I have collected 160 Marksheets of Selected Candidates of UPSC CSE-24. I have already posted analysis of Essay and GS Marks with their comparison with CSE-23. Here is the Optional Marks Analysis of 160 selected candidates of CSE-24. Ranks are masked to maintain privacy.

Highlights:

• 160 Marksheets cover 22 Optionals. Average of Optional Marks of these 160 candidates is 263.76
• The ones in Red have performed below average and those in green have performed above average.
• Don’t go by sheer count of selected candidates. For example, Anthropology has 30 candidates out of 160 marksheets. But, it is waste of a number. What matters is the selection % (Candidates cleared with Anthro*100/Candidates appeared Mains with Anthro). This figure can only be arrived at if we have ALL THE MARKSHEETS or after 2 year lag when UPSC comes up with its Annual Report for CSE-24.
• Scoring in Anthropology and Sociology was particularly tough this year. Anthropology getting lesser marks is no surprise. You cannot have 8 in top 20 from Anthropology every other year. However, Sociology performing poorly is a surprise to me as this subject never saw peaks that Anthropology witnessed. However, just like PSIR was down last year and improved performance this year, I expect improved performance for Sociology in CSE-25. Anthropology may witness a longer downturn as it clearly enjoyed success for many years and is now over-populated.
• History appears to have made a comeback.
• Public Administration is now opted by fewer candidates. Its performance has improved and it will definitely sustain in CSE-25. Similar trend observed for Philosophy.
• Geography and PSIR did better than previous year and also were above average this year.