Pakistan’s Federal Public Service Commission announced the results of the Central Superior Services (CSS) written examination. A total of 23,403 candidates had applied for CSS examination according to the FPSC. Throughout their test, as many as 14,521 applicants appeared, only 372 of them passed the written examination.
The passing rate reached the lowest level this year with a passing rate of 2.56 percent compared to the previous year’s passing rate of 4.79 percent and a passing rate of 3.3 percent in 2017.
Such persistently low passing rates of CSS exams have raised important questions about the assessment process adopted by FPSC and the performance of Pakistan’s education system.
A new FIA report claimed that in 2013 the FPSC board made changes to the rules. Candidates are acquired in optional subjects to score 33 percent and in compulsory subjects to score 50 percent according to the new rules. The passing ratio, therefore, dropped, leaving several seats vacant.
Check your result here: CSS Result 2019
With changes in the CSS test, candidates are required to achieve marks of 40 percent in compulsory subjects and marks of 33 percent in optional subjects with an overall 50 percent.
The applicants were advanced to the interview stage according to the previous rules, even though they did not secure 33 percent in any of the optional subjects but had an overall percentage of 50 percent or higher. This provision is eliminated in the new setup, where the failure in any of the optional subjects to obtain fewer than 33 percent marks is deemed to have failed and deprives candidates of following their selection process.
Now, before appearing for the written examination the current government has announced the implementation of compulsory pre-screening tests for CSS aspirants, further intensifying the process of selecting civil servants. The government claims the reforms adopted were aimed at attracting the best minds to revamp Pakistan’s bureaucratic system.