CSS Exam Pattern, Syllabus and Subjects 2022 (PDF)

By Rubab Ali

Last Updated: 7th April 2022

Are you concerned about the syllabus of CSS Exams?

Do you lack the guidance to prepare for the CSS Exams Pattern? We will give you complete guidelines about the CSS Examinations.

Following article will give you insight into the selection and categories of subjects of CSS Exams.

1. Pattern of CSS Examinations

The CSS examination consists of four sections.

• Written Examination (Objective and Subjective type)
• Medical Examination
• Psychological Assessment
• Viva Voce

Following is the division of marks in the written examination.

• Written Test:- 1200 marks

(Compulsory and Optional Subjects)

There are total

• Six 6 compulsory subjects
• Optional subjects carrying 600 marks
• Each paper consists of 100 marks
• The duration of the paper is 3 hours for each subject
• 30 minutes are given to attempt the objective part of the paper
• 2 hours and 30 minutes are given to attempt the subjective part of the paper

2. Syllabus of Compulsory Subjects:-

Each compulsory subject carries 100 marks making a total of 600 marks.

There is one paper for each subject making a sum of six papers.

• English Essay
• As an introduction, I would like to emphasize that the English essay is not a linguistic one; it is a kind of history. Essays are commonest in modern English, and therefore we have more of them than any other kind of literature. It was not always so. They were unknown in classical Latin and Greek, unknown in medieval England, and unknown in the sixteenth century.
• The oldest surviving English essay is The Cloud of Unknowing, written about 1375. But this is only because it has survived by chance; it was never copied or circulated in manuscript form until a single manuscript came to light in 1934, and there may well have been earlier essays which we shall never know about because no copy has survived.
• The first printed essays were published by Francis Bacon, who had begun writing them ten years earlier. They were written for an audience of aristocrats, but their style makes them hard for ordinary people to read today; they are full of unfamiliar words and foreign phrases (Latin or French), as well as repetition. Bacon’s essays are like a string of good dinner-party stories: they all make their point effectively, but they are not closely related to each other.
• English (Precis and composition)

The compulsory subjects of Subjective and Objective type are:-

• Islamic Studies / Comparative Study of Major Religions(for Non- Muslim candidates)
• Pakistan Affairs
• General Science and Ability
• Current Affairs

Download Syllabus For Competitive Examination (CSS) 2016 & Onwards

3. Syllabus of Optional Subjects:-

Each optional subject carries 100 marks making a total of 600 marks.

There is one paper for each subject which carries 100 marks and two papers for subjects which carry 200 marks, making a sum of 600 marks.

A total of 7 groups are given in the syllabus of CSS. Candidates have to choose 3 three subjects from the following 45 subjects but only one subject can be opted/ chosen from one group. This subject has to be chosen very wisely in order to obtain maximum marks, so pick the one in which either you can do your best or you already are the best.

Group 1

It contains subjects of 200 marks. Only one subject has to have opted.

• Accounting and Auditing
• Economics
• Computer Science
• Public Science
• International Relations

Group 2

It contains subjects of 200 and 100 marks. Select the subjects of 200 marks.

• Physics
• Chemistry

Following are subjects of 100 marks.

• Applied Mathematics
• Pure Mathematics
• Statistics
• Geology

Group 3

It contains subjects of 100 marks. Only one subject has to be opted.

• Business Administration
• Public Administration
• Governance and Public Policies
• Town Planning and Urban Management

Group 4

It contains subjects of 100 marks. Only one subject has to be opted.

• History of Pakistan and India
• Islamic history and culture
• British History
• European history
• History of USA

Group 5

It contains subjects of 100 marks. Only one subject has to be opted.

• Gender Studies
• Environmental Sciences
• Agriculture and Forestry
• Botany
• Zoology
• English Literature
• Urdu Literature

Group 6

It contains subjects of 100 marks. Only one subject has to be opted.

• Law
• Constitutional law
• International Law
• Muslim Law and Jurisprudence
• Mercantile Law
• Criminology
• Philosophy

Group 7

It contains subjects of 100 marks. Only one subject has to be opted.

• Journalism and Mass Communication
• Psychology
• Geography
• Anthropology
• Arabic
• Sindhi
• Persian
• Punjabi
• Pashto
• Balochi

4. Criteria for passing the CSS Exams

The least advantage you can get in preparations for CSS can only be taken if you have a crystal clear understanding of your task and you perform accordingly. This is way too long possible if you don’t correlate with the criteria.

The questions given in the papers are of the graduate level. Thus,

• The candidate has to obtain 40% in each compulsory paper (40 marks out of 100 marks).
• Candidate has to obtain 33% in each optional paper (33 marks out of 100 marks).
• To qualify for the interview, a candidate has to obtain 50% marks in total written test ( 600 marks out of 1200 marks combining both compulsory and
• When a candidate has passed the written test, he will be qualified for medical examination, psychological assessment and viva voce.
• Rupees 500/- are charged for rechecking of each paper.

5. Tips to Ace CSS Exams

• CSS is a way to mold your future the way you planned, but with an allured prominence. So during your graduation, try to choose those subjects which you want to opt-in CSS exams or
• Keeping your interest in mind, opt for those subjects in CSS Exams which you have already studied during your graduation.
• Choose those subjects, for which you have a background.
• Keep up to date about the current affairs, Islam, Pakistan and general knowledge.
• Using your skills at your best means you know how to interpret your ideas. This may lead you to your dream success in CSS so strive hard to learn creative writing
• Escalate your knowledge by optimizing your command on history and Pak studies.
• Know more of general knowledge
• Past papers are of great help. Try solving as many as you can. You must solve the past 5 years’ papers.
• Through the past papers, try managing your time and practice attempting each question in time. Practice daily for 3 hours for solving a paper. You can know the areas of more focus by analyzing past papers.
• Grammar and vocabulary are the best sites to work at if you want to make reap benefits in CSS.
• Improve grammar and vocabulary by reading newspapers and books.
• CNN and BBC channels help a lot in the development of vocabulary. Watch them daily.
• A good writer is always a good reader, believing in this phrase read the newspaper daily in English. Get a firm grip on English.
• While practicing, finish your paper before 15 minutes so that you can proofread it once.

6. The Best CSS Interview We’ve Seen (2nd Position in CSS)

You can conquer your fate on your own if you know your business really well. In order to accomplish this task, we proffer you to seek understanding by our suggested one of the best interviews in the criteria of CSS.

That’s the only interview you need to watch. He has shared all the secrets from downloading research articles to reading books.

Good Luck 🙂

Source: ExamCollection