Have you ever wondered why do we have craze for civil services in India, especially among middle class? Why most of the students prefer Science over Arts after Class 10? Why do we have large number of female faculty at school level, whereas large number of male faculty at university (higher education) level? Why bureaucrats behave in a standardized fashion? Why rules and regulations are preferred over emotions? Why education sector, bureaucracy, politics, science, & economy is overrepresented by men and underrepresented by women? Why some people become criminals and some others choose not to be a criminal?
Sounds like quiet basic questions, right? Well, if you really felt curious to know scientific answers to these seemingly mundane or ordinary questions, Sociology is the subject that is made for you. Unlike other subject (GS), optional requires not only great amount of commitment (approx. 4 months), but even greater degree of passion to grow along with the subject. Interest matters!
Remember: Before you look out for success rate of a subject in terms of marks in previous years, you should find out whether the subject interests you, ignites curiosity and makes you inquisitive about its subject matter.
If yes, then you should check out history of its performance over the last 9-10 years.
Highest Marks Trend
| YEAR | MARKS |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 301 |
| 2017 | 324 |
| 2018 | 329 |
| 2019 | 297 |
| 2020 | 315 |
| 2021 | 285 |
| 2022 | 301 |
| 2023 | 310 |
This trend clearly shows that the sociology is high scoring optional subject.
Although the performance of sociology in UPSC has been quite consistent, it should be remembered that it is not the subject that performs, it is the student who performs and the subject that gets rewarded. This applies to every optional, and therefore this alone should not be the criterion to choose the optional.
Last, but not the least, a student should check out whether relevant material, proper books for reference, and proper guidance in terms of faculty is available or not. Unfortunately, we are living in a world where we have more and more information, and less and less meaning. Abundance of information available on social media and YouTube channels have created chaos in the preparation cycle of students. This is where the role of faculty & well structured classroom becomes the most important factor.