ISLAMABAD:
The Federal Public Service Commission has announced a total of 364 vacancies to be filled through the Central Higher Services Competition 2024, according to an official statement issued in accordance with the Establishment Division guidelines.
The vacancies have been finalized in accordance with Rule 19 of CSS Competitive Examination Rules 2019 and include 247 new posts and 117 posts transferred from previous years.
Candidates from Punjab have been allotted 179 seats, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 48, Balochistan 31, rural Sindh 32 and urban Sindh 29. Candidates from erstwhile FATA have 15 seats, Azad Kashmir 8 and Gilgit-Baltistan 4.
According to the FPSC, 214 seats are allocated on manifest merit, 32 to women and 118 to minorities. The distribution of vacancies has been carried out according to provincial, regional, women and minority quotas. “The assignment of candidates will be based on merit, preferences and address,” he stated.
Following the results of CSS 2024, the selected candidates will be assigned to groups including Pakistan Administrative Service, Police Service, Foreign Service, Income Tax, Office Management and other federal groups.
The FPSC eliminates written tests
In August, the FPSC abolished written tests for general recruitment and announced that only multiple choice question (MCQ) based exams will be conducted from now on.
According to a public statement, the new system will come into force from September 21, 2025. However, the change will not apply to Central Higher Services (CSS) competitions. Under the revised system, general recruitment for posts from BPS-16 to BPS-21 will be carried out as per new rules.
For BPS-16 and BPS-17 posts, candidates will face a single MCQ exam of 100 marks, while for BPS-18 and above, there will be two MCQ exams. To qualify, candidates have to secure a minimum of 40 to 50 per cent marks and 0.25 marks will be deducted for each wrong answer.
Read more: Panel finds shortfall of Rs 19 crore in FPSC accounts
CSS exams are conducted to recruit officers (BPS-17) for Pakistan Bureaucracy, Pakistan Administrative Services (PAS), Police, Foreign Service, Customs etc.
The objective of general recruitments is to fill individual positions advertised by the FPSC in various ministries and departments. The publications thus announced range from BPS-7 to BPS-19, not just BPS-17 like the CSS. The BPS stands for Basic Pay Scale.
Only 395 candidates passed the CSS 2024 written exam
In April, the FPSC revealed that the success rate of the written results of the CSS 2024 exams was only 2.53%. According to official data, 23,100 candidates entered the competition, of which 15,602 appeared in the written phase.
However, only 395 candidates passed successfully, reflecting the continued rigor and competitiveness of one of Pakistan’s most challenging professional exams.
