PSIR Optional · Admissions Open · 2026–27

You don't take up PSIR from zero. You formalise a fluency you were born into.

You are already what Amartya Sen called the argumentative Indian — heir to a civilisation that has quarrelled over justice, duty and power for millennia. Political Science & International Relations only teaches you to see that argument clearly, and to write it the way an examiner reads. Foundation, Mentorship and a Test Series — built and taught by Swetank Pandey.

View Programmes & Fees Watch a Full Class Join Telegram Channel
Author, Arihant's Q-Beat Series — Chapterwise Solved 2016–2025, PSIR Paper I & II
Translates dense theory and IR debate into clean, exam-ready frameworks
Live classes & evaluation on WhatsApp, Telegram and Zoom
Swetank Pandey — PSIR Faculty and Mentor, ALS IAS Karol Bagh, Delhi
Swetank Pandey· Faculty & Mentor · 8+ years · 5000+ aspirants taught
70–72%
of PSIR overlaps GS Paper II — more than the other three GS papers combined
500
marks across Paper I & II — a finite, fully-mappable syllabus, not an endless one
115
Foundation sessions × 3 hours = 345 teaching hours, fixed schedule
15 yrs
of PYQs mapped to every session, every sub-topic, every keyword
Be honest about the real problem

Most PSIR preparation doesn't fail on knowledge. It fails on four things nobody fixes.

You will not lose marks because you don't know Rawls or Gramsci. You will lose them where preparation quietly breaks down.

01

Incomplete syllabus coverage

PSIR's syllabus is famously vast. Topics get rushed, then dropped. A fixed schedule is non-negotiable.

02

Section B of Paper I, an afterthought

Federalism, judicial review, electoral reforms, caste & politics — asked every year, skipped in class.

03

Comparative Politics, forgotten

Paper II Section A seldom gets airtime. Aspirants face theoretical questions with no scaffolding.

04

Material overload, writing drought

Students drown in reading, never revise, never write. The stamina for 19 answers in 6 hours is never built.

Schedule-First

A fixed 115-session planner with weekly targets. Nothing is dropped.

Theory + Debate

Every thinker tied to a live controversy India can't escape.

Answer-Writing

Weekly mocks, model answers and peer review — writing as reflex.

Curated Reading

One sequenced, PYQ-mapped stack — not a library you'll never finish.

Not ready to message yet?

Request a call back

Leave your details and we'll reach out. Prefer to talk now? Call or WhatsApp +91 99993 43999.

Opens WhatsApp with your details pre-filled. Optional: wire to a CRM/Google Form for automatic capture.

Three programmes, one path

Choose your PSIR track

Build both papers from the ground up, drill answer-writing until it's reflex, and test under exam conditions. Take one, or stack all three. All fees are GST-inclusive.

Flagship

PSIR Foundation 2026–27

The complete build — Paper I & II from first principle to written answer, with the schedule that guarantees nothing is left behind.

Offline · Karol Bagh₹48,500
Online · Live₹35,500
  • 115 sessions × 3 hrs = 345 teaching hours
  • Full Paper I & II — every unit, every keyword
  • 15-year PYQ map embedded in every session
  • Weekly mock + model answers + peer review
  • One sequenced, PYQ-mapped reading stack
Batch: 17 August 2026 11:30 AM Karol Bagh, Delhi
Enrol / Enquire
add payment-gateway link

PSIR Answer-Writing Mentorship

Knowing the syllabus is not the exam. Writing it is. 450 questions across the whole syllabus, every answer evaluated.

Online / Offline₹25,000
Same price both modes · all-inclusiveGST incl.
  • 3 questions a day — 450 across 25 weeks
  • Every answer marked in 2 days on a 6-part rubric
  • 77 exact PYQs (2016–25) + 2022–25 framing
  • 2 live Zoom sessions/week + Sunday mocks
  • Scholars Handbook + 13-issue CA magazine
Target: CSE 2027 Mains Orientation: 20 Jul 2026 Standalone
Enrol / Enquire
add payment-gateway link

PSIR Test Series 2026–27

Thirteen tests that rehearse the exam before the exam — section by section first, then full-length under the real clock.

All-inclusive₹13,500
Single price · all-inclusiveGST incl.
  • 13 tests — 9 sectional + 4 full-length
  • Sectional tests: 10 questions, section by section
  • Full-length: 2 × Paper I, 2 × Paper II
  • Rubric-based evaluation with score targets
  • Post-test discussions & model answers
View Test Schedule ↗
Enrol / Enquire
add payment-gateway link

The Complete PSIR Path

Foundation + Mentorship + Test Series — concept to evaluated answer to exam rehearsal, as one commitment.

₹85,000
₹55,000
GST inclusive · save ₹30,000
Get the Complete Path
Inside the Mentorship

Reading is passive. Writing is a performance — rehearsed until it's reflex.

A daily rhythm, a weekly rhythm, and an honest measure of exactly where you stand.

06:00 AM
3 Questions

Released daily, weightage-picked by PYQ frequency — a 10/15/20-marker spread across the topic.

Through the Day
You Write

At exam pace, read through India's national-interest lens. Volume is what builds fluency.

05:00 PM
Model Answers

Released the same day, with Scholars-Handbook enrichment — quotes, thinkers, reports, data.

Every submitted answer returns in 2 working days — marked on a 6-part rubric

  1. Framing
  2. Directive-word compliance
  3. Content & accuracy
  4. Scholars & value-addition
  5. Interlinkage & multi-dimensionality
  6. Structure, diagram & conclusion

The programme opens with 10 answers in 100 minutes, diagnosed into a personal White Paper — strengths, gaps, time-management — and re-diagnosed at mid-programme. You start where you stand.

PSIR Orientation Session — Session Zero handout cover
Session Zero · The Beginner's Handout

Before you climb, see the shape of the mountain.

The Orientation handout is your map for the whole journey — what PSIR really is, how the exam actually rewards you, and the 115-session plan that carries you there. Keep it; you'll re-read it in month six and again in the final month, and it reads differently each time.

115
Sessions
345
Hours
40
Chapters
13
Tests

"Do these three, and PSIR stops being a mountain and becomes a staircase."

Orientation PDF
See it before you decide

Watch a full class — not a trailer

Whole lectures and strategy sessions, exactly as taught. Judge the teaching for yourself.

PSIR vs Sociology vs Anthropology
Why PSIR

PSIR vs Sociology vs Anthropology: Why PSIR Remains India's Most Chosen Optional
Aristotle Session 04
Full Lecture

Aristotle — Session 04 · Western Political Thought · PSIR Foundation
Why Choose PSIR Optional
Strategy

Why Choose PSIR Optional? Full Syllabus, Booklist & Strategy
CSE 2024 Results

PSIR toppers mentored at ALS IAS

Anshul Bhatt
Anshul Bhatt
AIR 22 · 2024
Vishnu Shahi Kumar
Vishnu Shahi Kumar
AIR 31 · 2024
Subhadharshini M
Subhadharshini M
AIR 83 · 2024
Nagendra Babu Kumar
Nagendra Babu Kumar
AIR 160 · 2024
Ghogare Harshal Bhagwan
Ghogare Harshal Bhagwan
AIR 308 · 2024
Hardik Chandel
Hardik Chandel
AIR 304 · 2024
Free to download

Start reading tonight — free

The material serious aspirants pay for elsewhere. Yours to judge us by.

📘

PSIR Scholars 2026–27

The third-edition scholars handbook — quotes, thinkers, committees, reports and data for value-addition.

Download PDF
📝

Diagnostic Test — Starting Set

The White Paper diagnostic: 10 answers in 100 minutes, returned as a personal report of gaps and strengths.

Download PDF
📗

Western Political Thought Enrichment

Ten thinkers, deep-dive enrichment — Plato to Arendt, segregated by section.

Download PDF
📄

Programme Brochures

Foundation & Mentorship brochures with the full session-by-session roadmap.

Download PDF
Which one is for me?

Compare the three programmes

 FoundationMentorshipTest Series
Best forBuilding both papers from scratchTurning knowledge into written marksExam temperament & timing
Core deliverable115 sessions · concepts + notes450 evaluated answers · 6-part rubric13 tests · 9 sectional + 4 full-length
ModeOffline (Karol Bagh) / OnlineOnline / OfflineOnline
Online fee₹35,500₹25,000₹13,500
Offline fee₹48,500₹25,000—
EvaluationWeekly, in-classEvery answer, in 2 daysPer test, rubric-based
Standalone?YesYes — needs no batchYes
Full coverage · segregated

The complete PSIR syllabus

Every unit covered in the Foundation programme. Tap a paper, then a section.

Section A — Political Theory +

1. Political Theory: meaning and approaches.

2. Theories of the State: Liberal, Neo-liberal, Marxist, Pluralist, Post-colonial and Feminist.

3. Justice: conceptions of justice with special reference to Rawls' theory and its communitarian critiques.

4. Equality: social, political and economic; equality and freedom; affirmative action.

5. Rights: meaning and theories; kinds of rights; concept of Human Rights.

6. Democracy: classical and contemporary theories; representative, participatory and deliberative models.

7. Concept of Power: hegemony, ideology and legitimacy.

8. Political Ideologies: Liberalism, Socialism, Marxism, Fascism, Gandhism and Feminism.

9. Indian Political Thought: Dharmashastra, Arthashastra and Buddhist traditions; Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Sri Aurobindo, M.K. Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, M.N. Roy.

10. Western Political Thought: Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, John S. Mill, Marx, Gramsci, Hannah Arendt.

Section B — Indian Government and Politics +

1. Indian Nationalism: political strategies of the freedom movement; Liberal, Socialist & Marxist, Radical Humanist and Dalit perspectives.

2. Making of the Constitution: legacies of British rule; social & political perspectives.

3. Salient Features: Preamble, Fundamental Rights & Duties, DPSP; parliamentary system, amendment procedures; judicial review and basic structure.

4. Principal Organs of the Union and State Governments — Executive, Legislature, Supreme Court and High Courts.

5. Grassroots Democracy: Panchayati Raj and Municipal Government; 73rd and 74th Amendments; grassroots movements.

6. Statutory Institutions: EC, CAG, Finance Commission, UPSC, and the National Commissions.

7. Federalism: constitutional provisions; centre-state relations; regional aspirations; inter-state disputes.

8. Planning & Economic Development: Nehruvian and Gandhian perspectives; public sector, Green Revolution, land reforms, liberalisation.

9. Caste, Religion and Ethnicity in Indian politics.

10. Party System: national and regional parties; coalition politics; pressure groups; electoral behaviour.

11. Social Movements: civil liberties, human rights, women's and environmental movements.

Section A — Comparative Political Analysis & International Politics +

1. Comparative Politics: nature and approaches; political economy and political sociology perspectives; limitations.

2. State in Comparative Perspective: capitalist, socialist, advanced-industrial and developing societies.

3. Politics of Representation and Participation: parties, pressure groups and social movements.

4. Globalisation: responses from developed and developing societies.

5. Approaches to IR: Idealist, Realist, Marxist, Functionalist and Systems theory.

6. Key Concepts: national interest, security, power, balance of power, deterrence, transnational actors, collective security.

7. Changing International Political Order: bipolarity, arms race, Cold War, NAM, Soviet collapse, US hegemony.

8. Evolution of the International Economic System: Bretton Woods → WTO; CMEA; NIEO; globalisation.

9. United Nations: role, record, specialised agencies, reform.

10. Regionalisation: EU, ASEAN, APEC, SAARC, NAFTA.

11. Contemporary Global Concerns: democracy, human rights, environment, gender justice, terrorism, nuclear proliferation.

Section B — India and the World +

1. Indian Foreign Policy: determinants; policy-making institutions; continuity and change.

2. India and NAM: contribution across phases; current role.

3. India and South Asia: SAARC, free trade, Act-East; river-water, migration, ethnic and border issues.

4. India and the Global South: Africa and Latin America; NIEO and WTO leadership.

5. India and Global Centres of Power: USA, EU, Japan, China, Russia.

6. India and the UN System: peace-keeping; permanent UNSC seat.

7. India and the Nuclear Question: changing perceptions and policy.

8. Recent Developments: Afghanistan, Iraq, West Asia; US and Israel; vision of a new world order.

Sectional Tests 1–5 — Paper I +

Test 1 · Paper I-A: Western Political Thought — Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Bentham, Mill, Hegel, Marx.

Test 2 · Paper I-A: Western Political Thought (Gramsci, Hannah Arendt) and Indian Political Thought.

Test 3 · Paper I-A: Political Theory & approaches; Theories of the State; Justice; Equality; Rights; Democracy; Power, Hegemony, Ideology & Legitimacy; Political Ideologies.

Test 4 · Paper I-B: Indian Nationalism — strategies & perspectives; Making of the Constitution; Social Movements.

Test 5 · Paper I-B: Salient Features of the Constitution; Principal Organs; Grassroots Democracy; Statutory Institutions; Federalism; Planning & Economic Development; Caste, Religion & Ethnicity; Party System.

Test 6 · Full-Length — Comprehensive Test, Paper I.

Sectional Tests 7–10 — Paper II +

Test 7 · Paper II-A: Comparative Politics — nature, approaches & limitations; State in comparative perspective; Representation & Participation; Globalisation; Approaches to IR.

Test 8 · Paper II-A: Changing International Political Order — bipolarity, Cold War, NAM, unipolarity; International Economic System; United Nations; Regionalisation; Contemporary Global Concerns.

Test 9 · Paper II-B: Indian Foreign Policy — determinants, institutions, continuity & change; India and NAM; India and South Asia.

Test 10 · Paper II-B: India and the Global South; Global Centres of Power — USA, EU, Japan, China, Russia; India and the UN System; Nuclear Question; Recent Developments.

Test 11 · Full-Length — Comprehensive Test, Paper II.

Final Rehearsal — Tests 12 & 13 +

Test 12 · Full-Length: Comprehensive Test — Paper I, under full exam conditions.

Test 13 · Full-Length: Comprehensive Test — Paper II, under full exam conditions.

Every test is evaluated on the rubric with score targets, followed by a discussion session and model answers. Dates on the live schedule ↗.

Straight answers

Frequently asked questions

Can I take PSIR without a political science background? +

Yes. The course is built from first principles — an engineer or doctor masters it as well as a political-science graduate, often better. And you are not really starting from zero: you already argue about justice, power and the state every day; PSIR formalises a fluency you were born into.

How much of PSIR overlaps with General Studies? +

70–72% of PSIR overlaps GS Paper II (polity, governance, constitution, international relations) — more than the other three GS papers combined. But the overlap doesn't stop there: GS Paper III draws on PSIR's security, economy and globalisation content (WTO, nuclear question, internal security debates); GS Paper IV borrows its thinkers directly — Rawls on justice, Gandhi and Mill on ethics, the whole vocabulary of rights and legitimacy; and Essay is where PSIR pays most visibly, since political-philosophical themes appear every single year and a PSIR student writes them with named scholars where others write generalities. Add the Interview, where questions on national and international issues are PSIR's home turf. The remaining pure-theory core is precisely what earns the optional marks, so the overlap saves time without making the optional redundant.

When should I start answer-writing? +

From day one — not after "finishing the syllabus". Delaying answer practice is one of the four chronic reasons PSIR preparation stalls. The Foundation builds writing in weekly from the start; the Mentorship makes it a daily rhythm of 3 questions with 2-day evaluation.

Is PSIR a scoring optional? +

PSIR rewards the patient, connected thinker: the syllabus is finite and fully mappable, and the PYQ pattern is repetitive — the same question-families return year after year, so preparation compounds. What it punishes is rote cramming and a neglected Paper II; both are engineered out here by the PYQ map and a current-affairs thread from day one.

I'm a working professional — what if I miss classes? +

Recordings cover every missed class, the fixed 115-session planner tells you exactly where the batch stands, and in the Mentorship the model answers, session recordings and Sunday buffers keep the rhythm — you never stall.

Do I need to be in a classroom batch for the Mentorship? +

No — it is standalone. Pre-reads and the Scholars Handbook make it self-sufficient, whether or not you're in any batch.

How are the Mentorship questions chosen? +

By PYQ weightage. 77 are exact 2016–25 PYQs; the rest mirror 2022–25 framing. Nothing outside the verified corpus is passed off as a PYQ.

What if I fall behind? +

Model answers, recordings and Sunday buffers keep the rhythm — you never stall.

Will my writing actually improve? +

Daily volume + 2-day evaluation + the 6-part rubric + a White Paper you can measure yourself against. You improve the thing you practise daily and measure honestly.

What's the difference between Online and Offline Foundation? +

Offline is the live class in our Karol Bagh classroom with in-person doubt-clearing and printed notes. Online is the same live class, streamed, with recordings for revision. Both follow the identical 115-session schedule and the same PYQ-mapped material — only the mode and the fee differ. confirm exact material/recording differences

How long do I keep access to recordings and notes? +

Recordings and course material stay accessible through the CSE 2027 Mains cycle, so you can revise right up to the exam. confirm exact validity window

Free · The PSIR Vault

The Vault: PYQs, syllabus & the method — open to every aspirant

The reference library behind the course. Every page below is free, written by Swetank Pandey from the same material the Foundation Batch is taught from.

PYQ Map

UPSC PSIR Previous Year Questions (2011–2025): The 40-Chapter PYQ Map

Every UPSC PSIR question of the last 15 years with its code, organised subtopic by subtopic under the 40-chapter map. The single most useful page an aspirant can bookmark.

Read → Syllabus

UPSC PSIR Syllabus 2027–28: 40 Chapters + Topic-wise Microlisting

All 40 chapters · 144 lessons across Paper I and Paper II — the structure every PYQ family hangs from.

Read → Video + Playbook

How to Write PSIR Answers: The Playbook from 87 Topper Copies

The full video lecture plus the complete playbook — directive control, scholars, structure, evidence, presentation.

Watch & read → Choosing PSIR · Video

Why PSIR? vs Sociology vs Anthropology + the 5-Question Checklist

Three souls, five honest rounds, official success-rate data — and the checklist that decides your optional tonight.

Watch & decide → The Stack

The Complete PSIR Booklist — and What NOT to Read

One sequenced stack for all four sections, the course layer, and the four things to refuse to read.

Read → Monthly

Saptang: Monthly Current Affairs for Paper I-B & II-B

The month's judgments and geopolitics, tagged to syllabus chapters with scholar hooks and "→ use in" lines.

Get the digest → Choosing PSIR

PSIR × GS Overlap: The Paper-by-Paper Breakdown

The 70–72% GS-II claim shown syllabus-line by syllabus-line — plus GS-III, GS-IV, Essay and the honest remainder.

Read → Questions Answered

Is PSIR a Good Optional? 24 Questions Answered Straight

Scoring, background, time needed, booklist, coaching, fees — answered directly, no hedging.

Read → Answer-Writing

PSIR Answer Evaluation: The 6-Part Rubric We Mark Against

Framing, directive-word compliance, content, scholars, interlinkage, structure — with self-check questions.

Read → Answer-Writing

PSIR Answer Writing for Mains: 20 Questions Answered

When to start, daily counts, word limits, diagrams, evaluation — from the faculty who marks 450 answers per student.

Read → Paper II

PSIR Paper 2 & Current Affairs: 15 Questions Answered

How current Paper II really is, which sources matter, and the national-interest lens that organises it all.

Read → Inside the Method

How PSIR Is Taught at ALS IAS: Planner, Rubric, PYQ Map

The 115-session planner, the 30-year PYQ map, the rubric with 2-working-day turnaround — and the CSE 2024 results.

Read → Delhi

PSIR Coaching in Karol Bagh, Delhi: 7 Things to Check

Seven checkable questions that separate a serious PSIR programme from a brand name.

Read →
The full library — every post of the 30-post plan, live

18 more deep dives beyond the featured cards — thinkers, strategy, answer-writing autopsies. The Thinker Library keeps growing.

PSIR Without a PolSci Background: An Engineer's Route MapSyllabus Topic-by-Topic with 15-Year PYQ FrequencyHow Many Months Does PSIR Take?PSIR in Hindi MediumHow to Read a PYQ Code — the 2013 ShiftYou Study Question-Families, Not TopicsThe UPSC Verb Key: Comment vs Examine vs Critically ExaminePSIR for Working ProfessionalsPlato for UPSCHobbes for UPSCRawls & His Communitarian CriticsGramsci's HegemonyTheories of the State: Six Question-FamiliesContemporary IR Scholars: Mearsheimer to AcharyaIndia's Nuclear QuestionWhat a 15/20 Answer Looks Like: A Marked CopySame Question, Marks Apart: Two Answers Compared10 Answers in 100 Minutes: The Diagnostic
Free · Every month

Saptang — monthly PSIR current affairs, curated by the syllabus

Paper I-B's judgments and Paper II-B's geopolitics, tagged to the exact chapter they can be asked from — with scholar hooks and "→ use in" deployment lines. Reading becomes marks, monthly.

See Saptang Get it on Telegram
Inside every issue
◆ Paper I-B watch — judgments, commissions, federal frictions
◆ Paper II-B watch — bilaterals, UN, the neighbourhood
◆ Scholar hooks — which theorist speaks to which headline
◆ "→ use in" lines — the question-families each item deploys into
◆ Model deployment — how a 15-marker absorbs the month

To choose PSIR is to take democracy seriously.

Talk to us about the batch that fits where you stand.

Call +91 99993 43999 WhatsApp Us Join on Telegram