Lahore tops CSS written exams

ISLAMABAD: Lahore is on top with most qualified candidates, followed by Islamabad, Multan and Karachi in Civil Superior Service written exams.

A shift has also been observed by the authorities concerned in academic background of the candidates - who pass the Civil Superior Service-Competitive Examination (CSS-CE) - from Bachelors degree level to MPhil and PhD level.

The FPSC Annual Report 2019, a copy of which is available with The News, also highlights most opted optional subjects by candidates during 2015 to 2019. The subjects were International Relations, Gender Studies, History of USA and International Law. Interestingly, Pakistan Affairs is the only compulsory subject in which none of the qualified candidates obtained more than 60 per cent marks, the report showed.

The FPSC 2019 report also correlates each candidate's father's occupation with their performances in the CSS-CE 2018. Twenty percent of candidates (highest percentage), who got jobs in this year, were children of retired people.

In addition, it also shows that from 2016 to 2019, over 60 per cent of candidates appearing for CSS-CE opted for International Relations, while around 40 per cent chose Gender Studies, History of USA and International Law as optional subjects.

Candidates from Lahore are highest in appearances too, in the CSS exam. In 2019, out of total 372 qualified candidates in written exams for CSS, 151 were from Lahore while 4,099 appeared in the exam in total. Data of applicants for the CSS-CE for the year 2020 also showed that most of them were from Lahore city. A total of 10,385 applications for exams were received from Lahore in 2020.

Further, the least opted optional subjects by candidates appearing for CSS-CE from 2016 to 2018 included Urdu literature, Economics, Computer Sciences, European History, Philosophy, English Literature, Chemistry, Mathematics, Statistics and Zoology. The data available with The News also revealed the performance of qualified candidates in compulsory subjects of CSS-CE for the year 2018. In the English Essay, 90 per cent of the qualified candidates obtained marks between 40-59% while only 10 per cent managed to achieve marks over 60 per cent. In English (Précis & Composition), 88 per cent of qualified candidates achieved marks between 40 to 59 per cent. Whereas, 12 per cent obtained marks over 60% in the respective subjects. In General Sciences & Ability, 56 per cent of qualified candidates scored over 60 per cent marks with only 44 per cent achieving marks below 60 per cent. In Current Affairs, 31 per cent of qualified candidates scored over 60 per cent marks whereas in the subject of Pakistan Affairs, none of the candidates scored over 60 per cent with only 11 per cent obtaining marks over 40 per cent.