The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination is one of the most coveted and challenging exams in India. One of the crucial aspects of the UPSC exam is the choice of an optional subject, which can significantly impact an aspirant’s performance. In recent years, there has been a growing demand for regional languages as optional subjects in the UPSC exam.

This report presents an analysis of the success rate of regional languages as optional subjects in the UPSC exam. The report includes data on the number of aspirants who appeared for the exam with regional language as an optional subject and the number of aspirants who were suggested by the commission in the previous year. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the trends and patterns of the success rate of regional languages as optional subjects over the years. This report will be beneficial to policymakers, academics, and aspirants who wish to understand the success rate of regional languages as optional subjects in the UPSC exam.

UPSC Compulsory Language Papers: Overview & Requirements

The UPSC Civil Services Examination is a highly competitive and prestigious exam conducted annually to recruit candidates for various civil services positions in the Indian government. As part of the selection process, candidates are required to take two compulsory language papers – English and a regional (Indian) language.

The English language paper is mandatory for all candidates, regardless of their origin or background. The regional language paper, on the other hand, is compulsory for all candidates except those from six specific states in India. Both papers are of three hours duration and carry a total of 300 marks each.

To qualify for the exam, candidates must score at least 75 marks (25%) in both language papers. While the language papers are of qualifying nature only, they are an important part of the selection process and must be taken seriously. Candidates are advised to prepare well and practice their language skills to ensure they meet the minimum qualifying requirements.

List of Indian Languages for UPSC Language Paper

Below are the Indian languages that are listed in the eighth schedule of the Indian constitution. In order to pass the exam, a minimum score of 75 out of a maximum score of 300 is required.

LanguageScript
AssameseAssamese
BengaliBengali
GujaratiGujarati
HindiDevanagari
KannadaKannada
KashmiriPersian
KonkaniDevanagari
MalayalamMalayalam
ManipuriBengali
MarathiDevanagari
NepaliDevanagari
OdiaOdia
PunjabiGurmukhi
SanskritDevanagari
SindhiDevanagari or Arabic
TamilTamil
TeluguTelugu
UrduPersian
BodoDevanagari
DogriDevanagari
MaithiliDevanagari
SanthaliDevanagari or Olchiki *

Success rate of language as an optional subject in UPSC

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is one of the most important and respected institutions in India, and it is crucial to understand the success rate of language as an optional subject in the UPSC exams. The following table provides a comprehensive overview of the success rate of language as an optional subject in the UPSC exams for the previous year. It covers the success rate of various languages and the total number of candidates who selected language as an optional subject. This data will be useful to understand the trends in the success rate of language as an optional subject in the UPSC exams.

2017

Optional SubjectSuccess Rate of Optional in UPSCNumber of Aspirants SuggestedNumber of Aspirants Appeared
Sanskrit Lit.7.1570
Bengali Lit.003
Urdu Lit.19.2526
Bodo Lit.10011
Kannada Lit.3.54115
Tamil Lit.4.75107
Manipuri Lit.7.7113
Telugu Lit.1.4172
Sindhi Lit.5012
English Lit.9.5221
Marathi Lit.0017
Gujarati Lit.7.98101
Hindi Lit.7.119267
Oriya Lit.005
Malayalam Lit.7.28111
Nepali Lit.001
Assamese Lit.003
Maithili Lit.6.4578
Punjabi Lit.15.4639

Bodo Lit. has the highest success rate of 100% and the lowest number of aspirants suggested and appeared, with only one aspirant each. However, it should be noted that the sample size for Bodo Lit. is very small and therefore may not be representative.

Among the languages with a larger sample size, Urdu Lit. has the highest success rate of 19.2%, closely followed by Punjabi Lit. with a success rate of 15.4%. Hindi Lit. has a moderate success rate of 7.1%, but has the highest number of aspirants suggested and appeared, with 19 and 267 respectively.

Overall, the data suggests that choosing a regional language as an optional subject in UPSC exams can be a viable option for aspirants, with several languages having a success rate comparable to that of English Lit. However, aspirants should carefully consider their proficiency and interest in the language before making a decision

2016

Optional SubjectSuccess Rate PercentageNumber of Aspirants SuggestedNumber of Aspirants Appeared
Konkani Lit.001
Arabic Lit.001
Assamese Lit.4025
Marathi Lit.16.7742
Tamil Lit.12.929225
Hindi Lit.5.756974
Sindhi Lit.001
Bengali Lit.005
Urdu Lit.13.8429
Dogri LIt.001
Punjabi Lit.26.3519
Kannada Lit.16.71484
Pali Lit.7.118255
English Lit.15640
Gujarati Lit.16.7742
Maithili Lit.4125
Telugu Lit.6.19147
Malayalam Lit.7.3567
Oria Lit.004
Sanskrit Lit.8.210122
Manipuri Lit.4.5122
Persian Lit.0010

According to the given data, Punjabi Literature has the highest success rate percentage of 26.3% among all the listed optional languages for UPSC exams. It is closely followed by Gujarati and Marathi Literature, which have success rates of 16.7% each. It is important to note that some of the optional languages have very few aspirants, which can impact the success rate.

2014

Optional SubjectSuccess Rate of Optional in UPSCNumber of Aspirants SuggestedNumber of Aspirants Appeared
Malayalam8.7669
Sanskrit5.6471
Assamese002
Gujarati12.5864
Marathi3.8126
English16.7530
Punjabi11.154 6
Hindi4.212284
Tamil10.7758
Telugu4.3493
Santhali10011
Kannada1275 9
Oriya1010 1
Urdu17.9528
Maithili10.784 9
Sindhi001
Dogri001
Bengali16.716
Manipuri5120

it can be observed that the Urdu language has the highest success rate among the optional subjects in the UPSC exam with a rate of 17.9%.

This indicates that a significant number of candidates who chose Urdu as their optional subject were successful in the exam.

While the number of aspirants who appeared for the Urdu paper was relatively low at 28, the success rate suggests that candidates who have a strong command of the language may have an advantage in the exam.

Urdu Literature ranked 1

Urdu Literature has consistently ranked as the highest-scoring optional subject in UPSC exams over the years, with a success rate of 17.9% in the most recent data set. This suggests that candidates who have a strong command of Urdu may have an advantage in the exam. However, it should be noted that the number of aspirants who appeared for the Urdu paper is relatively low at 28, which may have an impact on the success rate.

Other regional languages such as Punjabi, Gujarati, and Marathi Literature have also shown high success rates of 15.4% – 26.3%, indicating that choosing a regional language as an optional subject can be a viable option for aspirants. However, the sample size for some languages such as Bodo, Sindhi, and Dogri Literature is very small, which may impact the validity of the data. Aspirants should carefully consider their proficiency and interest in the language before selecting it as an optional subject.