"I didn't have any idea about Geography, It is all due to Shabbir Sir" - Preksha (Rank 30)
"I got to know about Edukemy in Pratham Kaushik's (327 marks, 2017) strategy and liked the format where foundation, enrichment & Test Series was being covered before Prelims" - Shubham (Rank 41)
"I learnt Geography as well as a lot of other things about life from you. Grateful to Edukemy" - Nitin Singh (Rank 32)
Not only is Geography Optional one of the most chosen options among UPSC Aspirants, it is also more loved because of its classes being offered by Shabbir Sir!
The unique, module-wise, marathon-focused, and mission-oriented Geography Optional Classes by Shabbir Sir focuses on pedagogical elements like initiation classes, moving to foundational principles, and then ultimately to the Enriched/Advanced part of learning!
"I didn't have any idea about Geography, It is all due to Shabbir Sir" - Preksha (Rank 30)
"I got to know about Edukemy in Pratham Kaushik's (327 marks, 2017) strategy and liked the format where foundation, enrichment & Test Series was being covered before Prelims" - Shubham (Rank 41)
"I learnt Geography as well as a lot of other things about life from you. Grateful to Edukemy" - Nitin Singh (Rank 32)
Not only is Geography Optional one of the most chosen options among UPSC Aspirants, it is also more loved because of its classes being offered by Shabbir Sir!
The unique, module-wise, marathon-focused, and mission-oriented Geography Optional Classes by Shabbir Sir focuses on pedagogical elements like initiation classes, moving to foundational principles, and then ultimately to the Enriched/Advanced part of learning!
Details
Details
Details
Geography Optional – Syllabus given by UPSC
Shabbir A Bashir is one of the co-founders of Edukemy and industry’s most lauded professor in UPSC preparation. He has been in the industry...
This program is designed for UPSC CSE aspirants who have chosen Geography as their optional subject. It is ideal for both beginners who need to build a strong foundation and veterans looking to refine their analytical skills and conceptual clarity under the guidance of Shabbir Sir.
Course Duration: 9 Months of comprehensive learning.
Batch Start Date: 24th April 2026.
Syllabus Coverage: Holistic coverage of Paper I & Paper II with high-quality content.
Class Summary: Concise summaries provided after every session to aid quick revision.
Shabbir Sir’s pedagogy focuses on interlinking static concepts with current affairs, which is the current trend in UPSC. The course offers spontaneous interaction in Live Classes, expert mentorship through test feedback, and a well-crafted curriculum that prioritizes topics based on their weightage in the Mains exam.
Absolutely. Shabbir Sir starts from the absolute basics, ensuring that students from Engineering, Science, or Humanities backgrounds can grasp complex concepts like Geomorphology and Climatology with ease.
Map work is integrated into the daily lectures. We provide specialized sessions for Location-based marking and help students develop the skill of drawing hand-drawn maps and schematics to score extra marks in the Mains exam.
Yes. Answer writing is a core component. Students receive regular assignments, and the pedagogy focuses on building structural flow—Introduction, Body (with diagrams/case studies), and Conclusion—to meet UPSC standards.
Geography is a dynamic subject. Our faculty ensures that every static topic (like Agriculture or International Trade) is updated with the latest Global Reports, Government Schemes, and Environmental summits.
Yes, students receive comprehensive PDF study material / class notes. These are curated to act as a one-stop resource, reducing the need to refer to multiple standard textbooks like Savindra Singh or Majid Husain.
We offer Live Interactive Classes (Online & Offline) where you can ask doubts in real-time. However, if you miss a class, you will have access to the recorded lectures on our portal for flexible viewing.
Geography has a huge overlap (nearly 40%) with the UPSC syllabus. It covers GS Paper 1 (Physical Geography), GS Paper 3 (Environment, Agriculture, Disaster Management), and even International Relations in GS Paper 2.
Yes. To score high in Indian Geography (Paper II), case studies are vital. We provide over 100+ unique case studies and examples that help your answers stand out from the competition.
Students usually get access to the recordings for the duration of the course plus additional time to support their Mains revision phase. (Check your specific plan for the exact validity period).
Yes, we maintain a dedicated Telegram Community and a doubt-clearing portal where students can interact with peers and the Edukemy faculty to resolve queries quickly.
Most aspirants struggle to use Physical Geography theories (Paper I) in Indian Geography (Paper II). Shabbir Sir’s unique pedagogy ensures you learn to apply models like Weber’s Industrial Location or Rostow’s Stages of Growth to Indian scenarios. This "interlinking" is the secret to moving your score from the 230s to the 280-300+ range, as it demonstrates a deep, scholarly understanding to the UPSC examiner.
Once you enroll, the course will be accessible via the Edukemy Web Portal or the Edukemy App (available on Play Store). You can log in using your registered mobile number with OTP or through your registered email ID and the password created by you.
Geography is one of the most chosen optional among UPSC aspirants, along with History, Sociology, PSIR & Public Administration. Annually, 3000 students write Mains Exam, who have Geography as their optional!
In the journey of becoming a civil servant, the selection of an appropriate optional is important. Optionals account for 500 marks on the Mains Exam, and Geography Optional has produced toppers with marks ranging from 298 to over 320 marks.
Here are the toppers along with their marks
Geography, no doubt, is a comprehensive subject, with topics all over General Studies. Be it Indian Society, International Relations, Disaster Management, Environment - we have Geography as a part of all major General Studies subjects. Here, we will tell you exactly how you can manage Geography Optional as a subject, with the right strategy to guide you.
You need to ensure that each and every topic mentioned in the UPSC Geography Optional Syllabus is known to you. This will assist you in reading only what is relevant, instead of going through a lot of sources and keeping your preparations unorganized!
Here are the major heads and sub-heads of the Geography Optional Syllabus:
Physical Geography has the following topics:
Human Geography has the following topics:
Indian Geography has the following topics:
It is really important to know the keywords mentioned in the Syllabus. This is because, many questions are directly asked from picking up topics which is mentioned in the syllabus. Let's understand it with a few examples!
Question - The concept of Plate Tectonics has been derived from the Isostasy and Continental Drift Theory. Elaborate citing suitable examples. (2021)
Question - Explain the techniques to calculate potential evapotranspiration suggested by Thornthwaite. (2019)
Question - Examine the relevance of the Central Place Theory of Christaller in the present context. (2021)
Question - Drainage pattern in Peninsular India is a result of its geological structure and topography. Elaborate. (2017)
Question - Critically examine the relevance of Ravenstein’s law of population migration with reference to India. (2021)
Can you see the reference we are trying to make?
Most of the questions have topics that are mentioned in the syllabus. So, it is important that you have notes for each topic mentioned in the syllabus.
The questions asked in Geography Optional can be divided into Direct Questions, which are L1 level questions, Open Ended Questions which are L2 & L3 level questions, & Map-Based Questions.
Let’s look at this question for example:
“Automation is rapidly changing the economics of labor and will affect trade patterns in significant ways”. Clarify? (CSE 2022)
Let’s look at this question:
“Explain how various aspects of channel morphology are used in transportation settlement, land use planning, flood control, and flood management. (CSE 2022)
The same is the case with Geography Optional, where questions, more so in Paper 2, are being asked from dynamic and contemporary issues about global and regional trends.
Look at this question for example:
“Climate change is serious problem to global food security and eradication of poverty”. Critically examine. (CSE 2022)
For example, compare these two questions based on the same theme - Climate Change.
"Discuss the trends in migration focusing on its major thrust. (CSE 2014)"
"Critically examine the relevance of Ravenstein’s Law of Population migration with relevance to India. (CSE 2021)"
We can clearly see, that instead of asking questions just based on the theme and topic or a direct question, UPSC has shifted to more in-depth concept-based questions. You cannot write an answer if you don’t exactly know about Ravenstein’s Law of Population Migration.
Analyzing the Geography Optional Previous Year Questions is an important task in Exam Preparation. It helps an aspirant understand the pattern, the language, and the concepts that UPSC is repeating. One can be closest to the syllabus when he understands the pattern of the Previous Year Questions.
We have collated the Module-Wise Questions for Geography Optional in our Blog Section.
If you want to master Geography Optional, it is important that you don't overload yourselves with excessive study material and limit your sources.
The subject is vast - it's like covering 3 years of Bachelor's, and 3 year's of Masters in one go.
The only way to be able to cover the portion is to stick to the syllabus, PYQs, and limiting your sources.
If you want the Booklist to be followed for Geography Optional, you can check this out!
We need a structured approach to be able to cover required current affairs topics in Geography Optional. Geography Optional is highly current affairs based. While UPSC may ask you a static topic, if you are able to link it to a current event, it's highly possible that you will fetch extra marks because of that.
It is also important to note that Current Affairs shouldn't be focused only on for Paper 2. It holds equal importance in Paper 1.
Following are some of the important current affairs topics to look at:
So, as Geography Optional is changing the pattern, we are getting more and more dynamic questions. Apart from that, it is also important to use case-studies, examples, and contemporary issues to get the extra 1-2 marks in the Geography Optional Mains Exam. Hence, we recommend you to read dedicated Current Affairs for Geography Optional.
We thus, recommend – KOSMOS Magazine, a feature magazine for Geography Optional including Environment & Ecology.
We try and consolidate all important current affairs relevant for Geography Optional, from popular magazines like EPW, The Hindu, Indian Express and Down to Earth.
To get high scores, it is important to write an answer that is both distinctive and detailed. This includes offering a thorough examination of both the question at hand and the proposed solution.
It is important that you are not writing Geography Optional answers like a simple Geography GS Answer. The following are the ways in which you can do that:
1. Use names of Geographers and their concepts.
2. Use definitions given by Geographers. Example - Areal differentiation by Hartshorne.
3. Use examples that are used by Geographers. Example - Julian Wolpert's Swedish farm.
4. Use recommendations, reports, and committees. Example - Gadgil Committee report.
5. Debate quoting Geographers instead of writing your own understanding or philosophy!
6. Use of Definitions - We need to write precise definitions. For example, Areal Differentiation can be defined in a number of ways, but if we write the definition mentioned by by Richard Hartshorne, the impact would be more.
7. Quote Examples which credible Geographers. Example, for Behavioralism, quoting Julian Wolpert's 1964 paper on Swedish farmers relating to behaviouralism can fetch us more marks!
8. Quote Important Scholars and their work. Example, quoting Weber to explain Theory of Industrial Location.
9. Use flow charts, diagrams, maps, & schematics in answers.
10. Link concepts with Current Affairs - For Example - Try linking Joshi Math News to Geomorphology.
11. Use Case Studies - Example, quote Marathawada region for a question on Agragriam Crisis.
12. Integrated Learning and Linking of Paper 1 and Paper 2 - Always try and link Paper 1 and 2. Example, topics like Population, Climatology, Environment & Settlement Geography can be quoted in both papers. More specifically, incorporate aspects from both Physical and Human Geography.
To conclude
Geography Optional, over the years, has evolved - both in quantity of how much is to be read, and quality of what is to be covered.
Geography Optional requires more than just rote learning - it also requires conceptual understanding. Prepare well for the exam. The above strategy, if applied well, will definitely do wonders for your Geography Optional Preparation!
