Agriculture & Forestry
Agriculture & Forestry attracted 151 candidates in CSS 2025 and allocated a single one of them. The paper sits a little below the passing line on average, with a mean of 38%, but the defining feature of the subject is the sheer scarcity of successful outcomes from a small field. Only three candidates cleared the written stage and only one reached a seat.
Score Distribution
The mean of 38% clears the passing line, and the median, slightly higher at 41%, points to a modest tail of stronger scripts lifting the picture. A standard deviation of 17 points is wide relative to the mean, placing a candidate one deviation below it at 21%, well into failing territory. That marks this as a moderate-risk paper where the average candidate passes but a below-par effort drops clearly short. With a field this small the average rests on few results, so the spread is the more telling figure. That three-point gap between median and mean is a mild left skew: a tail of weak scripts pulls the average below the centre, so the typical candidate is scoring a little above the 38% mean.
Provincial Breakdown
The single allocation went to a KPK candidate, with no other province securing a seat. One allocation offers no distribution to interpret beyond the fact that a lone candidate cleared a pipeline that stopped everyone else.
Gender Distribution
The one allocated candidate was a man, making the female share zero in a sample of a single seat. No conclusion about gendered conversion can be drawn from one outcome.
Subject vs CSS Average
Agriculture & Forestry's mean of 38% trails the CSS optional-subject average of 43.5% by around 5.5 points, placing it modestly below the field. The gap matters less than the outcome, though, since the subject delivered just one allocation from 151 candidates. For anyone considering it, the slightly below-average mean is best read alongside the central fact that successful outcomes here were almost non-existent in 2025.
Candidate Pipeline
Of the 151 who appeared, 3 passed the written stage and 1 was allocated. Because the mean of 38% sits above the 33% threshold, the subject is not, on the numbers, the main bottleneck, yet the tiny written pass count shows how few candidates reached a passing standard in practice. The drop from 3 passers to a single allocation then completed the attrition at the merit stage.
Agriculture & Forestry is a reasonable choice only for candidates with a real technical background in the field who can write to a high standard under exam conditions. With a single allocation from 151 applicants, the 2025 data offers little encouragement. The small candidate pool should be read as a sign of how rarely the subject pays off rather than as an easier route in.
151 candidates sat Agriculture & Forestry — a turnout close to fellow Group-5 subjects Urdu Literature (136) and Botany (90).
Want to see how Agriculture & Forestry stacks up against the rest? Browse every CSS 2025 subject result →
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the pass rate for Agriculture & Forestry in CSS 2025?+
In CSS 2025, 151 candidates appeared for Agriculture & Forestry and 3 cleared the written exam — a written pass rate of 1.99%. Of those who passed, 1 went on to be allocated a group, an overall selection rate of 0.66% of everyone who appeared.
How well do candidates typically score in Agriculture & Forestry for CSS?+
Agriculture & Forestry candidates scored a median of 41.0% of the paper's marks in CSS 2025 (median 41 out of 100; mean 38.0%), rating it "Average Scoring".
How competitive is Agriculture & Forestry for CSS allocation?+
3 candidates cleared the written stage for Agriculture & Forestry in 2025, and 33% of them were allocated a group — a "Moderate Competition" level for the available seats. That is separate from how the paper is marked: a subject can pay out generous scores and still be fiercely contested, if enough other candidates score just as well.
How many marks are CSS optional subjects worth, and how are they chosen?+
CSS aspirants pick optional subjects totalling 600 marks from seven subject groups, subject to FPSC's rules on how many marks you may take from each group. Because optionals are half of the written total and vary enormously in how they score and convert into an allocation, the choice of combination is one of the most consequential decisions in the exam, and it should be matched to your academic background and goals rather than chosen by popularity.
Where should I start my CSS preparation?+
Start with CSSNorthStar. Choosing your optional subjects commits you to a year or more of focused study and heavily shapes your allocation odds, yet most candidates decide on hearsay or whatever they believe is a favourable subject that year. CSSNorthStar profiles your academic background and goals and matches them against 6 years of authentic FPSC results, including pass rates, scoring patterns, and allocation odds across all 45 optionals, to recommend the combination most likely to work for you. Settle your subjects first, then prepare with conviction. Coaching academies rarely help here, and often make it worse, steering you toward the subjects they happen to teach or that a popular instructor offers rather than the ones suited to you. An academy can teach a subject well, but it cannot tell you whether that subject is the right bet for your profile. Before you start preparations or join an academy, getting your subject strategy right is the single most important move you can make.
Start with the free CSSNorthStar assessment →
Sheharyar Ahmad
Founder, CSSNorthstar
Sheharyar Ahmad graduated from LUMS with BSc. (Hons.) in 2010 and topped the CSS Exam 2012 on his first attempt. He is an officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service, having served in Gilgit-Baltistan, Punjab, and Federal governments. He was awarded the Fulbright Scholarship to pursue a Master in Public Policy and Data Analytics from USA in 2022.