ECONOMICS OPTIONAL




Economics optional is generally considered one of the most difficult optional paper choice. The syllabus is vast and is not as scoring as the Sciences and Mathematics. And not to forget, considering the relative competition, people have been doing far better taking subjects such as Anthropology and Literature subjects.
Then why Economics ?
1. With strategic preparation, it provides you a very balanced score. Very limited scope of subjectivity in this paper. Hence one can expect scores to be in the range 275-325 with good preparation.
2. Major overlap with General Studies and Interview preparation. Polity and Economics literally form the major chunk of the UPSC syllabus.
3. Provides a good base score for Personality Test. People taking Economics as their optional always receive appreciation and respect from the Interview Board. Thus tackling few questions respectfully in the board is enough to set a base score of 165 for the Personality Test.


# My Economics score:

CSE 2017
CSE 2018
Economics Paper 1: 158
Economics Paper 1: 159
Economics Paper 2: 149
Economics Paper 2: 155


# Approach:
  • One must target 300+ with a balanced score of around 150+ in both the paper.
  • One requires around dedicated 5-6 months of preparation. So try finishing the notes and at least one round of reading before the prelims.



# How to prepare:

  • Note making and consolidating the models topic wise in your own words is the key. 
  • Book list and reading list for related topics in the syllabus are mentioned in the link below for respective paper strategies. 
  • During the initial phase, give a general reading of the books. You have to read all the relevant chapters which are mentioned in the syllabus or either a question has been asked in the past.
  • Once a first round of reading is done -> start making point wise notes for every topic.
    For eg: In Micro -> Market Structure -> Monopoly related topics can be summarised from Ahuja in around 10 pages. Similarly do that for all the topics. 
  • And the most important thing: Do all the past year questions. Do them thoroughly. See the favourite topics of UPSC. Questions and topics will get repeated without fail.
    eg: Knife edge in Harrod etc
# Primary Readings:

Topics
Readings
Microeconomics
Advanced Economic Theory by HL Ahuja
Macroeconomics
- Macro Theory and Policy by HL Ahuja
- Froyen
International Trade
International Economics – Trade and Finance by Salvatore
Growth and Development
The Economics of Development and Planning – ML Jhingan
MFM
Macro Theory and Policy by HL Ahuja
Public Finance
- Public Finance by HL Bhatia
- Macro by HL Ahuja











Comments

  1. Unknown23 April 2019 at 18:37

    Sir please share ur economics notes.i will be vert thnqful to u.

    ReplyDelete
  2. CA Prince Ninan23 April 2019 at 23:10

    Thank you sir for sharing your strategies, especially considering the fact that coaching for Economics is limited.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unknown24 April 2019 at 22:24

    Sir please do share your notes

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mohit Agrawal26 April 2019 at 23:45

    As I observed, now a days ,weightage of "pre-independence" is increasing now a days ,also they are deliberately making 2-3 questions in compulsory part comparatively tougher (difficult to do during exam) , at-least for me, they are.How did you strategise then and there during examination ? I also had difficulty in "Growth and Development " part ,also saw video lectures of Ravindran Jha sir ,but still facing some issues.It would be much of help if you put special emphasis on nuances ,tweaks ,hacks(for instance ,name of economists ,research paper etc),and strategy that a non-economics background aspirant should follow.
    Your candid write-up on "insights" is reflection of your great character.Congratulations and Great wishes from this side for your journey ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Unknown7 May 2019 at 05:18

    Sir, kindly share your detailed strategy for IES as well, given that the exam is just a month away and there is presently a dearth of guidance for this exam. I would be extremely grateful, Sir.
    Thank you very much.

    ReplyDelete
  6. A Girl8 May 2019 at 04:21

    Hello!

    First of all, congratulations on your success! :)

    I am aiming for CSE 2020 (preparing via self study) & have a few queries:

    1. I am in my final year of bachelors in Economics and want to take it as an optional. While looking for people who had cleared CSE with this optional, I found that most of them had completed or were pursuing further studies in it. However, I have no desire to go down that road. With this in mind, what would you suggest? Should I continue with economics or look at other options? Can one handle the syllabus well without higher studies in the field?

    2. I tried to find solved past year papers of Economics optional but I found only unsolved ones. How does one check whether one’s answers are correct or not because often there are contradictory answers on the internet?

    3. Does one need a very in-depth understanding of the math behind the concepts (say like DSE entrance level :P) or is it sufficient to be able to understand the basic derivations and graphs?

    4. Are there any good test series available? If no, then how does one test whether the answers one writes are up to the mark or not?

    5. Is it preferable to study optional and GS simultaneously or complete one of them first and then do the other?

    6. Should GS Economics and Economics Optional 2 be prepared simultaneously or separately? How does the approach to preparing and answering questions differ for in this case?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown26 September 2020 at 07:29

      Well i have the same confusion striking my mind as i am an Economics bachelor but not so good in mathematics but thinking to pursue Economics as my optional but i just need some guidance and searching for a Good Coching institute online or offline that i should join to clear my doubts and have better understanding of the level that UPSC. Requires if you have some Knowledge for any good guidance in Delhi please help me.

      Delete
  7. Sandeep8 May 2019 at 05:16

    Hi sir,congrats i am sandeep kumar from j&k .plz tell me any test series for mains economics optional which u joined

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kumar Anurag20 July 2019 at 22:58

      I had joined test series at Bliss Point Studies at Karol Bagh, New Delhi. You can also solve past year papers extensively in case you are not finding it feasible to join any test series

      Delete
  8. Unknown23 May 2019 at 22:05

    Sir please upload your notes and paper wise strategy.

    We students are waiting for it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Lost in my thought28 May 2019 at 23:41

    sir plz share sources for paper 2

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kumar Anurag20 July 2019 at 22:56

      had been updated

      Delete
    2. Xyz21 July 2019 at 01:44

      Sir can you please share your bliss point test copies especially of paper 2
      It will be of great help to learn sir.
      Thank you.

      Delete
  10. Unknown28 July 2019 at 06:16

    sir i m following hg mannaur for international economics and not salvatore,is it ok?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kumar Anurag2 August 2019 at 09:19

      go for Salvatore. It is sort of primary reading as per UPSC syllabus.

      Delete
  11. Unknown11 August 2019 at 10:54

    sir..pls upload previous years model answers that you have prepared

    ReplyDelete
  12. Unknown24 August 2019 at 22:46

    Sir can you tell me the importance of economics optional test series and how how many test you have written before actual exam ??

    ReplyDelete
  13. Bhavana12 January 2020 at 06:39

    Greetings Sir..Congratulations on your big achievement..from where did you get your economics optional practise papers corrected during your preparation?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Unknown1 March 2020 at 10:40

    sir pls share your notes.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Unknown21 May 2020 at 00:39

    sir, Is EPW is necssary to read ?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ankita31 May 2020 at 09:03

    Hello Sir, if possible can you upload answersheets from bliss point economic paper 2 ...It will be helpful for me ....thankyou...

    ReplyDelete
  17. Unknown22 June 2020 at 01:12

    Sir, how good is bliss point studies video lectures for preparing eco optional?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Rahul22 June 2020 at 08:25

    Sir, whether Maths (apart from graphs) is required for Paper 1 ? If yes,then of what level ?

    ReplyDelete
  19. acwees9 July 2020 at 08:35

    Sir please upload previous year answers which you have practiced, we will be grateful to you.

    ReplyDelete
  20. acwees9 July 2020 at 08:36

    Sir please upload previous year answers which you have practiced, we will be grateful to you.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Butterflyblue3 August 2020 at 04:01

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Butterflyblue3 August 2020 at 04:02

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  23. Unknown17 August 2020 at 20:18

    Congratulations on your success Sir. I just wanted to know whether it is necessary to have a good foundation on maths to be able to take economics as an optional subject.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Unknown23 August 2020 at 13:41

    Hi sir, plz guide us which part to read and which part to leave of these books. Eagerly waiting for u reply. Thank u very much in advance sir.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Unknown2 October 2020 at 13:09

    Thank you so much Sir. Your notes helped a lot:)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Unknown28 October 2020 at 01:56

    Which test series to follow & when, provided there are limited options?

    ReplyDelete
  27. Unknown16 November 2020 at 04:27

    thank you so much sir

    ReplyDelete
  28. pavan chindaliya20 November 2020 at 07:31

    Sir from where we can get previous year solved economics papers?

    It will be very grateful if you share the source because it's very hard to find them.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Unknown29 December 2020 at 02:20

    Thank you Sir.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Unknown21 January 2021 at 06:19

    Hello Sir, Tell me the book which one best?
    In this book,
    Growth and Development
    A P Thirwall Todaro
    /M.L Jhingum

    Public Finance-
    HL Bhartiya/Musgrave &Musgrave

    ReplyDelete

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