How I Secured AIR 5 in UPSC CSE 2021 with PSIR Optional — My Complete Strategy

By Utkarsh Dwivedi, AIR 5

When I chose Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) as my optional subject, I came from an engineering background with no formal academic training in humanities. Naturally, there was hesitation in the beginning.

But one thing I gradually understood during UPSC preparation is this:

Your optional subject should be something you genuinely enjoy studying.

Civil services preparation is not a short journey. For many aspirants, it stretches over three to four years. Without genuine interest in the subject, sustaining motivation becomes extremely difficult.

In this blog, I want to share the exact approach that helped me secure AIR 5 in UPSC CSE 2021 and score highly in PSIR.

1. Why I Chose PSIR Despite an Engineering Background

Before finalizing my optional subject, I directly went through the PSIR syllabus and Previous Year Questions (PYQs).

I wanted to understand:

• What kind of questions UPSC asks

• Whether I could understand the subject naturally

• Whether the topics genuinely interested me

This exercise completely changed my perception. I realized that PSIR was not only understandable but also extremely engaging because it connects theory with real-world politics, governance, and international affairs.

That is why I strongly recommend aspirants to analyze PYQs before selecting any optional.

2. My Core Philosophy: Limit Resources, Maximize Revision

One of the biggest mistakes aspirants make is continuously collecting study material.

The reality is simple:

• The available content in the world is infinite

• But UPSC answers are limited to 150, 200, or 250 words

The exam does not reward endless accumulation of information. It rewards:

• Clarity

• Recall

• Relevance

• Structure

• Presentation under time pressure

Keeping this in mind, I completely avoided bulky textbooks. Instead, I relied mainly on coaching notes and then heavily consolidated them into my own short notes.

My focus was never on reading more and more sources. My focus was on revising the same material multiple times until I could reproduce it instantly in the exam hall.

3. Short Notes Were My Biggest Strength

PSIR has a very vast syllabus. Without concise notes, revision becomes nearly impossible.

So after every phase of preparation, I reduced my material further:

• Long notes became short notes

• Short notes became revision sheets

• Revision sheets became keyword-based summaries

This process helped me retain information efficiently and revise rapidly before Mains.

In my experience, concise and repeatedly revised material is far more valuable than huge unread compilations.

4. How PYQs Helped Me Understand UPSC

PYQs were not just a practice tool for me — they became a diagnostic tool.

By analyzing previous year papers, I understood:

• UPSC’s pattern of questioning

• Repeated themes

• Depth of analysis expected

• How static and current affairs are integrated

This helped me tailor my preparation accordingly rather than studying randomly.

5. The Mistake I Made in Earlier Attempts

One of the biggest turning points in my preparation came after I analyzed my own mistakes.

In one of my earlier attempts, I scored only 235 in PSIR because I was approaching the subject incorrectly. I believed that good answers meant:

• Writing excessive scholar names

• Memorizing endless academic commentary

• Filling answers with quotations and criticisms

I spent too much energy cramming scholars instead of improving answer structure and conceptual clarity.

That approach did not work.

6. How Toppers’ Copies Changed My Preparation

To understand what I was doing wrong, I carefully studied toppers’ answer copies.

That exercise completely transformed my preparation strategy.

I realized that successful candidates were not trying to impress the examiner with excessive scholarly jargon. Instead, they focused on:

• Clear structure

• Simplicity

• Relevance

• Logical flow

• Directly answering the question

This taught me an important lesson:

UPSC rewards understanding far more than superficial intellectual display.

After this realization, I simplified my writing style significantly.

7. My Answer Writing Strategy

(a) “Do Justice to the Question”

This became my golden rule for answer writing.

Many aspirants try to write everything they know about a topic, but that is not what UPSC demands.

Your answer should directly address:

• What is being asked

• The exact demand of the question

• The context of the issue

Precision matters more than information overload.

(b) Follow a Proper Structure

A good PSIR answer should have:

• A clear introduction

• Contextual explanation

• Present-day relevance

• Multiple dimensions

• Future perspective

• Criticism or limitations

• Balanced conclusion

This structure automatically makes answers more organized and examiner-friendly.

(c) Scholars Are Useful, But Not Mandatory

One major myth in PSIR preparation is that every answer must contain multiple scholars.

That is not true.

Many of my good answers did not contain even a single scholar reference. What matters more is:

• Understanding the concept

• Applying it properly

• Maintaining clarity

Scholar names should support the answer, not dominate it.

(d) Use PSIR-Specific Language

This is extremely important.

Many aspirants write PSIR optional answers in the same tone as GS-2 answers. That reduces answer quality significantly.

In PSIR, your language should reflect subject expertise.

For example, instead of generic expressions, use terminology like:

• Strategic engagement

• Strategic partnership

• Multipolarity

• Balance of power

• Democratic decentralization

• Political legitimacy

• Global governance

These keywords immediately improve the academic quality of the answer.

8. Revision Was the Ultimate Key

No strategy works without revision.

Since PSIR is extremely vast, I anchored my entire preparation around repeated revision of short notes.

Revision helped me:

• Improve recall speed

• Use keywords naturally

• Structure answers faster

• Reduce exam stress

• Write more confidently

In the final months before Mains, revision mattered far more than reading anything new.

Final Advice to PSIR Aspirants

If I had to summarize my entire PSIR preparation journey in one line, it would be this:

Success in PSIR comes from clarity, concise preparation, and the ability to present relevant knowledge effectively under pressure.

You do not need:

• Endless books

• Excessive scholarly memorization

• Overcomplicated answers

You need:

• Limited resources

• Strong revision

• Clear concepts

• Structured answer writing

• Consistent practice

Most importantly, remember that UPSC is not testing how much information you can accumulate. It is testing how effectively you can communicate relevant ideas within limited time and limited words.