Geography as an optional subject
Geography is a popular subject in the main examination of civil services (UPSC/UPPSCS/Other states PCS). This Subject is a good subject for students of all streams, it is an interesting subject as well as a very scoring subject. This topic covers many areas of General Studies and essays.
Through this article, how should the strategy of this subject be in the main examination, and where the subject is overlapping in the UPSC syllabus, it has been discussed.
(SYLLABUS)
It is clear from the above table that about 4000 students give examinations in this subject.
Some students who got good rank in Geography optional subject.

It is clear from the above data that geography has become an optional subject and you can do the same to help you fulfill your dreams of becoming an IAS.


Advantages of Geography optional subject -
(1) This subject helps in Preliminary Main Examination / and interviews at all levels.
(2) There is too much overlapping with the General Studies paper.


मुख्य परीक्षा सामान्य अध्य्यन में भूगोल विषय की अतिव्यापियता
(1) In General Studies Paper 1 the question of 80-100 marks comes from Geography
Which you will not have to study by taking Geography optional subject
 The direct topics in Paper II do not overlap, but there are many topics of International Relations that are overlapping, such as Geopolitics of the Indian Ocean Region, SAARC, India and its neighboring countries, BIMSTEC, etc.

 Question Paper - III
Topics overlapping with geography include agriculture, cross-border crime, planning, development, infrastructure, industry, resources, transportation, demographic dividend, etc. A part of this, is disaster management, ecology, and environment, etc.

Interview - You may be asked about the regional geography of your hometown, this answer can be answered very well with special knowledge of geography subject.
Scoring Subjects - There are many factors that make Geography scoreable -
(1) There are fewer chances of getting marks due to fact and idea-based questions in theories.
(2) Flowcharts can be represented with diagrams and tables, which makes it more scoring than other optional subjects.
This topic gets more marks because of map-based questions.
Optional Geography Preparation Strategy

 How to start preparation
 keep an atlas
 Practice questions that have come in the previous years.
 Map

Before preparing for the Geography subject goes through the syllabus thoroughly, which will make it clear to you that there are many topics that are common in Paper I and Paper II. such as physical geography, agricultural industry, resources, etc.

Some Books for UPSC
(1) Physical geography – Savindra Singh
(2) Physical geography – Roopa Publication
(3) Human Geography – Majid Hussain
(4) Geographical thought – Majid Hussain /Sudipita Adhikari
(5) Geography of India – D.R. Khullar
(6) Urban Geography – Suresh Bansal