We all often fall into the trap that CSS is easiest for a certain group, some of us think that Engineers are at advantage, while others think that foreign grads are at advantage. To be honest, your educational background and family environment helps a lot in CSS. I want all of us to acknowledge that inequalities in this country exist and some people had better education than the others. Now it does not mean that someone who has not received the best education will not qualify for CSS. In fact, we have a lot of success stories from each year where people from most ordinary schools have outperformed people from Ivy League and Oxbridge.
Now coming to the main issue, which degree is best to help one qualify CSS? Theoretically, something like IR Political Sciences and Public Administration, but practically speaking none. To be honest, Pakistan generally has very poor education standards and social sciences are not taught properly here. Furthermore, don’t expect foreign grads to be any better. First of all, all you need to get an undergrad degree from abroad is a lot of money. There are hardly any BS level scholarships available. Furthermore, admissions in UK are not that competitive, and most of people who go to UK are not an inch good as some of our engineers and doctors. If you are a Pakistani University degree holder, then you don’t need to worry as not all foreign grads are that good.
However, I do believe that what you as an individual do in your life before CSS is important. Read it again, you as an ‘individual’. If you read newspaper every day, and you have been reading quality fiction and non-fiction then you can do very well on CSS. CSS is all about how you have invested in your human capital. I have seen so many candidates that don’t know how to build their opinions and they keep on asking other candidates for the right opinion. First of all, opinions are not right or wrong they are informed or uninformed. If you have been someone that has been keeping an eye on the world events and you have an opinion about it then you will do wonders in your exam.
Now coming to the main challenge, most of you decide to do CSS right after graduation and you have never read a single CSS related material. What you should do then? Well the first thing that I will ask you to do is to make google your friend and not academy orientation sessions. Remember that all academies are businesses and they don’t have your best interest at heart. So google everything about CSS, and look at the subjects and decide which subject you want. Then take any online English proficiency test. If you are at the lowest level of English then you may need 12 months, but if you are at a higher level like medium then do it from 6-8 months. Then go online and read 6 months dawn editorials. Reading them will give you a lot of knowledge and an instant boost in confidence. A short cut to read fast is by using an e reader online- if you are okay with a bot reading you news.
There is some other advice that I gave in other threads, I will copy paste them here, apologies for any mistakes in them.
Academy Issue
I don't think that you need an academy. In case of 2019 CSS exam, all the questions were something that the academies did not predict. I think that YouTube is a good source to get guidance. For your English essay you can follow this format:
https://youtu.be/mhzlaHXHaK4.
For Vocab you can use Magoosh app.
For precis practice the books available in the market will work.
You can follow the precis and reading comprehension format from Wren and Martin.
There are a lot of GRE apps that will help you with English.
Then coming to Current Affairs, I think that reading dawn everyday will be sufficient along with Al Jazeera Inside Story and Zara Hat Key. I don't think that you need to do anything more than that. If you are appearing in IR then you can use Foreign Affairs magazine. Again remember that you don't need to read the whole of dawn, just thee 3 editorials.
For Pak affairs use the O level's Nigel Kelly and Geography books. Maleeha Lodhi's book. You should also use Pakistan at the Crossroads: Domestic Dynamics and External Pressures by Christophe Jaffrelot (you can find a copy at ebookhunter.ch). Economic survey of Pakistan. Do not use Akram rabbani's book. It has been copied from multiple sources. Use either Ayesha Jalal or Ian Talbot for post-independence stuff.
Islamic Studies and GSA
I found this mostly rata and all the sources copied each other. I don't have any advice on them. Other than the fact that watch YT videos
For Isl, you need to memorize a lot of verses. Use O levels Books
Subjects
People should stop treating CSS as a math question. There is no formula to pass it and every one will have a unique experience. For some people political sciences will work and for others IR will. At the end of the day, pick a subject that suits you the best! I also want to add that every individual should do some self-evaluation and pick what is best for them. They should take advice from others but the final decision must be their own. This is a leadership exam, and if we can't make decisions for our own sake then how will we run the country
Make your own decision even if it is bad. A bad decision maker is better than no decision maker at all
This thread
http://www.cssforum.com.pk/css-compu...irs-query.html