QUERIES of CSS, PMS, PCS Aspirants

Jahangir’s World Times is the only magazine that caters for the needs of the candidates of the prestigious competitive exams including CSS, PMS and PCS. Candidates often face difficulties in selection of subjects, choosing the right books, preparing for the interviews and so on. JWT’s CSS GURU is an initiative to provide the guidance candidates may need at any stage. Our guru will answer all your queries. If you want to ask something and need guidance, please write to us or email at the following address: Jahangir’s World Times 121-D, Gulberg II, Lahore. email: cssguru@jworldtimes.com

Q1: Sir, I took Psychology and Sociology as optional subjects because they regularly have been scoring subjects. But the CSS-2013 psychology paper is quite different. So can we assume now that psychology is no more a scoring subject?  

Do appreciate the fact that over the years, the number of candidates appearing in CSS has substantially increased. Thus it has provided your examiners with a fair number of candidates to work on. He tests their knowledge as well as understanding of the issues by judging their abilities to apply that knowledge on situations/issues put forth by the examiner. Only those candidates who demonstrate better reasoning and analytical skills will obtain good marks while crammers will be filtered out. Make an in-depth analysis of questions set in CE-2013, then review your study material or notes. Trends have changed now, so should your approach. Remember, it’s a competitive exam and you need to outshine others. So, adapt yourself to the new approaches of the examiner.

Q2: Should one take Indo-Pak History to secure good marks in Pakistan Affairs as the 2013 paper of Pakistan Affairs was more about the Indo-Pak history?

A fair knowledge of Indo-Pak History is a prerequisite for securing good marks in CSS. The 2013 PA paper focused mostly on the pre-independence part as most questions related to the historical perspective. In addition, the questions required comprehensive explanations. It depicts an interesting shift in FPSC policy as this paper contained, traditionally, the questions that required simple narration of facts/factors and candidates didn’t bother to consult anything except the study material prepared specifically for those questions. This year, it was entirely a different case. For instance, the question ‘Critically examine the Muslim shift from militancy to education with a special reference to the educational movements launched during the 19th century in South Asia.’ required a comparison of methodology and results of Armed Movements against Educational movements. Similarly, ‘Compare the socio-economic and political conditions of the Muslims and non-Muslims at the advent of British rule in South Asia’, Muslim society in mid-19th century was required to be compared with the Non-Muslim Indian society. The topics are same but the approach has changed. Going for Indo-Pak History is at your own will but a sound knowledge of Pakistan History is essential.

Q3: Many papers in CE-2013 were quite different. Has CE-2013 gone against the previous trend?

I would say it has carried forward the trend of past couple of years. I have suggested, time and again, in these pages that the candidates should focus on topics rather than questions. Gone are the days when few pages of handy notes on Geography or Islamiyat would do the trick for you. The competition has increased manifold and you should be abreast of it. CE-2013 is an eye-opener for those who still rely on obsolete methods.

Q4: How can I learn the way to analyse an issue critically?

Dear aspirant, it requires a changed approach. Most candidates go after descriptive study as they learn the basic facts and figures related to any topic. For ‘critical analysis’, they rely on references of renowned theorists and historians. But simply mentioning work of others also comes under descriptive technique. Critical analysis is subjective writing because it expresses your opinion on or evaluation of a particular issue. You are expected to challenge the established views and claims on any issue. You need to test the veracity of those claims with arguments. Don’t take things on their face value, just try to evaluate the truth, worth and significance of the thing under analysis especially focusing on the currency of the issue and any controversies related to it.

For analytical study, divide your preparation in three parts: information, interpretation, and evaluation. The information part introduces the topic. The interpretation makes you understand the topic in detail while the evaluation part makes you build your opinion on the issue based on strong argumentations and justifications. Proper referencing is an essential part of evaluation.

Q5: Why British History is preferred over Indo-Pak History when the latter helps in Pak Affairs paper as well?

Each subject has its own significance. British History is preferred for it has generally been more scoring than Indo-Pak History. Whereas the candidates of IPH are many and all of them rely on same and limited books available, BH is opted for by fewer candidates and there are only a few good books available on it. Moreover, BH syllabus introduces to the candidates the political developments in world history of last four centuries. The candidates understand the evolution and foundations of modern institutions of world including democracy, capitalism, cabinet, parliament and local government. The history of key world events that transformed the world ‘the two World Wars, French Revolution, Russian Revolution, Imperialism, Capitalism, Socialism, Decolonization, Industrial and Agrarian Revolutions, Cold War, War on Terror, UN, etc. broaden their knowledge’ base and help them in handling Current Affairs paper as well.

Q6: How to write a short autobiography in CSS Psychological part?

A short autobiography, like the one in CSS, may contain four aspects. You may write them in separate paragraphs or may combine one or two of these.
The first paragraph contains your introduction and usually starts with your name and other basic information like parentage, place and date of birth. It may also include the city or cities where you have been living. Profession of parents and any significant aspect of first few years of your life may also be mentioned.
The second paragraph may include any significant event(s) that shaped your life. You can mention any specific incident(s) where you overcame obstacles in your way.

The third paragraph contains your r’sum. Here, you mention your educational qualifications and any skills and credentials that make you head and shoulders high among other candidates. It may include your traits that make you suitable for this job. Moreover, you should describe how these skills and traits helped you so far in your professional life.

In fourth paragraph, conclude with current information about you. Your responsibilities in your organization should find a place here. You can also mention your place of living and family.

You can mention your goals or any motivating philosophy in last one or two lines.

Q7: Is it necessary to give references of Quranic verses in Arabic in the Islamiat paper to get good marks?

It is preferable to quote original text of Quranic verses if you can reproduce exactly. For that, you must prepare each topic with 3-4 most relevant verses in original Arabic text as well as their translations. But always remember that it’s only your discourse that fetches you good scores. Quoting references and relevant verses supports your arguments. So, it doesn’t really make big difference.