Shubhra Ranjan has an experience of 20 years of teaching and guiding UPSC Aspirants. As an expert in PSIR Optional for UPSC CSE, she answers some very relevant questions for UPSC Aspirants where she talks about the benefits and strategies to deal with PSIR optional. What should be the rationale for UPSC aspirants behind choosing the optional subject? There are three important things that are very essential for aspirants to consider before selecting an optional. Firstly, the interest of the aspirant in the subject. Secondly, if that optional helps the aspirant in time management and helps him or her in general studies preparation too. Time is a very crucial element in UPSC CSE preparation. And last but certainly not the least- the right guidance for the optional subject. For students planning to prepare through external guidance, it is very important for them to learn and grow in a good ecosystem. By good ecosystem I mean, a combination of good teachers, content, answer writing, test series, regular classes, etc. What are the pros of taking Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) as optional? PSIR is a very reasonable choice for aspirants. It is one of the oldest disciplines. It has the wisdom of ages. PSIR is very interdisciplinary in nature. Over the last many years I have seen aspirants from different disciplines and academic backgrounds finding PSIR very interesting. Most importantly, PSIR is a very relevant subject for general studies papers. In GS I, the National Movement section of Modern Indian History coincides with the National Movement of PSIR, where we do it both historically and theoretically. Indian Society is covered in the Indian government and politics section. GS Paper II is entirely about polity and governance. Even in GS paper III, regarding security issues and certain areas of the economy where they have been asking about political economy, the relevance of PSIR is high. Do you think PSIR optional has a benefit in GS IV- Ethics and Essay paper too? PSIR students have a huge advantage in GS IV- Ethics, in sections like philosophers and governance. Look at the changing trend in the Essay paper. Essay topics are becoming more philosophical using quotes from Marx and Hagel. So in totality PSIR has a huge advantage in general studies preparation too. I must stress a very essential point here. PSIR optional has a very important impact on one's personality as well. A bit of philosophy, economy, history along with polity of course shapes the knowledge and personality of an aspirant in totality. This exam looks for candidates with exactly such personalities. Aspirants have some general queries regarding writing views of scholars and thinkers and answer writing in general. How will you address such questions? Writing views of a number of scholars in an answer is not the requirement of the exam. Views of thinkers and scholars are just to support your answer and arguments. This exam is different from the university exam. Training students in writing as per the demand of the exam can be done through test series and discussions. I myself take random questions from the past year and test series and discuss with students the right approach to answer that particular question. I must also mention that many students initially are not able to write very basic answers. There is a difficulty in understanding the core demand of the question. There are spelling and grammatical errors. These small things matter too. Therefore, basic writing skills and conceptual clarity should reflect in a good answer. I must mention a very common problem among aspirants. Aspirants do not have a habit of understanding things. There is a difference between knowing and understanding an issue. Processing a piece of information involves understanding the issue. Read less, think more. It takes time but is very essential for UPSC-CSE or education in general. How much time does the PSIR optional take to prepare? I believe at least six months are essential. Also, prepare at the right time. It is not practical to start preparing for optional when your prelims are approaching. Work with a strategy and a cool mind. What is the difference between GS II of Mains and PSIR optional though they appear similar? The major difference is that optional is theoretical and GS II is more factual. Questions in the optional paper are more or less static whereas GS II questions are more dynamic and current. But you cannot write GS II answers without knowing the concept. So a good amount of integration of facts and concepts is required. For example, if in GS II there is a question around minorities commission, knowing the philosophy, vision, and ideology behind it is required not just the factual points. What should be the approach to deal with the political theory section which appears very static? The political theory section is static, I agree. But the real challenge is to reflect in your answer that you have a good understanding of the theory. Also, the theory should be supported with current examples. For example, the theory of multiculturalism should be supported by examples like the hijab issue, Sabarimala issue, etc. The theory is building the language and concept of the subject. It is the heart and soul of the paper. The theory section is scoring if you answer by integration of theory and facts. How should aspirants get out of the fear of quoting examples which may appear controversial in general like Hijab or Sabarimala as mentioned by you in the previous question? I don't see any reason for fear. I am saying this because of a number of reasons, answers should be factually correct. Also, the Supreme Court's perspective is very important to support your arguments. The value judgment should be correct. Parameters of correctness are decided by our Constitutional values. Of course, a biased view on an issue can be harmful. In fact, your answer reflects your personality. Your answers should reflect your values which should be free from any biases. But more than anything else, understanding the core concept and the element of thinking is the most important aspect of any subject. What should be the strategy of revision for PSIR since there is so much to revise already in GS? The best strategy for revision is through test series. It also tells you the comparative performance. I will advise students to appear for tests as per the schedule. Do not keep piling it for the end. What has been the trend of marks in PSIR optional? There has been stability in the marking trend for the PSIR optional. More than marks, what is important is to analyse the number of selections through PSIR optional. 11- 12 percent of students are clearing by taking PSIR optional and they are doing extremely well in GS papers as well. How important are the keywords of PSIR optional? It is one of the most important aspects of answer writing in PSIR optional. You cannot write in a layman's language. Some expertise should be reflected. Someone else will definitely use important keywords. In comparison, that candidate will definitely have an upper edge. Some of the aspirants worry that the PSIR optional has both static and dynamic portions to prepare and so it can be very burdensome. What do you have to suggest to the aspirants who have such doubts? I would like to say that all papers in CSE are dynamic in nature. If anyone chooses to appear and prepare for UPSC CSE then he or she should be ready to deal with both static and dynamic aspects of this examination simultaneously. Spoon feeding is not the demand of this examination. Dynamism both in preparation for UPSC-CSE and in one's personality goes hand in hand. Which section of the PSIR optional should be started with during the preparation? The theory section should be started first. There should be a particular flow- thought, ideology, etc. in a particular order. Preparing theories of all the areas first is always recommended because the political theory is connected to the theory of IR which is connected to comparative politics and so on. What reading sources you will suggest to aspirants who are starting with the PSIR optional? The aspirants who have a background in PSIR can begin with their college material. For others, I would suggest going for correspondence courses or other kinds of UPSC -CSE-focused courses available. Do not unnecessarily waste time reading many books. An aspirant has less time. So read something which is curated especially for UPSC-CSE. COVID has brought a lot of changes in learning and teaching mode. What are your observations? The aspirants have developed a comfort in studying online due to COVID. But I believe offline or classroom has many advantages. Discussion in a classroom cannot replace online mode. The energy levels of both students and teachers are high in a classroom. Any serious aspirant needs a touch with a teacher and peer group which is more advantageous in a classroom environment. Shubra Ranjan's message for aspirants: If one has decided to appear for UPSC-CSE then he or she should understand the demand and pattern of the exam, develop his or her personality and enjoy the journey. Just do not worry about results. Change your mindset and enjoy the process. One will excel only where one finds happiness. Shubhra Ranjan's mantra for life: Shubhra Ranjan believes in making goals and striving to accomplish them. Most of the time she has to multi-task being the face of an organization. She enjoys whatever task she picks up. Her motivation lies in realizing her own potential. She is of the opinion that life is too short and there is much more she can achieve.
