All the aspirants with a background in medicine (MBBS or related degrees and postgraduate degrees) opt for the Medical Science Optional Paper in the UPSC Mains Exams. It is a highly specialised optional subject like engineering. Hence, the number of aspirants that opt for this optional subject every year is around two hundred to three hundred.Since they are already familiar with the portion, the success rate of aspirants who opt for this optional subject is between eighteen to twenty-two percent. Aspirants who have an interest in this optional subject can read this article as well. It talks about the subject as an optional choice. However, the decision to choose this optional subject must be yours. Do not base it on your interests and learning abilities. There is more to the subject, as you will soon see.

Why Medical Science?

A lot of aspirants opt for the medical science optional paper, making it a fairly popular choice. These aspirants have a background in medicine. The UPSC covers the same syllabus as the MBBS degree covers. As a result, this optional subject enjoys a high success rate. We shall discuss the pros and cons of choosing this optional subject in detail.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Medical Science Optional

Let’s go through the advantages and disadvantages of the medical science optional paper to plan our preparation.

The Advantages of Medical Science

• Considering that the syllabus is the same as that of an MBBS degree course, it will be easy for candidates with an undergraduate certificate in medicine.
• BDS and BAMS graduate candidates can opt for this optional subject as well.
• The difficulty level of the exam is lower than the professional MBBS exam. As an aspirant with a background in medicine, it will be easy to clear this exam with a good score.
• The syllabus is mostly static. As a result, you need not focus on current affairs for this optional subject.
• The questions asked are direct. Hence, the answers must be to the point as well. There is no room for subjectivity in this optional subject. You must be clear with the concepts, theories, and names to score well.
• This optional subject is scoring if you make a study plan and stick to it.

The Disadvantages of Medical Science

• The syllabus that an aspirant must cover is vast. We will look into the syllabi as well.
• Opt for this optional subject if and only if you have an interest in the subject matter. The vast syllabus can be too much to cover, and you might end up not finishing the portion.
• There is barely any overlap with the syllabus of General Studies Papers. Thus, it is a proper addition to your overall syllabus.

Syllabus for Medical Science Optional Paper

As you know, there are two papers on the medical science optional subject. Each paper has its own syllabus. We shall discuss the syllabus paper-wise. Do not forget that this optional paper will be easy for aspirants who have a background in medicine. For aspirants who have no background in medicine or related fields like BDS or BAMS, your interest in the field and learning capabilities will determine your score. The detailed syllabus is listed below.

Syllabus for Paper 1

• Human Anatomy
• Human Physiology
• Biochemistry
• Pathology
• Microbiology
• Pharmacology
• Forensic Medicine and Toxicology

Syllabus for Paper 2

• General Medicine
• Paediatrics
• Dermatology
• General Surgery
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology, including Family Planning
• Community Medicine

Tips for General Preparation

• Your most essential focus while preparing should be to understand the concepts effectively. This will help you get familiar with the subject and increase your accuracy and overall score.
• Always start with the easy topics first and then proceed to the advanced topics. This will help you to strengthen the foundation of the subject and build the connection between different topics.
• You must always make proper notes while reading the material. Usage of visual aids like diagrams, flowcharts, and mind maps to understand and remember your subject matter effectively is advised. After all, we are visual learners. Take advantage of that strength. This is how you revise better and faster.
• Include as much government-backed survey data as you can in your answers. This will enrich your answer and portray you as a model candidate.
• The best way to prepare is to solve a lot of question papers. You will get many previous year’s UPSC Mains question papers. Make sure you practice in similar exam-like conditions to secure the marks you want.

Tips For Preparing Medical Science Optional Paper

• Practise the diagrams as much as you can. In medical science papers, when you write the answers, always make sure you draw diagrams and tables. In medicine, diagrams speak more than the words. With correct labelling, you can get an edge over others simply by drawing a diagram.
• Your Paper 2 on medical science is more dynamic than Paper 1. There are a lot of case studies in the paper, and it is advised to refer to the postgraduate books of medicine. You can contact your seniors who practise medicine and ask for their help when preparing for case studies.
• In Paper 1, questions from forensic medicine deal with subjective topics like suicide, rape, etc. It is best to avoid these questions when you have an option between static and subjective questions. It is advisable to stay clear of these subjective topics.
• Remember to go through the previous year’s UPSC Mains question papers. UPSC is known to repeat questions in the optional papers.
• Write down the previous year’s questions and write their answers from the textbooks mentioned below. This is how you can prepare really well for the long theoretical answers.
• Solve as many mock tests as possible. They must be solved in a time-bound manner with similar exam-like conditions to get the maximum output of the knowledge on D-Day.

Books You Can Refer To For Medical Optional Paper

• Human Anatomy by BD Chaurasia
• Snells Anatomy
• Human Embryology by Inderbir Singh
• Human Neuroanatomy by Inderbir Singh
• Ganong’s Review of Medical Physiology
• Biochemistry by U Satyanarayana
• Textbook of Pathology by Harsh Mohan
• Pathological Basis of Disease by Robbins and Cotran
• Textbook of Microbiology by DR Arora
• Medical Parasitology by DR Arora
• Essentials of Medical Pharmacology by KD Tripathi
• Lippincott’s Illustrated Reviews
• The Essentials Of Forensic Medicine And Toxicology by KS Narayan Reddy
• General Medicine – Harrison/API/Davidson/George Mathews/SN Chugh
• Essential Paediatrics by OP Ghai
• Skin Diseases by Uday Khopkar
• Manipal’s Manual of Surgery
• Clinical Surgery by S Das
• Textbook of Obstetrics by DC Dutta
• Shaw’s Textbook of Gynecology
• Park’s Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine

Conclusion

The medical science optional paper requires a lot of time and dedication. This is a technical subject; as a result, you must put in the effort to score well on the optional paper. All the details have been mentioned. Make sure to prepare well and diligently follow the steps mentioned above. They will give you the confidence to score well. Your persistent dedication will define your results. Make yourself proud of your efforts. All the best for your preparation.