AIR 16 CSE 2025 Economics Optional Strategy l From 249 to 271 Marks | What Really Changed

An Engineer Who Chose Economics With Zero Economics Background… And Made It Work. CSE graduate from IIT Guwahati, fintech professional, and an Aurangabad-to-Delhi commuter — Monika Srivastava chose Economics as her optional despite having no formal economics background. Not because it was “safe”. Not because everyone else was taking it. She chose it because she genuinely liked graphs, models and the logic behind economics. And she treated her UPSC preparation like an engineering problem. In This Video: • Why an IIT Guwahati engineer chose Economics without a humanities background • How genuine interest, not “scoring optional” trends, drove her choice • Her core sources: HL Ahuja, Froyen, Musgrave & Musgrave and Salvatore • How Gaurav Agarwal’s notes and Bliss Point Studies helped simplify difficult concepts • How copy evaluation helped her bring Indian Economy examples into theoretical answers • Her Paper 1 jump: 103 marks → 133 marks • Why compulsory questions came first in her exam strategy • How she time-marked the paper within the first five minutes • Why she preferred dark pencil for diagrams and graphs • Her answer structure: Background → Theory → Diagram → Alternate View • Why labelling every axis and diagram matters in Economics • What engineers should know before choosing Economics as an optional The Key Lesson: Economics doesn’t care about your degree. It rewards consistency, conceptual clarity and genuine interest — and punishes shortcuts. Choose an optional because you can commit to it, not because everyone calls it “safe”. An Engineer’s Discipline. An Economist’s Mindset. You can find her detailed strategy and notes at https://monikasrivastava.blog/ Timestamps- 00:25 – Introduction & UPSC Journey 00:40 – Why She Chose Economics Without an Economics Background 01:22 – Challenges of Taking Economics as an Optional 01:38 – Paper 1 Marks Jump: 103 to 133 01:53 – Economics Paper 1: Standard Books & Notes 02:25 – Difficult Models & Conceptual Clarity 02:41 – Adding Indian Economy Examples to Answers 03:04 – Conclusions & Alternate Schools of Thought 03:35 – Economics Paper 1 Answer-Writing Strategy 04:08 – Time Management & Time-Marking Strategy 04:23 – Economics Paper 2: Notes & Current Affairs 04:39 – Using ChatGPT for Arguments & Counter-Arguments 05:18 – Using Paper 1 Models in Paper 2 05:34 – Full-Length Tests & Daily Answer Writing 05:51 – Micro, Macro & Graphs: Must-Do Topics 06:25 – Why She Chose Dark Pencil for Graphs 06:50 – How to Structure Economics Answers 07:36 – Should Non-Economics Students Choose Economics? 08:06 – The 15-Day Test Before Choosing Economics 08:20 – Syllabus, Practice & Numericals 08:54 – Who Should Actually Choose Economics Optional? 09:25 – Do Your Own Research Before Choosing Optional 09:46 – Topper Strategies & Recommended Notes 10:19 – Make the Strategy Your Own 10:27 – The Two Rules: Hard Work + Right Direction 10:33 – Practice & PYQs: The Real Mantra Trust and Knowledge First | Delhi Knowledge Track | India's Number 1 Toppers Platform 🌐 Website: dktindia.in | 📱 Telegram: t.me/s/DelhiKnowledgeTrack | 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/delhiknowledgetrack #EconomicsOptional #UPSCOptional #UPSCCSE #UPSCStrategy #UPSCPreparation #UPSCTopper #DelhiKnowledgeTrack #IITGuwahati #UPPCS #BPSC #MPPSC #RPSC #CivilServicesExam #UPSCMotivation #UPSCMains