CSS or Central Superior Services of Pakistan

Central Superior Services (CSS): The Prestigious Exam of Pakistan

Introduction to CSS

CSS, or Central Superior Services, is the most prestigious examination in Pakistan. It is a job-related examination, or you can say a test. Those who qualify for this test get jobs in different departments of Pakistan. Likewise, the Police Service of Pakistan, Pakistan Administrative Service (previously known as DMG group). Moreover, the Customs Service of Pakistan, Railway, Audit and Accounts, and Postal Accounts are some other common groups. Those who qualify for this exam get jobs at BPS-17 in these departments. So, this CSS examination is not a degree; it is a job-related examination. Those who qualify get jobs, and those who do not qualify cannot get the job.

Who Conducts the CSS Examination?

CSS is conducted by the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC). The examination is conducted every year in February. FPSC advertises the vacancies of CSS in October and November. Further, students apply for this examination through the online website of the FPSC. After initial scrutiny of the candidates, FPSC issues the list of qualified candidates who will appear in the coming examination.
MPT Test
For the last few years, FPSC has introduced a new system of recruiting students in CSS. In this system, FPSC has introduced an MPT, or MCQ-based test, for the students. This is the initial scrutiny of the students. The purpose of the test is to scrutinize the CSS candidates for the CSS written examination.

So initially, this exam has been conducted for the last few years. The purpose is to recruit serious candidates and qualified candidates can appear in the written examination, which is the 1200 marks examination for CSS. (Current Affairs Articles and MCQs)

CSS Syllabus and Papers

CSS is a 1200 marks examination. There are 600 marks for compulsory subjects. Compulsory subjects include Essay, English Precis and Composition, General Science and Ability, Pakistan Affairs, Current Affairs, and Islamic Studies. These six subjects are compulsory, and you have to get 33% marks out of 100 to qualify. On the other side, there are 600 marks for optional subjects. There are more than 20 subjects like Accounting, International Law, Indo-Pak History, Gender Studies, Town Planning, Criminology, Punjabi, and many more. These are the subjects from which students have to choose 600 marks. So, there are total 1200 marks: 600 for compulsory and 600 for optional subjects. In aggregate, students have to get 600 marks out of 1200 to qualify the written part of the CSS. (Related Article: Current Affairs CSS

Groups of Occupational Groups of CSS

There are 10 occupational groups of CSS. Students who qualify for the CSS examination are allocated to these groups. These groups are: first, Pakistan Administrative Service (formerly DMG), second, Police Service of Pakistan, third, Foreign Service of Pakistan, fourth, Inland Revenue Service (IRS).

Fifth, the Customs Service of Pakistan, sixth, the Audit and Accounts Service. Seventh, Information Service of Pakistan, eighth, Military Lands and Cantonment Group, ninth, Railway Group, and tenth, Commerce and Trade Group. These are the occupational groups, and students are allocated in these groups according to their merit and the numbers they got in the written and interview.

CSS Papers

As I have discussed earlier, there are a total of 12 papers, or you can say 12 subjects. In these subjects, students have to appear. There are 600 marks for the compulsory and 600 for the optional subjects. Each subject is of 100 marks. And there are some subjects which are of 200 marks, such as International Relations and Geography, etc.
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CSS Smart Study

CSS Smart Study. Many aspirants of CSS talk about the smart study in CSS. But what does actually mean about the smart study in CSS? Smart study means that you intellectually and smartly study the various subjects of CSS. Instead of reading different books, reading lots of material, you study the selective to the point and relevant material. You focus on the syllabus.

According to the syllabus, you choose a relevant book, and instead of reading lots of books, you choose one authentic and one book.

Similarly, you also deeply study the past papers, and understand the mindset of the paper setter. You study, and you oversee the mentality of the examiner. You can analyze how questions come from the syllabus and then you prepare the examination. And lastly, one important part of smart study is the expression in the paper or solving the paper or solving technique for the paper.

This step is very important to get success in CSS examination. Many students who have much knowledge of the subject, but they cannot express their knowledge while sitting in the examination hall. So tackling the paper or solving the paper properly is the key point to get success in CSS.

Selection of CSS Subjects

Selection of CSS subjects is the most important part of your CSS journey because if you select the wrong subject, it may lead to failure in the CSS examination. Therefore, you should attentively, clearly, and after thorough research in the CSS subject, you should choose the subjects to appear in the CSS examination. One important point is that it is not necessary that you have completed your, you have done your master’s or MPhil in a specific subject, and you have to choose the same subject in the CSS examination.

It is not here in the CSS field. You can choose a different subject. It may happen that you have done your bachelor’s or master’s in philosophy, but you should not choose the same subject in the CSS. It all depends on the environment and the current scoring behavior of various subjects. You should see which are the subjects are scoring in CSS.

For instance, Punjabi, sociology, geography, and international law are all scoring subjects. All the times and every year, students get good marks in these subjects. Therefore, you should look at these aspects of scoring subjects of CSS, the optional subjects. Therefore, while selecting the subjects, you should focus on what subjects give you more marks instead of your, instead of selection of your favorite subject. You should go for the scoring subjects. (General Knowledge Solved MCQs)

Study of Past Papers of CSS

Study of the past papers of CSS is very important because this exam is not as the other exams of universities and of various degrees. This is a unique exam and this is a job-related exam.

Therefore, it is recommended that aspirants of CSS should read carefully the past papers of all the subjects which he has selected to appear in the examination, in this competitive examination of Pakistan. It is strongly suggested that aspirants should read and study at least past five years exams of all the subjects.

It is also recommended that you can read and study all the available past papers, but to understand the current phenomena of papers and the question trends of various subjects, you should at least read the past papers of five years. In this way, you can understand the mentality of examiner and paper setter that who he selects papers, who he choose questions from syllabus, and who he set the papers. You can also check the repetitive questions in different subjects and in this way, you can predict the future paper of various subjects.

CSS MPT Test

CSS MPT test, or CSS MCQ-based Preliminary Test, is the MCQ-based test that is introduced by the Federal Public Service Commission to initially scrutinize the aspirants of CSS. It happens that lots of students, in fact thousands of students every year, apply for the CSS examination but do not appear in the written part of the examination.

Moreover, many of the students are not serious about the written part of the CSS examination and therefore create a burden for the Federal Public Service Commission.
By viewing this situation, FPSC has introduced a screening test or initial recruitment process for the CSS written part of the examination. In this MPT test, FPSC conducts an MCQ-based test. This is a 200 MCQs-based question paper, and there are different MCQs from English, General Knowledge, Pakistan Affairs, Current Affairs, Islamic Studies, Comparative Religion, General Ability, Basic Mathematics, Analytical Reasoning, Basic Civics, and Ability Science.
MCQs from these subjects are asked in the paper, and students have to pass this initial screening test. Therefore, this MPT test is the initial screening test in which students have to appear and pass before attempting the written part of the CSS examination.

Cluster Base CSS Exams

The government of Pakistan is discussing the idea of a cluster-based examination for CSS. But what is a cluster-based examination? A cluster-based examination is designed to allocate students to specialized groups according to their professional qualifications and degrees.
Currently, the situation is challenging. For example, students who have completed an MBBS degree may pass the CSS examination but get allocated to the Administrative Service or Police Service, which is not aligned with their professional training. This mismatch often results in reduced efficiency and effectiveness.

To address this, the government and policymakers are considering introducing a cluster-based CSS examination. In this system, students would be allocated to departments relevant to their educational background. For instance:
Law graduates could be allocated to the Police Department.
Business graduates could be allocated to the Audit and Accounts group or the IRS group.
This approach ensures that the right person is placed in the right job, improving efficiency, effectiveness, and overall output in the civil service.

CSS Training Academies

After getting success in the CSS examination, students have to get training in the CSS Academy. The Civil Services Academy, which is for the past candidates of CSS, provides training to the candidates. The academy, that is the Civil Services Academy, is located in Walden, Kent.

All the candidates who have passed and belong to various occupational groups are necessary to appear in the CTP, that is the Common Training Programme, at Civil Services Academy, Lahore. After completing the CTP, Common Training Programme, each occupational group have to appear in the STP, that is Specialised Training Programme, of their respective occupational groups. For instance, those who join Pakistan Services, they have to appear in the Police Academy of Pakistan, which is located in Islamabad. (Also Read: All about Current Affairs)

Similarly, Audition Accounts Occupational Group have to join the Audition Accounts Academy that is also located in Lahore. Moreover, IRS Academy or Custome Academy is also in Lahore. And those who pass the CSS examination have to appear in the Custome Academy which is in Islamabad, Lahore. After passing CTP and STP Training Programme from these academies, the CSS passed candidates are allocated in their respective departments and occupational groups all over the Pakistan. In this way, they start their professional life.