“Which is best optional subject for IAS exam” is a question that haunts most IAS aspirants before they start their preparation. Students often wish to choose the most popular optional subject for IAS exam, with a notion that it is easy to score well in a popular optional subject. This might not be the case always. The UPSC gives a choice of a variety of subjects for candidates to choose from. Candidates should think hard before fixing on an optional. The two optional papers contribute 500 marks to the final tally and so, the optional subject can make or break your final ranking. There is no easy or difficult optional subject as each subject has its own pros and cons and each candidate will have different academic backgrounds, aptitudes and interests. The choice is strictly personal. In any case, in our endeavour to make life easier for IAS aspirants, we provide the success rates of the different optionals. In this article, you will read about the best optional subjects for IAS exam and top optional subjects for IAS.