PSIR Optional Mentorship (180 Days)

Overview

The PSIR MAARG is MaargX UPSC's 6-month micro-schedule for the PSIR optional: 180 days and 24 weeks that cover the full Paper I and Paper II syllabus, with a daily topic, a daily practice question and a built-in revision loop. Months 1 to 3 cover Paper I (political theory and Indian politics), and Months 4 to 6 cover Paper II (comparative politics and IR theory, then Indian foreign policy and global issues).

Plan at a glance

Month	Weeks	Paper	Focus
Month 1	1 to 4	Paper I	Political theory foundations: the state, justice, rights, democracy and power
Month 2	5 to 8	Paper I	Ideologies and Western political thought, then Indian thought
Month 3	9 to 12	Paper I	Indian political thinkers, the freedom struggle, the Constitution and institutions
Month 4	13 to 16	Paper II	Comparative politics, political economy and globalisation
Month 5	17 to 20	Paper II	IR theory, Cold War politics and the international economic system
Month 6	21 to 24	Paper II	Indian foreign policy, global issues and a capstone consolidation

Each paper runs for 90 days. The day numbers restart at Day 1 when Paper II begins.

Related courses and resources

For tests, see the PSIR Optional Test Series. For another optional-subject mentorship, see the Sociology Optional Mentorship or the Anthropology Optional Mentorship.

6-Month Roadmap

Phase & Curriculum Timeline Effort

MONTH 1: POLITICAL THEORY FOUNDATIONS (PAPER I) Political theory and the state, justice, rights, democracy and power Weeks 1-4 (Days 1-30) Daily DPPs, weekly revision

MONTH 2: IDEOLOGIES AND WESTERN POLITICAL THOUGHT (PAPER I) Ideologies, Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, the contract theorists, Mill, Marx, Gramsci, Arendt, and an introduction to Indian thought Weeks 5-8 (Days 31-60) Daily DPPs, weekly revision

MONTH 3: INDIAN POLITICS AND INSTITUTIONS (PAPER I) Indian political thinkers, the freedom struggle, the Constitution, institutions, federalism, local governance, party system and social movements Weeks 9-12 (Days 61-90) Daily DPPs, weekly revision

MONTH 4: COMPARATIVE POLITICS AND GLOBAL ECONOMY (PAPER II) Comparative politics, political economy, state theory, representation, parties, pressure groups, social movements and globalisation Weeks 13-16 (Days 1-28) Daily DPPs, weekly revision

MONTH 5: IR THEORY AND COLD WAR POLITICS (PAPER II) IR approaches and concepts, the Cold War, NAM, Bretton Woods, GATT, WTO and NIEO Weeks 17-20 (Days 29-56) Daily DPPs, weekly revision

MONTH 6: INDIAN FOREIGN POLICY AND GLOBAL ISSUES (PAPER II) Foreign policy and South Asia, India's relations with the major powers, the UN and nuclear policy, then the Capstone Consolidation with a full-length Paper II test Weeks 21-24 (Days 57-90) Daily DPPs, capstone revision and test

Revision Engine

The Revision Engine has four steps that repeat every day and every week: a core topic, a daily practice problem, cumulative recall and the weekly summit.

Step	What it is	Purpose
1. Core topic and micro-targeting	The day's single topic	The daily conceptual anchor
2. DPP (Daily Practice Problem)	A short written answer on that topic	Immediate subjective output, to crystallise learning
3. Cumulative recall	Revision from Day 1 to the previous day	Continuous, overlapping revision (the "Rev" column in each table)
4. The weekly summit	A revision day at the end of each week	Full consolidation and comparative analysis

In the daily tables, the Revision column shows what to look back at, from "Day 1" through to a "Week review" or "Full revision".

Paper I: Theory

Paper I, Days 1 to 44, covers political theory, the state, justice, rights, democracy, power, ideologies and Plato and Aristotle. Every day has one topic, one daily practice question (DPP) and a revision pointer that looks back over the earlier days.

Month 1: political theory and the state (Weeks 1-2, Days 1 to 14)

Day	Topic and focus	Daily practice question (DPP)	Revision
1	Political theory: Meaning, nature, scope	Define and discuss relevance	Previous notes
2	Approaches: Normative versus empirical	Explain normative	Day 1
3	Approaches: Traditional approach	Discuss traditional	Days 1-2
4	Approaches: Behavioralism	Explain the behavioral revolution	Days 1-3
5	Approaches: Post-behavioralism	Post-behavioral critique	Days 1-4
6	Approaches: Contemporary approaches	Discuss contemporary relevance	Week review
7	Revision: Political theory approaches	15-marker on approaches	Full revision
8	Theories of the state: Meaning, evolution	Explain the origin of the state	Days 1-7
9	Liberal state: Classical liberal theory	Discuss the liberal state	Day 8
10	Neo-liberal state: Minimal, market state	Neo-liberal critique	Days 8-9
11	Marxist state: Instrumentalist theory	Explain the Marxist state	Days 8-10
12	Marxist state: Structuralist theory	Discuss relative autonomy	Days 8-11
13	Pluralist state: Pluralist perspective	Explain the pluralist state	Week revision
14	Post-colonial and feminist: State critique	Feminist critique of the state	Full revision

Month 1: justice, rights, democracy and power (Weeks 3-4, Days 15 to 30)

Day	Topic and focus	Daily practice question (DPP)	Revision
15	Justice: Meaning and evolution	Discuss the concept of justice	Days 1-14
16	Rawls: Original position	Explain the original position	Day 15
17	Rawls: Difference principle	Discuss Rawls' justice	Days 15-16
18	Communitarian: Sandel, MacIntyre	Critique Rawls' theory	Days 15-17
19	Equality: Meaning and types	Explain equality	Days 15-18
20	Equality: Equality versus freedom	Discuss the relation	Week review
21	Affirmative action: Reservations debate	Affirmative action debate	Full revision
22	Rights: Meaning, theories	Explain natural rights	Days 1-21
23	Rights: Legal versus moral rights	Discuss theories of rights	Day 22
24	Human rights: Evolution	Explain human rights	Days 22-23
25	Democracy: Meaning, origins	Explain classical democracy	Days 1-24
26	Democracy: Representative	Discuss representative democracy	Day 25
27	Democracy: Participatory	Participatory model	Week review
28	Democracy: Deliberative	Explain deliberative democracy	Full revision
29	Power: Concept of power	Define power	Days 1-28
30	Power: Authority, legitimacy	Explain legitimacy	Full revision

Month 2: ideologies and Western thought (Weeks 5-6, Days 31 to 44)

Day	Topic and focus	Daily practice question (DPP)	Revision
31	Ideology: Meaning, role	Explain ideology	Days 1-30
32	Liberalism: Core principles	Discuss liberalism	Day 31
33	Liberalism: Modern liberalism	Explain welfare liberalism	Days 31-32
34	Socialism: Democratic socialism	Discuss socialism	Days 31-33
35	Marxism: Historical materialism	Explain Marxism	Days 31-34
36	Fascism: Authoritarian ideology	Discuss fascism	Week review
37	Feminism: Waves of feminism	Explain feminist ideology	Full revision
38	Gandhism: Sarvodaya, Swaraj	Explain Gandhian ideology	Days 31-37
39	Plato: Context, the Republic	Discuss Plato's justice	Day 38
40	Plato: Philosopher king	Explain the philosopher king	Day 39
41	Plato: Education, ideal state	Critically evaluate Plato	Days 39-40
42	Aristotle: State theory	Explain Aristotle's politics	Days 39-41
43	Aristotle: Constitutions	Discuss Aristotle's constitution	Week review
44	Revision: Plato and Aristotle	Compare Plato and Aristotle	Full revision

Paper I: Thought & Polity

Paper I, Days 45 to 90, covers the contract theorists, Marx, Gramsci and Arendt, Indian political thought and thinkers, the freedom struggle, the Constitution and Indian institutions. Every day has one topic, one daily practice question (DPP) and a revision pointer that looks back over the earlier days.

Month 2: contract theorists and Indian thought (Weeks 7-8, Days 45 to 60)

Day	Topic and focus	Daily practice question (DPP)	Revision
45	Machiavelli: Political realism	Discuss Machiavelli	Days 38-44
46	Hobbes: Social contract	Explain Hobbes' contract	Day 45
47	Hobbes: Absolute sovereignty	Critique Hobbes	Days 45-46
48	Locke: Natural rights	Explain Locke	Days 45-47
49	Locke: Limited government	Compare Hobbes and Locke	Days 45-48
50	Mill: Liberty principle	Explain Mill's liberty	Week review
51	Revision: Thinker comparison	Contract theorists	Full revision
52	Marx: Historical materialism	Explain Marx's theory	Days 45-51
53	Marx: Class struggle	Discuss Marx's state	Day 52
54	Gramsci: Hegemony	Explain hegemony	Days 52-53
55	Hannah Arendt: Power versus violence	Discuss Arendt's power	Days 52-54
56	Revision: Western thinkers	Comparative analysis	Week review
57	Indian thought: Traditions	Discuss Indian traditions	Days 1-56
58	Dharmashastra: State and dharma	Explain the Dharmashastra	Day 57
59	Arthashastra: Kautilya's state	Explain the Arthashastra	Days 57-58
60	Buddhist tradition: Political ethics	Discuss Buddhist politics	Full revision

Month 3: Indian political thinkers and the freedom struggle (Weeks 9-10, Days 61 to 74)

Day	Topic and focus	Daily practice question (DPP)	Revision
61	Sir Syed: Modernism	Explain Sir Syed	Days 1-60
62	Aurobindo: Spiritual nationalism	Discuss Aurobindo	Day 61
63	Gandhi: Swaraj	Explain Gandhian politics	Day 62
64	Gandhi: Trusteeship	Discuss trusteeship	Days 62-63
65	Ambedkar: Caste critique	Explain Ambedkar	Days 63-64
66	Ambedkar: Constitutionalism	Discuss Ambedkar's democracy	Week review
67	M.N. Roy: Radical humanism	Explain Roy	Full revision
68	Freedom struggle: Political strategies	Discuss constitutionalism	Days 61-67
69	Mass movements: Non-cooperation	Explain mass politics	Day 68
70	Civil disobedience: Gandhi's movements	Discuss civil disobedience	Days 68-69
71	Revolutionary politics: Bhagat Singh and others	Evaluate revolutionary politics	Days 68-70
72	Peasants and workers: Kisan sabhas	Discuss peasant politics	Week review
73	Perspectives: Liberal, socialist, Marxist	Explain interpretations	Days 68-72
74	Dalit perspective: Ambedkarite interpretation	Critically analyze	Full revision

Month 3: Constitution and Indian institutions (Weeks 11-12, Days 75 to 90)

Day	Topic and focus	Daily practice question (DPP)	Revision
75	Constitution making: British legacy	Discuss the making of the Constitution	Days 1-74
76	Preamble: Values	Explain the Preamble	Day 75
77	Fundamental Rights: Nature	Discuss Fundamental Rights	Days 75-76
78	DPSP: Importance	Discuss the DPSP	Days 75-77
79	Basic structure: Doctrine	Explain the basic structure	Week review
80	Parliamentary system: Executive	Explain the parliamentary system	Full revision
81	Union institutions: President, Parliament	Discuss Parliament	Days 1-80
82	Supreme Court: Judicial review	Explain the Supreme Court	Day 81
83	State institutions: Governor, High Court	Discuss state institutions	Days 81-82
84	Federalism: Centre-state relations	Explain Indian federalism	Days 81-83
85	Panchayati Raj: 73rd amendment	Discuss grassroots democracy	Week review
86	Municipal bodies: 74th amendment	Explain local governance	Days 81-85
87	Constitutional bodies: EC, CAG, UPSC	Discuss constitutional bodies	Full revision
88	Planning and development: Nehruvian versus Gandhian	Explain planning	Days 1-87
89	Party system: Coalition politics	Discuss the party system	Day 88
90	Social movements: Civil liberties, women, environment	Discuss social movements	Full revision

Paper II: Comparative

Paper II, Days 1 to 42, covers comparative politics, political economy, representation, globalisation and IR theory. Every day has one topic, one daily practice question (DPP) and a revision pointer that looks back over the earlier days.

Month 4: comparative politics and political economy (Weeks 13-14, Days 1 to 14)

Day	Topic and focus	Daily practice question (DPP)	Revision
1	Comparative politics: Meaning, evolution, scope	Define comparative politics	None (first day)
2	Comparative politics: Traditional versus modern	Explain the behavioral revolution	Day 1
3	Approaches: Institutional	Discuss institutionalism	Days 1-2
4	Approaches: Structural functional	Explain structural functionalism	Days 1-3
5	Approaches: Political culture	Discuss political culture theory	Days 1-4
6	Comparative method: Advantages, limitations	Explain the limitations	Week review
7	Revision: Comparative politics theories	15-marker on approaches	Full revision
8	Political economy: Meaning, importance	Explain political economy	Days 1-7
9	Political sociology: Social structures	Discuss political sociology	Day 8
10	State theory: Capitalist economies	Explain the capitalist state	Days 8-9
11	State theory: Socialist economies	Discuss the socialist state	Days 8-10
12	State theory: Advanced industrial societies	Explain the advanced state	Days 8-11
13	State theory: Developing societies	Discuss the state in the developing world	Week review
14	Revision: Comparative state structures	Comparative analysis	Full revision

Month 4: representation, participation and globalisation (Weeks 15-16, Days 15 to 28)

Day	Topic and focus	Daily practice question (DPP)	Revision
15	Representation: Concept, theories	Explain political representation	Days 1-14
16	Political parties: Developed societies	Discuss party systems	Day 15
17	Political parties: Developing societies	Explain party structures	Days 15-16
18	Pressure groups: Advanced societies	Discuss pressure groups	Days 15-17
19	Pressure groups: Developing countries	Explain lobbying	Days 15-18
20	Social movements: New social movements	Discuss social movements	Week review
21	Revision: Participation and representation	Comparative evaluation	Full revision
22	Globalisation: Meaning, evolution	Explain globalisation	Days 1-21
23	Globalisation: Economic globalisation	Discuss the economic impact	Day 22
24	Globalisation: Political globalisation	Explain governance changes	Days 22-23
25	Globalisation: Cultural globalisation	Discuss cultural effects	Days 22-24
26	Developed countries: Western responses	Explain the developed-world response	Days 22-25
27	Developing countries: Third world perspective	Discuss developing-world responses	Week review
28	Revision: Globalisation debate	Critically evaluate globalisation	Full revision

Month 5: IR approaches and key concepts (Weeks 17-18, Days 29 to 42)

Day	Topic and focus	Daily practice question (DPP)	Revision
29	IR study: Nature of IR	Explain the IR discipline	Days 1-28
30	Idealism: Core assumptions	Discuss idealist theory	Day 29
31	Realism: Classical realism	Explain realism	Days 29-30
32	Neo-realism: Structural realism	Discuss neo-realism	Days 29-31
33	Marxist IR: Dependency theory	Explain Marxist IR	Days 29-32
34	Functionalism: International cooperation	Discuss functionalism	Week review
35	Systems theory: Kaplan's system theory	Explain systems theory	Full revision
36	National interest: Concept, types	Explain national interest	Days 29-35
37	Power: Hard versus soft power	Discuss power in IR	Day 36
38	Security: Traditional versus human	Explain the security concept	Days 36-37
39	Balance of power: Mechanisms	Discuss the balance of power	Days 36-38
40	Deterrence: Nuclear deterrence	Explain deterrence theory	Days 36-39
41	Collective security: League to UN	Discuss collective security	Week review
42	Transnational actors: MNCs, NGOs	Explain transnational actors	Full revision

Paper II: IR & India

Paper II, Days 43 to 81, covers the Cold War, the international economic system, Indian foreign policy, South Asia and India's global relations. Every day has one topic, one daily practice question (DPP) and a revision pointer that looks back over the earlier days.

Month 5: Cold War politics and the international economic system (Weeks 19-20, Days 43 to 56)

Day	Topic and focus	Daily practice question (DPP)	Revision
43	Superpowers: USA and USSR	Explain superpower politics	Days 1-42
44	Bipolarity: Ideological rivalry	Discuss bipolarity	Day 43
45	Arms race: Nuclear arms race	Explain the arms race	Days 43-44
46	Cold War crisis: Cuban missile crisis	Discuss Cold War crises	Days 43-45
47	Nuclear threat: MAD doctrine	Explain nuclear deterrence	Days 43-46
48	NAM: Origins	Discuss the Non-Aligned Movement	Week review
49	NAM achievements: Success, limits	Evaluate NAM	Full revision
50	Bretton Woods: IMF, World Bank	Explain Bretton Woods	Days 1-49
51	GATT: Trade liberalisation	Discuss GATT	Day 50
52	WTO: Global trade governance	Explain the WTO	Days 50-51
53	CMEA: Socialist cooperation	Discuss CMEA	Days 50-52
54	NIEO: Third world demand	Explain NIEO	Days 50-53
55	Global economy: Economic globalisation	Discuss the global economy	Week review
56	Revision: Economic institutions	Comparative analysis	Full revision

Month 6: Indian foreign policy and South Asia (Weeks 21-22, Days 57 to 67)

Day	Topic and focus	Daily practice question (DPP)	Revision
57	Foreign policy: Meaning, evolution	Explain determinants	Days 1-56
58	Determinants: Geography, economy, security	Discuss determinants	Day 57
59	Policy institutions: MEA, PMO, Parliament	Explain institutions	Days 57-58
60	Continuity and change: Foreign policy shifts	Discuss continuity	Full revision
61	NAM role: India's leadership	Explain India's role	Days 1-60
62	SAARC: Origin, performance	Discuss SAARC	Day 61
63	SAFTA: Regional trade	Explain SAFTA	Days 61-62
64	Look East: Act East policy	Discuss Look East	Days 61-63
65	Regional issues: Migration, conflicts	Explain regional issues	Week review
66	Water disputes: India and Bangladesh	Discuss water disputes	Days 61-65
67	Border disputes: India, Pakistan, China	Explain border disputes	Full revision

Month 6: global powers and global issues (Weeks 23-24, Days 68 to 81)

Day	Topic and focus	Daily practice question (DPP)	Revision
68	India-Africa: South-South cooperation	Explain India-Africa relations	Days 1-67
69	India-Latin America: Economic diplomacy	Discuss relations	Day 68
70	India-USA: Strategic partnership	Explain India-US relations	Days 68-69
71	India-EU: Trade diplomacy	Discuss EU relations	Days 68-70
72	India-China: Strategic rivalry	Explain India-China relations	Week review
73	India-Russia: Defence partnership	Discuss India-Russia	Days 68-72
74	India-Japan: Indo-Pacific	Explain India-Japan	Full revision
75	India-UN: Peacekeeping role	Explain the UN role	Days 1-74
76	UNSC reform: Permanent seat debate	Discuss UNSC reform	Day 75
77	Nuclear policy: India's nuclear doctrine	Explain nuclear policy	Days 75-76
78	Afghanistan: India's position	Discuss Afghanistan policy	Days 75-77
79	West Asia: Energy geopolitics	Explain West Asia policy	Week review
80	India-Israel: Strategic relations	Discuss India-Israel	Days 75-79
81	New world order: India's vision	Explain India's world vision	Full revision

The Capstone Consolidation (Days 82 to 90 of Paper II) is the final synthesis: seven days of subject revision, a full-length Paper II test on Day 88, answer-writing practice on Day 89 and a final revision on Day 90.

Day	Task	Purpose
Day 82	Revise comparative politics	Bridging systems and states
Day 83	Revise IR theories	Aligning paradigms with reality
Day 84	Revise the Cold War	Synthesising bipolar history
Day 85	Revise the international economy	Global trade and institutions
Day 86	Revise Indian foreign policy	Principles and doctrines
Day 87	Revise India's global relations	Bilateral and global positioning
Day 88	Full-length test, Paper II	Comprehensive assessment
Day 89	Answer writing practice	Perfecting the 15-marker strategy
Day 90	Final revision	The culmination of the MAARG

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the PSIR MAARG?

It is MaargX UPSC's 6-month micro-schedule for the PSIR optional: 180 days and 24 weeks covering Paper I and Paper II, with a daily topic, a daily practice question and a built-in revision loop.

How is the 6-month plan divided?

Months 1 to 3 cover Paper I (political theory, ideologies, Western and Indian thought, the Constitution and institutions). Months 4 to 6 cover Paper II (comparative politics, IR theory, Cold War and the economic system, then Indian foreign policy and global issues).

What does Paper I cover in the plan?

It covers political theory and the state, justice, rights, democracy and power, ideologies, Plato and Aristotle, Machiavelli, the contract theorists, Mill, Marx, Gramsci, Arendt, Indian thought and thinkers, the freedom struggle, the Constitution, institutions, federalism, local governance, the party system and social movements.

What does Paper II cover in the plan?

It covers comparative politics, political economy, state theory, representation, parties, pressure groups, globalisation, IR theories and concepts, the Cold War, NAM, the international economic system, Indian foreign policy, South Asia, India's relations with major powers, the UN and nuclear policy.

What is a DPP?

DPP stands for daily practice problem. Each day has one short written answer on that day's topic, for example "Explain the original position" or "Discuss the Non-Aligned Movement".

How does the revision work?

The plan has a Revision Engine: a core topic, a DPP, cumulative recall from Day 1 up to the previous day, and a weekly summit day for full consolidation and comparative analysis.

What is the Capstone Consolidation?

It is Days 82 to 90 of Paper II: revision of comparative politics, IR theories, the Cold War, the international economy, Indian foreign policy and India's global relations, then a full-length Paper II test on Day 88, answer writing practice on Day 89 and a final revision on Day 90.

Why do the day numbers restart for Paper II?

Each paper runs for 90 days, so Paper II begins again at Day 1 in Month 4. Together the two papers make up the 180 days of the plan.

Is there a separate test series?

Yes. For a separate 12-test series, see the PSIR Optional Test Series. This mentorship is built around daily topics, practice questions and revision.

How can I enrol?

Use the Explore Course / Enroll Now button at the top of this page, or call MaargX UPSC on +91-7877885089 or write to contact@maargxupsc.com.