the number went from 254 in 2017 to 201 in 2021. This has resulted in the reduction of total candidates too, as the number of recommended candidates declined from 1056 in 2017 to 748 in 2021.

Additionally, the data also showed that the majority of the candidates recommended in the Civil Services (Main) exam have been from the engineering stream, which has been a constant trend since 2017, followed by humanities, science and medical science.

ADVERTISEMENT

Singh also shared that the medium of writing of the recommended candidates in the Civil Services (Main) examination during the last five years are Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, English, Dogri, and Maithili.

The data was released in response to a query raised by Sushil Kumar Modi in Rajya Sabha.

More News
CLAT 2027 registrations start today at consortiumofnlus.ac.in; exam to be held on December 6
The CLAT 2027 is scheduled to be held on December 6 in a single shift, from 2 pm to 4 pm across the country. The exam will be conducted in an offline pen-and-paper format. Candidates preparing for the exam can check its syllabus and exam pattern on i...
Top College for B.Sc. Airlines and Airport Management Program in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Stand at Lucknow airport for twenty minutes, and you'll see an entire career fair playing out in real time. Someone at the gate checking boarding passes. Someone at the counter smoothing over a missed connection. Someone on the tarmac making sure the...
AP EAMCET 2026 Counselling: Phase 1 Revised Schedule Released, Check Details
AP EAMCET 2026 Counselling: The Round 1 seat allotment result will be announced on August 9. Candidates allotted seats will have to report to their respective institutes between August 10 and August 15.   AP EAMCET 2026 Counselling: The A...
GD Goenka University Achieves NCVET Awarding Body Status, Marking a New Milestone in Skill-Based Higher Education
Gurugram (Haryana) [India], July 29: GD Goenka University has been recognised by the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) as an Awarding Body (AB-Standard), marking a significant milestone in the University's commitment to a...
The TG EAPCET 2026 final phase counselling registration and slot booking begins on July 31, 2026
The TG EAPCET 2026 counselling process will be conducted online by the Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) after the declaration of results. It is a crucial step for candidates seeking admission into Engineering, A...
NEET PG 2026 Application Correction Window Closes Today, Exam On August 30
NEET PG 2026 Application Correction: Candidates can edit any information or upload revised documents, except their name, nationality, email ID, mobile number, Aadhaar details, correspondence address, and test state preferences. NEET PG 2026 Applicat...
Prosperity of a Nation Can Be Linked to the Number of Ph.D.s": Padma Vibhushan Prof. M. M. Sharma Inspires NMIMS Ph.D. Batch 2026
"Prosperity of a Nation Can Be Linked to the Number of Ph.D.s": Padma Vibhushan Prof. M. M. Sharma Inspires NMIMS Ph.D. Batch 2026 ~Padma Vibhushan Prof. M. M. Sharma calls on young researchers to pursue passion, perseverance and original thinking a...
JEECUP Counselling 2026: Round 4 Choice Filling Begins, Seat Allotment on July 30
JEECUP Counselling 2026 Round 4 choice filling has started. Candidates can submit their college and course choices till July 29. Seat allotment is on July 30. JEECUP Counselling 2026: The Joint Entrance Examination Council, Uttar Pradesh, has s...
BITSAT Counselling 2026: Hostel Fee Payment Link Open, Check Reporting Instructions
BITS Pilani has opened the BITSAT Counselling 2026 hostel fee payment link and released reporting instructions. Check the required documents here. The Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, has started the BITSAT Counselling 2026 hostel ...
UGC NET June 2026 Answer Key Live: Response Sheet Soon, Here's What Candidates Need To Know
UGC NET Answer Key 2026: The National Testing Agency (NTA) is expected to release the UGC NET June 2026 provisional answer key soon on its official website, ugcnet.nta.nic.in. More than two weeks after the examination concluded, candidates are s...