PPSC Vs CSS: Differences You Need to Know

1. What is Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy is the backbone of any country. Civil servants are the bricks upon which the whole government stands. Without them, the state cannot function even for one day.

a) Advantages Of A Career In Bureaucracy

A career in bureaucracy gives you a rare opportunity to earn your livelihood and prayers from weak and poor sections of society who often look up to civil servants to resolve their problems. It is a chance to serve your country and people and earn a good reputation and leave behind a glowing legacy.

b) Different lines of Public Service

There are two main divisions of bureaucrats. One is the CSS (Central Superior Services), while the other is PMS (Provincial Management Service). CSS officers are national bureaucrats while PMS officers are provincial bureaucrats.

c) Benefits Of the Job

Government service holds numerous advantages. It comes with a pension and other benefits like health care, residence, etc. It is considered a secure job, unlike private jobs, where you are at your employer’s mercy.

2. What is PPSC

PPSC stands for Punjab Public Service Commission. It is a government institution that holds competitive exams for selecting candidates in various Punjab Provincial Government departments, such as doctors in government hospitals, lecturers in government colleges, police service, etc.

a) Brief Introduction Of PPSC

PPSC is a provincial service of Punjab Province. It aims to select officials who serve the local community in various capacities. The federal government has no control over these officials.

b) PPSC Exams

PPSC exams are not just for the selection of bureaucrats. Punjab Government issues directives regarding PPSC officials.

The provincial government holds the PPSC exams whenever the government feels the requirement to fill vacant posts in any field. So their schedule is not fixed.

Candidates join different government departments after passing through PPSC exams. They cannot be posted outside Punjab.

c) Competition For PPSC Exams

PPSC exams competition is somewhat limited because it restricts anyone belonging to any other province other than Punjab. To qualify for any government job in Punjab, you have to clear the PPSC exam.

d) PPSC Schedule

PPSC holds different sets of examinations multiple times a year for every department. For example, there are separate tests for selecting Medical Officers in government hospitals and selecting teachers in government colleges.

Related: CSS Vs PMS

Every exam is designed especially for the concerned professionals, and only they are eligible to appear for it. Officials from other departments cannot appear for exams held for any other department. The exams are very competitive, but the competition falls way behind the battle for CSS slots.

3. What Is CSS

CSS is very different from PPSC. CSS officers are federal officers, and they report to the federal government. The annual passing percentage of CSS exams falls below 0.3 percent.

The federal government can depute them to any province if the province requests their services, after which they report to the provincial government. CSS exam is held only to select national bureaucrats for departments like PAS (Pakistan Administrative Service), FSP (Foreign Service of Pakistan), Police Force of Pakistan, Railways, etc.

a) Authority of CSS Officers

They hold much greater power than their provincial counterparts. To clear CSS, you need to work very hard because you compete against candidates from all corners of the country, not just your province.

The competition is very tough because there are a limited number of seats and the number of applicants is very high. The federal government organizes CSS exams only once every year.

b) CSS Exams

CSS exams are fundamentally different from PPSC exams. Any professional from any background can appear for the CSS exam after graduation with a minimum of 2nd division.

There is no restriction for any particular experience. Doctors, engineers, police officers, and accountants, in short, anyone with a bachelor’s Degree, can appear in CSS exams. The exam is the same for all the candidates.

c) CSS Subjects

There are compulsory subjects as well as optional subjects. Compulsory subjects include English essay, English Precis, and Composition, General Knowledge, General Science and Ability, Pakistan Affairs, Current Affairs, Islamic Studies of Comparative Study of Major Religions.

The optional subjects include Accountancy and Auditing, Physics, Statistics, Chemistry, Geology, British History, Punjabi, etc.

Optional subjects are divided into different groups, and there is a lot of variety in optional subjects. After clearing CSS exams, the candidates are allotted various departments like Pakistan Administrative Service, Foreign Service, Police Service, etc.

Comparison

PPSC and CSS exams are fundamentally different because they are designed for very

contrasting purposes. The PPSC exams fill the vacant slots in Punjab in various departments like postal service, teachers, doctors, etc. But the CSS exams only select federal bureaucrats.

The competition for the CSS slots is very high because CSS Officers are the top most federal civil servants. Candidates from every nook and cranny of the country apply for a few CSS slots. But in the PPSC exam, the competition is limited to the candidates having the domicile of Punjab Province.

PPSC exams are different for different departments, while the CSS exam is the same for all candidates irrespective of their academic background.

How to Decide between CSS and PPSC

The decision between CSS and PPSC ultimately comes down to your aspirations and goals for your career.

If you want to be a bureaucrat, then the best option is CSS, where you can compete to be a part of the country’s most elite officers group. But if you are a lecturer or a doctor looking for a government job, you should go for the PPSC exam.

Another critical factor is whether you are ready to serve away from your province. The government can post CSS officers to any region irrespective of their domicile, while the PPSC officials get confined to Punjab. CSS officers report to the federal government while officials selected through PPSC have to report to the Punjab Government.

The Formula For Success

If you have high goals for your career and are ready to work hard for them, you can compete for either CSS or PPSC. You will get rewarded with success in both streams.