Prepared by Aamir Mahar

I, Aamir Mahar, would start this document with the name of Allah Rabb-ul-Izzat
who is The Most Merciful and The Most Gracious.
I am writing down this detailed document which will comprise the CSS
Preparartion from the very first stage till the exam-days plus interview day.
Numerous friends and aspirants had asked for such kind of a document which
could be helpful for every aspirant. Ill try and go ahead step-by-step.
I wish the best of luck for all the candidates of CSS Competitive Examination,
especially those who remain firm and steadfast throughout life.

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Source: www.facebook.com/Central.Superior.Services123

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

CONTENTS

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Introduction To CSS Competitive Examination

Cluster Based System for CSS Examination From 2018
CSS Exam Requires Something From You
Start Your CSS Exam Preparation
Subjects for Written Examination
Selection Of Optional Subjects
Know Your Optional Subjects
Strategy For Compulsory Subjects
English Essay Paper
a) How To Handle Essay Paper?
b) General Tips For Essay Writing
c) Technique of Starting With An Essay
d) Structure of An Essay
e) Paragraph Writing
f) Some Misconceptions About Essay Writing
g) I Help You When Youre In The Examination Hall
h) My Take On English Essay
i) FPSC: Essay Requirements
j) Essay Paper Checking Technique of The FPSC Examiner
10) English Prcis & Composition Paper
a) Prcis Writing
b) Prerequisites of Pr
Prcis Writing
c) General Tips For Prcis Writing
d) Step By Step Guidance For Prcis Writing
e) Comprehension
f) Vocabulary
g) Phrasal Verbs
h) Sentence Correction
i) Translation And Idioms
j) Pair of Words
k) Grouping of Words (Synonyms And Antonyms)
l) Grammar And Vocabulary
11) General Science And Ability Paper
12) Current Affairs Paper
a) Detailed Introduction To Current Affairs Paper
b) I Can Help You In Current Affairs Paper

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
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8)
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15)
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c) Attempting Current Affairs Paper (Muhd Musa Ali Bokhari PAS)

Pakistan Affairs Paper
a) Detailed Syllabus Division Of Pakistan Affairs
b) Strategy for Pakistan Affairs Paper
Islamic Studies Paper
a) Islamiat Paper- Urdu or English?
b) Syllabus Of Islamic Studies
c) Scoring High In Islamiat Paper
Recommended Books for Compulsory/ Optional Subjects
E-books You Need
Making Short/Bullet Notes
a) The Important Properties of Helpful Notes
b) Taking Notes from Books
c) Shaping Notes from Books
d) A Sample of Bullet Notes
Time Management In CSS Exam Preparation
Prepare Yourself For CSS Exam In 4-6 Months
Role of Academies In CSS Exam Preparation
Prepare Any Subject in 15 Days
Improve Your Written Expression
Art of Attempting Paper
General Tips For Writing An Answer
Understand The Terminologies Used In The Questions
Role of Cramming in CSS Exam Preparation
CSS Exam Preparation At Collage/ University Stage
Common Mistakes in CSS Exam Preparation
Moving Ahead In Arduous Journey of CSS Exam Preparation
3 Points Formula To Pass CSS Examination
Luck Factor In CSS Examination
CSS Exam: Fear of Failure
Cracking CSS Interview
a) A Step-By-Step Guide
b) Focused Areas In CSS Interview-2016
c) Questions Related To Preference
d) Interview Day Tips

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

INTRODUCTION TO CSS COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION

CSS Examination is a competitive examination conducted by Federal Public Service
Commission (FPSC) Islamabad every year for recruitment to posts in Basic Pay Scale 17 for
following groups/services under Federal Government.
1. Commerce & Trade
2. Customs & Excise Group
3. District Management Group
4. Foreign service of Pakistan
5. Income Tax Group
6. Information Group
7. Military Lands and Cantonments Groups
8. Office Management Group
9. Pakistan Audit and Accounts service
10. Police Service of Pakistan
11. Postal Group
12. Railways (Commercial & Transportation) Group
PARTS OF CSS EXAMINATION
CSS Examination is given for the selection of candidates for services under FPSC. The
Commission ensures that selected candidate is perfect in all aspects for the post or service.
Candidate has to undergo all the parts of CSS Exam for appointment against a post. The CSS
Exam comprises the following.

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2. Medical Test
Candidates who qualify the written examination will be medically examined by the
Medical Boards constituted for the purpose to ensure that candidate is in good
mental and physical health and free from any physical defect likely to interfere with
the discharge of their duties. The candidates who (after such medical examination
which Government or the appointing authority, may prescribe) are found not to

1. Written Examination
The written exam carries total 1200 marks. For written Exam candidate has to take
all compulsory subjects (papers) which carry total 600 marks as well as select
subjects from optional subjects, which carry total 600 marks. Each paper is given
time of 3 hours. There are subjective questions as well as some MCQs. MCQs are to
be attempted on computerized OMR Answer sheet, whereas subjective questions are
to be attempted on Answer Book. Blue or black ink is allowed only. For qualifying
written test a candidate should obtain at least 40% in each compulsory subject and
33% in each of optional subject or 50% in aggregate.
Compulsory Subjects (600 Marks)
Optional Subjects (600 Marks)
Total Marks= 1200

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satisfy these requirements, will not be appointed except the disabled candidates as
rules mentioned for disabled candidates by FPSC.
Disabled candidates must submit a certificate of disability issued by the competent
authority designated for the purpose by the Federal/Provincial Government. Disabled
candidates in the categories of physically impaired, hearing/speech impaired (deaf &
dumb) and visually impaired (blind) are allowed to compete for Competitive
Examination against four Occupational Groups/Services viz:
(a) Commerce & Trade Group
(b) Pakistan Audit & Accounts Service
(c) Information Group &
(d) Postal Group
Disabled candidates will be provided helper such as Writer, if so requested by them
in their application forms. In order to prevent disappointment, candidates are
advised to have themselves examined by a Government Medical Officer of the
standing of a Civil Surgeon before applying for admission to the examination.
3. Psychological Test
All candidates called for Viva Voce will be required to undergo Psychological Test
first, comprising written tests and group tasks. Such tests are designed to assess
abilities, attitude and personality characteristics of the candidates with special
regard to their aptitude for the Civil Services. Separate marks are not awarded for the
Psychological assessment. However, 300 marks assigned to Viva Voce also reflect the
performance on Psychological Test. Candidates must bring their National Identity
Cards and two copies of recent photographs when summoned for Psychological test,
and Viva Voce. If a candidate remains absent in the Psychological Test, he/she will
not be allowed to appear for Viva Voce.

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All candidates are expected to have basic knowledge regarding Islam and Pakistan.
Questions may be asked in the Interview on these subjects. Persons securing less
than pass marks in these subjects will not be considered for appointment to
Government jobs, irrespective of their proficiency in other fields. However, the NonMuslim candidates will not be asked any question regarding Islam.

4. Viva Voce
Each candidate who qualifies written part of the examination will be interviewed by
a Board. He/she will be asked questions on matters of general interest. The object of
the interview is to assess his/her suitability for the services for which he/she is
entered and in framing their assessment the Board will attach particular importance
to the moral and ethical qualities of the candidates, his/her intelligence and alertness
of mind, his/her vigour and strength of character and his/her potential qualities of
leadership. The Board will take into consideration his/her extra-mural activities such
as sports, debates, hobbies, etc., and their effect on his/her physique and character, in
assessing his/her merit.

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

ELIGIBILITY FOR TAKING CSS EXAM
Male as well as female candidates can appear in CSS exam if they fulfill the following
eligibility criteria.
NATIONALITY
The candidate must be a citizen of Pakistan or permanent resident of state of Jammu and
Kashmir.
EDUCATION
(a)The candidate must hold at least 2nd division (or grade C), Bachelor Degree in any
faculty in one of the universities of Pakistan or equivalent qualification or comparable
educational qualification of a foreign university, recognised by Higher Education
Commission (HEC) Islamabad.
(b) A candidate who has obtained 3rd division (or grade D) in his Bachelor Degree will be
eligible for Exam in case he/she has obtained her division in Master degree.
AGE LIMIT
Age limit for candidate 21 30 years, which can be relaxed by 2 years (upto 32 yrs) for a
person who is already in government service and has completed at least two years in service.
Age relaxation (up to 2 years) is also available to candidates who belong to scheduled caste
and Buddhist community as well as those candidates who live in remote areas, defined by
FPSC.
DISABLED CANDIDATES
Disabled candidates (in categories of physical, hearing/speech (deaf & dumb) and visually
impaired (blind)) are allowed to take exam against four Occupational Groups/Services
which are (1) Commerce & Trade Group (2) Pakistan Audit & Accounts Service (3)
Information Group and (4) Postal Group, provided they fulfill the eligibility criteria of
education and age limit as mentioned above. Disabled candidates securing a position against
prescribed 7.5% merit quota on all Pakistan basis may be considered for allocation to
Foreign Service of Pakistan on the basis of his/her choice.
PLACES OF THE EXAMINATION
The examination is held simultaneously at Abbottabad, Bahawalpur, D.I.Khan, Dera Ghazi
Khan, Faisalabad, Gilgit, Gujranwala, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Karachi, Khuzdar, Lahore,
Larkana, Multan, Muzaffarabad, Okara, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Sialkot,
Skardu & Sukkur depending on the number of applicants for each centre.

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PLACES OF INTERVIEWS
The interviews will be held at Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar & Quetta.

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

HOW TO APPLY FOR CSS EXAM?
Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) Islamabad publishes their advertisement for CSS
Exam in all daily newspapers every year. In which date of Exam and last date for
submitting application form is given.
Candidate must pay Rs. 2200/ (PKR) as application fee (exam fee) which is deposited in
State Bank/National Bank of Pakistan under the account head C02101-Organs of State
Exam Fee (FPSC Receipt). Application form, Rules and Guidelines, and Syllabi are
available on the production of this receipt (application fee deposit
receipt in above banks) in Head office of FPSC at Islamabad and
branches of FPSC at different cities.
The application form is filled for apply for exam. The application
form must reach Commission on or before the closing date. No
extra time is allowed.

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DATES OF EXAM AND SUBMITTING OF APPLICATION

FORM OF CSS EXAMINATION
Generally, the CSS exam (written) is held in the month of March or
April every year, and last date for submitting application for is 1st
or 2nd January of the same year. Like, The CSS exam (written) for
2012 will be held by FPSC with effect from 6th March 2012 and
closing date for submitting application is 1st January 2012. These
dates can be changed by FPSC Islamabad for every year.

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

CLUSTER-BASED SYSTEM FOR CSS EXAMINATION FROM 2018

Numerous aspirants have been quite perplexed regarding the proposal of Cluster-Based
Examination for CSS from 2017 by abolishing the existing generalised system under
ambitious civil service reforms.
Well, the aspirants need to bear in mind the fact that it is a MERE
PROPOSAL. Every year, there are numerous proposals put forth
for reforms such as Screening Test, Age Relaxation, Masters or M.
Phil as the maximum qualification, etc.
The examination will be based on specialized fields in accordance
with educational knowledge and skills instead of getting a
generalised exam for the selection of candidates through Central
Superior Service (CSS) of Pakistan.
Former Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Dr. Ishrat Hussain
said he had recommended cluster-based examination for CSS for
certain services because in accounts and audit group certain
officers became part of it who could not read out balance sheet. He
cited that MBBS doctor joined Federal Board of Revenue but did
not have any knowledge about income tax, sales tax or customs.
There should be no bar but skills of certain clusters should be tested among candidates. He
said and added that if medical doctor developed his or her skills about economics and
accounting, he or she should be allowed to sit in these cluster exams to join this service
group.
If this proposal gets the approval from the government then we might see another
regrouping of optional subjects.
For instance, the optional subjects will be regrouped on the basis of desired groups. An
aspirant aspiring for Foreign Services group will have to choose optional subjects within the
specified set of Optionals. It will see aspirants opting subjects on the basis of the group
(DMG, PSP, FSP, etc) of their choice.
In India, this issue was extensively debated and finally it was decided that the generalised
system of examination should continue instead of cluster based examination for specific
services or groups.

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I restate that it is a MERE PROPOSAL so far. Therefore, the aspirants had better focus on
Compulsory Subjects at the moment and wait till June or July for the ambiguity to be
cleared.

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

CSS EXAM REQUIRES SOMETHING FROM YOU

Whenever planning for any journey, you need a backpack with stuff you might need while
travelling. On your journey towards CSS, you need to work on a few skill sets that would
help you in your way. Missing even a single one may slow down your process or cause any
hurdles. Hence, ensure that you have mastered those set of skills before you embark this
journey. Some of the skills may be polished on the way but some of them need to be well
practiced beforehand.
CSS BACKPACK: SKILL SETS
1)

Personality Traits
a)
Self-Discipline and Self-Confidence
b)
Commitment and Motivation
c)
Patience and Diligence
2) Intellectual Ability
a)
Basic Knowledge Base
b)
Analytical Mindset
3) Writing Skills
a)
English Writing skills
b)
Expression
Area 1: Personality Traits
Guys, if you dont have the above mentioned skills, Im afraid the journey would be difficult.
Self-Discipline means you should be able to do what you are supposed to do. SelfConfidence means you need to believe in yourself, the power you are blessed with by Allah
Almighty, and the fact that you can do or be whatever the hell you want to. Commitment
and Motivation makes your journey a goal oriented approach i.e. a clear sense of direction
make distractions unlikely. Sometimes, days are slow and things dont work out the way you
expected, hence, be patient yet diligent to always find your way around things. Work Smart,
not Hard ;)
Area 2: Intellectual Ability

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Competitive exams require you to be competent. Do what others are overlooking. For that
you need to start thinking about absolutely everything in terms of What? Why? How? Pros
and Cons? Cause and effect? What ought to be? This is how you analyze and evaluate. Once
you have the basic know how about everything youll be able to connect the dots and bring

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Simultaneously, you need to work on your mind i.e. mental abilities. Basic Knowledge Base
is a Must-Have. There are a few areas in which you need to be well-versed (at least the basic
terms and events etc must be clear) i.e. World History, Philosophy, Politics, Economics,
Sociology, Science, and Technology etc. For that, read good books and research especially
youtube videos prove quite beneficial. Ill refer some sources later.

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

coherence and unity in your thoughts that would reflect on your paper. Make the best use of
your mind, you hold wonders within yourself!
Area 3: Writing Skills
Another area that you need to ensure before you start your journey is English writing skills.
If you cannot transfer your thoughts on a piece of paper, then unfortunately you are in hot
water. You need to be good at your grammar, hire an English teacher that can check your
work and help you write, watch English movies, listen to English Songs, and start thinking
in English. Do absolutely whatever you think of that can help you able to write good English.
Secondly, the more you practice writing, more youd be able to develop an expression. This is
really important from paper point of view. Once you have practiced analyzing, you should be
able to convert it on a piece of paper.

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For me, CSS Exam is not just an exam, it is a lifestyle. In order to start with CSS preparation
the above is a rough sketch and a checklist of the required skills. There may be more or some
may not be very important to anyone of you, but I believe these really are needed at all times.
Give a month or two to analyze yourself and check if you have all the above mentioned skills.
And if youre good at the above skill sets, believe me, youre halfway there. Work on yourself
first, then studying and appearing in exams becomes quite mechanical and bearable of
course. As they say that success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

START YOUR CSS EXAM PREPARATION

Today people from all fields of educational backgrounds are involved with taking the CSS
exams. The Doctors, engineers, architects, Management students, Social scientists,
journalists etc., interested in CSS , they all try to start their preparations at one point or
another, but the million dollar question is: How should one start his/her preparation?
This is how you should start your CSS Preparations:
UNDERSTAND THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
It is imperative before you begin preparing your quest for CSS examination,
understand thoroughly the terms and conditions and the eligibility criteria for CSS
Exams. It makes sense, because you wouldnt like your candidature to be rejected after
you have prepared for the Exams would you? So, check earliest if you are eligible for
appearing in the next CSS Examination.
KNOW YOURSELF, KNOW YOUR APTITUDE:
The second and one of the most imperative step is to get to know your strengths,
weaknesses and competitive advantages (if any) before hand. This allows you to
understand your Aptitude. And it is your aptitude/inclination towards particular
sciences which make you good at a subject. For example: Candidates good at
Humanities subjects like Social science, Anthropology, Political science etc. should
opt for subjects that involve answers with Subjective opinions. Similarly, those who
have an aptitude for History may opt subjects like Indo-Pak history, US-History etc.
So, get to know yourself better, before starting preparations.
ASK QUESTIONS AND CLEAR OFF ALL MISUNDERSTANDINGS:
Thirdly, you should jot down on a paper all your queries, issues, problems, confusions
and misconceptions regarding the CSS Exams and their preparations. Then ask all
such questions until you are satisfied with reasonably accurate answers.

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GUIDANCE FROM SENIORS:

This is also a very helpful and confidence boosting step. As the seniors are the best
people to take help and guidance from because they have gone through it themselves
and knew about the CSS exams at one point or another. They could give you some of

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SUBJECT SELECTION:
Now dont act smart-pants and select the subjects unwisely, just because you like a
subject doesnt make it a good subject selection choice. In CSS Exams, subject
selection holds a position of key significance, because it is the six optional subjects
which make or break most of the Candidates each year. So, select the subjects after
due consultation, guidance and approvals from experienced CSS Veterans and
Professionals.

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

the most beneficial tips and useful pieces of advice which could certainly help you in
your CSS Exam Preparation.
PREPARATION PLAN AND STRATEGY:
Once all is said and done in the initial Pre-Preparation phase, the next most important
Step is to develop an effective Preparation (study) Plan, Strategize your Plan, Break it
down into Daily Targets, Set weekly goals and devise a CSS Prep-Schedule. Sounds
tough? Well, it is because it takes effort and commitment. Always Remember, if it was
easy everybody would do it!
LIFE STYLE MANAGEMENT:
Simply having a study plan and a preparation strategy without any discipline, hard
work and motivation is like having library with no books. What I meant is that it is a
worthless effort if not done properly. All those CSP Officers who took good positions
had sacrificed their luxuries to discipline their study routines. Lifestyle of CSS
Aspirant must be different and more productive than an ordinary person.

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TAKE ACTION!
Only sitting on your bum day dreaming and planning wouldnt get you anywhere. If
you are seriously committed to clear the CSS Exam at the best of your ability, then
GET UP, and DO SOMETHING! Act Now.

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

SUBJECTS FOR WRITTEN EXAMINATION (1200 MARKS)

There will be two papers of 100 marks each of the subjects which carry 200 marks. In other
subjects there will be one paper. Each paper will be of 3 hours duration. The candidates
should expect some objective type questions (MCQs) in compulsory and optional papers
except in the papers of Essay, Applied Mathematics and Pure Mathematics. MCQs are to be
attempted on computerized OMR Answer sheet, whereas subjective questions are to be
attempted on Answer Book. The Question Papers in Urdu or other Pakistani regional
languages (Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushto and Balochi), Persian and Arabic should be answered in
the respective languages. However, question relating with translation from respective
language into English or vice versa may be answered as directed in the question paper. The
question paper in Islamic Studies or Comparative Study of Major Religions is to be
answered in English or Urdu only. All other papers must be answered in English unless
otherwise directed in the Question Paper. Contravention of these instructions will result in
the cancellation of the papers and award of ZERO marks in the paper(s) concerned. The
Non-Muslim candidates have the option either to take Islamic Studies or Comparative
Study of Major Religions. The three papers of General Knowledge (GK-I, GK-II & GK-III)
are to be passed collectively by scoring 120 marks out of 300.
A candidate who does not appear in any compulsory/optional subject will not be allowed to
appear in the remaining papers of the Examination.

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Compulsory Subjects (600 Marks)

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Optional Subjects (600 Marks)

The minimum standard of optional subjects will be that of an honours degree of a university
in Pakistan. The candidates are required to select optional subjects carrying a total of 600
marks from the following groups as per rules given below:

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SELECTION OF OPTIONAL SUBJECTS

1. Do your Homework Prior to selecting your optional subjects
a. Opt your subject in accordance with your educational background but bear in mind
that you need not go for natural sciences.
b. At the same time, you need to be aware of subjects that are literary in nature such as
English literature and Urdu Literature.
c. Do go through the prescribed revised syllabus by FPSC.
d. Past Papers always provide you with different perspectives relating various topics.
e. It will enable you making any decisions whether you are able to handle that very
subject.
f. The FPSC does not have any hard and fast rule to sticking to its syllabus. It may ask
you for the applications of any subject. For instance, you might be asked to resolve
any international conflict by applying international law principles.
2. Scoring Trend vs. Overlapping Subjects
a. There had been a general perception that there are a few particular subjects reckoned
as scoring ones. This phenomenon is true to some extent ONLY.
b. Since 2016, the perception of scoring has shifted towards overlapping of Subjects. For
instance, IR does overlap with Essay, Current Affairs, and Pakistan Affairs.
c. However, regional languages and history subjects do tend to help you gain more
marks, hence, if possible one must go for it.
d. Basically, supporting subjects are those that help you build your knowledge base
along with expanding ones intellectual capacity.
e. Optional subjects do overlap with one another in the following ways such as the
following;
i. International Relations: International Law, USA History/European History
ii. Political Science: Constitutional Law, any History Subject
3. Aptitude
a. It includes the ability and competence to handle the subject.
b. Never go into conflict with yourself. If your heart does not accept any subject, your
mind never will.
c. I couldnt stand Agriculture and Forestry, it gave me a hard time, and I didnt do
justice with it because my heart never accepted it.

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5. Maximum Marks
a. CSS is not about clearing/passing the written exam but it is about scoring maximum
marks.
b. Compulsory Subjects such as Essay, English Composition, and Islamiat are the most
vulnerable subjects. You had better focus on merely passing these papers rather than
scoring very highly.

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4. Safe Choice
a. Try to opt a subject that provides you safer passage on the basis of your educational
background, precise syllabus, repetition of questions from past papers, and
overlapping.
b. Try to opt subjects that give you the freedom to express your own general opinion
e.g. sociology, journalism.

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

KNOW YOUR OPTIONAL SUBJECT

It has been quite rightly said that good subject selection is half a
success especially when it comes to CSS. Subjects should neither
be finalised very early nor quite late. Aspirants are generally found
quite perplexed especially when it comes to finalising their
optionals. They often fall prey to the ambiguous term such
Scoring Trend. After the change in the paper-pattern of 2013 and
the revised syllabus of 2016, the subject-selection becomes even
more crucial. This has come quite gard at the aspirants and has
stunned them completely where they were seen biting their nails
and scratching their heads after failing to cope with simple yet
technical questions. And, only a scoring mind can score well. As
ASP Mufakhar Adeel (2nd Position, CSS-2006) said, I did
masters in English and LLB. But I neither took English nor any
subject of law as my optional. I went for entirely new subjects, the subjects in which I
had the interest. My combination included Islamic History, Urdu, Sociology and
Journalism. It was mainly because of these subjects that I managed to score 76% marks
in optional subjects and hence secured second position overall. Therefore, it is highly
recommended that aspirants must keep the following aspects in mind prior to finalising
their optinal subjects. They are written in order of significance.
1. Educational Background
2. Personal Interest
3. Scoring Trend (To Some Extant Only)
Here, I'm writing some basic information for the selection of optional subjects, which will
assist you to opt for suitable subjects. Get yourself well acquainted with the content of the
optional subject's syllabi and the topics that it covers. A thorough familiarity with your
optional subject will help you select the one that you are most familiar with and it will
reduces your mental tension that is attached with its selection. There are 7 groups & 55
subjects. So let's start:

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1) Accounting & Auditing: This subject requires your strong background. Those who
possess professional accounting degrees ACCA, CA, ICMA, etc can go for this
subject. It is a high scoring up to 90%. It has been a low scoring subject and difficult
since 2011. Those who want opt, review past papers for 10-15 years.
2) Economics: This subject requires your strong background. Aspirants should not opt
on BSc basis even M.Phil, PhD don't score high.
3) Computer Science: This subject requires your strong background. MCs, BS 4 years
can opt this subject with the lengthy syllabus. This subject is considered as a time
consuming subject. One can score up to 120-130. Aspirants possessing 1 year diploma/
courses should not opt this subject.

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Group 1: To opt for one subject of 200 marks.

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4) Political Science: Anyone can opt this subject. This subject needs aspirant who has
good cramming power. No background is needed for this subject. This subject mostly
overlaps with constitutional law but constitutional law is low scoring below average
whereas average is 120-125 scoring.
5) International Relations: No background is needed for this subject. This subject
mostly overlaps with Pakistan Affairs, Current Affairs, International Law (approx.
60-65%) & US History (approx. 30-40%). This subject fulfills knowledge deficiency,
and gives you essays material. This subject isnt considered as high scoring (120-125
marks).
Group 2: To select one subject(s) of 200 marks
1) Physics: MSc Physics holder can go for this subject. This is a time consuming subject.
Aspirant can complete the subject in 2 or 3 weeks. This is a numerical based subject.
Its 100% risky subject either you will score full marks out of 20 marks (for a
question) or zero, no middle way. If one wants to opt this subject, he /she should
attempt past papers at least of 10-15 years. The syllabus of this subject is of
graduation level but paper is of masters level.
2) Chemistry: MSc Chemistry holder can go for this subject but good in some ways.
This is a numerical based subject. Solve past papers at least of 10-15 years.
3) Applied Mathematics/ Pure Mathematics: MSc Mathematics holder can go for this
subject. Either you will get full marks against each question or zero. Never think of
mid marks against each question.
4) Statistics: Any MSc holder can go for this subject. It is not a high scoring.
5) Geology: Previously, it was a subject of 200 marks but now of 100 marks. Thus, the
syllabus is still same lengthy, not much high scoring.
Group 3: To select one subject of 100 marks
1) Business Administration: Aspirant having degree of MBA Finance should opt.
2) Public Administration: It's for all. Especially, this subject is for those who have good
conceptual mind. This subject is considered as 60% scoring.
3) Governance & Public policy: This subject mostly overlaps with Public
Administration. This subject is suitable for conceptual learners.
4) Town Planning & Urban Management: This subject can be done without any
difficulty but syllabus is extensive. Civil engineers can go for this subject.

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1) History of India & Pakistan: The syllabus of this subject is lengthy. This subject
was a low scoring (50-55 marks out of 100 marks). Now, the syllabus is more
extensive w.r.t 1947-1999. This subject overlaps Pakistan Affairs.
2) Islamic History & Culture: The syllabus of this subject is lengthy. One has to study
from Pre-Islamic History till present. This subject can be prepared in one month. This
is scoring subject better than Indo-Pak History. This subject overlaps with Islamiyat.

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Group 4: To select one subject of 100 marks

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3) British History: The syllabus of this subject is short in period wise history but area
of this subject is more extensive. You have to go through this subject from A-Z. Time
required to prepare this subject is 35-40 days. This subject is better scoring than
Indo-Pak History but less scoring than Islamic History.
4) European History: This subject is too much extensive
5) History of USA: In this subject, you have to read the USA History from 1400 A.D till
today. This is a high scoring subject. One can prepare this subject within 10-14 days.
Papers of USA History to be checked by US Embassy. They encourage so that more
people will know about their history.
Group- 5: To select one subject of 100 marks

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1) Gender Studies: This subject is easy and can be done without background. This
subject gives essay material related to women. One question in Islamic Studies is
related to the Gender Studies. This subject overlaps with Sociology.
2) Environmental Science: This subject requires your strong background of Biology or
BSc Background (Botany, Zoology, Chemistry). The syllabus of this subject is
extensive. This subject overlaps with 10-15% of General Science & Ability.
3) Agriculture & Forestry: This subject requires your educational background. This is
a high scoring subject. This subject requires 15-18 days to be prepared. Aspirants
should be focused on scientific terminology of this subject.
This subject is combination of two subjects:
Part-1) Agriculture 50 marks,
Part-2) Forestry 50 marks
4) Botany: Any MSc holder can go for this subject. S/he will feel ease to prepare this
subject within 18-20 days otherwise it is time consuming for those who have no
background. The syllabus is same when it was of 200 marks. Aspirants carried 140
out of 200 marks. Now, candidates pass this subject with 70-75 marks when it is of
100.
5) Zoology: This subject has been a low scoring subject throughout past years.
6) English Literature: This is a low scoring subject. Aspirants having M.A English
shouldnt go for this subject. The paper is checked by professors of University of
Punjab, Lahore.
7) Urdu Literature: Anybody can go for this subject. This is a scoring subject up to
70%. The syllabus is 50% related to history of Urdu and 50% related to present
literature. Aspirants opting this subject should have following qualities:
a.
Clear writing with Speed
b.
Strong Urdu Vocabulary
c.
Interest in Poetry

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Group-6: To select one subject of 100 marks
1) Law: Aspirants seeking graduation in Law. This is 65% scoring subject.
2) Constitutional Law: This subject is good for crammers. This is a low scoring subject.
3) International Law: Anyone can opt this subject. This subject is based on concepts.
No background is needed. This is a high scoring subject overlapping slightly with
International Relations.
4) Muslim law & Jurisprudence: Anyone can go for this subject. This subject can easily
be done. This subject overlaps Islamiat. This is a low scoring subject with short
syllabus. Paper of this subject is checked by IIUI, Islamabad. Aspirants shoud be at
home in basic Islamic laws.
5) Mercantile Law: This subject requires your educational background. This is a mid
scoring subject.
6) Criminology: This subject overlaps with Psychology. The syllabus is lengthy. No
background is necessarily required.
7) Philosophy: This subject overlaps Political Science. This subject can give you 65%
marks. Maximum time required to prepare this subject is two months. You have to
broaden your spectrum of mind in this subject.
Group-7: To select one subject of 100 marks
1) Journalism and Mass Communication: This subject can be done without
background. This subject gives essay material related to media. This subject can give
you 65 - 70% marks. The syllabus is extensive.
2) Psychology: This is a high scoring subject and can be done without background. The
syllabus is extensive and can give 80% marks in the paper.
3) Geography: This subject has lengthy syllabus. Neither high scoring nor low scoring.
In this revised syllabus, regional geography portion has been excluded.
4) Anthropology: This subject is introduced recently. The syllabus of this subject is
Masters level.
5) Sociology: Anyone can opt this subject. No background is needed. This subject is
based on concepts. This is a high scoring subject overlapping Gender Studies. This
subject badly beats after every 3-4 years. This subject gives you essay material related
to social topic.

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6) Punjabi
7) Sindhi
8) Balochi & Pashto

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Regional Languages (These are high scoring subjects. Most aspirants secured top positions
due to the selection of regional language subject. Aspirant should opt this subject if its his
or her mother tongue. This paper can give you 20 out of 20 marks against each question. In
Punjabi Paper, you are given English passage to be translated into Punjabi. These subjects
needs legible writing and writing speed is necessarily required.)

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9) Persian
10) Arabic

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A POINT TO UNDERSTAND
It is you who is going to finalise the subjects. Dont leave it to someone else. Nor you should
follow someones advice blindly since there is difference between your aptitude and
background and that of other person.

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ENGLISH ESSAY PAPER

A few prerequisites to prepare for Essay Paper:
1) Basic Knowledge Base:
Philosophy, World History, Politics, Economics, Sociology to name a few. Remember
youre aiming to be an all-rounder. (Refer to My Take On English Essay)
2) Past Paper Analysis:
Essay Paper is divided into some core areas i.e. Education, Islam, Socio Economic
Crises, Crisis management, Terrorism and Extremism, Governance, Media,
Environmental Issues, Pakistan, Science and Technology, and UNO. Choose any 5
areas (to be on the safe side) that you have a command over according to your
educational background, interest and aptitude.
Once you have chosen your 5 core areas, get the past papers and list down all the
questions that appeared in past papers regarding that Core Area. (You can simply
take it from my ebook Strategy of Essay Writing by Aamir Mahar.) This would act
as your guide.
3) Analytical Mindset:
Firstly you need to take a simple essay topic from any area that you are well-versed
in, and start brainstorming. Think and scribble everything that comes to your mind
on a piece of paper. Then divide your outline into Major Variables, and Minor
Variables. Make your outline comprehensive to such an extent that the examiner
clears you for essay while looking at your outline only. All of your essay preparation
would revolve around you practicing your outlines. All of the other stuff is just
mechanical. (You in-depth practice of making outlines, it is preferred to hire a
teacher to check your outlines on a regular basis, so that you can improve). Once you
know how to make an outline, your essay will clear Inshaa Allah.
In short, work on your mind on the go, think in terms of What? Why? How? Pros and
Cons? Cause and effect? What ought to be? (It will be used in making outlines)
4) Know Your Paragraph:
You need to have a technical know-how of writing a simple paragraph, an
Introduction, and a Conclusion.

P.S. It is assumed that your grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, and spellings are
in good shape.

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6) Stay Motivated and once in a week, write an essay on one of your outlines.

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5) Write a Short Expansion Daily: It will be an exercise of your mind. Writing an

expansion daily will keep your mind running till your exams. You need to be in a
writing habit and your mind must be in a habit of thinking too. So keep practicing.

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HOW TO HANDLE ESSAY PAPER?
Well, many of you are quite worried about essay paper. We have here for you the technique
of handling an Essay. Before we start I would like you to take a deep breath and read this
post slowly so as to understand everything clearly. I would want you to put all the worries
of your life behind. Everythings gonna be all right, okay? Anyways, there you go.
GENERAL TIPS FOR ESSAY WRITING:
Generally, essay depicts two things i.e. Knowledge and Mode of Expression. Now, by the
end of your preparation you would have studied 10 subjects, so you would have enough
knowledge to appear in an essay. What really matters in an essay is its STRUCTURE.
Guys, FPSC examiners want to see if you have FOLLOWED THE BASICS and given them
what they expect, this is what is known as discipline. Discipline is a prerequisite of essay
writing. Discipline is, basically, when you see the right person at the right place at the right
time. Discipline is depicted in your structure. Well, well get back to part that later.
TECHNIQUE OF STARTING WITH AN ESSAY
Step 1: Topic Selection
The technique to select a topic is to read it, firstly, from UP to DOWN while grading the
topic according to your interest and knowledge e.g. A*, A, B etc. Secondly, you need to start
reading the topics from DOWN to UP, again doing the same thing. The reason behind doing
this is as you start with the first topic your concentration level is 100%. As you move along,
your concentration level decreases. So not to do injustice to your topic selection, you need to
repeat the process from downwards this time. Doing this will help you choose the right
topic. Cool?
Step 2: Brainstorming

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Well, there are two ways of brainstorming. If youre the left-brained person youd restrict
your thoughts and categorize them as they come in your mind. For example, if your essay is
related to terrorism you may start thinking firstly the causes, then the effects, and so and so
forth. You would try to limit your thoughts. Whereas, if youre a Right-brained person, youd
let your ideas flow in a meaningless and category-less approach. This way, a meaningless
point may lead you to a very strong point if you put no limits to your thoughts. Once youve
scribbled all your ideas, then you may categorize them or code them.

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Once you have selected the topic, it is prime time for you to start brainstorming your topic.
Now, I would like to tell you that there are broadly two types of people in this world. The
first type is known as LEFT-BRAINED who has a calculated approach. That person goes by
the rule in everything s/he does. The Second type is the RIGHT-BRAINED who is quite
creative and innovative in his approach. Youd be wondering why I would be telling you this
regarding essay writing.

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You may choose the approach that suits you, but personally, I would go with the latter.
STRUCTURE OF AN ESSAY
In this section we will be looking into the structure of an essay. This is how you need to
attempt your essay in your CSS exams. This is what discipline is all about that I mentioned
earlier. To begin with, there are three parts of an essay that are as follows:
a. Introduction: WILL; What we will Discuss
b. Body: AM; What I am discussing
c. Conclusion: Was; What I was discussing
Relation between Introduction and Conclusion
The Introduction is a mirror to a conclusion i.e. the conclusion is a
mere restatement of an introduction. Whatever your stance was
in the Introduction part, it must be the same in your conclusion
with a mere reshuffling of the words or sequence.
The First Part of The Essay: Introduction
The Introduction has three parts.
1) Motivators/Brainwashing
a.
b.
c.
d.

This is to be your background where you indirectly come to your topic

Should be General in nature, not specific
You may use a quotation, anecdote, Hadith, Ayat, recent news or historical event.
Attract the examiners attention (emotional trapping) in 4 to 5 lines.

2) Thesis Statement
a.
b.
c.
d.

One sentence opinion explaining your stance/ point of view

You cannot waver from your stance, stick to it till the end and defend it at all times.
It is the simplest and clearest sentence (no ambiguities)
It may be a risk for a few but you may use a blue marker to write down your thesis
statement.

Telling the sequence youd be following.

It must depict connectivity and coherence.
It must be simply and clearly stated
For instance, if youre writing an essay on My favorite Politician Your introduction
structure may be as follows:
Motivators: The significance of politics and politicians
Thesis Statement: Mr. ABC is my favorite politician.
Plan: I will be discussing Mr. ABCs sincerity, devotion, higher qualification, and
courage.

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a.
b.
c.
d.

25

3) Sketch/Plan

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e. Your plan tells the sequence of your body paragraphs.
f. The examiner may pick one random point from the list e.g. devotion and see if your
second body paragraph is about devotion or not. (Sequence matters a lot)
The Second Part of an Essay
The second part of your essay includes as your body Paragraphs. They may be 15 to 20 in
number. It is imperative to understand the technique of paragraph writing. All your
paragraphs must be according to this technique. The examiner may pick any paragraph to
see if youve followed the technique or if you know what it is.
The Third Part of an Essay: Conclusion
While writing your conclusion, you must be very clear about your stance i.e. it must be the
same as it was in your introduction paragraph. It can range from five to six sentences. You
must be like What I was saying was right, I still believe that I was right, I have proved above
that I was right, and I am stating it again what I believe in. Furthermore, make sure that you
finish your essay on a positive and optimistic note.

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Coherence: Coherence is basically the flow that you have to maintain in your paragraphs as
well as your whole essay. There are mainly two types of coherence that are as follows;
1) Inter-paragraph Coherence: Between the first and the next paragraph
2) Intra-paragraph Coherence: Coherence within the paragraph
Coherence can be maintained with the help of Transitional words/Connectors such as
therefore, however, firstly, secondly, furthermore etc.

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PARAGRAPH WRITING
Paragraph Writing just like essay writing has three parts. They are as follows;
1) Topic Sentence: WILL
a. It is the first single sentence.
b. It is the heading in a form of a sentence.
c. It must contain ONE MAIN Idea.
d. For example, if youre writing an essay related to crime, and your
first portion of paragraphs is on causes of crimes, then one of
your paragraph may be on unemployment as a cause of crime.
Your topic sentence would be Unemployment is one of the
causes behind crime
2) Supporting Arguments/ Supporting Details; AM
a. This portion would have five to six lines while youre justifying
your topic sentence.
b. You may use logical reason, example or reference.
c. Even if you mention one example, that would be enough.
3) Concluding Sentence: WAS
a. A mere reflection of your topic sentence
b. Restatement of topic sentence

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SOME MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ESSAY WRITING

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I HELP YOU WHEN YOURE IN THE EXAMINATION HALL

1) Carefully read all essay tips and select those issues which you have prepared the best.
2) Now select that essay which you can best attempt considering thoughtfully the aspect
which is asked.
3) Now turn your sheet and cross the page No. 25 the last page and start doing your
rough work on that page.
4) Thoroughly explore your mind and bring out all relevant points of that issue on paper.
5) Now pick those points which are most suitable for your outline.
6) Make a logical outline depending solely upon the statement or topic of essay set by the
examiner.
7) Reconsider each point for its relevancy and order in the outline.
8) Review your points and see if the used words can be replaced with more catchy or
striking words. Remember, outline is like a cover of your essay which clearly depicts
what is wrapped inside. So give it due consideration and time before starting your essay.
9) On rough pages, write an introduction for the essay. Articulate it with best words
possible. 10. Now reconsider your outline and introduction and assess whether it fulfills
the demands of the given essay. Only if you are satisfied with that rough draft proceed
with the essay, otherwise reject it and attempt your second best essay on similar pattern.
This is important because you would not get a second chance before one year if you fail
in this paper.
10) This exercise would certainly take time but do not be panic even if it takes 40- 45
minutes because you have done all the hard work. All you have to do is to write that
outline and introduction neatly on your answer sheet and then proceed with the essay
following the outline that you have already prepared.

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1) Quantity doesnt matter. Quality does.

2) The Examiner needs to see your structure and knowledge i.e your own opinion
expressed in clear and simple English in a convincing manner.
3) Avoid using idiomatic verbosity or technical diction, nothing else can irritate the
examiner more than this so called stunt of yours.
4) The placement of your thesis statement and topic sentence must be correct. Give
them what they want.
5) Try to improvise the knowledge you have gained from other subjects; relate your
knowledge and extract convincing arguments. You may come up with points from
Islamic Studies or even General Science. Let your creative juices flow.
6) Do not prepare pet essays. Essays are never asked on one topic, it is usually a relation
between two or more concepts.
7) Keep things simple, clear, and follow the basics.
8) Essay never decides your allocation so dont try to impress the examiner, just try to
pass. Thatll be a great favor youd be doing for yourself.

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MY TAKE ON ENGLISH ESSAY

There are two parts in Essay i.e. reading and writing. Reading quality books enhances ones
vision and also increases the capability to write academically. As mentioned in earlier posts,
there are a few diverse areas that need to be strengthened by every CSS Aspirant. Some of
the resources are mentioned below that can help greatly.
PART ONE: READING
1) Politics
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Politics: A very short introduction by Kenneth Minogue

Introduction to Political Theory by John Hoffman and Paul Graham
Introduction to Political science by Mazhar ul Haq
Analyzing Politics by Ellen Grigsby
Penguin Dictionary of Politics

2) Economics
a) Economics by Partha Dasgupta
b) Issues in Pakistan Economy by Akbar S. Zaidi
c) Economic Survey of Pakistan
3) World History
a) World History by V.B Rao
b) Western Heritage: Donald Kaghan
c) International History by Anthony Best
4) Literature
a) Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
b) Pleasures of Philosophy by Will Durrant
c) Conquest of Happiness, unpopular essays, and Skeptical Essays by Bertrand Russell
5) Philosophy
a) Sophies World by Jostein Gardner
b) Philosophy the Power of ideas by Brooke Noel Moore

Pakistan A modern History by Ian Talbot

Struggle for Pakistan by Ayesha Jalal
Pakistan a crisis state by Maleeha Lodhi
Idea of Pakistan by Stephen Cohen
Pakistan A Hard Country by Anatol Levien

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a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

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6) Pakistan Studies

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f) Pakistan A manifest Destiny by Atif Qureshi
g) Jinnah of Pakistan by Stanley Walport
PART TWO: WRITING
The Stages of Academic Writing
1) Basic Grammar: Tenses, Parts of Speech, and Use of Punctuation.
2) Sentence Structure: Types of Sentences, Parallelism, Sentence problems, and Types of
Clauses.
3) Paragraph Writing: Paragraph Structure, Outlining, Unity and Coherence, Kinds of
Logical Order, and Concrete Support.
4) Essay Writing: The Process of Academic Writing, Components of Essay, Patterns of
Essay Organization, Outline-Making, and Capacity Building.
5) Developing Expression: Analysis, Evaluation of knowledge and proper linking.
Resources for Writing
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)

Exploring the world of English by Sayyid Saadat Ali Shah

Grammar by Wren and Martin
Grammar by Raymond Murphy
College Writing by Macmillan
Exploring Writing by John Langan
How to write great essays by Lauren Starkey

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Always remember; the key to good writing is good reading and extensive practice.
Now, Get Set and Go!

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FPSC: ESSAY REQUIREMENTS

Majority of the candidates relied on the stereotypical substandard material available in the
market instead of keeping themselves abreast of updated information and using their own
mind and intelligence for innovative and genuine approaches. They have demonstrated
glaring flaws both in comprehension and expression. They have abruptly jumped at writing
on a topic without comprehending its meaning, spirit, direction and range. Consequently a
loose and lengthy jumbled lot produced without any sense of relevance, clarity, coherence
and structured organization. From the angle of the question paper it is heartening fact that
the candidates have attempted almost all topics. This manifests that due to multiple
orientations and thematic variety of the given topics, the candidates did not have to face any
undesirable inconvenience in finding a subject.
What FPSC requires you to focus on?

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Updated Information: Improve the quality of your arguments through effective

research and extensive reading.
Innovative and Genuine Expression: Learn to write whatevers on your mind on
the paper academically.
Comprehension: Understand the topics meaning, spirit, direction and range.
Components of the Essay: Develop a sense of relevance, clarity, coherence and
structured organization.
Strengthen your Core Areas: Thematic variety of the topics is provided, hence,
choose a niche and strengthen it.

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ESSAY PAPER CHECKING TECHNIQUE OF THE FPSC EXAMINER
I look at the outline first and foremost. There are three possible types of outlines:
1) Relevant, to the point
2) Twisted, convoluted and confusing
3) Incomprehensible due to poor English
The last two outline-producing varieties of candidates are half-failed in my mind when I
reach the end of their outlines. Then I look for the thesis statements and again there can be
three types of them
1) Coherent and relevant
2) Irrelevant
3) Incomprehensible
For the third variety, their thesis statement marks the end of their stories. I skim through the
pages of their sheets in next few seconds just to find out more blunders and finally award
them, marks in 0-20 range.
For the second type of thesis statements, if the outline is irrelevant too, I give a read to their
introductory and concluding paragraphs, and just a fleeting glance to the material they've
written in the body. If they used correct English, I award them marks just for doing that.
If the thesis is irrelevant but the outline was relevant, I give them a fighting chance. I read
the introductory paragraph, if it conveys some sense as a whole, I continue. If the essay is
coherent and strong till the end, and my eyes don't find mistakes while turning the pages,
this type of candidate can make through.
For the candidates who have relevant outlines and thesis statements, they are already halfpassed when I reach the end of their introductory paragraphs. I skim through their essays
just to check if they have written the same stuff as their outline inside or if they have
digressed and gone beyond the scope of the title. If they haven't done that to an unforgiving
extent, they are clear.
Some candidates produce very good outlines and introductory paragraphs. Once I have
decided to pass them, I read whole of their essays just to decide how much they deserve
above 40. But this is a very rare variety.

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I have quoted a person who used to be an examiner for FPSC. They don't need to read
the whole essay just to ascertain this. He could know whether a candidate knew proper
English just by reading five to six sentences.

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ENGLISH PRCIS & COMPOSITION PAPER

Every Portion is dealt with separately.
PRCIS WRITING
Here, I have for you a wonderful piece of advice regarding Prcis Writing. I am sure Prcis
Writing is a hard nut to crack for all the aspirants out there, but not anymore I hope I do
justice with the transferring of the knowledge. Well, I try my level best. However, none of
you is bound to follow this technique. If you find it useful, great! If not, even better. I hope
we all learn a lot. Enjoy!
PREREQUISITES OF PRCIS WRITING
1) Precision
2) Exactness
3) Coherence
GENERAL TIPS FOR PRCIS WRITING
1) Prcis Writing is the first question of the subjective part.
2) Follow the sequence of the English Composition and Prcis paper, so the examiner
knows that you dont lack self-confidence
3) Spend almost 1 hour on this section
4) Be confident
5) The problems in prcis writing are sometimes difficult vocabulary. Dont Panic. There
are two types of meanings of difficult words.
Lexical Meanings: exact meanings out of the dictionary
Contextual Meanings: meaning of the word according to the context in which it is
used.
6) Contextual Meanings can be understood from the former sentence in which it is used
or the latter. ( Remember: Word is not important, the position of the word is)
7) Start practicing Precis from any Standard Punjab TextBook, and then later start Past
Papers.

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You are given 20 % permission to use words as they are, these are the facts and figures,
Highlight them! In a normal passage of 300 to 400 words, you will be able to find 8 or 10 or
12 points.

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STEP BY STEP GUIDANCE FOR PRCIS WRITING

1) Read the passage for the first time slowly in order to grasp the overall idea. (Only 1520% meaning will be comprehended at this time)
2) In the second reading, highlight certain points. Points are divided into two
categories;
a)
Ares: Facts and Figures (You cannot change them)
b)
Are nots: Explanations and Details.

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3) On a fresh page, write down a heading Points for the Prcis and enlist all the points
in YOUR OWN WORDS in a chronological order.
4) On the next page, make a heading Rough Draft, with the help of
Connectors/Transitional Phrases, write down all the points you wrote on the
previous page in a single whole paragraph.
5) Count the words of the original passage and the ones in your Rough Draft.
Relaxation of 10 words is given by the examiner so that you do not miss out the
important points. (Do not try to be over-efficient and avail this opportunity)
6) Start editing your Rough draft and apply one word substitution or other techniques
where applicable.
7) On a fresh Page, make a heading Neat Draft. Write down the material left after
editing your Rough Draft. You need to write down your Neat Draft within 105-110
words(if the Original Passage is 300 words, follow the 1/3rd Rule)
8) Using a Black Marker, write down Words in the Original Passage=300 words on a
separate line. On the next, write down Required Number of Words=100 words. On
the next, Words in the Precis = 108 (This is just a Sample)
9) Title Giving can be done by either giving Points of The Precis a read and come up
with a title, or figure it out through the Topic Sentence, which is either written in the
first sentence or the concluding one. The former method is more reliable.
10) How to write down the Title?
a) In a phrase: Unemployment is one of the reasons behind Crime
b) Like the Topic of an Essay
c) Like This: Unemployment: a cause behind crime (Most effective)
Go back to the portion where you wrote Points of the Precis and Rough Draft and put a
cross using a Black Marker. The whole point of this exercise is to make the examiner see
that you have followed a proper structure while attempting prcis. S/Hell be impressed.
COMPREHENSION
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)

Use Sandwich Strategy

Do not read the paragraph first.
Read the questions first, so that a detector is set in your mind.
When you read the questions first, youll detect the answers right away.
Underline those sentences, read the questions again.
Answer now, in your own words only taking the concept and facts and figures from the
paragraph.
7) Answer in a very comprehensive manner in 4 to 5 sentences.
8) If the Examiner asks you to write the meaning of the underlined words, lexical
meaning is not required, contextual meaning is required.
9) Practice it from any good grammar book, start with wren and martin, if you like.

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1) Take one morpheme from the Morphemes Document (Download it using Google) and
Exercise in Dictionary using morphemes.

33

VOCABULARY

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Miso means hatred; used in misogynist, etc.
2) Read all the words and try to comprehend the meaning of morphemes.
3) Another interesting way to learn vocabulary is through mnemonics (another file named
Barrons Mnemonics can easily be download from Google.)
PHRASAL VERBS
1) Understand the meaning of prepositions
2) If there are 1000 verbs and you understand 10 prepositions, youll be able to understand
10, 000 phrasal verbs.
3) Once the concept of prepositions is clear, Have a look at 10 Phrasal Verbs and
comprehend the way a preposition changes the meaning of a verb.
4) Building of the Perception is going to help you in paper.
SENTENCE CORRECTION
1) There may be 10,000 rules of grammar but the Examiner judges you in the exceptional
ones. For Example, using had better we say I had better do this work.
2) Make a separate note book in which you need to write beneath it that
Where was the mistake, What was the rule, and How it works.
3) Many GMAT Sentence Correction books are available on Google. Get one book and
start practicing it!
TRANSLATION AND IDIOMS
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

Read the sentence and try to make out the sense of the sentence.
Try not to translate as it is, translate in almost the same words.
Idiomatic expression is not translated word to word.
Idioms: Try to read between the lines
Recommended Book: Azhar Idioms or Oxford Idioms

PAIR OF WORDS
1) Conceptual Study
2) Exploring the world of English and any other text book, try out to make out the
difference of the words
3) Explain the meaning of both words first and then make clear sentences.

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1) Practice these from GRE Barrons Book preferably 15th edition. Youll find a portion
there for grouping of words.
2) Plus, there are many online sources to practice that from, all of the grouping of words
question of 2016 came from a website (just so you know)
3) Recommended book: Synonyms & Antonyms by Tariq Ali Khan

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GROUPING OF WORDS (SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS)

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GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY
1) Get a good grammar book preferably one by
Raymond Murphy and clear your basic grammar
skills i.e. Articles, Tenses, and Punctuations.
2) There are a lot of grammar books on internet, do
check them and choose whatever suits you best.
Other portions will be covered in above exercises.

A POINT TO UNDERSTAND
This paper is all about practice. Get your work checked by someone who could point out
your mistakes. The point of all of the above exercises is to improving your academic written
English. Though I am personally against the way this exam is trying to judge ones written
English, however, try to improve your general English standard and youd be good to go.

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All the best!

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

GENERAL SCIENCE & ABILITY PAPER

1) This is a very technical and a highly scoring subject; make sure you make the best of it.
2) In the General Science portion, you need to be precise and relevant with your answers.
For example, if you are asked to answer a 5-mark question then you merely need to write
5-6 different, relevant, and coherent points.
3) For instance, as in 2016 they asked a question on Artificial Intelligence (AI), your answer
has to be follows:
a) What is AI? Definition.
b) When did it start to evolve? Mention any famous scientists, dates,
names, etc.
c) Where is it used? i.e. in what fields
d) What are the recent trends?
e) How can it be improved?
f) What is its future?
As I mentioned earlier, try to answer the wh questions (What? When? Where? How? What
ought to be?)
4) Always make diagrams, graphs, etc wherever necessary.
5) Always remember being precise since time management is the key in this paper. Many
people spend too much time in General science portion that they miss out on questions
from General Ability.
6) The General Ability Portion can fetch you good marks as most of the mathematical and
analytical questions carry solid marks.
7) Effective Time Management: Practice General Ability portion well. It will spare time
for you which you can utilize in the General Science portion.
8) Get the Book that covers the complete syllabus such as:
i. General Science and Ability by Mian Shafiq.
ii. GREs books.
iii. Test of reasoning by Edgar Thorpe.

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10) In a nutshell, the key to ace this exam you have to manage your time properly, stay
relevant, and be precise in your answer.

36

9) Along with reading books, make sure that you make Bullet Notes for Revision Purposes
and for MCQs. (Refer to Making Bullet Notes for more details)

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

CURRENT AFFAIRS PAPER

It will be no exaggeration to term Current Affairs as the backbone of CSS because if this
subject is strong, then half of the work is done. Current Affairs plays a pivotal and
overlapping role in most of the compulsory and optional subjects. In this article, I intend to
share my preparation strategy and paper attempting strategy for Current Affairs.
1) Subject Analysis: Current Affairs (CA) as a subject is quite an easy one. We all know
what is happening all around us. You simply need to be tactical in your approach and
justification of your stance is highly crucial.
2) Syllabus Analysis: The syllabus has been divided into 3 Major Areas; Domestic
Affairs, External Affairs, and Global Issues. All of the domestic affairs of Pakistan such as
political, economic along with social issues comprise the first part. Relations with
neighbors, Muslim world, USA, and regional as well as International organizations are
the features of External Affairs of Pakistan. Global Issues constitute all the current (ISIS,
Muslims in Burma, etc.) as well as decades old global issues (Kashmir issue and Palestine
issue). At least 2 questions appear from all of the 3 areas but External Affairs and Global
Issues are majorly focused. (Check 2016 paper)
3) General Guidelines: Stay relevant, precise, and logical with your answers. Try to
theorize your answer, hence, an understanding of the history and politics is pertinent.
Examiner requires analysis so ensure that you are able to justify your stance.
4) External Affair Questions:
How to critically analyze external affairs from different perspectives?
1. Study Relations Through Maps:
Practice making the following three maps so as to memorize them;
a. World Map
b. South Asian Map
c. Pakistan Map

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2. Influence of Other Countries/ Organizations:

We all know that all the countries have some influence and interest in every
neighbor country due to inter-dependency. In relation based questions such as
Pak-Afghan Relations, Afghanistan has an Indian, Chinese, Iranian, and Russian
influence which directly affect the dynamics of Pak-Afghan Relations. Critical
analyses of these relations can be discussed in the question.
You write an outline of Study Relations With Organizations through this
technique. For instance: European Union (EU)

37

When you have a clear picture of the above maps in your head, it would be
easier to deal with current affairs related questions.

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
viii.

Introduction
Formation: Answering wh questions
Objectives and Organizational Structure
Recent Developments: When was the last conference held and when will
the next be held?
Effectiveness of EU
Challenges Faced by EU
Role Of Pakistan; Critical analysis required (GSP plus status)
Conclusion

3. Analyses from Different Perspectives:

Bilateral Relations include Strategic, Political, Economic, Cultural, and Social
level interactions. All the more reason studying relations has become quite
difficult as two countries interact with each other on different fronts. For
instance, Pakistan-China Relations are usually studied on a strategic and an
economic front. Whereas, Pak-US relations have been studied from political and
economic perspectives.

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Comparison of Answers: General Vs Question Specific

1) General Technique: Pak-India Relations
I. Introduction
II. Historical Background; Wars, dialogues.
III. Irritants: Kashmir Issue, Water Disputes, Indian Presence in
Afghanistan, Indian Involvement in Pak (Presence of Raw), events
such as Mumbai carnage and the blame game
IV. Current Developments
V. Way Forward/ Recommendations: Role of both Indian and
Pakistani govt, Role of media, citizens, Multi track Diplomacy, how
can the tussle be solved esp Kashmir issue, Role of Afghanistan as a
Buffer state, and power sharing percentage.
VI. Conclusion

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4. Point to Note:
Examiner always asks about a particular aspect of bilateral
relations according to the recent developments. As in 2015,
there was a huge uproar about restarting the dialogue
process between Pakistan and India. Hence, in 2016 he
asked questions regarding comprehensive dialogue
between Pakistan and India. Note that the question has
been asked in context of Dialogue so keeping that in mind
we will be formulating an outline.

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

2) Question Specific (2016): Discuss the possibilities of progress under the
recently agreed rubric of Comprehensive Dialogue between Pakistan and
India. In your opinion what are the major constraints at present?
I. Introduction
II. Historical Context: Linking every event with the prospect of dialogue
III. Brief Analysis of Dialogues: How many dialogues occurred and how many
were effective if any?
IV. Recent Dimensions in terms of hurdles to Peace
a. Systematic violation of LOC since 2013 (you may make a South Asia
Map here)
b. India blotting the image of Pak (blame game)
c. Conservative Regime in India
d. Growing ties of US and India in context of Nuclear Supplier Group
membership
V. Conflicting Foreign Policy Objectives
a. Indian Approach toward Pakistan( Regional Policy, and
Neighborhood policy)
b. Pakistans understanding of such policies
VI. Hurdles in Peace?
a. Psychological clash of historical narratives
b. Pakistans India fear
c. Legacy of Partition
d. South Asia being a breeding ground for extremism
e. Accusations
VII. Can Peace be possible?
a. Curriculum Reformation: Removing opposing elements
b. Reconstruction of national narratives
c. Trade as an effective tool
d. Multi-track Diplomacy
e. Effective utilization of SAARCs platform
VIII. Conclusion
5) Domestic and Global Issues Section: Keep a check on the events of later half of the
previous year and the start of the year in which exams are to be commenced. You have to
be conceptual and analytical in your answers and not factual.

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Now, you have got the basic structure ready. Make a separate register for CA. Daily pick
up a national and international newspaper/magazine and look out for any update on your
relevant topic and you just need to add that under Recent Developments section.
Preferably start preparation of CA from Oct till the exam date. As CA paper is set in
January, so events from Oct-Jan are highly important.

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6) How to Start Preparation for Current Affairs Paper?

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7) Resources for Current Affairs Paper
a. Dawn, and Express Tribune (Read major headlines, international section,
i.e. first two and last two pages, and Ed/Op section esp Editorials)
b. Economist
c. Current Affairs Digest
d. Foreign Policy Magazine

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I CAN HELP YOU IN CURRENT AFFAIRS PAPER

01. Choose the questions carefully. Go for the topics about which you have
extensive knowledge.
02. Make coherent outlines and follow that pattern strictly while answering the
question. An outline serves as a snapshot of what lies ahead for the examiner. It
facilitates students as well for properly organizing their scheme of answer.
03. Proper introduction, analysis, pointers to support the premises and conclusion
are some essential constituents of a good answer. Employ a good number of
headings and present your paper well.
04. Be extremely relevant, targeted and focused. Answer the gist of the question
only.
05. Avoid passing sweeping statements rather back your arguments with relevant
statistics, figures, maps, diagrams, flow charts, examples, case studies,
quotations and views of significant authors and experts of the concerned
subject. Statistics need to be current and correct. Do not think examiner will
not find out if you're misquoting figures.
06. Give a proper conclusion.
07. Skim through your answer after completion in order to avoid any mistakes.
08. Time yourself throughout and complete all your answer well in time. Do not
assign more than 35-37 minutes per question.

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

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Let it be very clear from the outset that to believe that one can get through the CSS exam
with only two, three or four months of preparation is absolutely a flawed idea. It would be a
mere repetition if I say that hard work is the only key to success. It should also be always
kept in mind that merely passing the CSS exam doesn't open the doors of Civil Services for
you, rather it is the higher marks which help you embark on an illustrious career. Since it's a
competition, so do remember that there is no shortcut to success in it. Through this writeup I will try to guide you through the art of tackling the Current Affairs paper.
A question that baffles every aspirant is that how much time and what sort of study is
required to pass the CSS exam. I also faced this question during early stages of my
preparation. The answer to this question is that before taking the exam, one must assess
oneself with complete honesty. Besides this, an aspiring candidate should also consult some
successful candidates to understand what it takes to be a CSP. Every success story would
make you believe that passionate devotion is a prerequisite to achieving your dreams.
Coming back to the topic, Essay and Current Affairs papers are considered the most difficult
obstacles to defeat. It is so because Current Affairs as a subject and Current Affairs as a
phenomenon are the foundations on which candidates have to build the edifice of their
preparation. In short, it's the backbone of CSS examination, the 'key'. Apparently, Current
Affairs is only a single compulsory paper yet its use in Essay, Pakistan Affairs and Islamiat as
well as in the optional ones like Geography II, International Relations, Indo-Pak History,
International Law, Political Science, etc., is all too visible. That's the reason why a huge
chunk of candidates opts for these subjects.
The first step of a sound preparation is to get a copy of Current Affair papers of the last ten
years. Then you have to comb through those to get a fair idea of the nature and scope of
questions asked. This would remove all ambiguities regarding the path which you will have
to follow for best preparations.
After going through the papers, next step is to start preparing from the exam point of
view. Sans this, your hard work would yield no substantial result because the whole toil of
yours would be clouded with uncertainty.
Here, I would beg to differ with those who follow a set pattern for Current Affairs. This
paper has no parameters and should be treated as such. Instead of limiting the scope of your
study, you must diversify your reading and knowledge beyond Dawn newspaper. Magazines,
especially Jahangir's World Times, and channels like CNN/BBC are the best source to stay
updated. There are numerous candidates who would do anything in order to grab the notes
prepared by those who qualified the exam. This, I feel, means confining oneself and it does
more harm than good. However, it is alright if you want to look into those notes only to
make your own ones better. If you rely solely on notes provided by academies and mentors,
you will be doing a sheer injustice to yourself. It is a known fact that there are certain
favourite topics each year which can be prepared comprehensively. The information
collected on these topics would be useful for all other subjects. For example, Women-related

41

ATTEMPTING CURRENT AFFAIRS PAPER

(MUHD MUSA ALI BOKHARI PAS)

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

Issues, Terrorism, Good Governance, Energy Crisis, Water Crisis, Future or Failure of
Democracy, South Asian Politics and Role of China are the topics to bank on.
While attempting the paper, most candidates do not understand the questions before
answering them. There is a wide gulf between what they write and what has been actually
asked. For example, the question is:Resolution of Kashmir issue between India and
Pakistan can bring peace and prosperity in the region. Discuss.
Most candidates would go on writing all they knew about Kashmir while remaining
completely oblivious to what has been actually asked. Here, what is required is to discuss
only one aspect of the many branches of the Kashmir dispute. So, do read the question again
and again to grasp what examiner wants to see in your answer, and then write your points
accordingly.

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The answer should be completed with a forceful conclusion. The introduction and
conclusion must leave an impact on the reader. Being impressive doesn't mean that one
should flaunt ones vocabulary or work towards a superb climax. Be simple, to-the-point and
eloquent. Correct English, nice expression, coherent writing and deep analysis make a paper
out of the ordinary.
In Current Affairs paper, facts and figures on economy, energy, etc., would fetch
additional marks. Drawing diagrams, where necessary, would also benefit you. This does
not, at all, mean that one should start the answer of a question on terrorism by sketching

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HAVE A LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING QUESTION AND THE OUTLINE OF ITS ANSWER.
Q. Discuss the causes of extremism and militancy in Pakistani society. Suggest ways
and means for the state organs to overcome these issues.
1. Introduction
2. Causes of Extremism and Militancy in Pakistan
a) Motivation by religious ideologies and grievances.
b) Injustice to Minorities.
c) Terrorists will use poverty, social strife, inequality and oppression to their
advantage.
d) Involvement of Foreign Hand
e) Several interpretations of Islam.
f) Illiteracy
g) Low employment rate
3. Ways to Overcome These Issues
a) Invigorate law-enforcement agencies.
b) More vigilance along borders.
c) Depriving criminals of their profits
d) Providing necessary technology, harmonizing laws and sharing information.
e) Seek negotiated political settlement.
f) Reorganize national priorities with education as main concern.
g) Prevent others from following the same path and thus succeed in eliminating the
terrorism menace.
4. Conculsion
(This outline is for demonstration purpose only. It is not required in actual exam.)

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

weapons and bullets. Having a fair idea of how to draw the World Map, Map of Pakistan
and of South Asia would be beneficial.
Moreover, candidates generally believe that writing a lengthy answer would fetch high
marks. This is a pernicious myth. Not quantity but quality matters in Competitive Exams
especially CSS. Moreover, every candidate is up against the brightest brains from Pakistan.

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43

Like I said before, if you want the service of your choice, you should not look for merely
passing the exam but you have to go all out in your efforts to score higher than the rest. In
addition to all these things, using markers, pointers and presenting a neat paper to the
examiner would most certainly pass a very silent and personal message; 'Choose me.'

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

PAKISTAN AFFAIRS PAPER

Before I start on discussing the method, I'd like you all to know that this is my personal
take on Pakistan Affairs. You're free to agree or disagree with the method and the
suggestions. So, I would request everyone to critically analyze on your own the pros and
cons of this method, instead of blindly following it. Though, I'm pretty sure not everyone
would understand it. Anyway, I hope it helps. Have a great one!
1. Understand the Syllabus Division and Paper Pattern of 2016
Check CE 2016 and CSS 2016 Past paper syllabus to understand this division as
well as the number of questions appeared in2016 paper. I have re-categorized the
syllabus for better comprehension and understanding of this subject.

I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
I.
II.
III.

Pakistan Studies Areas (5 Questions in CSS 2016 paper)

Ideology of Pakistan and Reforms (1) **
Pre-Partition Era **
Land and People of Pakistan (2)
Strategic and Political Aspects (4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 15, 18, 19)
Foreign Policy (14) *
Constitutional Measures of Pakistan (27)
Current Affairs Areas (2 Questions in CSS 2016 paper)
Socio-Economic Challenges (7, 16, 17, 20, 26, 28)
Regional Dynamics (3, 5, 9, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25) **
Global Issues (10, 13)

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2. Get the Right Books for Pakistan Affairs Paper

Research Based
a. Pakistan a new history, Ian Talbot
b. The making of Pakistan, K K Aziz
c. Pakistan: History and Politics, Rafiq Afzal
d. Foreign policy, a concise history, Abdul Sattar
e. A concise history of Pakistan by M R Kazmi
f. Pakistan beyond crisis state, Maleeha Lodhi
General Reading
a. Pakistan a Hard country Anatol Levien
b. The Idea of Pakistan by Stephen Philip Cohen
c. Struggle for Pakistan Ayesha Jalal
Paper Point of View
a. Pakistan Affairs by Ikram Rabbani
b. Trek to Pakistan (Pre Partition)

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POINT-TO-NOTE: The numbers written in brackets in front of the topics are in

accordance with the original syllabus of Pakistan Affairs by FPSC. The Asterisks show the
number of questions appeared in CSS 2016 Paper of Pakistan affairs.

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

3. Strategy for Pakistan Affairs Paper
a) Time Frame: Give around 15 to 20 days to this subject.
b) Past Paper Analysis (PPA): Get last 10 years past papers and list them
down under each related subheading of the syllabus topics mentioned
above. Refer to past paper study/analysis for Pak Affairs. Now you have
the topic and the general trend as to what types of questions are asked.
This would act as your guide.
c) Reading Books Strategy: Start with the books according to paper point of
view. Use them to make the basic structure of your bullet notes. But dont
forget to leave a few pages for additional note-taking after each topic. For
research based books, you better get them online, skim through them, and
only get the relevant material for quality arguments and add them to your
bullet notes. The books for general reading would expand your horizon
and give you a deeper insight regarding Pakistan studies.
d) Bullet Notes Strategy: Get a print out of the PPA. Take the cut-outs of
each topic and its past paper questions. Before starting to make notes,
paste the relevant topics PPA Cut-out on the top. This way youll have the
end in mind at all times. Study relevant material from paper point of view
Books and internet and construct a basic structure i.e. an outline covering
the topic in entirety. Leave 1 or 2 pages for add-on ideas/arguments. Now,
you may add further points later or whenever its feasible for you, but
make sure its before you start your revision process. This exercise would
help you outshine others.
e) Practice and Revision Process: Revise your bullet notes and keep
updating them by reading quality books and adding quality arguments.
Practice last ten years MCQs along with Past paper questions. Current
affair related topics overlap in Current Affairs and International Relations
Papers, which gives you an edge.
4. Youre good to go. Best of Luck!

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PAKISTAN STUDIES AREAS

1. Ideology of Pakistan and Reforms
a) Muslim rule in the Sub-Continent, its downfall and efforts for Renaissance
b) Ideology of Pakistan in the light of Speeches and statements of Allama Iqbal and
Quaid- i Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
c) Movements for reforms
i. Shaikh Ahmad Sarhindi
ii. Shah Waliullah
iii. Sayyid Ahmad Shaheed
iv. Aligarh, Deoband, Nadwah, and other educational institutionsSindh Madrassah and Islamia College Peshawar.

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DETAILED SYLLABUS DIVISION OF PAKISTAN AFFAIRS

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

2. Pre-Partition Era (Past Paper Analysis)
3. Land and People of Pakistan (Geography, Society, Natural resources, Agriculture,
Industry and education with reference to characteristics, trends and problems.)
4. Strategic and Political Aspects
a. Nuclear Program of Pakistan, its Safety and Security; International Concerns
b. Civil-Military Relations in Pakistan
c. Political Evolution Since 1971
d. Evolution of Democratic System in Pakistan
e. Changing Security Dynamics for Pakistan: Challenges to National Security of
Pakistan
f. Pakistans National Interest
g. Challenges to Sovereignty
h. Non-Traditional Security Threats in Pakistan: Role of Non-State Actors
5. Foreign Policy post 9/11
6. Constitutional Measures of Pakistan (The Recent Constitutional and Legal Debates, the
Latest Constitutional Amendments and Important Legislations, Legal Cases and the Role of
Higher Courts.)
CURRENT AFFAIRS AREAS
Socio-Economic Challenges
a. Economic Challenges in Pakistan: Economic Conditions of Pakistan, the Most Recent
Economic Survey, the Previous and Current Budgets, and the Problems and Performance
of Major Sectors of Economy.
b. The Prevailing Social Problems of Pakistan and the Strategies to Deal with Them,
Poverty, Education, Health and Sanitation.
c. Ethnic Issues and National Integration
d. Hydro Politics ; Water Issues in Domestic and Regional Context
e. Pakistans Energy Problems and their Effects

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Global Issues
a. The Palestine Issue
b. Pakistan and US War on Terror

46

Regional Dynamics
a. Pakistan and Changing Regional Apparatus and Pakistans Role in the Region
b. Regional Cooperation Organizations (SAARC,ECO,SCO) and the Role of Pakistan
c. Pakistans Relations with Neighbors excluding India
d. Pakistan and India Relations Since 1947
e. The Kashmir Issue
f. The war in Afghanistan since 1979 and its impact on, and challenges to Pakistan in the
Post 2014 era.
g. Proxy Wars: Role of External Elements

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

ISLAMIC STUDIES PAPER

Each years result surprised many as most of the failed candidates were a victim of this
paper. Purely for the sake of paper, set aside you confidence in your command over your faith
and seize this opportunity to study Islam in detail. The failure of so many candidates does
not mean that their faith is incomplete; rather they fail to understand the essence of
questions. There are also many false notions and myths about this paper that the candidates
must give moderate views in paper or otherwise prepare to be failed. These notions are false
and absurd. There is no room for confusion in Islam so give your clear cut view but do not
forget to prove it with effective argumentation and examples. The paper demands a critical
approach in every attempted question. Moreover, try to understand contemporary problems
from Islamic point of view.
Islamiat Paper- Urdu or English?
One more confusion about this paper is about attempting it in Urdu or English. This is no
issue as the main purpose is checking your knowledge. English or Urdu does not carry any
marks of their own, but your argumentation and presentation does. So choose the language
in which you can best attempt the paper. In my personal capacity and recommendation, I
suggest that one should opt this paper in English. The following reasons:

3.
4.

Syllabus of Islamic Studies

The students usually prepare two segments: Islamic Systems and Fundamental Problems
of the Humans and the Holy Quran and neglect the other two. But, only one or two
questions are asked from these segments and sometimes this number falls to zero. It is a
known fact that Islamiat paper in CSS exam has always been a tricky one. In CE 2014, 8628
candidates failed this very paper. Moreover, during 2005-11, the examiners have mainly
focussed the contemporary challenges to Islam. On the basis of my experience, the whole
range of question in Islamiat paper can be divided into following two core segments:
1. Islamic concepts and practices
a.
Beliefs
b.
Pillars of Islam
c.
Islamic Systems
2. Fundamental Problems of the Humans and the Holy Quran

47

2.

One is not enslaved to the formula of writing extended Hadith and Quran
References, required in Urdu
One is studying everything in English so it is good to keep practicing in the same
knowledge
The Urdu paper is also attempted from left to right of the answer sheet which
creates confusion
Good and precise attempt will fetch good marks while in Urdu a lot of effort is
required.

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1.

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

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Scoring High in Islamiat Paper:

While you are going to ink the answer sheet, sitting in CSS exam, you must understand two
things viz: what is being asked? And what would be the proper answer?
Following suggestions can be helpful in improving the quality of your answer to get the
maximum score:
11) Proper, coherent and impressive introduction to an answer is a prerequisite to
scoring high in Islamiat paper.
12) After providing an impressive introduction, the answer should be written in a style
that is simply rational and coherent.
13) Try to make an outline of each question.
14) Be focused that what youre going to write. There are usually three types of
sentences:
a. Issue-based
b. Argumentative, which may support the issue at hand
c. concluding, which are usually suggestion-based
15) During preparations you should focus basically the Islamic Systems and the
questions related to the fundamental problems of human beings and the importance
and role of the Holy Quran in finding solutions to them.
16) In paper, there is hardly any heed paid to maintain coherence and linkage between
the paragraphs and sequence of events.
17) Try to solve 5-7 years past papers.
18) Do write a relevant Quranic verse before starting to write the answer.
19) One more confusion is about the number of Ayats and Hadith references one has to
quote. It purely depends on the question. If you remember any relevant references
you should write preferably with other pen and some extra margin left on sides. But
even if you do not quote any references, this would not mean a big difference if you
answer the question effectively. Many candidates, including the writer, could not
quote a single reference in Islamiyat paper last year (2009) and still scored 70 per
cent marks in it.

48

The candidates should focus on above two core segments. Some topics for guideline may be:
a) Islamic concept of Universe and Humanity
b) Problems of life and Islamic solution
c) Beliefs on Risalate and Akhirat Blasphemy question
d) Social and moral codes in Islam vs Western Ethics
e) Islamic political system in comparison with modern democracy
f) Women rights in Islam and legislations against veil in West
g) Political and economic instability in Muslim World
h) Sectarian violence and terrorism in Pakistan
i) Sources of Shariah; Ijtehad

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49

20) Use of headings is purely defined by the question asked. If you have any suitable
heads for your arguments, use them with marker in bold style. But if questions
demand critical analysis, you might not need more than a few.
21) Objecting others is, unfortunately, rampant in our society. We hear criticism of
every sort almost round the clock. But, in CSS, it is not approved of by the
examiners. They just want to assess that which candidate has actually understood
the issue and what suggestions he has to help resolve the said issue. It has been
witnessed that some students become more-than-necessary critical while writing
the answers to questions related to Western culture or civilization or those related
to the issues of women. However, to score high, a balanced approach must be
followed.
22) The students do read the books but they fail to utilize their analytical skills and
creativity while writing down their answers. The students should consciously try to
think about the contemporary challenges to Islam and the ways to tackle those.
23) Aspirants should pay attention to the prevailing trend of questions in the actual
paper. So, read quality books and analyze.
24) Numerous aspirants, having no academic background in Islamiat, need a lot of
guidance but they do not bother to seek any.
25) The last, but not least, are spelling and grammar mistakes. Try to avoid them in the
paper.

Prepared by Aamir Mahar

RECOMMENDED BOOKS FOR COMPULSORY/ OPTIONAL SUBJECTS
ENGLISH ESSAY CAPACITY BUILDING
i. Sophies World: Jostein Gaarder
I. Philosophy
ii. Philosophy The Power of Ideas: Brooke Noel Moore

II. History

i. World History: B.V Rao

ii. Western Heritage: Donald Kagan

III. Economics

i. Economics: A Very Short Introduction: Partha Dasgupta

ii. Issues in Pakistans Economy: Akbar S Zaidi
iii. Economic Survey of Pakistan

IV. Literature

i. Siddhartha: Hermann Hesse

ii. Pleasures of Philosophy: Will Durant
Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell
2. Unpopular Essays by Bertrand Russell
3. Skeptical Essays by Bertrand Russell

V. Politics

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ESSAY WRITING TECHNIQUE

1. College Writing by Susan Anker
2. Academic Vocabulary in Use
3. Strategy of Essay Writing (Aamir Mahar)
4. Paragraphs & Essays (Prof. Manzoor Mirza)
ENGLISH (PRECIS AND COMPOSITION)
1. A Practical English Grammar (A. J. Thomson, A. V. Martinet)
2. Dictionary of Synonyms & Antonyms (Prof. Tariq Ali Khan)
3. Grammar by Raymond Murphy and Wren and Martin.
4. English Precis and Composition (Hafiz Karim Dad Chughtai)
5. All About Competitive English by Prof. Muzaffar Bukhari
6. Practical English Usage (Michael Swan)
7. Exploring the World of English by Sayyid Saadat
GENERAL SCIENCE & ABILITY
1. General Science (Mian Shafiq)
2. Encyclopedic Manual of Everyday Science (Dr. Rab Nawaz Samo)
CURRENT AFFAIRS
1. Dawn Newspaper, and Express Tribune

50

i. Politics A very short Introduction: Kenneth Minogue

ii. Introduction to Political Science: Mazhar ul Haq
iii. Penguin Dictionary of Politics

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2. The Economist Magazine (Online)

3. Current Affairs Digest by Safdar Mehmood. (Awesome compilation of current
affairs)
4. Foreign Policy Magazine
5. You should also check online websites including for Current Affairs:
www.newsweekpakistan.com/
www.economist.com/
www.foreignpolicy.com/
www.spiegel.de/international/
PAKISTAN AFFAIRS
1. Pakistan a new history (Ian Talbot)
2. A Concise History of Pakistan (M. R. Kazmi)
3. The Making of Pakistan (K K Aziz)
4. Pakistan: History & Politics (Rafiq Afzal)
5. Foreign Policy, A Concise History (Abdul Sattar)
6. Pakistan Beyond Crisis State (Maleeha Lodhi)
7. Trek to Pakistan (Ahmad Saeed)
8. Pakistan Affairs (Ikram Rabbani)
9. The Military & Politics in Pakistan (Hasan Askari Rizvi)
ISLAMIAT
1. Farkhanda Noor Muhammad
2. Islam Its Meaning and Message, Khurshid Ahmed
3. Islamic Ideology S.M Shahid
4. Islamic Studies by Hafiz Karim Dad Chughtai
5. A document on Islam by Caravan Book House
ECONOMICS
Paper I:
1. KK Dewett (Modern Economic Theory)
2. Paul A. Samuelson (Economics international edition)
Paper II:
1. Economics of Pakistan by Saeed Nasir and Kamal Haider
JOURNALISM
1. Journalism for All by Dr. Mehdi Hassan
2. Exploring Journalism by Mirza Muhammad Yousaf
3. Journalism in Pakistan by Dr Abdus Salam Khurshid
4. Journalism for All by Dr Mehdi Hassan & Dr Abdus Salam Khurshid
5. Journalism for CSS/PMS by Quratulain & Haseeb Gohar
SOCIOLOGY
1. An Introduction to Sociology by Abdul Hameed Taga
2. Sociology by Horton and Hunt
3. Social Problems of Pakistan by Dr Muhammad Khalid
POLITICAL SCIENCE
1. Western Political Thought by Judd Harmon

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2. Muslim Political Thought by S.M. Shahid

3. Political Science Theory and Practice by Mazhar ul Haq
4. World Constitutions by S. Kaely
AGRICULTURE
1. Agriculture by Masood A Qureshi
2. Agriculture by Asif Malik
FORESTRY
1. Forestry by Prof. Masood A Qureshi
2. Yellow pages on Dawn News (Monday edition)
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
1. Public Administration by Dr. Sultan Khan
2. Personnel Management by Dr. Sultan Khan
3. Public administration by M. Suhail bhatti
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
1. Management by Stephen. P. Robins and Mary Coulter
2. Principle of Marketing by Philip Kotler
3. Strategic Management by Fred.R.David
INDO PAK HISTORY
1. Indo Pak History by K. Ali
2. Indo Pak History by Sohail Bhatti
3. Trek to Pakistan by Ahmed Saeed
4. Pakistan Affairs by Ikram Rabbani
5. Constitutional and Political history of Pakistan by Hamid Khan
ISLAMIC HISTORY AND CULTURE
1. Study of Islamic History by K. Ali
2. History of Islam by Mazhar ul Haq.
EUROPEAN HISTORY
1. Mastering Modern European History by Stuart T. Miller
2. About European History by L.P. Cock
3. European History by I J Chawla
BRITISH HISTORY
1. British History by Birdsall S. Viault
2. Mastering Modern British History by Norman Lowe
3. Modern English History by G.W. Southgate
4. British History for CSS by Dr Waheed Asghar
HISTORY OF USA
1. History of USA by R.K Majumdar and A.N. Srivastva
2. A Brief History of United States of America by John J Newman
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
1. World Constitutions by Kealy
2. How states are Governed
INTERNATIONAL LAW
1. International Law by tandon

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2. International Law by Agarwal

3. International Law by S.K. Kapoor
4. International Law by J.J. Starke
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. International Relations by Prakash Chander
2. International Relations and Poltical Theory by Kamran Shahid
3. Globalization of world politics by baylis
4. IR by Peu ghosh 3rd edition
MUSLIM LAW AND JURISPRUDENCE
1. Muslim Law by D.F. Mullah
2. The Principles of Muhammad Jurisprudence by Abdul Raheem
GEOGRAPHY
1. Modern Physical Geography by Sarfraz Ahmed Bajwa
2. Economic Geography by Fazal Karim
3. Human Geography by Deblij
4. Human geography Raza ullah khan
PSYCHOLOGY
1. Psychology by Feldman
2. Psychology by Sherbano
3. Introduction to Psychology by Morgan & King
4. Abnormal Psychology by Neil Davisson
5. Psychology by Ali Ajmal
PERSIAN
1. Gul e Farsi
2. Gulzar e Farsi
3. Notes of Persian available on Punjabi University Photostat Shop
ARABIC
1. Tareekh e Adab e Arabi by Ahmad Hassan Zyat
2. Notes of Hafiz Arshad
PUNJABI
Punjab Rang by Qamar Husnain Qadri and Faisal Hayat Jappa
PASHTO
Pohanna
SINDHI
1. Sindhi Adab Jo Tanqidi Ibheyas by Abdul Majeed Memon
2. Sindhi Boli Ji Mukhtasar Tarikh by Leghari
3. Sindhi Adab Jo Mukhtasir Jaiza by Abdul Jabbar Junejo
BALOCHI
Chakkar by Aqil Baloch.
URDU (PMS)
Urdu by Ahmed Najeeb
MERCANTILE LAW
1- Mercantile and Industrial Laws by Khuwaja Amjad Saeed

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54

2- Mercantile Law by M.C Shukla

STATISTICS
Stats by Prof. Sher Muhammad Chaudhry for Ba/BSc.
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING
1) Gani & EJAZ's Principles of accounting and Advanced Accounting (Final
accounts, Partnership, Bank reconciliation, Non-profit organizations and capital and
revenue)
2) Meigs and Meigs' Accounting-basis for business decision (Chapter 1 to 5)
3) Shukla's Financial Accounting 1 (Additional practice)
COST ACCOUNTING
1) Matz & usury's Cost accounting (chapter 1 to 6) and standard costing, budgeting,
by-product costing and marginal costing
2) Hilton's managerial accounting (Additional practice and theory for objective type
preparation) standard costing, marginal costing, process costing, budgeting, LIFO
and FIFO.
GENDER STUDIES
Gender Studies by Nawaz Khalid
CRIMINOLOGY
1. Theoretical Criminology by George Vold
2. Criminology and the Core by Lary Seigel
BUSINESS ORGANIZATION
Introduction to Business by Saeed Nasir (only related topics)
MISCELLANOUS
1. Encyclopaedia of General Knowledge (Adeel Niaz)
2. General Knowledge Advance MCQs (M. Imtiaz Shahid, Attyia Bano)
3. General Knowledge Advance (M. Imtiaz Shahid)

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EBOOKS YOU NEED

55

Strategy of Essay Writing by Aamir Mahar

English Ebook
Islamiat Notes in Urdu
Pakistan Affairs
International Relations
USA History
Islamic Studies in English
Science Capsule (GSA)
Psychology Ebook
International Law
Precis Writing Notes
NOA's published Gender Studies by Amanullah Gondal
Public Administration Material
Agriculture & Forestry Capsule
Gender Studies Capsule
USA History (JBD)
United Nations Organization (UNO)
The Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
Middle East Conflict (Comprehensive Article)
Kyoto Protocol
NSG & Pakistan
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

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1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)
16)
17)
18)
19)
20)
21)
22)
23)

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MAKING SHORT/BULLET NOTES

The more elaborative, thorough and comprehensive your first reading is, the more you will
learn, and the lesser time you will need to revise that subject later. Now some people ask if
they should make notes or not. Making good notes is an open secret of success of candidate.
Making notes is a part of preparation for CSS Examination and other competitive exams.
The luxury of making full-length notes is available to those only who spend more than 6-8
months preparing for CSS Examination. If you can organize the material on your books by
marking with pencil/pointer etc, that should work, that will be your notes. But if you still
want to write something from your own hands (some people cant survive without it,
including me) you can make Short/Bullet Notes. In Bullet notes making, you need to
highlight the facts and figures. For a 4 page answer, you can easily write 10-15 different and
unique points. Where complete notes include the information as well as analysis, bullet
notes only contain the information. Bullet points help you in preparing for your MCQs as
well. One page bullet notes greatly assist in building Pictorial memory. Thats what you
need.
Good Notes ensures high grades in the examination. Questionnaires filled out by successful
students show that 80% candidates attribute their success to good notes. Making good
notes is a skill.
The Important Properties of Helpful Notes:
I. Easily understandable
II. Easily revisable
III. Save time because you dont have to read book again for learning them
IV. Refreshes key points of lecture and book
V. Help to learn how to present answer in answer sheet in befitting way, to get more
marks.
VI. It contains collective information of text book, guide books and lecture.
VII. Increase your interest
VIII. Notes are written in your own hand writing, you feel acquainted to them and you pick
up easily.
IX. It gives you food for thought.

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Taking Notes from Books: It is really important to understand the technique of notes
making. If you have at least two books for any compulsory or optional subject, it is better
you open both for taking notes. Get focused on each sentence while you study. Extract key
points from each paragraph and write it down. Write down the important information from

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How to make helpful Notes?

Notes are usually taken from lecture of teacher and books or books. There are two steps in
making notes.
i. Taking Notes
ii. Shaping them

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both books which help to remind all the explanation attached to the topic. Do write the
technical terms used in book, you need to memorize these terms so your notes should
contain it. Write down the definitions. Definitions are very much important you can write
it in your own words but you cant its idea. So your notes should have them.
Shaping Notes: Generally, we take notes you take from class lecture may be a in a
haphazard way because you have to focus on lecture to learn as well. Similarly notes taken
from books may not in proper format as you have to focus on learning as well. The notes you
take should be shaped in proper way so that it can be properly used in future. Shaping notes
according to the question format of exam helps you present you answer in befitting way.
There are different ways to shape notes.
i.
Writing in points
ii.
Writing in paragraphs
iii.
Making diagram, tables or chart

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Whatever your method is but always remember some points for making your notes useful.
i. Use heading and sub-headings
ii. Use abbreviation and short words
iii. All the lines or paragraphs should be in proper sequence
iv. Skip the unnecessary explanation
v. Write in good handwriting
vi. Make easy diagram or table for long description
vii. Write page number on each page if you are use loose pages for making notes.
viii. Notes for different subject should be separate. Never write notes for different
subject on one page or in one note book which has no separation line.
ix. Keep your notes in a safe place because you use it many times for revision and
preparation for exam.
x. If you are using a note book or register for making notes, it is good. Write on each
note book, the name of subject of note it contain.

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It depends on you which way you like to write your notes. But candidates preparing for CSS
Examination, whose exam also comprise of MCQs and writing outlines, prefer writing
notes in points. Bullet notes should be very compact, yet very detailed notes of every article,
with the whole chapter covered on 2-3 pages at max. Write the main headings, write the
keywords contained in that heading in front of it in bullet form, and move to next heading.
Make sure you put all the headings you made on book on the paper. Short/Bullet notes
satisfy the craving of making notes plus they come handy during revisions and during the
exams when you do not have the time to go through the books. A cursory reading of these
compact notes can get it all refreshed in your mind. On the other hand many candidates
prefer Writing notes in paragraphs.

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xi.

If you are making notes on loose pages, write page number on each page. Keep all
pages in a folder and write name of subject on its folder.

Start Writing Notes from a book:

1. Start with the books according to paper point of view. Use them to make the basic
structure of your bullet notes. But dont forget to leave a few pages for additional
note-taking after each topic.
2. For research based books, you better get them online, skim through them, and only
get the relevant material for quality arguments and add them to your bullet notes.
3. The books for general reading would expand your horizon and give you a deeper
insight regarding your subject.

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A Sample of Bullet Notes: A sample of bullet notes is taken from my ebook Science Capsule
by Aamir Mahar is given below:

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TIME MANAGEMENT IN CSS EXAM PREPARATION

Time is a precious recourse for a candidate. For utilizing your time more effectively, you
should follow a time table. Make a time table for CSS Exam Preparation, in which you have
time for your compulsory and optional subjects as well as
time for refreshment and other daily activities. Some
subjects needs comparatively more concentration, assign
them the time in which you are more active, alert and agile.
When you make your time table, paste it on wall in front of
your study chair so that you can see it and follow it. The
more important than making time table is, to follow it. Try
to follow your time table. In the beginning you may find it a
little hard to follow your time table but if you follow it for a
week then you will like to follow it forever. Another thing is
this time span is estimated with viewing of getting good
positions. There could be no time span if one claims oneself
a fatalist and insist to enjoy the aftermaths of one's
adventure based on high stars rather than on deliberation.
Well, CSS Examination is not the end of the world. If one remains calm and study in a
systematic way, one can surely pass. Now, how do we go about doing that? Thats when you
make a study plan. Aspirants, its just like walking on the ladder, take one step at a time and
you wouldnt even realize you are at the top. Remember; always remain cool, calm and
focused. Now, lets get to the steps.
Step 1: Relax!
As CSS is a psychological game, you need to learn to control yourself
emotionally as well as physically. This is the first step to strengthen you
psychologically. You dont get everything in one day, so be patient and have
faith in Allah as well as yourself. Sab set jayay ga, dont worry!

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Step 3: Calculate Your Time

In order to plan something all the resources and to-do lists are gathered. We
believe our biggest resource is time, so lets count it. Its almost the start of
August 2016. So we have approximately 6 months and 180 days in total. Now,

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Step 2: Know the Basics

Well, many people ask me about the basics of CSS such as how many papers
are there, when you apply and all. Now is the time to get your homework done.
Get a copy of CE syllabus, search sites e.g. CSS forum to know all the basics of
CSS. Lets clear our concepts first. Seriously, if you dont research then, who
would?

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lets assume an average candidate can spend 4 hours daily for CSS preparation.
So we have 720 hours in total (4180). Keep this in mind.
Now, we need to calculate what we need. There are 12 subjects including
compulsory and optional. Now lets take one subject at a time. If we take
Pakistan Affairs, there are almost 30 topics (considering the new syllabus of
course). Even if one average candidate spends 1.5 hours to study one topic, s/he
would need 45 hours for one subject right? We can apply the same formula to
other subjects including optional (645=270) and compulsory (445=180). Now
for English Essay and English (Prcis and Composition) you can spend 50
hours each (250=100). Total time we need is 550 hours or 140 days.
How much time we had? 720 hours. How much we need? 550 hours. Wow, we
just got 40 extra days. Cool? You can spend that time to cover up anything you
lack. And remember the revision strategy I shared while making notes, the
Pictorial memory technique. That will help you to revise while you prepare. I
will be sharing the techniques to make bullet notes in another post. Wait for
that
Step 4: Design Your Schedule
Now, write down all topics of each subject along with the time you have
allocated for it. As you go along preparing notes within the time limit, deduct
that time from the quota of the respective subject. This way you will have
everything managed. Move smoothly.
Step 5: Start Studying
Always start with the subject that you like most so that a rhythm is created.
Dont aim for perfection the very first day guys. Slowly adjust your study plan
into your schedule according to your ease. Never force yourself, youll get
nowhere. You eat when you get hungry, similarly, study when you feel like. But
stay committed and true to yourself and your goals.
Step 6: Keep Running
Along this journey of CSS preparation, you may feel stressed or too much
worried at times. You are a world within yourself and You gotta do what you
gotta do! Never forget that!

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Finally, you are all set to embark this wonderful journey.

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PREPARE YOURSELF FOR CSS EXAM IN 4-6 MONTHS (SAMPLE)

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After offering Fajar prayers go back to sleep, when it is 9 o'clock, just wake up from the sleep
and prepare yourself for the day. After taking bath do that breakfast which gives you
balanced diet. After doing breakfast when you go to the library, so follow the following
timetable one by one:
1) Read Express Tribune plus Dawn. Get all the important news from the paper
which took place yesterday. Come towards the opinions, grasp opinions about
different writers on different topics of the concurrent. After that read out the
international news page also and keep yourself in touch with the world also.
(Spend 30-40 minutes to newspapers)
2) After that start preparing your 200 marks subject, give it almost 2 hours.
3) Close the books and everything, go to somewhere just to take refreshment, drink
fresh juices also.
4) Come back and take your place, now give 50 mins, 50 minutes to your optionals.
(Don't miss your Zuhar in this time.)
5) After that take little round, discuss the things which you read in newspapers with
your friend. Whenever you will discuss it, I am sure you wouldn't forget it then, as
through discussions the brain get things in an effective way.
6) In the last hours just revise what you read all the day. And write somehow the main
points on the sheets. While writing the points on sheet will help you even more to
keep things in your brain. (Don't miss Asar prayers.)
7) After offering Maghrib, just take another break for few hours and enjoy indoor
activities, social networking etc.
8) Offer Esha, eat dinner and after that when you will go to study room. Now, spend
two hours in written practice in answering questions from Past Papers. Think,
youve 2 hours and 30 mins to attempt 4 questions i.e. 37 mins per question. Unless,
you have developed the habit of finishing your answer within 30 mins and have
practiced it well before examination, youll start feeling the pressure as soon as you
get the Question Paper.
9) Repeat this schedule all the 5 days in a week.
10) On Saturdays practice only essays.
11) On Sundays practice Precis and Composition, Islamiyat and Pakistan Affairs.

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ROLE OF ACADEMIES IN CSS EXAM PREPARATION

For me, the academies are not necessary for CSS Exam Preparation. I never went to any
academy but once, when it became abundantly clear to me that its just wastage of time and
money to attend any academy. (CSP Muhammad Bin Ashraf, 1st Position in CSS-2011)
Academies for CSS Exam Preparation:
1. Academies have at least more than 40-50 candidates in one class and it is almost
impossible to give you individual attention.
2. They provide you ready made notes. I think that these notes are prepared by people
who might be lower in mental capabilities than you. So even if you are more
comfortable with notes, its better to prepare your own notes which are always much
better than any so called golden or diamond notes.
3. The way teachers assess your (aspirants) tasks is very aweful. They give it anyone at
all just to check and give marks.
4. I suggest you to prefer individual teacher on Essay Writing only. Write essays and
get them checked by teacher to identity mistakes.
Dont be discouraged. If you have any plans for joining academy then dont waste your
time and money on sub-standard academies, just go for the best in the business.
According to my opinion the best academies are:
1st Officers Academy Lahore,
2nd KIPs Academy and
3rd Toppers Academy

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This is not some ordinary examination because examiner is asking for your and only your
ideas regarding a specific question (not of someone whose notes you have been studying).
Your own ideas, own reading and own notes make sense. All remaining things can be a
source of information and guidance but not a source of learning. So please avoid preparation
of CSS from notes made by others. Rely completely upon your own research, study,
knowledge, opinion and notes. I want you to read an excerpt from the Examiner's report of
CSS-2015, published by FPSC. This one is for Current Affairs. "The overall performance of
the candidates was satisfactory if we compare the result in hand with some previous years
otherwise I do not consider it pleasing. More than 60 per cent candidates took the test
without preparation. Among 40 percent who somehow prepared for the exam mostly follow
the instruction they might have received from various CSS academies as their approach to
attempt the question and the contents they presented were similar. Hardly five percent
contestants used their own mind and methodology to respond to the questions."

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A Point to Understand: Many aspirants tell me that they have notes of some academy or
CSPs and that they want guidance how to read and comprehend things. All such students
are advised that notes are for having an idea only. Notes are not to be relied upon completely.

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PREPARE ANY SUBJECT IN 15 DAYS

Step 1: Get the Stuff
Get a hold of last ten years past papers including the MCQs, Syllabus, and quality
books and resources for a particular subject. This has to be done before starting the
preparation.
Point to note: There are two types of books for any subject, one that helps clear out
the concepts and the other that is according to paper point of view. Get both the
types. There is hardly any ONE-BOOK Solution for any subject as you would merely
find all the topics in one book having strong arguments. Basically, your writing
depicts your level of understanding, which determines your score at the end, so make
sure you invest properly to increase your intellectual capacity (that is only done by
reading quality resources).
Step 2: Keep the End in Mind
Make a study plan. Chalk out 30 topics from the syllabus and write down all the past
paper questions (PPQ) under the relevant topic headings. This exercise might take a
day.
Step 3: Start Studying
Get relevant material from the books and online resources. Keeping in mind the PPQ,
you should start making bullet notes of 3 topics a day, in a way that all the relevant
material of PPQ is a part of your notes. (Remember to keep the end in mind).
For instance, you need to prepare a topic for Pakistans Ideology in Pak Affairs, search
for relevant material/topics from all the books, read the PPQ, and make bullet notes
in a way that you are answering the PPQs. Make around 10 to 15 unique, coherent,
and logical points.
Step 4: Youre Good to Go!

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Spend 10 days doing 3 topics a day and spend the last 5 days revising and practicing
PPQs. You need to write quality answers with solid arguments so do practice writing
the answers of a few past paper questions. Also, practice last ten years past paper
MCQs.

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IMPROVE YOUR WRITTEN EXPRESSION

English is most essential and prerequisite of CSS Exam. The very prime cause of concern
which an aspirant comes across has been the Dilemma Regarding Written Expression. This
myth has somewhat been presented as a very queer and hard-to-get kind of phenomenon.
ASP Kamran Adil says, Excellent command on English language is a pre-requisite. If a
person's English is not up to the mark, even ten years of preparation will not help him. One
does not get birth with the mastery over a language. One learns it through consistent hardwork and efforts. Improving language is a continuous process. One should be clear in
expressions. As Mathew Arnold says, Have something to say, and say it as clearly as
possible".
The more one writes the better expressions become. Mind is receptive: One should read and
listen more to be good at writing and speaking. As Francis Bacon says, Reading maketh a
full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. Write on daily basis and get
writings checked by an English teacher. Read dawn, magazines, novels, and different books
to learn and improve English and expressions. Try to write in a prcised way in own words
what you read. And, indeed, brevity is soul of wit. Bring brevity and beauty in your
composition; write in flow along-with coherence and unity. Practice! Practice! And Practice
is the only way to achieve impressive expressions and striking English.
My slice of advice might look irrational to some but its quite useful since I have myself
found it quite effective.

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1. On daily basis, for merely 2 hours, select paragraphs from the newspapers randomly
and read those one by one and write their crux.
2. For instance, take up a paragraph, read that out twice or thrice and then quickly and
precisely write down whatever you are able to recollect.
3. Such practice will help you in different perspectives.
4. Your writing practice will immensely improve.
5. Your expression will be polished since you will surely be learning few new words and
getting accustomed to the sentence-structure used in the paragraph.
6. As you write down the crux of whatever you have gained, you will be able to write
precisely and to the point in exams.
7. Your memory will be sharpened since the piece of writing first goes through your
eyes, stored in your in mind via pictorial memory and then further cemented when
you write it down.
8. It will also help you develop in you the ability to be precise and to the point when
you'll be taking the exams.
9. The vocabulary will itself get injected into your mind.

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ART OF ATTEMPTING PAPER

Your future hinges on the 3-hour performance that
you actually give on paper in the examination hall.
Its always better to do some written practice along
with your reading process. See, it might happen
with you during the paper that you feel yourself
overstuffed with knowledge about a given question
but struggle to find the right words to express them.
Or it might happen that you are clueless about how
to start your answer. All this is a result of no written
practice and it may prove disastrous at the end. So, I
will advise you all to make it a habit to write for at
least 1 to 1.5 hours continuously daily for not less
than 45 to 60 days before the start of papers as this will help you a lot.
The additional aspect of this written practice should be that in your initial days, you must
write about something that you have prepared in the whole day. For example, if you have
gone through 10 questions of Indo-Pak History today, ask your friend to randomly give you a
topic and you start writing about it. During the next phase, it should be so that if you have
prepared 10 questions today, write in one hour a gist of all these events in a chronological
order. It is very significant that you are able to make connections between different events
and draw allusions from different sources as they will add real spice to your answers. So
while you are undergoing the written practice, try to inculcate this habit into your
expression. Remember, your performance in a paper overwhelming relies on good
expression; so the refiner you expression is the better chances you have to accrue maximum
benefit from the examiner.

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1. Self-analysis & Self-control

This is what you have to do well before you actually sit in the examination hall.
Many candidates fail because they couldn't defeat their fears. That makes your
target difficult and formidable. Know yourself and control your emotions. All CSS
candidates are, more or less, of same intellect; however, calmer and more rational
individuals get through. You can also be one of those few if you take into
consideration two basic things: (i) accept the reality and (ii) look ahead and find
solutions.
For instance, you are not a good memorizer, you cannot write well, sitting too
long is difficult for you, you have some problems in finishing your answer

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While answering a question the most significant thing to keep in your mind is to
communicate your viewpoint strongly through convincing arguments using lucid language.
Let's have a look at 10 steps that will surely help you answer the question in a way that
convinces the examiner.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

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2.

properly, a sudden emotional setback or some tragedy has overwhelmed you, and
so on; many such issues can be challenging for you. But to accept this challenge
and overcome it is the real key to success. Don't shy away from your weaknesses
and unfavourable circumstances; unfold and rectify them.
Time Management
Time management is a skill and you need to attain it. Time is very crucial;
especially when you are sitting in exam hall. You have 2 hours and 30 minutes to
attempt 4 questions i.e. 37 minutes per question. Unless you have developed the
habit of finishing your answer within 30 minutes and have practiced it well before
examination, you will start feeling the pressure as soon as you get the question
paper. Remember, time should be managed in such a way that you ward off
unwanted pressure that can destroy your efforts and can let you down.
Reading Question Paper
It is absolutely self-destructive to read the first question and start writing the
answer offhand. Give at least 3 readings to the question paper. First reading is just
cursory. In second reading, decide which questions you can answer the best. In
third reading, mark those questions and be sure about them.
Brainstorming & Outlining
Next, do brainstorming and make outlines of questions you are going to attempt.
This can be done while the third reading. This saves your time and makes your
written expression eloquent. Brainstorming clarifies that for which question you
have ample material. Outlines will make it clear that how to answer and how
much to answer and your writing will be more coherent and fluent.
Sequence of Attempting Questions
Generally, candidates attempt the best question first and the weakest question in
end. This is a passive approach. All questions must be, preferably, given equal
time while the weak one should be given due importance as giving up on your 20
marks isn't a wise choice.
Opening the Answer
Always give proper beginning to your answer. The starting point must be the
introduction of your question. Give a comprehensive introduction. Remember,
Background or History is a different thing. Opening sentence must be the topic
sentence. Talk expansively about the topic and in the end give thesis statement.
You can certainly begin with quotation or reference but it must be relevant to the
statement of question.
Use of Headings, Quotations, Figures, Maps and References
Headings should be elaborate; avoid one-word headings to facilitate the examiner.
When quoting, use proper quotations and mention the reference too. In Islamiyat
paper, while quoting from the Holy Quran and the Ahadith, don't ever quote
without proper reference. Give maximum quotations to support your argument.
Also give facts and figures with references. Vague, untrue and bogus figures must
be avoided. Reference of any official document can be given from which figures

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have been quoted. Draw diagrams or maps wherever they are part of answer. As in
Geography I, diagrams elucidate answer and in Geography II, maps are drawn to
elaborate answer.
8. Building Answer
Build answer with cogent arguments. Pragmatic and logical opinion containing
statistics, references, sociopolitical, religious and economic factors; and domestic
and international aspects should be covered. Always avoid sweeping statements,
biased views and planted answers. Try to make a separate heading of Analysis
and give very comprehensive and to-the-point remarks.
9. Closing the Answer
Conclusion must be as strong as introduction was. Recapitulate all the ideas that
you discussed and finish answer strongly. Analysis and Conclusion can be
brought under single heading such as Final Comments or Concluding Ideas or
Ending Remarks or Suggestive Note. Your answer remains incomplete without
conclusion so never ignore it!
10. Conclusion
Write relevant, overcome your weaknesses, manage your time well and control
your emotions. It is totally an absurd idea that CSS is a game of chance or a matter
of luck. Work hard consistently, think positive, stay focused, prepare
scientifically and leave rest to the Almighty. Enhance your knowledge base. Your
expression should be convincing and logical. You should practice 6 hours writing
on the pattern of real exam so that you do not feel.

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GENERAL TIPS FOR WRITING AN ANSWER

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1. You have only first ten minutes to select the questions with rough idea.
2. When u have selected the question (except compulsory) find out those four
questions which can be best answered by you.
3. Time for each question is almost 35-37 minutes.
4. Length of answer should be 6, 7 or 8.
5. Mark the most prepared questions with more relevant material.
6. Remember that you don't have to beat about the bust, read the sequence of the
things asked in question and answer all the key words one by one.
7. As it is highly important to write relevant material, therefore underline the main
points of the question.
8. Deeply analyze what the question is demanding i.e. Is it about to write reasons,
effects, solution, your opinion or simply the information about the topic?
9. Opening of an answer may be:
a) Write a short outline describing the main points with heading in 7-8 minutes.
b) Write an opening paragraph while the answering the main points of the
question. This is called Exact & Direct Technique.
10. Then develop each paragraph describing the relevant material.
11. Use of language should be convincing, concise and correct.
12. Your answer should include facts and figures, arguments, examples, references and
quotations.
13. Try to use different mode for attempting Question; avoid typical style from
introduction to conclusion.
14. Conclusion must contain repetition of main points.
15. Always use blue ink pen and keep ink remover with you so you have one chance to
undo to what you did. Remove all cuttings that give bad impressions. (Only blue,
black pen and pencil is allowed in examination hall and strict instructions are given
in the 1st page of answer sheet about using of color pens.)
16. Both MCQs sheet and answer sheet is given at the same time, so its better to do
MCQs quick in order to save time for the last question, which you will attempt in
the end of paper.
17. Don't use generic and journalistic terms for every subject, rather use specialised
terminologies of the same subject.
18. Most importantly, we don't focus on expression while attempting question which is
a must for good score.

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Solving a paper of CSS Exam does not require ordinary techniques that one used to apply in
school and university. While you are going to ink the answer sheet, sitting in CSS exam, you
must understand two things viz: what is being asked? And what would be the proper
answer? I think there are some of the general tips needed for better performance in the
written portion of the CSS Exam. Here is the simplified scheme to solve any paper (Islamiat
is also included).

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Generally you are at a loss to pin point your answers in response to prefixes and suffixes
in questions. It is for your convenience, I'm trying to make explicit what is meant by
these words and what you will write.
1. Critically Examine or Examine: You have to be critical from the word go. Be
authentic and not casual. You have to give the positive aspects as well as negative
aspects of the asked problem or proposition but an attempt should be made to
critically negate the proposition or the statement.
2. Evaluate: It is a related prefix or suffix to examine or critically examine. In this also
you present the positive aspects as well as negative aspects but you remain neutral.
No need to demolish the proposition.
3. Comment: Most questions carry a prefix of `comment. In this you are free to take
sides. A comment gives you the freedom to go in for or against the proposition. The
arguments must be logically arranged. Comment generally means you are expected
to give your view. You have to present the facts and arguments systematically.
4. Discuss: It is also a very common prefix and suffix in social science questions. You
are expected write both sides, pros and cons of a proposition. Discuss refers to an
exposition of the whole problem. An attempt should be made to write all aspects of
a proposition. Be elaborative i.e. give all points in brief but dont take any sides.
5. Analyse: It requires you to dissect the problem. This means you are trying to operate
the whole problem like a surgeon on a body or a part there of. You give reasons and
the causes under lying the phenomena.
6. Explain: It requires you to analyze first and then convince the examiner by
examples, illustrations, and case studies. You want to make him/her understand the
problem or the proposition thoroughly.
7. Illustrate/ Enumerate/ Elaborate/ Describe: They are almost identical terms.
Normally in central services examinations describe is not given but other queries are
there. In all these cases you state the facts or arguments in a straight forward
manner. No criticisms should be attempted. Detailed description is required.
8. Substantiate: It means you have to prove a particular proposition. You give only
positive aspects. You present your arguments as a lawyer. You convince the
examiner.
Sometimes the queries are straight like what a particular phenomenon is, why such
things occurred, sometimes there is a question like bring out the major features or write
the main causes. In all such cases you write in straight forward and simple manner.
Sometimes you are asked to distinguish between two phenomena. In this you first write
about the: a) one phenomenon b) then you write about the other c) then you write the
similarities d) next you write the differences and then you give e) a concluding remark.
Sometimes despite all instructions you feel you are not able to write according to a plan
then simply follow a set pattern: a) introduction b) give main points c) explain the
points with examples, scholar`s opinion, illustrations, case studies if possible and finally
a conclusion. Conclusion must be written in very brief summary containing main points.

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UNDERSTAND THE TERMINOLOGIES USED IN THE QUESTIONS

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ROLE OF CRAMMING IN CSS EXAM PREPARATION

Cramming is the last minute extensive study for an exam in an attempt to absorb large
volumes of information through repetitive reading. It is, sometimes, effective on a short-term
basis but long-term retention of information is usually poor and understanding is minimal.
Cramming is discouraged by educators for it fosters a culture of knowledge without
understanding. It plagues our educational institutes where students are prepared for
examinations through cramming instead of active learning and critical thinking.
Scope of Cramming in CSS Exam Preparation
CSS Exam is different from university system in that there is no force driving your studies
other than yourself. You have to plan its schedule and deadlines. During your first reading of
each subject, you must rely on critical thinking a study approach based on intellectuallydisciplined process of analyzing and evaluating information read from books or other
sources. CSS Exam demands more than mere acquisition and retention of information. The
aspirants must inculcate in them the habit of questioning assumptions and concepts and of
reasoning before jumping on to conclusions.
Cramming comes handy when candidates have prepared the subject and are in a revision
process. They need a bit of cramming for some papers where they need to review certain
stats and figures. They need it more in Prcis & Composition paper for the objective part
containing synonyms and antonyms, pairs of words and idioms. For other papers, they need
to cram Quotations, dates, names of important books and authors, etc.

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Cramming Techniques: Following cramming techniques are useful for candidates during
revision process:
1. Organization
Candidates need to organize and classify information into similar groups.
2. Use of Abbreviations & mnemonics
Similarly, they can create abbreviations and mnemonics for memorizing a list of
things that are otherwise difficult to remember completely.
3. Reducing information into Notes
It is a very useful technique to take out summaries of what you read in outline form
notes. Notes are effective for revision as it saves considerable amount of time.
4. Highlighting important terms
During reading, they should highlight important terms and statistics and read those
over repeatedly in order to memorize.

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CSS EXAM PREPARATION AT COLLAGE/ UNIVERSITY STAGE!

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If you decide to make civil services a career at your College or University stage, try to follow
these things:
1. Improve your English Grammar and English Writing Skills.
2. Read two recommended books of important compulsory subjects (Current Affairs,
Pakistan Affairs and Islamiat) very carefully as they are little encyclopedias and also
comprehend them carefully.
3. Read one national newspaper and a magazine regularly.
4. Watch TV news (one prime time bulletin which covers major national and
international news every day). TV channels give an overall news/views scenario on
their prime time slots.
5. Listening to evening/ night news bulletins/analysis is a must. They provide invaluable
background information and a balanced opinion on major issues. Evening news
bulletins give an overview of the prominent news stories of the day.
6. Follow one competitive examination magazine regularly. That will give you the latest
trends about civil services and other competitive examinations and also give you
important information in capsule form.
7. Discussions on current affairs on standard TV channel should be followed by a
student to learn "how the arguments take place and how arguments are built up".
8. Discuss things/news items with your friends and family members that will give
confidence of taking a stand against any issue.
9. Once you enter 3rd or 4th year of your preparation, you can go through the past
papers of CSS Exam. Students in the first year also can go through these papers, but
it would be difficult for a person to understand all the questions because he/she
might have not studied the entire syllabi.
10. In the first step itself, if you take the question paper and if you don't know most of
the questions, it will deject you. There is nothing to get dejected at this stage.
11. If you complete your one or two Compulsory subject(s) at the college/University
level, it will be easy for you to crack the CSS Exam in the first attempt itself.

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COMMON MISTAKES IN CSS EXAM PREPARATION

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1. Take Syllabus as Bible

The first and the foremost mistake is that the aspirants do not look into the
syllabus prescribed by FPSC. Once you start your preparation, the Bible of every
aspirant should be the Syllabus. The right activity that should be carried out is that
give importance to each and every word given in the syllabus, see whether that part
of the syllabus, questions of arisen in the previous years. So, each part of syllabus
has to be covered methodically in the preparation process and then only you can
have a complete overall preparation.
2. Previous Question Papers as a Guide
The guide for every aspirant should be the Past Papers Questions. Candidates
generally do not refer to the previous years question papers throughout their
preparation. So, once you start the preparation have the Past Papers Questions in
hand and refer to them. When you study a chapter, just go through what were Past
Papers Questions asked from this chapter, see in which part of the portion was it
asked and give importance to that area when you study. So, have the Past Papers
Questions as the guide for your preparation.
3. Choosing the Right Optional
The most grievous mistake of aspirants is choosing the right optional. Choosing
optional in a hasty mode with the opinion of the friends, then they think!
Was it a right optional for me? After wasting 1 or 2 attempts. Students should avoid
this. Choosing the optional is most critical decision of every aspirant. Therefore,
before choosing the optional, check your background and interest, go through the
syllabus, see whether you incline towards a subject, whether you will be able to
spend 3 to 4 hours of the day with the subject, whether the material is available for
subject, whether you have any seniors who have actually passed with the subject
successfully in examination or can guide you easily. See all these aspects and then
only decide an optional. Whether, coaching is rightly available and material is also
available for the subject, whether you will be able to score well with subject. So
having answer all these questions, then choose the right optional.
4. Mingle with the Seniors
Another common mistake is, generally aspirants do not mingle with the seniors, It
is always better to have seniors for every optional you choose. Have them as a guide,
friends, philosopher, talk to them and tell them whatever the query appear in your
mind, ask for clarifications. This is the way or I would say shortcut to success. So
having contacts with seniors is the next most important thing which aspirant
should do and most of them fail to do.

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The preparation of CSS Exam is a very lengthy process involving 4-6 months of time for one
attempt. Every mistake that we commit takes a precious one and of years of our lifetime.
Therefore, less the number of mistakes in our preparation, less the time that we take to
succeed in this examination. Let me list out few common mistakes aspirants generally make:

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5. Group Study
Form a group of 4 or 5 aspirants who are of the same wavelength. Most aspirants
end up studying in seclusion, in a room (all alone), and not knowing what is
happening outside and trying hard. Every person would have the same difficulty, if
we form a group we would be able to successfully come out of the battle in much
better manner. Therefore, a small groups of 4 to 5 candidates is very ideal. So that,
you can discuss things, you have test sessions, you can meet frequently once or
twice in a week. This aspect also students generally fail and they think that they
will be wasting time with discussion and endup with seclusion and depression.
6. Self Writing
The next common thing is that aspirants do not give importance in writing
frequent tests. This is very important for examination. Generally, candidates focus
and spend more time on reading and studying but not in writing. And they dont
prepare short/bullet notes. Only when you write, when you appear for more mock
tests, only when you put yourself in an examination mode, and you will be able to
check Where You Are! Candidates do not get into test, unless they enter into the last
face that is 1 months before the exam, and anyone have lot to correct in themselves
leading to failure, even they have studied so much. So, writing test is very important
and candidates should start this in the very preliminary stage.

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MOVING AHEAD IN ARDUOUS JOURNEY

OF CSS EXAM PREPARATION!
How to motivate oneself during this long arduous preparation? Most people had asked me to
write something on motivation. I do agree with a lot of people that motivation is that fire in
the belly that you and only you can ignite. Having said that we are often bogged down by
insecurities. Your friends in corporate sector maybe earning million in bonus, or have a
million dollar career all set while you languish at home or in the small city. Doubt does
creep in that what if I dont make it? What will society, my friends, family etc think of me?
Will I be able to handle the pressure? This that and so many other negative thoughts keep
haunting you.
Always have a positive set of friends around you, ones who challenge you to work harder,
test your knowledge and when you get tired in the long marathon also fetch water to keep
you going. Family obviously is another pillar of support. By now, you might have dreamt
hundreds of times seeing yourself getting first rank in civil services exam; imagining yourself
giving speeches on TV, to magazines and newspapers, to yourself. You might have also
visualized yourself being treated as celebrity in your home, village, city and in state.
Have you noticed one thing? You usually dream about this Big Day in your life mostly after
spending few hours productively preparing for this exam. Study well for 2-3 hours, you will
soon start imagining yourself to be the future topper. Once you realize you are actually
wasting time, you will be shaken and awoken to reality: you will again start reading/writing
something; the dream evaporates!
Daydreaming is mostly accompanied by spurts of productive hours in your exam
preparation. If you are not studying well, your confidence level will be low and you will
rarely think about getting a rank. Your ambition level climbs down once you see yourself
wasting time on doing things that doesnt take you anywhere. The less you study, lower will
be your ambition level. For some people, clearing Written will be a goal, for few reaching
interview level and for a few getting a rank will be the dream: it all depends on how well you
are utilizing your time now.

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Many people stick to old methods or resort to shortcuts. A day you spend on studies, should
be an improvement over the past day. For example, if you are writing 2-3 answers daily, after

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If you are dreaming about getting that top rank, you have everything in you to reach there.
You just have to make sure that in coming days, you dream less and work more. But blindly
working wont take you anywhere. There are extremely hard working people every year
who dont make it to the list. Its not about ability. It is about attitude. The more you are
willing to learn and enjoy new things every day, the better will be your chances in
succeeding in this exam.

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few days you should be writing 4-5 answers within same time. Many people either give up
writing after trying it for few days, or never start it, or worse.
To top in this exam, you must use your strengths very well. Analyse in which area you are
strong and weak: If you are strong in optional, study even better and try to get highest score
possible. If you are weak in essay writing, make sure that you write at least 40 essays on
variety of topics before exams. You can overcome your weaknesses by working on them; but
you can not easily make them your strength.
Scoring good marks is not the thing you should be worrying most now. You should be
worrying about being consistent in what you are doing. Take a break of 10-15 days, you will
see your confidence level plummeting to low levels; its difficult to restore the momentum if
you lose it once. But its not difficult. In such cases, you should just stop worrying about
backlog and focus entirely on future. The cost of not studying for 10 days isnt much if you
dont waste a single day in future.
No topper will know for sure that he/she will top in this exam. Until the list is out, it will be
a surprise. However, one can be sure of getting a rank in a desired range like within top 20
or 30. This depends on your performance in written and interview. And also on your honest
and objective introspection of your performance. If you are happy about it and have a gut
feeling that you have done well in all areas, you might be surprised (or shocked) to see your
name right at the top of the list.
To see your name in top 20, two mistakes you must never commit or repeat: Treating this
attempt as your experimental attempt and doing too many experiments influenced by too
many advises. I believe, its possible for you to crack this exam in one attempt provided you
follow any one good strategy completely.

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Most people either give up or start something new be it a strategy, or a job. If 100 people
start writing 5 secure answers today, by the end of the month, 50-60 will be still writing
them. Among them 10-20 will be writing 5 10 answers. After 2-3 months, there will be less
than 30-40 people regularly writing answers. In the end less than 20 will be toiling hard. Of
these 20, a topper will emerge. Others out of these 20 too will succeed today or tomorrow.
Certainty is 100%.

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There is a reason why only a few make it to the top. Even after lots of motivation, only few
will be consistent. They just want to clear CSS Exam at any cost. Even when they fall ill,
they dont miss their targets; even when there are personal problems, they just focus on their
preparation; even when friends and relatives try to demotivate them, they silently re-focus
their time and energy on studies; even when they fail, they are not affected by it.

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You must try to be one among these 20 people. The 20 who never give up. All it requires is
strong will to succeed, a strong desire to see your name among toppers and a clear road-map
to follow till the end. This exam doesnt require you to be a graduate of top university or
college; it doesnt require you to be an intellectual; it doesnt demand you to master English
or any other subject. All it requires from you is consistency in your efforts, and sincerity in
your desire.
Compared to all the struggles that you see around the world, giving 100% to this exam is the
easiest of all these struggles, or from among those that you will ever face in your life. May be
because this exam appears easy, some people take it for granted, and some people dont give
their 100%.
If you are consistently seeing improvement in your grasp over current events, English skills
and , essay writing skill and finally in your own personality, then never give up. It might take
longer than you expected, but success will be yours. Some people achieve it in one attempt.
Combination of many factors, including 1% luck, help them achieve this. Dont compare with
them. You are not them. Take your time, but also show sense of urgency in achieving your
goal.
Self-doubts, confusions and other negative feelings will be your constant companions in this
journey. Dont give in to them. Neglect them, and keep on moving. These negative feelings
should make you stronger, not otherwise. You know what to do. Start doing it. Dont stop
until you succeed. Your dream is not just yours. There are people who love you most in the
world and want to see your dreams come true. At least, work hard for them!!!
AND YES!

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Work hard and start dreaming again. Good Luck!

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3 POINTS FORMULA TO PASS CSS EXAM

FEARLESSNESS:
The fear of failure, of bleak future, of unpredictability in CSS and of "log kia kahein
gy" is the fear which makes you deliver minimum in CSS examination. Fear is the first
hurdle in your way to perform well in examinations.
Always believe in a beautiful Hadith by Prophet Muhammad PBBUH: "What has been
written for you, if whole universe tries to take it away from you, will reach you and
what has NOT been written for you, if whole universe tries to give you that, it cannot
reach you". This concept makes you fearless and allows you to perform to your utmost
capabilities. That is one of the factors which helped me qualify CSS Exam.
GENERAL STUDY:
I do not discourage syllabus studies rather I appreciate
it but along with it, general study (history, philosophy,
politics, opinion etc) is what makes you learn
analytical abilities. It enhances your knowledge base
and you get multifold sources to quote from. Always
remember that well read are the ones who perform
better than others. This being well read phenomenon
is beyond syllabus books. So please study general
books in your leisure time.
LEAST OUTER INFLUENCE:
Do not listen to what others tell you. They may tell you its (CSS Exam) not made for
you, you aint capable of doing it, and you lack knowledge / stamina / aptitude /
background to do it. If I can do it, so can anyone in whole Pakistan with proper
guidance and support.
Also do not rely upon or/ take influence from toppers of CSS Exam, you may take tips
but relying completely on what they tell you is what will lead you astray. What they
tell you about themselves may have worked very well for them but you have your own
journey, own map and a very own destination.

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So be yourself!

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LUCK FACTOR IN CSS EXAMINATION

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Fishing out luck factor in CSS Examination or in any other field of life is an epic
folly. This exam is designed for those who work hard. I would suggest that the
aspirants must employ all their weaponry. Besides, they must be open to new
ideas. Prudent planning coupled with consistency is the only key to success in
such competitive examinations
examinations.

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CSS EXAM: FEAR OF FAILURE

There are many fears in life like death fear, job
loosing, relationship loosing, and economic
uncertainty. Similarly, where we have the major
fears; we do have the minor fears. So, fear is part of
our daily life; correct or incorrect; this is very long
discussion and debatable. Someone remarked that
life without fears is not possible. But, the percentage
of fear varies among the successful and unsuccessful
people. So, fear is a major stake holder in the
recognition and measurement of word "Success".
Geographically, speaking fears do differ like people
living on mountains will be very minor victim of
height phobia. Similarly, people living in hot countries like deserts of Arabia will be less
vulnerable to cold areas like United Kingdom and Scan avian Countries. So, to have fears is
human psychic. This is part of our life; major or minor again differentiates the "Personalities".
Genetically, we do fears due to a few societal factors.
We do fear exams also. The subject matter concerned here is the CSS- Phobia. CSS stands
for the examination name as Civil Superior Services; which comes and managed by Federal
Public Service Commission under the Government of Pakistan. This is a competition exam
which generates the less and unique government servants which resulted into Bureaucrats;
who plays exceptional role in the development of Pakistan from various plat forms.
It has more fear than the common exams like graduation and masters. Because, many
appear and only very few are selected. So, if we see the ratio among participants and
successors; the second one is hardly three to four percent. But, it does not mean that '' this is
impossible''. This is very much possible provided we follow the proper tactics and directions
leaving all fears aside.
First, of all let us recognise firmly that " Why students have CSS- Phobia; Why students
afraid of attempting the CSS- Examination. The followings can be noted down before the
recommendations.

3)
4)

We cannot do this because this is very difficult but its doable.

Only those people can do that who either are very genius or possess common
sense.
Only those people can do that having brilliant educational background.
Only those people can do that having strong family background.

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It can be spelled as follows;

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5)

Only those people can do that who possess either excellent skills in English or
have sound educational background on their heads.
6) CSP- Officers are made by birth.
7) If we sat in the exam and failed, people would remark us bad.
8) If I spent whole year and could no selected, what will happen; it will be
wastage of time, money, and available resources.
9) We cannot afford it due to many reasons like going for extra miles.
10) It requires lots of efforts and hard work but not guaranteed.
11) So and so person did, he used to study for ten hours daily.
12) How I will deliver the best among creams of the country.
There can be much more reasons as well as the diversity of mind differs and we all think
differently as two people cannot be alike. It has been proved scientifically that two people
cannot be alike. The strength of world inhabitants is few billions, whereas man is made of
trillions of cells. So, we do differ in thoughts according to our developed mind set.
Now, coming over to the solution Why cannot we do that. I have very simple answer to
all these fears, whatever mans mind can conceive and believe, it can be achieved. No one
can put this statement as untrue. If someone will try to prove it as incorrect, it means he is
saying I can count the legs of hundred sheep in darkness. He is not sincere with him.
As Allama Iqbal says: We can change our destiny by improving our Self Image.
As Quaid-e- Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah never convinced that We cannot make Pakistan.
The end to it Allah says in Quran: Man gets that for whom he tries.
So, if we start challenging the great history events; this will prove that we are foolish. And
we must remember that History do improves itself as a Subject with new records and
extraordinary happenings in almost all walks of life. It affects Politics, it affects diplomacy, it
affects war techniques, and most importantly many nations have touched such levels which
appeared her as Impossible. The major dominant example is we can travel today the places
in hours which were difficult even in years.
The invention of wheel and antibiotics can be quoted as huge major advancements. The
economic growth of China and Malaysia are again huge major upsets; which has become
major threats for western oldest and historical rich economies. So, with the conviction that
any successful occurrence is part of our daily life, which kills all fears towards the Success
in any area of concern. But, important is to follow the proper ways, techniques, directions,
identification of the weak areas, and do commit as per the pre- necessities.

If mountains are very high, even then we have the passages to cross.
Smart work based on proper techniques can make us successful.

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Let us try to work out some remedies to sum up the challenges of the fears of CSSExam.

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6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)

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4)
5)

If we are going on hunting for a Lion; we need powerful weapon rather than
taking small gun used to hunt the sparrows.
We can reach to USA if use plane rather than BMW or MERCEDES.
If we are travelling in a small CAR we must avoid unimportant stuff to take
along; which will be liability.
Strategy is more important than planning which involves OUTLINES only.
First of all we must make a system carefully and then we have to be certain and
committed.
One CEO cannot run huge company of 50,000- employees; these are the
company systems; which facilitates him towards gallant.
If Waseem Akram can bowl well; why not Rehan. The requirement is
commitment and work on technical grounds.
If Ibrahim Lincoln can deliver exceptionally marvellous after whole life failures;
why not we; what stops us!!!
If Ali has reduced twenty kg weight in one month; why not Yasser.
If Amer can qualify CSS Exam after bad previous educational record; why not
Zafar or someone else.
If Japanese can beat the world economy from ashes to best in the world; why
not Pakistan.
If Nadeem flopped in CSS- Exam in his first attempt and then stood seventh;
why not Jameel.
If exercise can make us mentally and morally strong; what stops us from
exercising and sports.

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CRACKING CSS INTERVIEW

It wouldn't be incorrect to state that CSS interview is the
most important assessment from among all the tests
conducted to gauge a candidate in competitive exams. This
30-minute exercise determines the candidate's final merit, or
more rightly his or her future. It is so because almost all
candidates appearing in interview have scores between 600
and 700 at their credit and these 300 interview marks could be
an impetus for you to get an edge over others, if you manage it
well.
Written part requires a lot of hard work and so does the interview. Only a meticulous
preparation will make you exceptional and shall prove decisive.
Interview: The Real Test
Candidates, who have qualified the written part, will now be appearing before a panel for an
interview. Since the interviewers have to determine a candidate's suitability for the Civil
Services, they lay special emphasis on candidates' moral and ethical qualities, their
intelligence, spontaneity/reflexes, communication skills, personality traits, and leadership
qualities. Remember those who fail to secure a minimum of 100 marks shall not be eligible
for appointment.
A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Step 1: The first step you must take for interview preparation is to map out a viable strategy.
You must know the areas you have to hit. Let it be very clear that in these 300 marks, are
contained all your optional and compulsory subjects, general knowledge, questions from
your educational background, extracurricular activities, hobbies and national and
international current affairs. The interviewers can ask you anything from anywhere.

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Step 3: Ask your friend to give you a real account of your performance.

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Step 2: Anticipate questions you might face during the interview. Jot them down and then
prepare their answers. Practice your answers in front of someone who could give you honest
feedback. This would serve three purposes:
1. It would make things easy especially for those who shy away from public speaking.
2. It would enhance your communication skills.
3. You would be able to generate a good discussion on these questions if asked on the Dday.

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Step 4: Interview preparation is inextricably linked with newspapers. Waste no time and
read the Dawn newspaper daily to get yourself equipped with the knowledge of every
significant national and international issue so as to present a deep analysis, if asked. Do keep
a notebook with you to note anything important you come across. You can also take a
cutting of that very piece for an easy reading later.
Step 5: Do keep a notepad with you at all times to note any question that may arise in your
mind.
Step 6: As you prepare your questions, start recording your voice in a device. Read out your
answers so that you yourself listen to your answers. You are the best judge of yourself. So,
evaluate yourself with extreme honesty. Do this drill again and again if you are not fluent in
communication. In a week's time you would be able to mark a clear difference between your
first recording and the last one.
Step 7: Once you begin to feel confident enough to go for the interview, start giving mock
interviews. This would boost your confidence and would give you a fair idea of what to
expect. This step is particularly important for shy and nervous candidates. Two or three
mock interviews would definitely boost up your confidence.
EXPECTED QUESTIONS
Besides questions related to your academic background, extracurricular and hobbies, etc.,
the most expected questions for a general interview every time around the world
happenings.

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National
8. Balochistan Problem: reasons and the way out
9. Problems of Gwadar
10. CPEC (Detailed discussion)
11. CPEC as a game-changer
12. Route of CPEC

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FOCUSED AREAS IN CSS INTERVIEW-2016

International
1. How US elections will impact Canada?
2. Heart of Asia Conference
3. Falling prices of oil: reasons and impacts
4. Syrian war and Iran-Saudi rivalry
5. Impact of Free Trade Agreements
6. Reasons of downfall of League of Nations
7. How do you see the tenure of Ban Ki-moon; what is Blue Beret.

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CSS Subjects
45. Who was Machiavelli?
46. Akbars Navaratnas
47. Ranjit Singhs era
48. Main features of Objectives Resolution
49. Causes of separation of East Pakistan
50. Important leaders of Pakistan Movement from Punjab.
51. Similarity between conditions of the then-East Pakistan with those of todays
Balochistan

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13. Problems of agriculture in Punjab

14. Working of stock market
15. Composition and functioning of NEC, ECNEC and CCI.
16. Vice-President of Pakistan
17. Major exports of Pakistan
18. Trading in Pakistan
19. Trade deficit
20. Simla Agreement: Important features and what Pakistan gained
21. Major problems of education sector
22. Criminal Justice System of Pakistan
23. Current Local Government System (mainly comparison with previous ones)
24. Syria Crisis and Pakistans stance
25. National Action Plan: achievements and grey areas
26. Basic Features of Anti-honour Killing Law
27. Causes of militancy in South Punjab
28. Causes behind Pakistans low ranking on Human Development Index
29. Who is Governor of Balochistan province?
30. Is Pakistani Culture Islamic?
31. Community development in rural areas.
32. What is trade volume of Pakistan?
33. Opinion about Justice Qazi Faez Isas report.
34. Should military conduct census?
35. Opinion about construction of Metro in Lahore and whether it be beneficial.
36. What is NFC?
37. Number of gates of Lahore and their names
38. Who made master plan of Lahore and Islamabad
39. Reasons of downfall of PPP.
40. Three highest mountain ranges in Northern Areas of Pakistan.
41. Provincial cabinet ministers (Punjab.)
42. Pak-Afghan relations and the way forward.
43. Cyber security and Pakistans performance
44. Foreign Service and importance of diplomacy.

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52. Who is Saad bin Muaaz?
53. Questions about Tenancy Act: promulgation and important features
54. Who was Musa bin Nusair?
55. Who became Caliph after Waleed 1?
56. What is commercial forestry?
57. Difference between federation and confederation
58. What is Islamic culture?
59. Questions about Psychology and Gender Studies.
60. Islamiyat like Sihah-i-Sitta, Ashaab-e-Kahaf.
QUESTIONS RELATED TO PREFERENCE
PAS
i) Devolution plan.
ii) Why PAS is your first preference?
iii) Vision of PAS.
iv) From CSP to DMG to PAS.
PSP
i) Thana culture and how to change it.
ii) Police order.
FSP
i) Foreign policy with special reference to India, US and China.
Questions related to career
i) Why you are switching from your present career to the Civil Service?

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ii) What can you offer us which others cant?

iii) As Secretary Health what steps the candidate would take to improve health sector?

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INTERVIEW DAY TIPS
1. Have a good nights sleep
On this most important day of your life, your mind must be absolutely clear. So, have a good
nights sleep because being awake the whole night can adversely affect your performance.
2. What to wear?
They say first impression is the last impression; so wear a professional business suit but do
avoid flashiness and wearing too much cologne. Girls should also be neatly dressed and there
should be no too much jewellery or excessive makeup. Do remember the dress should make
you feel comfortable. Also keep in mind that not only your knowledge but your whole
personality will be judged.
3. Going for the interview
Before leaving for the interview venue, go through the newspapers, especially the headlines
newspapers are also available in the interview room. Most of the times they ask you a
question on the news headline of that day.
4. Dos of the interview room
1. Do enter the interview room by greeting all in one go, not
one by one.
2. Do keep your reflexes sharp and speak with conviction.
3. Do excuse if you do not know the answer
4. Do be confident
5. Do let the member finish the question before you answer it.
This would also give you crucial 2-3 seconds to decide the
answer in your mind.
5. Donts of the interview room
1. Dont move towards the seat before the members gesture
you towards it.
2. Dont try to be overly smart
3. Dont pretend that you know more than the Board does; this
might prove embarrassing for you.
4. Dont be overconfident and never lie.
Note: In previous years, debaters have been made to speak extempore, so be careful with the
information you furnish about yourself.

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How to Leave? When the interview is over, the panelists would most probably wish you
luck. Say a word of thanks to them and leave respectfully. There is no requirement to shake
hands. Its a formal day and should be treated as such.

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There is no short cut to success but once attained nothing succeeds it

Success in CSS Exam is a combination of various factors including hard
work, dedication, consistency, luck and above all prayers of your
parents. So keep all these ingredients with you. Always believe in Allah
and in your abilities. Stay cool yet steadfast. Be clear towards your
goals and make every possible effort to make the dreams come true.
There is no short cut to success but once attained nothing succeeds it.
Nature has pledged to help those who strive, work and sacrifice. Be
humble and grateful as after all, all the blessings are from HIM alone.
- Aamir Mahar

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