Why Law Optional is emerging as a Top Choice among UPSC Aspirants
Every year, thousands of aspirants appear for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, but one decision quietly shapes their final outcome more than most realise — the choice of optional subject. While online platforms and yearly rankings often highlight popular subjects based on trends or coaching popularity, a closer look at recent toppers reveals a growing inclination towards Law as an optional subject.
- Anmol Rathore secured AIR 7 (UPSC CSE 2023) and is widely profiled as a Law optional candidate.
- Kritika Goyal secured AIR 14 (UPSC CSE 2022) and is reported to have Law optional.
- Jaspinder Singh secured AIR 33 (UPSC CSE 2021) and is reported to have taken Law as his mains optional.
- Kshitij Aditya Sharma secured AIR 58 (UPSC CSE 2024) and is profiled in the media as a Law optional candidate.
This trend is not accidental. It reflects a calculated, strategic choice made by serious aspirants who understand how UPSC evaluates knowledge, reasoning, and answer-writing.
This matters because Law optional is often misunderstood as “only for law students”. In reality, it shows consistent conversion for serious, well-prepared candidates.
In recent years, several high-rankers have opted for Law optional and performed exceptionally well, indicating that the subject consistently delivers results when prepared smartly. But beyond individual success stories, there are structural reasons why Law has become such a powerful optional.
1. Limited and Finishable Syllabus
One of the biggest advantages of Law optional is its compact and clearly demarcated syllabus. Unlike many humanities and science optionals, Law optional is structured around specific areas such as:
- Constitutional Law
- Administrative Law
- Criminal Law
- Contract and Tort
- Jurisprudence
- International Law
Because of this focused scope, the entire syllabus can be thoroughly completed within four to five months of disciplined preparation. This becomes a huge strategic advantage for aspirants racing against time.
2. Questions Are Relatively Direct and Markable
Law optional does not rely heavily on obscure facts or unpredictable theoretical twists. Instead, most questions are:
- Direct
- Concept-based
- Application-oriented
Candidates are asked to explain legal principles, apply them to situations, and present reasoned conclusions. This clarity significantly reduces uncertainty and often makes Law a high-scoring optional.
3. Strong Overlap with GS and Prelims
One of the most underrated advantages of choosing Law optional lies in Paper One, which overlaps with UPSC Prelims and GS Paper II.
While preparing Law optional, aspirants naturally deepen their understanding of:
- Fundamental Rights and Duties
- Constitutional principles
- Separation of powers
- Judicial review
- Administrative functioning
This directly strengthens:
- Prelims Polity
- GS Paper II
- Essay content
- Ethics case reasoning
4. Encourages Structured UPSC-Friendly Answer Writing
UPSC rewards clarity, logical flow, and well-reasoned conclusions — precisely the skills law trains naturally.
Law answers typically follow:
- Identifying the issue
- Explaining the legal principle
- Applying it to facts
- Concluding logically
This structure improves answer quality across GS papers, Ethics case studies, and Essay writing.
5. Not Just for Law Graduates
A common myth is that Law optional is suitable only for law graduates. Many successful candidates from engineering, humanities, and science backgrounds have chosen Law and scored impressively.
Law focuses on understanding concepts and logical reasoning rather than memorising statutes, making it accessible to non-law students as well.
6. Consistency and Predictability
Law optional is attractive because of its predictability:
- Stable syllabus
- Repetitive core themes in previous year questions
- Concept-based evaluation
With focused reading and answer practice, effort in Law optional often translates directly into marks.
7. Real-Life Governance Advantage
Preparing Law optional builds strong governance understanding such as:
- Constitutional morality
- Separation of powers
- Judicial review
- Administrative law principles
- Rights-based policy framing
This improves GS-II answers with stronger constitutional grounding.
8. Availability of Quality Study Material
Law optional has strong preparation support through:
- Topper answer copies
- Structured answer writing formats
- Case-law notes
- Short revision material
9. Advantage for Governance and Regulatory Roles
Candidates targeting administration-heavy roles, regulatory positions, or policy interfaces often find Law optional builds the right mindset.
10. Ideal for Structured Writers
Law optional suits candidates who prefer:
- Clear outlines
- Headings
- Crisp points
- Precise conclusions
Conclusion
The growing popularity of Law optional among UPSC toppers reflects a deeper strategic understanding of the examination.
Its limited syllabus, direct question pattern, strong overlap with Polity and GS papers, and high scoring potential make it uniquely positioned among optional subjects.
For aspirants who want their optional preparation to complement — not compete with — their overall UPSC preparation, Law offers a rare combination of efficiency, depth, and scoring power.
In today’s highly competitive UPSC environment, success increasingly belongs to those who prepare smartly. And for many toppers, Law optional has proven to be exactly that smart choice.
.png){kind=logo}
.png){kind=logo}
.png){kind=logo}
.png){kind=logo}
