UPSC asks aspirants to select the optional subject of their choice from the subjects given by UPSC. Every year they release the notification of optional subjects for aspirants to choose from. These optional subjects carry marks in papers 6 and 7 of the main exam. Each paper has a weightage of 250 marks making it extremely important for aspirants to select optional carefully. Though they release a list of optional subjects every year, there are subjects that are unchanged. Some of the optional subjects listed are history, geography, engineering, etc. UPSC offers three engineering subjects as optionals for aspirants- civil engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. Aspirants from engineering backgrounds who wish to appear for the UPSC exam often choose from these subjects to increase their chances of selection.

Who takes civil engineering as an optional subject at UPSC?

Every year only a handful of aspirants reach the mains stage and only a few can clear the mains stage in UPSC. Out of these, students do not prefer to take optional subjects that are specialized, the majority of them opt for subjects that overlap other subjects in UPSC exams. History is one of the most common and popular optional subjects opted by aspirants. Civil Engineering or Engineering on the other hand is opted by those who have an engineering background or specializations. However, some consider subject overlapping as a major option.

Are there any toppers or selections with civil engineering optional?

Yes! There are some toppers or selections in past years with civil engineering optional. However, the number is less compared to other optional subjects such as:

• Praveen Kumar (AIR 7, 2020) was on top with civil engineering as his optional subject.
• Abhishek Saraf (AIR 8, 2019) with civil engineering as an optional subject.
• Apart from these recent lists, Sameer Kumar Jena (2017), Avdhesh Meena(2016), Vinay Tiwari(2014), Ashish Vashishth (AIR 15, 2013).

Civil Engineering Optional - Benefits and Drawbacks

Aspirants planning to take civil engineering as the optional subject or deciding on their optional must understand the benefits and drawbacks in every aspect to ensure they do not face hindrances in overall rank due to an optional subject. So, here are the benefits and drawbacks of taking civil engineering as an optional subject:

Benefits

• Familiarity with subject matter: If the aspirant has completed your 4 years of graduation in civil engineering or engineering, the aspirant has an understanding of the subject matter and can easily start preparations. With an understanding of the subject matter, it's easy to start preparations for the main exam to cover optional subjects. They can cover subjects quickly as part of the revision of their graduation subjects. Most of the topics covered in optional subjects are similar to what is taught in the graduation program. Therefore, it's easy for aspirants with an engineering background to take civil engineering as an optional subject.
• Scoring subject: Civil Engineering can be highly scored if aspirants understand and prepare for the subjects. It has basics of science and mathematics; If aspirants give adequate practice they can easily score high marks in the mains exam elevating their rank. Aspirants can score marks with diagrams and numerals if they have a better understanding of the mathematical aspects of civil engineering. This can be one of the quality options to choose from. Moreover, it allows parents to appear for the Engineering Services Exam.
• Consistent Past Results: The best part about civil engineering as an optional subject is its performance. In recent years, aspirants opting for civil engineering as a subject have provided consistent performance.

Drawbacks

• No overlap: One of the biggest drawbacks of opting for civil engineering is that students cannot simultaneously study for general studies as overlap. If aspirants opt for history or geography as optional subjects; these options are part of general studies which allows students to prepare for two papers at the same time. However, if aspirants choose engineering they have to prepare for general studies and civil engineering separately.
• Difficult for students who find numericals complex: Despite having engineering as background, some students do not find civil engineering as an easy subject. Especially when it comes to numericals, they find it complex. So, for these students civil engineering is a drawback as an optional rather than a scoring subject.

Civil Engineering Optional Subjects Paper Preparation

To prepare for civil engineering as an optional subject there are a few tips that you need to follow:

• Make sure you practice the previous year’s question paper with civil engineering as optional.
• Have a fixed or prescribed list of formulas that you can learn and implement for various numerals.
• Make sure you opt for test series with civil engineering as optional because it can be lengthy and aspirants need to prepare and practice to complete exams on time.
• Try to practice for diagrams and numericals more as they are scoring and can give you a better overall rank.
• Civil engineering can be a scoring subject with low average marks so if you prepare effectively you can score high and upgrade the overall rank.

Syllabus for Civil Engineering Optional

So, here is the syllabus for paper 1 and paper 2 Civil engineering as optional:

Paper I Subjects/Topics

Paper one subjects include these topics to cover:

• Engineering Mechanics
• Strength of Materials
• Structural Analysis
• Design of Concrete and Masonry Structures
• Structural Steel Design
• Open Channel
• Fluid Mechanics
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Hydraulic Machines and Hydropower

Paper II Subjects/Topics

Paper 2 subjects include the topic to cover

• Construction, Construction Technology & CPM
• Railways Engineering
• Hydrology
• Surveying and Transportation Engineering
• Highway Engineering
• Irrigation Engineering
• Environmental Engineering

Study Material For Civil Engineering Optional In UPSC

There are various books available for civil engineering optional subjects which cover the curriculum required for preparation of civil engineering as a part of the UPSC exam. Therefore, students can opt for these books and start their preparation to score higher in these sections. So, here are some of the study materials for civil engineering as optional:

• Engineering Mechanics by Irvin Shames
• Intermediate Structural Analysis by CK Wang
• Theory of Structures by S. Ramamrutham
• Design of Steel Structures by N Subramanian
• Handbook Of Reinforced Concrete Design by SN Sinha
• Design of Steel Structures by S Duggal
• Prestressed Concrete by N Krishna Raju
• Hydraulics and Fluid Mechanics Including Hydraulics Machines by Modi and Seth
• Strength of Materials By S. Ramamrutham
• Basic and Applied Soil Mechanics by Gopal Ranjan and Rao
• Strength of Materials by Stephen Timoshenko
• Flow in Open Channels by K Subramanya
• Soil Mechanics And Foundation Engineering by SK Garg
• Environmental Engineering (both volumes) by SK Garg
• Construction, Planning and Management by UK Srivastava
• Building Construction by Arora and Bindra
• Surveying by BC Punmia
• Highway Engineering by Khanna and Justo
• A Text Book Of Railway Engineering by Saxena and Arora
• Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering by SK Garg

Final Thoughts

These are the complete details about civil engineering optional for UPSC. From syllabus to subject, success rate and tips on preparation of civil engineering optional. This guide will guide students to ensure they can start preparation and score higher in the subject. The above-mentioned books are one of the top options that students with civil engineering must try when they’re preparing for the main exam.