CSS also known as CENTRAL SUPERIOR SERVICES is Pakistan's top competitive exam that provides opportunity to every single Pakistani Across Pakistan to prove his ability and capability every year. It is thoroughly a merit based selection where a person attempting for it has to hold at least a graduation degree and select twelve subjects in total including six subjects that are compulsory. According to 2019 reforms in CSS, along with appearing in a challenging written test of CSS, every aspirant will have to pass another test, prior to final written test, known as Descriptive Test that is just to confirm if a candidate going for CSS is really prepared or not. The statistics of CSS annual results from recent years reveal that a huge number of students appearing in CSS exam are predictably not even prepared 10% for it.

In 2017 CSS Exam, only 199 out of 9,643 qualified all rounds making it 3.3 pc of the total result while in 2018 CSS exams, 569 cleared the written part out of 11,887 and 261 were given appointments. Better than that of 2017 result. However, in 2018, a lot criticism was put on CSS paper due repetition of some questions from past papers. It is probably because CSS is misunderstood due misguidance of those under whom thousands prepare for it or it might be that CSS is considered to be a Piece of cake. One may also predict that this all might be due to applied short-cuts by aspirants to go through the exam.

CSS exam was first introduced during British Raj in India which continued even after the separation of the two states in both countries which was later named in Pakistan CSS and in India IPS and IAS (Indian Police Service and Indian Administrative service). Its thorough motive is to give open opportunity to everyone who is abled, competitive and devotedly wants to serve his country through joining the services. Its name was several times changed like CSS was initially called District Management Group (DMG) later on, it was being called as Pakistan administrative services. The name that finally remained Constant was 'CSS.'

It has been unambiguous that most students going for CSS mistake in understanding the level of exams.

Calling it a short-cut to success is like thinking it a piece of cake because there is not short-cut to success. Everything happens especially on success due to long-terms devotion and hard work. While a major section of its aspirants misunderstands its difficulty level, thus calling it ultimately impossible to Attempt. According to Munavir Sabir a geologist who has been preparing students for CSS for around 25 years, suggests that CSS is Neither that difficult as some aspirants think it is nor it is that easy as some aspirant take it to, it is in the middle of these two levels.

Sabir also reveals that passing CSS has nothing to do with anyone's financial status, for many years of his services he has seen aspirants passing CSS who would run their house by taking home tuitions and would come with some kind of tattered shoes to academies to take few useful tips from the experienced teachers. Sabir furthers says in an interview, 'Aspirants who are financially very good have been less experienced passing the exam. It is merely due to their lifestyle that has become luxurious which makes their purposes of achievement less strong.'

The question Frequently asked is that how long it takes to Prepare for CSS. The Expert tutor Munavir Sabir reveals that a person holding a Master's Degree will take maximum six months (Note: it is for those who have done their masters/graduation really well which means they are their degrees) and a person holding a bachelor's Degree will take one year to study constantly for it to pass it. Further, Consistency, persistency, hard work and devotion can make it even easier.

It is debatable whether to join an academy for preparation of CSS or not. The answer is that it is better join an academy for few basic guidelines otherwise doing self-studies at home is the best every method one can apply. Teacher guidelines are must. As Imam Ghazali says, 'Knowledge without a guider Is a mere distraction.' The toppers of CSS from recent years have also been sharing their experiences for preparation of CSS. Where we have seen that people joining academies and then studying part-time in Library have been successful in it while aspirants studying at home five to nine hours and making notes of what they study have also been able to not only passing it but also topping it like CSS 2018 first position holder Shanza Faiq Says, 'I never joined any academy for CSS.

I just thought I can alone deal with it and started making certain hand notes of what I was studying and that helped a lot.'While on the other hand, Even the CSS toppers suggest to take part in different tests conducted at preparatory academies in case if someone doesn't join any academy properly. Most aspirants holding degrees from Foreign countries are only thought to be topping CSS. It is true to some extent because doing a degree from a foreign country in a reputed university has two main qualities. 1. It has a study level equal to that of CSS. 2. The universities have well maintained libraries that provide a vast range of books on every field of study.

It is really a big question that if the education system in here has not been able to prepare graduates and master's degree holders to pass CSS then why the level of difficulty of CSS is not maintained accordingly. The other the question is that if the education system in here is not making students able to pass CSS then how those hundreds of students are qualifying CSS without holding a Specific degree from any foreign country or even from a reputed university of Pakistan. It is said that Qualifying CSS depends on three things. 1. Right Selection of Subjects 2. Studying right books. 3. Consistency of hard work 4. Maintaining the energy till the end 5. Understanding the level of difficulty of CSS Exam.

There is an essential psychological term 'Differed Gratification Pattern' according to which a person sacrifices his present for a better future. Aspirants preparing for CSS don't celebrates Eid for 5 days nor attend parties every week. It is all about devotion so they devote their life to it. Thus, it has become clear that qualifying CSS has no short-cuts but CSS itself is really a huge short-cut to join Pakistan Services with a basic pay 17 scale and be allocated in 11 different departments across Pakistan as per a toppers' personal choice.

The writer is a Youtube vlogger and a motivational speaker.

© Pakistan Press International, source Asianet-Pakistan