Past Papers
Every FPSC compulsory paper from 2000 to 2024, 155 in all, as original PDFs. Read them in your browser or download them. Free with a CSSNorthstar account.
The six compulsory papers are the only part of CSS that is identical for everyone who sits the exam. They are also where most candidates are eliminated: in CSS 2025 the English Essay paper averaged 26.1 out of 100, against a 40 percent pass requirement on every compulsory paper.
Past papers are the only public record of how FPSC actually asks its questions, as opposed to what the syllabus says it may ask. The archive below runs back to 2000, which is long enough for the repeating patterns to become obvious.
See how candidates scored on each compulsory paper in CSS 2025One essay, three hours, 100 marks. Candidates pick a single topic from a list that ranges across politics, society, economics, science and philosophy, then write roughly 2,500 to 3,000 words on it.
The most mechanical paper in the compulsory group: precis writing, comprehension, grammar, idioms, sentence correction, pair of words and translation, each carrying its own marks.
Half general science across physics, chemistry, biology and environmental science, half quantitative and logical reasoning. The reasoning half is where repeat question patterns are most visible.
Pakistan's internal and external affairs alongside global issues. The events change every year; the way FPSC frames them does not.
The Pakistan Movement, constitutional history, governance, economy and foreign relations. Question themes repeat across decades, which makes the full archive unusually valuable here.
Quranic teachings, Seerah, Islamic civilisation and the application of Islamic principles to contemporary problems. Taken by Muslim candidates; non-Muslims sit Comparative Study of Major Religions instead.
The alternative to Islamic Studies for non-Muslim candidates, covering the major world religions, their texts, their historical development and their ethical systems.
Compulsory papers are the same for everyone. Your optional subjects are the other 600 marks, and they are where most candidates guess. Our assessment matches your degree and coursework against FPSC result data.
Start your assessment