INTERVIEW FOR CSE 2019 All ForumIAS members selected for CSE 2019 Personality Test must submit their details and DAF and register below to receive further instructions and guidance from ForumIAS. Click here to register now
INTERVIEW 2020 CHANNEL ForumIAS Channel for Interview Preparation is now Active! Please join the channel by clicking here
@Rorschach Returns I will suggest you, first and foremost, to go through the syllabus and previous years' questions of last 2-3 years to just understand the scope of syllabus and trends of questions respectively. Along with it, go through the syllabus of sociology and anthropology, which are more general as compared to the Philosophy, and finally take a decision based on these factors. Just remember that opting for any optional should be based on sound determinants and not on mere factors that look appealing to you at first sight, inasmuch as, such decisions are generally one time and if wrongly taken would go a long way in keeping you at a backfoot. For better advices, you should also consider consulting the seniors and experienced players with Philosophy optional.
Pros of philosophy optional:
1) Philosophy has the shortest syllabus in the mains exam. It takes only about 2 months to finish this subject and hence you can save time to focus on the general studies papers.
2) Current affairs do not play any part in this subject. This should come as quite a relief to aspirants!
3) Many topics covered under this optional will come in handy for the essay paper. Such topics are democracy, humanism, secularism, multiculturalism, corruption, religion, morality, justice, women empowerment, etc.
4) Studying philosophy is especially helpful in the ethics paper. By studying philosophy you can get a lot of quotes.
5) A lot of good study material is available for philosophy.
6) Some of the topics can be answered even with general awareness and a good reading habit. This subject can be taken by candidates from any background – science/engineering or humanities. You need not have prior knowledge of the subject.
Cons of philosophy optional:
1) If you are generally not great in writing, it can be difficult to score well in this optional.
2)Off late, UPSC had been asking tougher questions to probably lessen the advantage of a shorter syllabus.
3) You need very good clarity of concepts and thoughts to understand this subject.
4) You need a genuine interest in the subject to get good marks. (Then again this holds true for all the optionals.)
Note:- I am not an aspirant with Philosophy optional. Tried to help you as much as I could. :-)
@Rorschach Returns I will suggest you, first and foremost, to go through the syllabus and previous years' questions of last 2-3 years to just understand the scope of syllabus and trends of questions respectively. Along with it, go through the syllabus of sociology and anthropology, which are more general as compared to the Philosophy, and finally take a decision based on these factors. Just remember that opting for any optional should be based on sound determinants and not on mere factors that look appealing to you at first sight, inasmuch as, such decisions are generally one time and if wrongly taken would go a long way in keeping you at a backfoot. For better advices, you should also consider consulting the seniors and experienced players with Philosophy optional.
Pros of philosophy optional:
1) Philosophy has the shortest syllabus in the mains exam. It takes only about 2 months to finish this subject and hence you can save time to focus on the general studies papers.
2) Current affairs do not play any part in this subject. This should come as quite a relief to aspirants!
3) Many topics covered under this optional will come in handy for the essay paper. Such topics are democracy, humanism, secularism, multiculturalism, corruption, religion, morality, justice, women empowerment, etc.
4) Studying philosophy is especially helpful in the ethics paper. By studying philosophy you can get a lot of quotes.
5) A lot of good study material is available for philosophy.
6) Some of the topics can be answered even with general awareness and a good reading habit. This subject can be taken by candidates from any background – science/engineering or humanities. You need not have prior knowledge of the subject.
Cons of philosophy optional:
1) If you are generally not great in writing, it can be difficult to score well in this optional.
2)Off late, UPSC had been asking tougher questions to probably lessen the advantage of a shorter syllabus.
3) You need very good clarity of concepts and thoughts to understand this subject.
4) You need a genuine interest in the subject to get good marks. (Then again this holds true for all the optionals.)
Note:- I am not an aspirant with Philosophy optional. Tried to help you as much as I could. :-)
@Rorschach Returns I will suggest you, first and foremost, to go through the syllabus and previous years' questions of last 2-3 years to just understand the scope of syllabus and trends of questions respectively. Along with it, go through the syllabus of sociology and anthropology, which are more general as compared to the Philosophy, and finally take a decision based on these factors. Just remember that opting for any optional should be based on sound determinants and not on mere factors that look appealing to you at first sight, inasmuch as, such decisions are generally one time and if wrongly taken would go a long way in keeping you at a backfoot. For better advices, you should also consider consulting the seniors and experienced players with Philosophy optional.
Pros of philosophy optional:
1) Philosophy has the shortest syllabus in the mains exam. It takes only about 2 months to finish this subject and hence you can save time to focus on the general studies papers.
2) Current affairs do not play any part in this subject. This should come as quite a relief to aspirants!
3) Many topics covered under this optional will come in handy for the essay paper. Such topics are democracy, humanism, secularism, multiculturalism, corruption, religion, morality, justice, women empowerment, etc.
4) Studying philosophy is especially helpful in the ethics paper. By studying philosophy you can get a lot of quotes.
5) A lot of good study material is available for philosophy.
6) Some of the topics can be answered even with general awareness and a good reading habit. This subject can be taken by candidates from any background – science/engineering or humanities. You need not have prior knowledge of the subject.
Cons of philosophy optional:
1) If you are generally not great in writing, it can be difficult to score well in this optional.
2)Off late, UPSC had been asking tougher questions to probably lessen the advantage of a shorter syllabus.
3) You need very good clarity of concepts and thoughts to understand this subject.
4) You need a genuine interest in the subject to get good marks. (Then again this holds true for all the optionals.)
Note:- I am not an aspirant with Philosophy optional. Tried to help you as much as I could. :-)
thanks a lot bhai.It was really helpful.All the best for future endeavours.
Bhai maine toh change kar liya PSIR. Its as vast as Geo but. Philosophy ko bhi i gave a good thought and you are right,trend philosophy ka Geo se much better hai. Maine first attempt ke hi seekh le li bhai. People are clearing from Geo consecutively,but shayad humse na ho paega..:/
Bhai, as someone who has cleared mains with philosophy I can just tell you that please do not drag yourself down this rabbit hole. It is much darker than you can imagine.
Everyone is obsessed with the small syllabus but no one apart from someone who has given mains with philosophy knows that you need at least 20 readings to understand the subject.
Then the questions in the exam are from a different planet altogether, the study material available is woefully inadequate to tackle many of the upsc questions. And general answers won't fetch you any marks. Also, the help philosophy provides in gs4 and essay is very overrated, there is little to no help.
If one year back someone had told me this I would have been forever indebted (but no one did). Anthro, PSIR or Socio is what I would have changed to. Also, philo ka trend is worse than Geo, just go to any philo thread. It has been mercilessly butchered last year and this years paper was even tougher.
So yeah, you be the judge and take a decision that suits you but if you think that philo is easy, let me tell you, its a wolf in sheep's clothing. However, if you are truly interested in the subject and are willing to put in the hours, it can change your life in a good way (however, if you wan't to clear this exam asap there are better options). Peace.
Bhai, as someone who has cleared mains with philosophy I can just tell you that please do not drag yourself down this rabbit hole. It is much darker than you can imagine.
Everyone is obsessed with the small syllabus but no one apart from someone who has given mains with philosophy knows that you need at least 20 readings to understand the subject.
Then the questions in the exam are from a different planet altogether, the study material available is woefully inadequate to tackle many of the upsc questions. And general answers won't fetch you any marks. Also, the help philosophy provides in gs4 and essay is very overrated, there is little to no help.
If one year back someone had told me this I would have been forever indebted (but no one did). Anthro, PSIR or Socio is what I would have changed to. Also, philo ka trend is worse than Geo, just go to any philo thread. It has been mercilessly butchered last year and this years paper was even tougher.
So yeah, you be the judge and take a decision that suits you but if you think that philo is easy, let me tell you, its a wolf in sheep's clothing. However, if you are truly interested in the subject and are willing to put in the hours, it can change your life in a good way (however, if you wan't to clear this exam asap there are better options). Peace.
Had I have cleared mains with Geo,I would have never been so critical of it(even today I am not and don't believe in concept of butchering either).Its that Geography didn't suit me. Period. Geo se PSIR shift karna means dusra hathi paalna. Everyone who changes Geo after some attempts has only the complaint of syllabus. PSIR me wo complaint nahi duur hogi,coz I think it needs wider and exhasutive reading which comes with time. Socio,yes can be an option and so as Anthro. But obviously not PSIR. Even I am on a deciding phase yet,that is it too early to shift as It was my first attempt. If he is interested in Philosophy naturally then the short syllabus is boon to him. My friends who have shifted from Geo tells me that philo is 50% to what Geo syllabus is. Also on talking to Mitra Sir,he told me that there is not SPECIAL aptitude required for clearing philosophy,it just need revisions. So,short syllabus is the only possible source for frequent revision,which is quiet impossible in Geo.
Bhai, as someone who has cleared mains with philosophy I can just tell you that please do not drag yourself down this rabbit hole. It is much darker than you can imagine.
Everyone is obsessed with the small syllabus but no one apart from someone who has given mains with philosophy knows that you need at least 20 readings to understand the subject.
Then the questions in the exam are from a different planet altogether, the study material available is woefully inadequate to tackle many of the upsc questions. And general answers won't fetch you any marks. Also, the help philosophy provides in gs4 and essay is very overrated, there is little to no help.
If one year back someone had told me this I would have been forever indebted (but no one did). Anthro, PSIR or Socio is what I would have changed to. Also, philo ka trend is worse than Geo, just go to any philo thread. It has been mercilessly butchered last year and this years paper was even tougher.
So yeah, you be the judge and take a decision that suits you but if you think that philo is easy, let me tell you, its a wolf in sheep's clothing. However, if you are truly interested in the subject and are willing to put in the hours, it can change your life in a good way (however, if you wan't to clear this exam asap there are better options). Peace.
Had I have cleared mains with Geo,I would have never been so critical of it(even today I am not and don't believe in concept of butchering either).Its that Geography didn't suit me. Period. Geo se PSIR shift karna means dusra hathi paalna. Everyone who changes Geo after some attempts has only the complaint of syllabus. PSIR me wo complaint nahi duur hogi,coz I think it needs wider and exhasutive reading which comes with time. Socio,yes can be an option and so as Anthro. But obviously not PSIR. Even I am on a deciding phase yet,that is it too early to shift as It was my first attempt. If he is interested in Philosophy naturally then the short syllabus is boon to him. My friends who have shifted from Geo tells me that philo is 50% to what Geo syllabus is. Also on talking to Mitra Sir,he told me that there is not SPECIAL aptitude required for clearing philosophy,it just need revisions. So,short syllabus is the only possible source for frequent revision,which is quiet impossible in Geo.
Mitra sir will obviously tell you that because his livelihood depends on it. He told me the same thing (which is why I took the subject) but man oh man, is he wrong.
Short syllabus of philosophy is the biggest mirage among all the optionals in UPSC. I got fooled by the same. I'm just trying my best to share my experience so that other people don't get fooled. Also, if there is no special apititude required ask sir why only two people made it to the final list last year from general. The answer is obvious, because it's super hard Inspite of the short syllabus.
Bhai aise toh percentage toh sabhi ka skewed hai. You can never use the term ‘butchering’ for atleast Philosophy,please. Geo wale bolte toh samajh bhi aata. What proof you have only two people made,any stats anything? You mean paper bhi General and Reserved dekh ke check ho rahe?
We are a secret self-moderated community for Civil Services preparation. Feel free to join, start a discussion, answer a question or just to say Thank you.Just dont spread the word ;)Sign in or join with Facebook or Google
ForumIAS is India’s leading Online website for UPSC IAS Exam Online Preparation and guidance. At ForumIAS, we have a dream. Our dream is to make its members achieve their IAS dream. Today thousands of aspirants have joined the elite services such as IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS and other central and state services with the right inputs provided by ForumIAS. Take a look at our IAS Toppers
Free IAS Online Preparation Initiatives by ForumIAS
Current affairs is the most important part of UPSC IAS exam. ForumIAS provides a detailed analysis of important news articles through its 9PM brief. In current affairs reading Editorials Online needs an in-depth focus and hence we provide a separate analysis of daily editorials which is not found in any other website. Click the following link to access these free preparation initiatives in Portal . ForumIAS also provides compilations and Free downloads for UPSC IAS preparation
Knowing is never enough for IAS exam. An IAS aspirant must be engaged in answer writing practice to do well in UPSC IAS Mains Exam. ForumIAS has launched a Mains Marathon initiative for IAS mains Online answer writing. Click here to access UPSC Mains Marathon initiative . For Daily Must Read Newspaper articles, Visit Must Read Newspaper page here. Must Read Newspaper is an Initiative by Team ForumIAS to provide Current Affairs links to the Must Read Articles of The Day from Newspaper.
UPSC Syllabus
The most important part of UPSC IAS exam is its syllabus and there is a need to take an in-depth look at it. Click here to view the UPSC IAS Prelims syllabus. Visit UPSC IAS syllabus page here
UPSC IAS Study Material
ForumIAS is the repository of many toppers’ Online study materials for GS Mains and Optional subjects. The most unique thing about it is that they are handwritten by toppers themselves. Click here for UPSC sample notes
Interview Preparation for IAS
Interview is the last and crucial stage for becoming an IAS officer. How to prepare for it? We provide a solution. ForumIAS is the only online website where quality IAS interview preparations happen. Online Current affairs from an interview perspective are extensively discussed and specific preparation based on candidate’s profile and hobbies can be done. Please visit this link for UPSC Interview Preparation
At ForumIAS we have an exclusive Online page to read the UPSC Interview Transcripts
Indian Forest Service (IFoS)
IFoS is one of the most sought after All India Service. ForumIAS provides the right approach to excel in this exam through their toppers who have shared their success mantras and their study materials in an elaborate manner.
About Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
IAS is considered as one of the best jobs on earth. IAS officers hold the most important positions in Central and State Governments and in Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). They also represent India in international organizations. They take the most important decisions in the administration of Government policies and development programs.
About Indian Police Service (IPS)
IPS officers occupy higher positions in the State Police Departments, Central Armed Police Forces and Intelligence Agencies. Their most important responsibilities are maintenance of Law and Order and internal security.
About Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
IFS officers serve as diplomats in international missions and embassies of India around the world and in prominent international organizations like United Nations (UN), World Bank, and IMF. They work to promote India’s interests from a bilateral and a global perspective.
The Study portal is a single point of online IAS preparation through its several initiatives like the Must Read News Articles, the 9 PM Brief, the Mains Marathon. If you are preparing for IAS exam online, ForumIAS is the place to go. ForumIAS is proud of ForumIAS Alumni in UPSC Service who have secured top Ranks in past 5 years.
Visit Us At
ForumIAS - Offline Guidance Centre
ForumIAS Academy, 1st Floor, IAPL House, 19, Pusa Road, Opposite Metro Pillar 95-96, Karol Bagh, New Delhi-110005,
View Google Map Location
Comments
Pros of philosophy optional:
1) Philosophy has the shortest syllabus in the mains exam. It takes only about 2 months to finish this subject and hence you can save time to focus on the general studies papers.
2) Current affairs do not play any part in this subject. This should come as quite a relief to aspirants!
3) Many topics covered under this optional will come in handy for the essay paper. Such topics are democracy, humanism, secularism, multiculturalism, corruption, religion, morality, justice, women empowerment, etc.
4) Studying philosophy is especially helpful in the ethics paper. By studying philosophy you can get a lot of quotes.
5) A lot of good study material is available for philosophy.
6) Some of the topics can be answered even with general awareness and a good reading habit. This subject can be taken by candidates from any background – science/engineering or humanities. You need not have prior knowledge of the subject.
Cons of philosophy optional:
1) If you are generally not great in writing, it can be difficult to score well in this optional.
2)Off late, UPSC had been asking tougher questions to probably lessen the advantage of a shorter syllabus.
3) You need very good clarity of concepts and thoughts to understand this subject.
4) You need a genuine interest in the subject to get good marks. (Then again this holds true for all the optionals.)
Note:- I am not an aspirant with Philosophy optional. Tried to help you as much as I could. :-)
Its as vast as Geo but.
Philosophy ko bhi i gave a good thought and you are right,trend philosophy ka Geo se much better hai.
Maine first attempt ke hi seekh le li bhai. People are clearing from Geo consecutively,but shayad humse na ho paega..:/
Everyone is obsessed with the small syllabus but no one apart from someone who has given mains with philosophy knows that you need at least 20 readings to understand the subject.
Then the questions in the exam are from a different planet altogether, the study material available is woefully inadequate to tackle many of the upsc questions. And general answers won't fetch you any marks. Also, the help philosophy provides in gs4 and essay is very overrated, there is little to no help.
If one year back someone had told me this I would have been forever indebted (but no one did). Anthro, PSIR or Socio is what I would have changed to. Also, philo ka trend is worse than Geo, just go to any philo thread. It has been mercilessly butchered last year and this years paper was even tougher.
So yeah, you be the judge and take a decision that suits you but if you think that philo is easy, let me tell you, its a wolf in sheep's clothing. However, if you are truly interested in the subject and are willing to put in the hours, it can change your life in a good way (however, if you wan't to clear this exam asap there are better options). Peace.
Geo se PSIR shift karna means dusra hathi paalna. Everyone who changes Geo after some attempts has only the complaint of syllabus. PSIR me wo complaint nahi duur hogi,coz I think it needs wider and exhasutive reading which comes with time.
Socio,yes can be an option and so as Anthro. But obviously not PSIR. Even I am on a deciding phase yet,that is it too early to shift as It was my first attempt. If he is interested in Philosophy naturally then the short syllabus is boon to him. My friends who have shifted from Geo tells me that philo is 50% to what Geo syllabus is. Also on talking to Mitra Sir,he told me that there is not SPECIAL aptitude required for clearing philosophy,it just need revisions. So,short syllabus is the only possible source for frequent revision,which is quiet impossible in Geo.
Medical Science ke liye kyu nahi sochte,trend accha hai..:p
आपसे विनती है की कोई और ऑप्शनल देख लो.. सोशियोलॉजी, एंथ्रोपोलॉजी..
Short syllabus of philosophy is the biggest mirage among all the optionals in UPSC. I got fooled by the same. I'm just trying my best to share my experience so that other people don't get fooled. Also, if there is no special apititude required ask sir why only two people made it to the final list last year from general. The answer is obvious, because it's super hard Inspite of the short syllabus.
What proof you have only two people made,any stats anything? You mean paper bhi General and Reserved dekh ke check ho rahe?