How to read for CSS?

[Z Abbas]

Kehtay hain kh aik average aspirant daily agr 8 10 ghanty quality study kry tu aik sal me CSS krasakta hy,..
Me hairan houn kh ye kaisy possible hy?
For Example IR ka subject lay laity hain (ya koi b jo aap lena chahian), os me agar me sirf aik book b parhoun (i.e, JWT wali) tu wo tu bhai 600 700 pages ki book hy, mtlb aik maheenay me tu hali reading b possible nhe hy oski(mery liye) tu bhala notes kb banaye jayen? Unhain review kb kia jaye? Other sources ko kaisy dheka jaye? News papers waghira? waghiara?
Kul mila k bat ye hy kh aik topic (masaln, Foreign Policy: Determinants, Decision Making and Analysis), k opar itna kuch likha giya hota hy kh 8 10 ghantey parh k tu banda hali ye aik topic he karlay?
Aor agr aisy he parhta rhy tu 12 subjects tu 3 sal me b tayar na houn na??
So how to do it man?
I'm a studious person but I don't know how to cope with it (CSS), please guide me. I will be so thankful

[MonstarAshar]

Hairaan kyon ha? The gist of it is that it depends on the person.

Lets take a look at two different approaches.

2018 topper Shanza Faiq said she prepared for CSS in 3 months. According to Ms Shanza, she used to discuss IR, CA, PA topics with her family and friends on the dinner table from a very young age. Also, the fact that she is a LUMS graduate means that her English skills (writing, expression and analysis) were better than most people. She also analyzed the syllabus and past papers diligently to cross out topics that had low chance of appearing in the exam. Hence she was able to reduce the workload by nearly 70%. Fun fact about her is that she, allegedly, failed in General Knowledge Part III portion but got overall 120+ marks so she passed. She also scored higher in interview. Hence she grabbed the 1st position.

While the 2nd position Atif Ameer said that he prepared for more than 2-3 years. He prepared each and every word on the syllabus of ALL the subjects. Also he had given mock exams of ALL subjects THREE times. Each and every topic of all syllabus was on his finger tips. And it was only a matter of writing speed and recalling his knowledge for him. His Fourth time was his official attempt at CSS. Fun fact about Atif Ameer is that he had one of the highest scores in written exams but he couldnt score higher marks in the interview. Hence he lost the 1st place to Miss Shanza.

A good approach would be the middle ground of both. Take 6 months for preparation. No need to study 10-12 hours. Study 5-6 hours daily. It is not the quantity of working hours but the quality. Also, you're not supposed to read the books. You are supposed to cover the syllabus. Even the best of books have some portions glossed over. Also analyze the syllabus and past papers to cut down the syllabus and course length in half. CSS is not an exam of knowledge. Even a monkey can open the internet browser and search for a topic on wikipedia/google. CSS exam is about doing YOUR best under pressure.