[QUOTE=saraimran87;1042675]i would say reading helps with expression. i read a ton of fiction, so it has definitely helped me over the years[/QUOTE]

Hello & Congratulations. Would you please share the titles of those fiction books?

[QUOTE=anabiya mughal;1042689]Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. I have some qs below please reply and give any suggestions and advice if any :)
1 How many hours did you study?
2 how did you revise all the subjects in that short time?
3 In how many days you prepared one subject?
4 Of how many pages you wrote one answer of optional and compulsory subjects?
5 Any tips you want to give us of studying, preparation, or during examination like do's and dont's during our preparation and examination.[/QUOTE]
thats alright, i'm happy to help.

as i was on a time crunch, i had to make the most of it. i was studying nearly 18 hrs a day, with only food and water breaks. moreover, i studied in isolation.

secondly, like i mentioned before, i didnt undertake the task of memorizing each and everything. i divided my time. 2 weeks to every subjects and went over major concepts, formulated a revision pattern according to past papers and made my own notes. this helped me with last minute revision.

my page count per question was erratic. in instances where i was bursting with material, i wrote 8 to 10 pages. usually, it was contingent on time. it almost always happened that my first question was really well structured and was around 8 pages and from then on my page strength deteriorated. sometimes my last question was 2 to 3 pages long. i dont think it matters as such. quality over quantity, always.

as far as dos and donts, never forget to include analysis and evaluation in your paper. dont concentrate too much on one particular subject, they all deserve your attention and avoid distraction. mostly, i feel, people dont answer or comprehend the question properly. the examiner already knows the facts, better than you do, he is interested in your opinion, analysis and problem solving skills.

[QUOTE=imranshahab;1042700]Hello & Congratulations. Would you please share the titles of those fiction books?[/QUOTE]
its a long list, but i can share with you books i've recently finished or am about to start.
love by toni morrison, freedom by jonathan franzen, one hundred years of solitude by Marquez, the goldfinch by donna tartt and im about to read the new book by arundhati roy

if anybody is interested in vocabulary building, then it is advisable to go over the SAT hit list.

[QUOTE=saraimran87;1042703]thats alright, i'm happy to help.

as i was on a time crunch, i had to make the most of it. i was studying nearly 18 hrs a day, with only food and water breaks. moreover, i studied in isolation.

secondly, like i mentioned before, i didnt undertake the task of memorizing each and everything. i divided my time. 2 weeks to every subjects and went over major concepts, formulated a revision pattern according to past papers and made my own notes. this helped me with last minute revision.

my page count per question was erratic. in instances where i was bursting with material, i wrote 8 to 10 pages. usually, it was contingent on time. it almost always happened that my first question was really well structured and was around 8 pages and from then on my page strength deteriorated. sometimes my last question was 2 to 3 pages long. i dont think it matters as such. quality over quantity, always.

as far as dos and donts, never forget to include analysis and evaluation in your paper. dont concentrate too much on one particular subject, they all deserve your attention and avoid distraction. mostly, i feel, people dont answer or comprehend the question properly. the examiner already knows the facts, better than you do, he is interested in your opinion, analysis and problem solving skills.[/QUOTE]

Two weeks to every subject?? You said you only had two and a half months,no?
And yes 18 hours is understandable with so less time left, one needs to make sure that he studies quality material in those 2 months...

[QUOTE=turbulence;1042708]Two weeks to every subject?? You said you only had two and a half months,no?
And yes 18 hours is understandable with so less time left, one needs to make sure that he studies quality material in those 2 months...[/QUOTE]
i had about 12 weeks down to the last day before exams. i didnt study for english precis and essay and combined pak and current affairs.

[QUOTE=saraimran87;1042653]Hi everybody,
congratulations to everybody who passed and my sincerest well wishes to those who couldn't make it this time.
I just wanted to share my experience in this journey so far, hopefully, I can be of some help to someone. First off, let me say that css is a relative and subjective experience, it is different for everyone, so don't take everything that everyone says to heart. everyone is different and you should play to your strengths instead of trying to emulate everyone else.
I started off with 2.5 months in hand, it wasnt like i was completely clueless, i knew what i was doing. i had decided on my optionals but i was still apprehensive. everyone kept telling me you cant do it, people spend years on css, youre not going to make it. i put this negativity aside and started my preparation.
the preparation phase is hazy, but i do remember that instead of trying to cram and memorize everything, i focused on major concepts and made my own notes. if anyone is interested, i can do a subject wise analysis too, but i'll table it for now.
for me, the most nerve wracking part was the one week of exams. i ve never been more exhausted and emotionally drained. it is a real test of nerves and its a miracle i sustained through.
ESSAY: honestly, even though i was confident going in to the exam, i wasn't so much when i got out. I felt i didn't do as well as I could have and was pretty gutted. I attempted on feminism, which seemed to be pretty popular choice and everyone had different ideas, and i felt that my arguments didn't hold up as well.

Precis: at the risk of sounding too conceited, I was pretty satisfied with my precis paper. I sailed through the grammar portion and found the precis to be straightforward.

Current/ Pak affairs: these two papers were fun to attempt, they mainly focused on current topics including pak affairs. they were mostly argumentative and analytical in nature

GSA: To be honest, i wasnt well prepared for this exam and math is a sworn enemy of mine, but fortunately, i was able to attempt on topics i had actually prepared.

Islamiat: This is one exam, i had nightmares about. I was sure that if i failed, islamiat would be my undoing. looking back now, it was probably my mcqs and the terrorism question that saved me.

Political Science: Pol Sci was the subject, i studied for the most, mainly because it is worth 200. I was apprehensive, since very few people opt for this and the trend is mostly to go for IR; but i was genuinely interested in the subject matter and it also helped me in pak and current affairs. overall, i felt it was a decent enough attempt.

International Law: This is a technical but pretty straightforward subject to prepare, requires a little bit more effort, but from what i've heard, it is a rewarding subject.

History of USA: again this is a popular choice, but this was an interesting experience. i poured over the historical events meticulously but in the end, the paper was based on the current scenario and international situation.

Sociology: I had some degree of proficiency in this subject to begin with, having studied it previously in high school. Again, this paper had elements dealing with current issues.

Gender Studies: This particular subject really tested me. to begin with the reading material available was of poor quality and did not address the syllabus adequately. I had to make my own notes from scratch. on the bright side, all my research did help in my essay paper.

so, there you have it. I would just like to add i'm no expert, this journey was fraught with doubts and difficulties and I still have a long way to go. in this moment, i'm thankful and feel blessed.

my fellow candidates who've made it through, please share you experience, if possible. I'm sure we can learn a lot from each other.

Cheers:D[/QUOTE]

What is ur educational background?

[QUOTE=zabhutto;1042733]What is ur educational background?[/QUOTE]
i've an undergraduate honors degree in English with a minor in political science

@saira which books did u consult for IR both papers ?

[QUOTE=nish;1042736]@saira which books did u consult for IR both papers ?[/QUOTE]
i took Pol Sci, not IR.

Hey, Thank you for the share. I'd definitely take some inspiration form your example as, finally, I have just about started to focus on my prep a little more seriously. As I have almost the same combination of subjects as that of yours, I thought I would trouble you for some material and advice. Please share the sources you consulted for Gender Studies (and the notes too, if possible). Also suggest me a few titles for the B paper of Pol Science.

And Well Done and Good Luck for the Interview part!

for gender studies, there is a book by amy wharton, hugely helpful. Also, the Handbook of Gender and Women's Studies was a great help. i would stay away from local guide books, they are terrible. whenever i was stuck, the internet came to my help. believe me, it is the cheapest, most helpful and easy to access resource out there. As for notes, l'll have to dig them up, email me and i'll send them to you

pol sci, i had world constitutions by vishnoo bhagwan, and constitutional history of pakistan by m. raza. mostly i did research on the internet and had access to my university library where i was able to find books on individual constitutions. i only prepared on pakistan, usa, uk, india, china, turkey, iran malaysia