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
Saturday, October 07, 2017
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