PSIR Optional courses for UPSC CSE 2027
Seven programmes run under PSIR Optional at ForumIAS. Which one you need depends on a single question — how much of the subject you already hold, and how far you are from writing it under examination conditions.
Pick the level you are actually at. Every fee below is all-inclusive, and every programme is taught and evaluated by the same faculty.
All seven programmes, side by side
| Programme | Level | Starts | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| MagnusThe whole journey at one fee… | 1 | Batch 3 · from 21 September 2026 | ₹72,000one fee · any mode · all-inclusive |
| CrucibleThe same 100-session foundation, focused purely on the optional … | 1 | Batch 3 · from 21 September 2026 | from ₹42,000five plans · all-inclusive |
| PSIR OGP FocusEighteen weekly focus modules for those who have covered the syl… | 2 | First class 18 September 2026 · Fridays | ₹29,500inclusive of all taxes |
| PSIR OGP Focus PrimeEverything in OGP Focus, plus 8 revision tests and 2 optional sim… | 2 | First class 18 September 2026 · Fridays | ₹32,500inclusive of all taxes |
| O‑AWFGDaily answer writing for those starting out, one short test at a… | 3 | New cohort · dates on the enrolment page | ₹13,49937 tests |
| O‑AWFG PrimeAnswer writing, revision and full exam testing in one cycle.… | 3 | New cohort · dates on the enrolment page | ₹17,99947 tests |
| ATS — Augmented Test SeriesRigorous testing with no teaching layer, for those whose answers… | 3 | New cohort · dates on the enrolment page | ₹12,99912 tests |
Level 1 teaches the subject. Level 2 teaches it again through writing. Level 3 only tests. Nothing here needs to be bought twice — each level assumes the one before it is already done.
Foundation 2027
The complete official syllabus, Paper I and Paper II, taught from the ground up across 100 in-depth sessions — with answer writing inside every class from the first week, not saved for the end. Two programmes sit on this same base.
Magnus
The whole journey at one fee — the optional, its application across the rest of the Mains, and support that continues to the Interview.
Batch 3 from 21 September 2026
What you get
- The 100-session foundation covering the entire Paper I and Paper II syllabus
- PSIR Praxis: 25 application sessions that carry the optional into the rest of the Mains
- PSIR Dynamics, the weekly current-affairs class, in both phases
- Answer writing inside every class, from the first week
- Class notes, revision material and PYQ coverage throughout
- Evaluation by a team of experts under the strict guidance of the faculty
- PSIR Test Series with copy evaluation included; OGP Advanced next year and OIGP interview guidance free
Join this if
You are starting PSIR from the beginning, or you have read on your own and never had the subject taught in order.
Look elsewhere if
You have already completed a foundation and only need writing practice. OGP at Level 2 is built for that.
Crucible
The same 100-session foundation, focused purely on the optional papers, in five plans so you pay for the mode you will actually use.
Batch 3 from 21 September 2026
What you get
- 100 sessions and the same faculty as Magnus
- PSIR Dynamics, the weekly current-affairs class, in both phases
- The full syllabus, Paper I and Paper II, taught in order
- Answer writing built into the teaching, not bolted on at the end
- Five plans — online, offline and combinations — priced for the mode you choose
Join this if
You want the foundation itself and nothing beyond the optional papers, and you would rather not pay for what you will not use.
Look elsewhere if
You want the wider Mains application and the Interview support as well. That is Magnus.
OGP Focus 2027 — Optional Guidance Programme
An eighteen-week answer-writing programme for those who have completed a foundation, here or elsewhere, or covered the syllabus once on their own. One focus module a week: released on Monday, taught in an AWSM class on Friday, tested the following Monday, and the copy returned evaluated within three working days. Paper II comes first; Paper I closes the programme.
AWSM stands for Answer Writing Structure & Methodology. These are the classes that turn a topic into the questions it is actually likely to be asked as, and then teach the step-by-step frame for answering them — with answer scripts to work from. Each of the eighteen focus modules has its own AWSM class and worksheet.
PSIR OGP Focus
Eighteen weekly focus modules, each with a class, a worksheet and an evaluated test, with the DAWTs and full-length tests running alongside.
First class 18 September 2026
What you get
- A diagnostic test on both papers in the opening week, returned with a personal gap map
- 18 focus modules, each with an AWSM class and a worksheet
- 18 module tests, with the same previous year question written before the module and again after the test
- 35 daily answer writing tests, open from the first day
- 4 full-length tests in the UPSC pattern
- PSIR Dynamics, a weekly class on current themes
- Every copy evaluated within three working days, with one-to-one mentorship
Join this if
You have completed a PSIR foundation course anywhere, or studied the syllabus once on your own, and your marks are not moving because you are not writing enough.
Look elsewhere if
You have never been taught the subject in order. Start at Level 1.
PSIR OGP Focus Prime
Everything in OGP Focus, plus the revision and simulation layer, so nothing is met for the first time in the examination hall.
First class 18 September 2026
What you get
- Everything in PSIR OGP Focus
- 8 revision tests, cumulative over the modules completed
- 2 optional simulators in the UPSC pattern, after Prelims 2027
- A structured revision cycle across both papers
Join this if
You are aiming at 300+ in the optional and you want the revision and the simulation planned for you rather than improvised in the last month.
Look elsewhere if
You are already writing regularly and revising on your own. OGP Focus will do.
Test Series 2027
No teaching layer. This is where an answer meets the clock, the word limit and an evaluator. Three tracks and 400+ new questions across four layers of tests — daily answer writing tests, revision tests, full-length tests and optional simulators — depending on whether the gap is in writing regularly, in revision, or in full-length stamina.
- Read. A Content Blueprint before the test: a pre-reading PDF on the frameworks, thinkers and terms it draws on.
- Write. New questions, framed on the pattern UPSC now follows in its PSIR papers, written on the scheduled day within the time of the paper.
- Evaluation. Detailed evaluation by an expert team under direct faculty supervision.
- Compare. A structured model answer for every question: flow snapshot, critical view and key quotations. Every test also comes with a PDF of the solved previous year questions on its topics, from ten years of papers.
- Rewrite. After evaluation, rewrite the complete paper, or only the questions you attempted poorly. The rewrite is checked again.
- Model Answer Labs. Live answer writing every Saturday on five questions, one from each section of Paper I and Paper II and one from the previous PSIR Dynamics class. The best student answers, good copies and toppers’ copies are discussed.
O‑AWFG
Daily answer writing for those starting out, one short test at a time, until writing becomes a habit.
New cohort · dates on the enrolment page
What you get
- 35 daily answer writing tests across Paper I and Paper II
- 2 optional simulators
- A structured model answer for every question
- Expert evaluation with one-to-one mentorship
Join this if
The syllabus feels heavy and you are unsure how to begin writing every day. Small daily tests build the discipline before the long papers.
Look elsewhere if
You already write regularly and need full-length papers under the clock. ATS is built for that.
O‑AWFG Prime
Answer writing, revision and full exam testing in one cycle, with PSIR Dynamics included.
New cohort · dates on the enrolment page
What you get
- 35 daily answer writing tests
- 8 revision tests
- 2 full-length tests and 2 optional simulators
- PSIR Dynamics classes
- Structured model answers and expert evaluation throughout
Join this if
You know the syllabus but cannot yet write regularly or fluently, and you want the writing, the revision and the full-length testing to run as one planned cycle.
Look elsewhere if
You only need full-length testing at this stage. ATS is the sharper tool.
ATS — Augmented Test Series
Rigorous testing with no teaching layer, for those whose answers read well at home but lose marks under the clock.
New cohort · dates on the enrolment page
What you get
- 4 sectional tests
- 6 full-length tests
- 2 optional simulators
- Structured model answers and expert evaluation
Join this if
You have completed the basics and are ready for questions of medium to high difficulty — the clock, the word limit, the order in which you attempt.
Look elsewhere if
You are still learning the syllabus, or you are not yet writing regularly.
Two more programmes are being built
They are listed here so that nobody enrols in something now that would have been better served by waiting a few weeks.
Which one is for me
Answer the question honestly and the programme picks itself. There is no level that suits everyone, and there is a real answer that says none of them yet.
Before you decide
I am starting PSIR from zero. Where do I begin?
Level 1. Foundation 2027 teaches the entire official syllabus, Paper I and Paper II, in order across 100 sessions, with answer writing built into the classes from the first week. Batch 3 began on 21 September 2026. Magnus and Crucible share the same teaching; they differ in what sits around it.
I have attempted CSE once and my optional marks are stuck. What now?
Level 2. OGP Focus 2027 takes the syllabus again through writing — eighteen weekly focus modules, each with a class, a worksheet and an evaluated test, alongside 35 daily answer writing tests and 4 full-length tests. The first class was on 18 September 2026. Most aspirants whose marks have plateaued are not short of reading; they are short of written, corrected practice.
I only need testing, not teaching. Which one?
Level 3. O‑AWFG if the gap is writing regularly (37 tests). O‑AWFG Prime if you want writing, revision and full-length testing as one cycle (47 tests). ATS if your preparation is done and the problem is the examination hall itself (12 tests). Dates for the new cohort are on the enrolment page.
Is the offline batch different from the online one?
No. The same faculty teaches the same sessions. Offline runs at Old Rajinder Nagar; the plans differ in mode and price, not in what is taught.
Who evaluates the answers?
Evaluation is done by a team of experts, working under the strict guidance of the faculty, and every test carries a detailed model answer. Mentorship is one to one. The point of a correction is that it is discussed, not only marked.
Are the fees inclusive?
Yes. Every fee on this page is all-inclusive. Crucible is offered in five plans so that you pay for the mode you will actually use.
Can I see the teaching before I decide?
Yes. The first open class of Foundation 2027 is on YouTube in full, and ten years of previous year questions with flow snapshots and handwritten answers are in the PYQ Vault, free and without sign-up.
They wrote this paper
Their answer copies are published in full. The point of putting them up is not the ranks; it is that you can read what a scoring PSIR answer actually looks like, in the handwriting it was written in, before you decide anything.
- 65Rakhi
- 96Kashish Kalra
- 96Aditya Acharya
- 102Ritwik Rai
- 130Preeti
- 295Anirudh Jain
- 365Niharika Sinha
- 417Swarnim B
- 453Shiksha Pathak
- 481Shashwat P
- 808Aditi Patel
- 809Amit Negi
Study material you can use whether or not you enrol
Still not sure which level you are at?
A counselling call is free and takes fifteen minutes. You will get a straight answer about which programme fits your stage — including the answer that you do not need one yet.
admissions@forumias.academy