My Complete Strategy

By Kalpana Rawat, AIR 76

Preparing for UPSC with Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) as an optional can feel overwhelming in the beginning. The syllabus looks endless, the theories appear abstract, and International Relations changes every single day.

But over time, I realized that PSIR rewards clarity, structure, analytical thinking, and smart preparation much more than random hard work. In this blog, I want to share the exact approach that helped me improve my PSIR marks and eventually secure Rank 76 in UPSC CSE 2024.

1. My First Step: Breaking the Syllabus into a “Micro-Syllabus”

One of the biggest mistakes aspirants make is treating PSIR as one giant subject. That approach creates anxiety and confusion.

What helped me the most was converting the entire syllabus into a detailed “micro-syllabus.” Instead of looking at broad headings, I divided every topic into smaller sub-topics.

For example:

• Justice

• Equality

• Rights

• Comparative Politics

• Pressure Groups

• Realism

• Liberalism

• India-US Relations

This made the preparation manageable and helped me track what I had completed and what still required revision.

Once the syllabus becomes micro-level, PSIR stops looking intimidating.

2. Choosing Limited but Reliable Study Material

I did not join formal coaching for PSIR optional. Instead, I used Shubhra Ranjan ma’am’s notes as my base material. Those notes helped me build conceptual clarity in political theories, thinkers, and International Relations.

However, I strongly believe that notes alone are never sufficient for PSIR.

Especially in International Relations, static preparation quickly becomes outdated because world politics changes continuously. Newspaper reading and regular value addition are absolutely essential.

Whenever I came across important geopolitical developments, I updated my notes with:

• Current examples

• Scholarly opinions

• Keywords

• Case studies

• Data and reports

This constant value addition gradually improved the quality of my answers.

3. How I Studied Political Thinkers

Many students try to memorize thinkers mechanically, which makes retention difficult.

What worked for me was understanding the historical context behind every thinker. I always remembered one line:

“Every thinker is a child of his times.”

Once you understand the conditions in which a thinker lived, their philosophy starts making sense naturally.

For example:

• Hobbes can be understood through the political instability and civil war in England.

• Marx becomes easier when studied in the context of industrial capitalism and class exploitation.

• Rawls makes more sense when linked to debates on fairness and welfare in modern liberal democracies.

This approach improved both memory retention and answer quality.

4. My PYQ Strategy: UPSC Leaves Clues

Previous Year Questions (PYQs) were one of the most important tools in my preparation.

After dividing the syllabus into micro-topics, I analyzed PYQs topic-wise to understand:

• Which areas UPSC repeatedly focuses on

• Which topics are most important

• How questions are framed

• What level of analysis UPSC expects

This exercise helped me identify high-priority sections.

For instance, Comparative Politics is extremely important because UPSC asks questions from it almost every year. PYQs helped me prioritize preparation intelligently instead of studying everything with equal intensity.

5. How Toppers’ Copies Changed My Answer Writing

I spent a lot of time analyzing toppers’ answer copies.

Not to copy their style blindly, but to understand the mechanics of a good answer.

Through toppers’ copies, I learned:

• How to structure answers properly

• How to maintain flow and coherence

• How to integrate thinkers naturally

• How to use criticism effectively

• How to maintain an academic tone

One major learning was scholarly integration. Good PSIR answers do not remain generic. They connect multiple thinkers and perspectives together.

For example, while discussing justice, you can bring in Rawls, Marxist criticism, communitarian perspectives, and feminist critiques in a balanced manner. This gives depth to the answer.

6. My Answer Writing Strategy

(a) Pre-Prepared Introductions and Conclusions

UPSC mains papers are extremely lengthy. Time management becomes critical.

I realized that spending too much time thinking about introductions during the exam wastes valuable minutes. So I prepared introductions and conclusions beforehand for important themes.

This helped me begin writing immediately after reading the question.

(b) Creating Interlinkages

High-scoring PSIR answers are interconnected.

For example, if there is a question on Justice, you should naturally connect it with Rawls’ theory. Similarly, a question on democracy can include ideas from liberalism, pluralism, or constitutionalism.

Interlinkages show conceptual maturity.

(c) Linking Theory with Current Affairs

This is one of the most important aspects of PSIR preparation.

Static theories become powerful only when connected with contemporary developments.

For example:

• Russia-Ukraine conflict can be linked with Realism and balance of power.

• China’s assertiveness can be discussed using offensive realism.

• Multipolarity debates can be connected with India’s foreign policy choices.

I also came across an interesting article that described leaders like Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump as displaying “Hobbesian” tendencies. Such examples make answers richer and more analytical.

(d) Using PSIR-Specific Terminology

Since PSIR overlaps heavily with GS-2, many aspirants unknowingly write generic GS-style answers in the optional paper.

To avoid this, I consciously used political science terminology such as:

• Multipolarity

• Strategic autonomy

• Global balancing

• Democratic deficit

• Constitutionalism

• Political legitimacy

These terms immediately give answers a PSIR flavour.

(e) Memorizing Impactful Quotes

Good quotes can elevate the quality of an answer instantly.

I maintained a separate notebook for important quotations from diplomats, scholars, and authors. One quote I particularly liked was from Dr. S. Jaishankar’s The India Way:

“It is a time to engage America, to manage China, to cultivate Europe, to bring Japan into play, and reassure Russia.”

This quote can enrich multiple answers related to India’s foreign policy and strategic autonomy.

Final Advice to PSIR Aspirants

PSIR is not just about memorization. It is about understanding, connecting ideas, and presenting arguments intelligently.

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

Keep your preparation structured, your understanding analytical, and your answers dynamic.

Focus on:

• Conceptual clarity

• PYQ analysis

• Answer writing practice

• Current affairs integration

• Revision and value addition

Most importantly, do not get intimidated by the syllabus. Once you divide it systematically and approach it strategically, PSIR becomes one of the most rewarding optionals in UPSC preparation.