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We know that a lot of students are now appearing for UPSC Exams. One of the most selected optional subjects in the UPSC exam is Sociology. Some of you might have selected the subject and wondering how to prepare for the exam.
In this blog, we have answered your question about “How to prepare for UPSC Optional Sociology” which includes tips, and inclusion of the preparation materials.
Table of Contents
How to Prepare for UPSC Optional Sociology?
Confused about where to begin your preparations and what to do? To prepare effectively for the UPSC optional sociology examination, follow the steps outlined below.
Understand the Syllabus
Understand your syllabus completely. Develop a brief understanding of the highest-scoring sections of the examination. For more brief ideas, you can have a look at the topic-wise weightage of the UPSC Sociology Syllabus.
Also Read: How to become a Sociologist?
Topic-wise Analysis of Sociology Paper-I
| Topics | Marks on Each Topic | |||
| 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |
| The Discipline | 30 | 20 | 20 | 30 |
| Sociology as Science | 40 | 30 | 50 | 30 |
| Research Methods | 30 | 40 | 30 | 20 |
| Thinkers | 50 | 70 | 70 | 80 |
| Stratification | 50 | 40 | 30 | 40 |
| Works and Economic Life | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Politics and Society | 40 | 30 | 50 | 60 |
| Religion and Society | 30 | 50 | 40 | 30 |
| Systems of Kinship | 50 | 40 | 20 | 30 |
| Social Change | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
Topic-wise Analysis of Sociology Paper-I
| Topics | Marks on Each Topic | |||
| 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |
| Perspectives | 10 | 10 | 30 | 10 |
| Impact of colonial rule | 40 | 10 | 40 | 30 |
| Systems of Kinship in India | 0 | 20 | 0 | 30 |
| Caste system | 50 | 60 | 50 | 20 |
| Tribal communities in India | 20 | 30 | 20 | 40 |
| Social classes in India | 0 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
| Religion and Society | 30 | 30 | 50 | 20 |
| Politics and Society | 10 | 20 | 30 | 30 |
| Visions of social change in India | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rural and agrarian transformation | 30 | 50 | 10 | 20 |
| Industrialization and urbanisation | 40 | 80 | 10 | 10 |
| Politics and society | 20 | 0 | 20 | 10 |
| Social movements in modern India | 20 | 20 | 40 | 50 |
| Population dynamics | 30 | 20 | 10 | 30 |
| Challenges of social transformation | 50 | 40 | 90 | 60 |
Also Read: UPSC Previous Year Question Papers For Last 10 Years
Must Do Answer Writing Practice📝
Develop the habit of regularly practising the questions. It helps in developing writing speed and gaining more accuracy in the answers while you are writing them. Also, it will help you retain the answers for a longer period of time.
Making Notes is Important 📑
Take notes of every small thing that you read. Keeping notes of everything helps you to easily revise the syllabus again. You will not have to go through the whole syllabus again when it comes to the revision part. Also writing down something helps you remember it for a longer time period.
Take a Test Series for UPSC Sociology📄
It is very important to conduct self-analysis on a regular time period. Take regular tests to analyze your weak areas and your pain points while attempting a question paper. Take a proper seating of 3 hours and attempt the test paper.
Study Previous Year Question Papers 📃
To clear the exam without any hassle, sit down and study the previous year’s question papers. It helps you understand the exam pattern. Also, by comparing the previous 10 years or more question papers, you can find out the questions that are repetitive in the examination.
Sociology IAS UPSC Exam – Subject Performance👨🎓
As per the data of the 2016 report, a total of 1555 candidates appeared in the examination. However, only 89 candidates were recommended. In 2014, 1819 candidates opted for sociology as their optional subject, and 193 candidates were recommended.
| Years | Number of Appeared | Number of Recommended | Rate of Success |
| 2017 | 1421 | 137 | 9.6% |
| 2016 | 1635 | 132 | 8.1 |
| 2015 | 1479 | 173 | 11.7 % |
| 2014 | 1819 | 193 | 10.6 % |
Answer Sheets of Sociology Toppers ⬇️
Below, we are attaching the top answer sheets of the sociology of the toppers. You can analyze the answer sheets to get an idea about the pattern of the answers in the exam.
| Download Answer Sheets | Answer Sheets |
| Neha Bhosle Rank – 15, 2019 | |
| Paper-I | Download |
| Paper-II | Download |
| Neha Bandhu Rank – 121, 2019 | |
| Paper-I | Download |
| Paper-II | Download |
| Srushti Deshmukh Rank – 5, 2018 | |
| Paper-I | Download |
| Paper-II | Download |
| Sanya Chhabra Rank – 84, 2018 | |
| Paper-I | Download |
| Paper-II | Download |
| Gaurav Kumar Rank – 34, 2017 | |
| Paper-I | Download |
| Paper-II | Download |
| Sudhir Kumar Rank – 42, 2017 | |
| Paper-I | Download |
| Paper-II | Download |
Best Reference Books for UPSC Sociology📖
Other than using and referring to the different question papers available online, students can also take a look at the reference books to prepare for UPSC Sociology:
| Books | Author Name | Link |
| Introduction to Sociology | Anthony Giddens | Click Here |
| Sociological Theory | George Ritzer | Click Here |
| Sociology Themes and Perspectives | Haralambos & Holborn | Click Here |
| A Dictionary of Sociology | John Scott | Click Here |
| An Introduction to Political Theory by | O P Gauba | Click Here |
| Social Change in Modern India | M N Srinivas | Click Here |
| Handbook of Indian Sociology | Veena Das | Click Here |
| Modernization of Indian Tradition | Yogendra Singh | Click Here |
| Social Background of Indian Nationalism | A R Desai | Click Here |
| Rural Sociology | S.L Doshi and P.C Jain | Click Here |
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FAQs
The subject is easy to cover. However, it purely depends on your interest area. If you are someone who has a strong interest in sociology then, it can be a good and scoring subject,
To score good marks in sociology optional UPSC, you need to first understand the syllabus, prepare a strategy for the preparation, and follow a sequence of steps to secure good marks. For more clear guidance you can refer to the above blog.
3 months is a decent time to cover the sociology syllabus. However, it also depends on you how fast you can understand and learn things.
This was all about the “How to Prepare for UPSC Optional Sociology”. For more such informative blogs, check out our UPSC Exams Section, or you can learn more about us by visiting our Indian exams page.