Pakistan CSS Exam: FPSC Official Notice, Eligibility and Subject Selection

The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) conducts the Central Superior Services (CSS) Competitive Examination. Each year's public notice on fpsc.gov.pk controls eligibility, age calculation, fees, compulsory and optional subjects, and the examination schedule — reusing last year's notice is a frequent disqualification.

Reading the current notice

Download the CSS public notice PDF for the CE year you target (e.g., CE-2026). Note the age limits with the precise cut-off date (typically 21-30 with limited relaxation per rules, strictly calculated), education (commonly a second-division bachelor's or equivalent), nationality, admissible number of attempts, medical/psychological stage rules and the Treasury Challan (fee deposit) procedure at National Bank/SBP branches. Cut-offs, subject groupings and syllabus details change, so a 2024 summary is not authority for 2026.

Compulsory papers and how groups/caps work

Compulsory: English Essay (100), English Precis & Composition (100), General Science & Ability (100), Current Affairs (100), Pakistan Affairs (100), Islamic Studies or Comparative Study of Major Religions/Ethics for non-Muslims (100). Optionals are grouped (e.g., Group I-VII) with per-group selection limits and a 200-mark cap per group in many cycles. Selecting two optionals from the same group where the notice limits you to one is a submission-time error — check the grouping table on the live notice, not a coaching graphic.
Strategy: choose optionals where you have verifiable academic background, scoring stability and overlap with compulsory current-affairs work, rather than rumour about "highest-scoring" subjects. A subject you can sustain for 600 hours of preparation beats a trend.

Challan, photograph and submission

Deposit the fee via the prescribed Challan method, keep the original receipt, and upload photograph/signature per the pixel and file-size spec in the notice. Mismatched CNIC name/date between Challan, CNIC and online form causes verification failure. Save the tracking ID and keep printed form plus Challan until after the interview.

Preparation that respects the notice

Split the syllabus topic-wise and pair each with one standard source; keep a timed-answer log for essay and precis (weekly precis and fortnightly essay under exam conditions helps more than daily note-copying). Document submission (degrees, DMCs, domicile) follows the schedule in the notice — keep attested copies ready.

Official source

FPSC. Recheck the notice before the closing time; this guide is educational.