Dear Seniors Good Evening ,

I hope you are all doing well .

I am a graduate Mechanical Engineer from a well know Govt. Engineering University located in Lahore .

Before putting my queries in front of you i should tell about myself .

I have scored 960 Marks in FSC & Also went very well in my bachelors . I am doing head office based job in a Company located in Lahore in Project Management Department & I have 3 Years 10 Months Job Experience .

My Date of Birth is April,1989 .


I am visiting many forums for CSS but decided to get registered here .

My Queries

1) Am i eligible for CSS W.r.t my (Date & Education ) ? How many attempts i can make ?

2) Should i Leave my Job , for CSS Preparation ( I am earning 75K per month) but my family does not rely on my Income .

3) When next CSS Exam will be conducted ?

4) CSS-2017 will be conducted in 2016 ?

5) Keeping my educational Record mind , what should be my choice for Optional Subject ? (Please also refer Books which i should consult for optional)

6) I feel my English is very Weak. How to work out on it for continuous improvement .(Other than Reading DAWN & JWT )

7) Having Coaching Classes is best of Self Study ? (Please share Coaching institutes, if anyone is reliable according to you )

8) Combined Study is better of Self Study ?

9) share your expertise regarding Compulsory Subjects. (How to prepare & Related Books literature )


10) Any other advice you want to give ?


I am very tensed now a days . Don't know why .

Many question come in mind .
Have i done justice with my talent ?
Is this the ultimate place where i am now ?
Why should i not go for CSS (For better position in society ) ?

Also i am very thankful to Almighty! for the position where i am (Job,Degree & my Earning) ! because i don't want to show Ingratitude !


Please ignore any grammar or Spelling Mistakes in my Queries .

Seeking forward to positive response from All Seniors !

Regards

I think if you can get to Fauji Fertilizer Company or Engro or somewhere of the sort, you'll do good. To fulfill your actualisation needs, you can engage in social work, like FFC engineers do for example. If you want 'taca' and 'show-sha', may be you should go for CSS. But if you want to contribute to a better Pakistan, there are other better channels for the 'highly-skilled' labour like you

Best

Thanks for your compliments , but i want a little bit more explanation .

Suppose if i have decided to go for CSS , what you will recommend now ?

If you've decided sir, it's a great option indeed. But I won't recommend you to burn your boats. The whole system is very dodgy. Let me try to answer your queries:


1) Am i eligible for CSS W.r.t my (Date & Education ) ? How many attempts i can make ?

Yes you can appear in Feb, 2017, which'll be advertised in Sep 2016 probably

2) Should i Leave my Job , for CSS Preparation ( I am earning 75K per month) but my family does not rely on my Income .

No. CSS exams have no standardised marking criteria. Scores are not consistent over the same individuals and subject. A person who tops the CSS exam, may fail the essay the next year (just because it's the 'slaughter subject' that year.) Similarly, one might get 70 in composition one year and fail the following year. But don't worry, if Allaah wills, you can do it. But leaving job would not be smart. You have a lot of time with you. CSS prep takes 6 to 8 months. You have roughly 14 months. You should be able to manage with job. But don't invest yourself emotionally in the CSS too much.

3) When next CSS Exam will be conducted ?

Feb 2016, but you can't apply now. So Feb 2017 for you.

4) CSS-2017 will be conducted in 2016 ?

What?! CSS 2017 should be conducted in 2017 I suppose. But you never know, bureaucracy can conduct it in 2017BC if they choose to

5) Keeping my educational Record mind , what should be my choice for Optional Subject ? (Please also refer Books which i should consult for optional)

Now, answering this question is not as simple as asking it is. It's a tedious task deciding one's subjects. Obviously you can go for Physics or Maths. The rest depends entirely on you. You'll have to dive in the books yourself and see what suits you better. And remember to go through the past papers. As for myself, I did not pick up the 'easy' or 'scoring' subjects, but those I liked and I thought I'd be able to study.

6) I feel my English is very Weak. How to work out on it for continuous improvement .(Other than Reading DAWN & JWT )

Now, again, that needs a long long response. But to cut it short, listen to BBC radio, read novels, and write, write, and write. Start a blog. And try to get yourself published in top papers in the letters section.

7) Having Coaching Classes is best of Self Study ? (Please share Coaching institutes, if anyone is reliable according to you )

I don't know this part. I am studying myself. Academies are a sheer waste of time if you know the tricks of the trade already. For that I find this forum quite good. Baaqi perhana kya hai unho'n ne bhai. Aisa doodh peeta bacha kon hai yahan!

8) Combined Study is better of Self Study ?

Depends on your studying style. I have always found Combined study to be a waste of time. I am a self-study person. Though if you're the other kind, Combined study and even academy might help you more.

9) share your expertise regarding Compulsory Subjects. (How to prepare & Related Books literature )

Go through the forums, it's all there.

10) Any other advice you want to give ?

Don't ask so many questions! :P

Best!

Thanks a lot for responding in a positive way .

May Almighty Bless you & May HE help you in getting through this exam .

Regards

How can I start CSS preparation without leaving my Job ? My Duty timings & traveling consumes 11hours of my day

That would make things a bit difficult, so you might have to leave the job ultimately - somewhere in August 2016 I suppose. In the meanwhile just acquaint yourself with all the subjects, and preferably start preparing 1. See how it feels. See if you really enjoy it even after a month, and if you feel good you're a good candidate for the exams.

And apply for the PMS exams that's just been advertised. Just appear. You'll have a full-dress rehearsal of what the CSS exams would look like. You can apply by the end of this month and the exams are somewhere in December2015-January2016.

PS: If you work 5 days a week, you can do without leaving your job. May be a leave for a month or 2, if possible, would do.

Disclaimer: This post represents the opinion of a person not competent to speak on issues pertaining to persons in job. Take his advice with a pinch of salt.

TuThanks for your suggestions .
From where should I start ?
Compulsory or Optional ? Keeping my academics in your consideration can you suggest any optionals ?
I would like to thanks you again & again because your words worth more than a treasure for me . May Almighty rewards you for all these words & advices .
Regards

Start with General Science if you like or Pakistan Affairs. Both these subjects are neither too dry nor exceedingly engaging - not least because you have to memorise some things on your way too...

Look into the optionals by yourself please. You can discuss once you have decided the subjects. But this is too early. Grab some books of the optionals you want to take and skim through. See if you like them. Weigh the importance of memorising in the subject and if that suits you.

Once you are through this preliminary phase and ready to finalise the subjects, you can ask the opinion of the members here to fine-tune whether a subject x is better than a subject y.

Best

I think you have got a lot of time. You should start studying at least 3 hours daily in the beginning. Then on weekends you should study 8 to 12 hours. Follow this routine and if you can take leave for a month or two near your exam to revise and wrap up everything you have learned over the course of the year you will do just great.
Make sure not to collect many info about CSS from different people, a lot of views will confuse you. Start preparing compulsory and optional subjects, while work on your english on daily basis.

__________________
Best of Luck.