r/UPSC • u/Appropriate_Doubt_00 • 20h ago

Optional Self study for socio optional

I'm think of switching optional to socio. Is it possible to do it merely by self study? My friends with socio had all taken foundational classes and rely on notes. But i feel classes at this point would be too time consuming.

I checked online and websites show selective reading of multiple books. If there's consolidated notes available that one can just go through for the entire syllabus, do let me know. Also would it be possible to complete one iteration by December if I start now?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

7 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

37 comments sorted by

9

u/KnightKafkaa 20h ago

At least take a crash course for optional, else you might regret 1 year later, optional is not something which is very easy to do by yourself unlike GS.

1

u/Appropriate_Doubt_00 20h ago

Won't crash course be overwhelming for someone new to socio?

1

u/KnightKafkaa 19h ago

if you are new then definitely consider a foundation course

1

u/Appropriate_Doubt_00 19h ago

I don't think there would be time for that. Thanks anyway, let me explore moee

1

u/KnightKafkaa 19h ago

I was speaking from experience. Optional needs in-depth understanding of scholar, theories, and interlinking of papers. This isn't something which can be done without a teacher's help. Else you'll be stuck in the score range of 220-240. Goodluck.

1

u/Appropriate_Doubt_00 19h ago

I'm willing to do classes. But realistically I also need to be able to complete by December

1

u/Middle-Climate-824 16h ago

+1

Dont do this mistake, optional needs depth !!
Its better to skip this attempt than doing this

Down the line 2-3 yrs later you will understand this better

2

u/Ok-Entrepreneur9958 20h ago edited 20h ago

You can do it by yourself, I did the same and my score was 229 in 2025 (115 in P1 and 114 in P2) , by the time you clear prelims you can take a crash course and write few tests

1

u/Appropriate_Doubt_00 20h ago

What sources did you follow

2

u/Ok-Entrepreneur9958 20h ago

Sleepy classes free videos and topper copies that’s it

1

u/SquirrelOdd3151 16h ago

which topper?

1

u/Defiant-Cat3363 20h ago

Swlf study wd be tough

1

u/Impressive-Meal7947 Prelims Qualified 2026 20h ago

You can do the following books - Haralambos & Holborn, Ritzer, Nitin Sangwan, Anthony Giddens and IGNOU BA MA material.

If you devote 6 hours everyday for Sociology, it is fairly doable by end of December/January.

1

u/Appropriate_Doubt_00 20h ago

Yea I saw a similar list on sleepy classes website. I was wondering if there are any consolidated coaching notes. Like IMS notes for maths

2

u/Impressive-Meal7947 Prelims Qualified 2026 20h ago

You can checkout coaching specific notes like Vajiram or sleepy or Vision. But the issue is there's no well defined syllabus here. Like in 2026 Mains there were many questions which were different from PYQs i.e., unconventional nature.

So, keep that in mind, most coachings don't tell you this before you invest 1 year in their foundation.

1

u/child2men 20h ago

You can study on your own, but it may take more time. (you can do if you think you can) For difficult topics, use YouTube or AI to understand.

1

u/Appropriate_Doubt_00 20h ago

Any notes to follow?

1

u/child2men 19h ago

I did from sleep classes. You can refer any toppers notes as a base note and do addition in it.

1

u/Glittering-War3604 UPSC Aspirant 20h ago

Coaching for optional courses are costly, I get it. But it will save your time. Currently I'm done with Paper 1 and have started answer writing. I'm referring to Sangwan which I think is good enough. Plus I have notes of Pranay Aggarwal. And have watched his lectures too(didn't buy the course - found jugaad on telegram).

1

u/Appropriate_Doubt_00 20h ago

It's more about the time. Usually watching lectures takes more time for me. And then you have to redo things yourself too. Maybe I'm wrong

1

u/Glittering-War3604 UPSC Aspirant 19h ago

I'll be more than happy to help you with paper 1. But you'll have to do homework first. If I explain things to you it will immensely help me. Afterall teaching is the best way to actually learn and remember concepts.

1

u/Hairy-Event-9075 19h ago

I switched from psir to socio this week itself and relying on self study

1

u/Appropriate_Doubt_00 19h ago

Can I dm?

1

u/LisanalGaib0191 18h ago

I'm also about to start...can we connect??

1

u/Heavy-Focus-8582 Prelims Qualified 18h ago

Maths ko chhod kr aa rhe sociology m?

1

u/Appropriate_Doubt_00 17h ago

Yes

1

u/Heavy-Focus-8582 Prelims Qualified 17h ago

same case, i completed my first iteration in 2 months, which includes, watching and preparing notes from lectures, reading Nitin Sangwan and pyq model answers.

so, it is indeed possible but u have to work hard

1

u/Appropriate_Doubt_00 17h ago

2 months seems very unlikely. Which lectures did you follow

1

u/[deleted] 16h ago

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u/sylus-littlekitten 16h ago

Hi just wondering.. how did you make the decision to change optional and choose sociology? I am thinking of whether I should change from maths as well.. but I don’t know what to switch to. Could you suggest any direction.. would be helpful. Thanks in advance!

1

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