6 Proven Advantages of PSIR in UPSC

Are you an aspiring civil servant looking to take the UPSC mains exam? Have you considered Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) as your optional subject? While it may seem daunting to tackle a broad syllabus, the advantages of PSIR make it a popular choice among many toppers in the IAS exam. And for good reason. Political science is a crucial subject for any civil service aspirant who intends to serve as a bureaucrat. In this article, we’ll explore the advantages of choosing PSIR as your optional subject in the UPSC mains exam. So buckle up and get ready to learn why PSIR could be the key to your success in civil services.

Top Advantages of PSIR in UPSC Mains

Integration with UPSC Prelims Syllabus

Political Science and International Relations for UPSC mains integrate with the prelims syllabus. Indian polity is a crucial segment of the UPSC Prelims Syllabus So, by choosing PSIR, aspirants can save time and study this topic for both exams simultaneously. Also, they can benefit from many advantages of PSIR

Non-technical and Comprehensible

Political Science is a slightly non-technical subject, which means that aspirants from any background can easily comprehend and study it. The concepts are general and anyone who reads newspapers on a regular basis would be able to understand and study the subject. This makes it an accessible subject for aspirants who do not have a background in political science.

Focus on Concepts over Factual Knowledge

The revised syllabus for Political Science and International Relations has omitted the factual parts and now only requires an understanding of the concepts. This means that aspirants do not need to memorize a lot of information and can instead focus on understanding the concepts to write better answers in the paper.

Advantages of PSIR # 4 Syllabus is not as Vast as Perceived

While the syllabus for Political Science and International Relations may seem vast, a lot of the topics are repeated. For example, Marxism, Marx, Marxist notions of state, and Gramsci are topics that cover multiple areas of the syllabus. Additionally, many topics like the thoughts of Mill, Bentham, and Liberal notions of state, justice, and democracy have common links. So, studying one topic can help in understanding others.

Overlapping Topics in Paper-1 and Paper-2

Certain topics are covered in both Paper-1 and Paper-2 of Political Science and International Relations. These topics include Liberalism, Feminism, Ideas of Marxism, Issues of Democracy, Human Rights, the Environment, etc. Studying these topics can help aspirants in their IAS current affairs preparation.

Advantages of PSIR # 6 Handy for Interview Round

A good knowledge of topics in Polity such as governance, international relations, etc. can be very handy in the interview round. By choosing Political Science and International Relations as their optional subject, aspirants can gain a deeper understanding of these topics and increase their chances of performing well in the interview round. The advantages of PSIR come handy in the personal interview stage.

Conclusion

Political Science and International Relations is a popular optional subject for the UPSC mains exam and offers numerous advantages. It is an accessible subject. Also, overlaps with the prelims syllabus, and focuses on concepts rather than factual knowledge. Moreover, there are many overlapping topics in Paper-1 and Paper-2, and a good understanding of the subject can be beneficial in UPSC’s current affairs preparation and the interview round.