Practical Ways to be CSP
Compulsory Papers
General Knowledge Paper III
How to put in order “Pakistan Affairs”?

How to Realize Maximum Marks in Pakistan Affairs?

Ladies and Gentlemen:
Here we are now in the phase where you can not make difference without Hard Working. A simple word for any success is “Hard Working”. But in my point of view Hard Working can never out class Smart Hard Working. So always think beyond the normal expectations of a common human being, plan everything in your life even if it is the Pakistan Affair paper, and then develop a strategy to accomplish that goal while praying to Allah for your success since if he does not want, every planning and strategy just can not do anything.

Objective: To Obtain 70% Marks in Pak Affair Paper

Plan:
Now dear Ladies and Gentlemen, every paper ahead contains a prescribed course content that is available with FPSC. So now every plan onward will be same largely if not entirely for every paper ahead. To secure 18-20 marks in MCQs and 10 -12 marks in rest of 4 questions.

Action:
A close analysis of course content and papers of last 5 years of Pak Affair shows that examiner has emphasized more on post independence era than pre partition events. Mode of paper was usually creative and you won’t find such questions in the course books. So a different strategy needs for Pak Affair paper. General categories of Pak affair paper are as follow w.r.t. frequency on the basis of last 5 years:

Personalities = 12%
Ideology = 8%
Pre Partition events = 35%
Constitutional Developments + Problems = 30%
Current Issues i.e Water = 7%
Misc = 8%

So to embark on homework one must avoid choosy study since this is a competition and half prepared aspirant can’t win the game…….That s for sure. Organize a consolidated catalog of all questions, segregate them in different categories and read them circumspectly. Since most of the questions apart from few exceptions are tricky and needs serious thought and a thought searching answer. An irrational answer will not serve the purpose and we will not achieve our objective.
Main emphasis should be laid on Pre Partition events and then so on with other categories. Select recommended books by commission and read them in time frames. Such as when you are preparing 1900-1906 era, read from apiece book, more than ever Formative Phase by KBS, Emergence of Pakistan by CH M Ali etc Jinnah of Pakistan by Stanely Walport or any useful book you hit upon appropriate, never read in disconnect sessions but in single session. Don’t make notes but note important points. You should extract important lines in exact words, make a separate register and write quotations of different authors. [Since in paper you have to write these quotations as “ Pakistan”, said Ziring in his book about Pakistan, “ is a state of idealogy………..] Read at least two to three recent but decent books on Pakistan and you should be au fait with the contemporary issues. Please don’t skip any topic how meager it may be. And remember when you are preparing Pakistan Affair, don’t prepare extraneous paper alongwith. Choose a related subject that may provide you an extra help and vice versa. If possible study in group, and hold group discussions on each topic since a thing you learn through discussion will have a deep dent on your memory rather you read alone. And share out sections to each member of your group and ask him to give you lecture about that section or topic in a fully prepared class room style, black board, cross questioning, reasoning and understanding the motives and consequences of a particular event. Think what if this event happened in a different way what would be the situation. But that needs dedication and commitment and honesty among the group members otherwise that will be a mere waste of time.

For MCQs, do consult a good book but if you have planned for 20 out of 20 marks in this section, then you have to create your own database from books and from current affairs otherwise you will not be going to achieve your goal. Pray to Allah a lot for your success before and after paper, think positive always and don’t take CSS as a very big achievement in your life, it is just a test for Job, That’s it. Say your prayers five times a day and be down to earth always.

Note: We are almost done with compulsory papers with only Islamic Studies left. After that I will be posting some useful tactics about how to attempt paper and some smart ways to write answers of a particular question.