UPSC CSE ยท Law Optional
Success rate of law optional in UPSC
The success rate of law optional in UPSC, the share of candidates who appeared in Mains with law and made the final list, is 13.3% over 11 years (330 selected of 2,484, Mains 2012 to 2022). In Mains 2022, the latest year in the data, the success ratio was 10.3%. Below: the year-wise table and how law compares with other popular optionals.
Source: UPSC Annual Reports, Table 5. Years are the Mains year. Data: Mains 2012 to 2022
Key numbers
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13.3%
11-year success rate
330 selected of 2,484, Mains 2012 to 2022
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10.3%
Latest year, Mains 2022
27 selected of 263 (74th Annual Report, 2023-24)
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1st of 7
Among popular optionals, Mains 2013 to 2022
Law 12.9% against 9.4% for the next, Sociology
What "success rate" means
UPSC publishes, for every optional subject, the number of candidates who appeared in Mains with it and the number finally recommended. The success rate is the second number divided by the first, for one exam year. Every figure on this page is read from those tables in the UPSC annual reports, and you can verify each one there.
A success ratio is only worth comparing among subjects that large numbers of candidates take. Small subjects, such as literature and engineering optionals, sometimes post a spectacular rate in one year and nothing like it the next, so they are left out of the comparison below.
Even a popular subject swings from year to year, because the number selected is small (a few dozen for law). Read the 11-year figure as the trend and a single year as one data point.
Law optional success rate by year
Selected of appeared, Mains 2012 to 2022, from UPSC Annual Reports, Table 5. The bars and the table read the same numbers.
* 2012 was the old two-optional pattern.
| Year | Selected | Appeared | Success rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012* | 42 | 246 | 17.1% |
| 2013 | 35 | 144 | 24.3% |
| 2014 | 40 | 235 | 17.0% |
| 2015 | 41 | 245 | 16.7% |
| 2016 | 12 | 313 | 3.8% |
| 2017 | 43 | 304 | 14.1% |
| 2018 | 27 | 201 | 13.4% |
| 2019 | 19 | 186 | 10.2% |
| 2020 | 23 | 167 | 13.8% |
| 2021 | 21 | 180 | 11.7% |
| 2022 (latest) | 27 | 263 | 10.3% |
| 11 years | 330 | 2,484 | 13.3% |
Law vs other optionals
Comparative analysis with the other popular optional subjects, literature and engineering left aside. Law is shown first; the rest are sorted high to low.
10 years combined
Mains 2013 to 2022
| Optional | Success rate |
|---|---|
| Law | 12.9% |
| Sociology | 9.4% |
| Anthropology | 9.4% |
| PSIR | 8.1% |
| Public Admin | 7.7% |
| History | 5.8% |
| Geography | 5.7% |
Law: 288 selected of 2,238 who appeared.
Latest year
Mains 2022 (74th Annual Report, 2023-24)
| Optional | Success rate |
|---|---|
| Law | 10.3% |
| Public Admin | 8.8% |
| PSIR | 7.9% |
| Sociology | 7.8% |
| Anthropology | 7.7% |
| Geography | 7.5% |
| History | 6.0% |
Law: 27 selected of 263 who appeared.
Bar scale 0 to 15%. Only the law counts (selected and appeared) are in the source images; the other subjects are shown as the rate printed there.
13 in 100 candidates who appeared in Mains with law optional made the final list, over the 11 years combined (13.3%).
Why law keeps ranking high
Four reasons law stays near the top of the common optional subjects.
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Short syllabus
The syllabus is compact, so one full reading and revision take less time than in most other optionals.
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Very scoring
Answers rest on provisions and case law, so a well-prepared answer is hard to mark down.
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Overlap with GS
Constitutional law, polity and governance topics overlap with General Studies, which saves a lot of time.
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Better writing
Writing structured legal answers improves your writing ability for every paper, not just the optional.
Who should take law optional
Law optional has the notion attached that only law graduates can take it. People often forget that any issue in contemporary times involves a legal aspect. No matter what subject you take, you will need to study law in some sense, so why not take it? See law optional for non-law students.
Studying law requires a person to be an intuitive and reasonable thinker. It is aptly suited to students with a deep interest in polity and the Indian Constitution.
Law graduates have an added advantage: the syllabus coincides with the graduate level of any typical university programme, five-year or three-year LLB. There are no procedural laws, which makes it much easier for law graduates than their graduation courses.
Where to start
If you choose law because of its success rate, take these three steps in order.
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Syllabus analysis
Understand the structure of the syllabus and the major subjects in it before you buy a single book.
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Topic-wise questions
To decide how deep to study each subject, go through the previous year questions arranged subject wise.
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Preparation strategy
A step-by-step plan from scratch, written separately for law and non-law graduates.
Success rate: FAQ
What is the success rate of law optional in UPSC?
Over 11 years of UPSC Mains (2012 to 2022), 330 of the 2,484 candidates who appeared with law optional were recommended, a success rate of 13.3%. In the latest year in the data, Mains 2022, it was 10.3% (27 of 263).
How does UPSC define the success rate of an optional?
The success rate is the number of candidates recommended for service divided by the number who appeared in Mains with that optional subject, for one exam year. UPSC publishes these counts in its annual report (Table 5), which is the source of every figure on this page.
Is the success rate of law optional higher than other optionals?
Among the popular optionals compared here, yes. For Mains 2013 to 2022 combined, law is at 12.9% (288 of 2,238) against Sociology 9.4%, Anthropology 9.4%, PSIR 8.1%, Public Admin 7.7%, History 5.8%, Geography 5.7%. In Mains 2022 law is at 10.3% against Public Admin 8.8%, PSIR 7.9%, Sociology 7.8%, Anthropology 7.7%, Geography 7.5%, History 6.0%.
Which year was the success rate of law optional highest, and which lowest?
Highest in Mains 2013, at 24.3% (35 of 144); lowest in Mains 2016, at 3.8% (12 of 313). Single years swing with small numbers, so the 11-year figure of 13.3% is the better guide.
Can non-law students take law optional?
Yes. Law optional has the notion attached that only law graduates can take it, but any contemporary issue has a legal side, and the subject suits anyone with a deep interest in polity and the Indian Constitution. See law optional for non-law students.
Where can I verify these numbers?
In the UPSC annual reports on upsc.gov.in. Each report carries a table of candidates who appeared and were recommended by optional subject (Table 5); the year labels on this page are the Mains year.
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