How TO Make SELECTION OF OPTIONAL SUBJECTS For CSS Exam|| CSS PAPERS

SELECTION OF OPTIONAL SUBJECTS It has been quite rightly said that good subject selection is half a success especially when it comes t...

SELECTION OF OPTIONAL SUBJECTS

It has been quite rightly said that good subject selection is half a success especially when it comes to CSS Exam. Subjects should neither be finalized very early nor quite late. Aspirants are generally found quite perplexed especially when it comes to finalizing their optional subjects. 

How TO Make SELECTION OF OPTIONAL SUBJECTS For CSS Exam|| CSS PAPERS

They often fall prey to the ambiguous term such scoring trend‖. In this way, most aspirants follow blindly, recommendations made by others and have to rely heavily on the advice of others that often does not prove to be right for every aspirant. After the revised syllabus of 2016, the selection of optional subjects becomes even more crucial. This has come quite gard at the aspirants and has stunned them completely where they were seen biting their nails and scratching their heads after failing to cope with simple yet technical and analytical questions. And, only a scoring mind can score well. As ASP Mufakhar Adeel (2nd Position, CSS–2006) said, “I did masters in English and LLB. But I neither took English nor any subject of law as my optional. I went for entirely new subjects, the subjects in which I had the interest. My combination included Islamic History, Urdu, Sociology and Journalism. It was mainly because of these subjects that I managed to score 76% marks in optional subjects and hence secured second position overall.” Therefore, it is highly recommended that aspirants must keep the following aspects in mind prior to finalising their optional subjects.

1. DO YOUR HOMEWORK PRIOR TO SELECTING YOUR OPTIONAL SUBJECTS

Do go through the prescribed revised syllabus by FPSC. Opt your subject in accordance with your educational background but bear in mind that you need not go for natural sciences. One of the best ways to analyze one's capabilities in natural sciences subjects is to review past 10 years papers in this way one can easily understand the prospective problems and rate of success. By reviewing past 10 years papers one can easily calculate how much diligent efforts are required to get excellent marks in the subject. Please neither underestimates nor overestimates your competence. In case of overestimation none would endure loss but only you. Underestimation is somewhat good because it would work as impetus for hardworking. Most important thing in opting these subjects is your aptitude. Higher the aptitude higher would be the rate of success. At the same time, you need to be aware of subjects that are literary in nature such as English literature and Urdu literature. Past Papers always provide you with different perspectives relating various topics. Past Papers Analysis will enable you making any decision whether you are able to handle that very subject. Remember, the FPSC does not have any hard and fast rule to sticking to its syllabus. It may ask you for the applications of any subject. For instance, you might be asked to resolve any international conflict by applying international law principles. Last but not least point in opting optional subjects is to evaluate scope of subjects. Go for that subject where you have adequate interest coupled with relatively shorter syllabus instead of that subject where you feel too aptitude coupled with too much syllabus.

2. SCORING TREND VS. OVERLAPPING SUBJECTS

No denying the fact that there are certain subjects, which are really marks yielding these subjects such as Accounting & Auditing, Public Administration, USA History, Philosophy, Sociology, etc. This phenomenon is true to some extent only. Since 2016, the perception of scoring has shifted towards overlapping of subjects. For instance, IR does overlap with Essay, Current Affairs, and Pakistan Affairs. However, regional languages and history subjects do tend to help you gain more marks, hence, if possible one must go for it.
Basically, supporting subjects are those that help you build your knowledge base along with expanding one‘s intellectual capacity. Optional subjects do overlap with one another in the following ways such as the following:

International Relations = International Law + USA History or European History

Political Science = Constitutional Law + Any history subject Muslim law & Jurisprudence = Islamic Studies Sociology = Gender Studies Philosophy = Political Science Criminology = Psychology

International Law =International Relations

Environmental Science = General Science and Ability (slightly) Islamic History and Culture = Islamic Studies

History of India and Pakistan = Pakistan Affairs Governance & Public Policy = Public Administration

Aspirants, at this stage, should consider these points for scoring high marks in any optional subject you need the following:

§ One's aptitude concerning the subject


§ One's skill concerning the subject


§ One's capacity concerning enhancement one's capability in the subject


§ No subject is low scoring if one is well prepared. (Please note that no subject is low scoring subject in itself. Your depth of knowledge earns you the marks.)


§ Only requirement to get high score is to know how to deal that subject

§ Your aptitude is your strength; higher the aptitude higher would be success rate.

3. SCORING SUBJECT:

No one bothers to truly understands, what really is a scoring subject? Here, I‘m going to enlist five things that can be used to judge weather a subject is scoring or not and weather you can perform well in the subject or not.

§ One of the simplest techniques that aspirants can use to judge weather a subject is scoring or not is by looking at its syllabus. The most scoring subjects usually have a shorter outline as compared to others. The subjects with short syllabus take less time to be covered and aspirants can cover major proportion of the syllabus much more comprehensively. Thus students are in a better position to attempt any question that is asked, even the unexpected ones, in the exam and therefore score high marks. For example, USA History has the shortest syllabus as compared to European and Indo-Pak History.


§ This is the most authentic criteria for predicting about a subject weather it is scoring or not. The repetition of questions in a particular subject allows students to prepare selective questions and topics comprehensively and attempt them in the exam in the most perfect manner. In some subjects questions are copied and pasted on the question paper and leave little to surprise the aspirants. In some subjects, sometimes covering as little as 5 to 8 topics can enable a student to attempt all the four questions. For example, one can easily secure good marks by preparing past papers of last 10-15 years.

§ The subjects with absolute nature of the answers like science subjects is to review past 10 years papers in this way one can easily understand the prospective problems and rate of success.

§ When all has been said and done, in the end it would be you and your effort that would make the difference. Always be confident to follow your heart and choose a subject that you feel would get you good scores. Your personal interests, educational background and aptitude in a particular subject are good enough reasons to make a subject scoring and can help you gain considerable advantage over others.

It would be worth mentioning, to the aspirants reading this booklet that they have enough time to make the most rational and logical decision. Use this time to your advantage and select those subjects which can get you miles ahead from other candidates. Take a day out and filter out some subjects and view their course outline and past papers. This would give you a head start and boost your confidence a lot.

4. APTITUDE
As said before your aptitude is your strength and next step to get excellent marks is to administer your aptitude. Only advice that could be given is to evaluate your aptitude precisely. Point is to put effort. It includes the ability and competence to handle the subject. Never go into conflict with yourself. If your heart does not accept any subject, your mind never will. I couldn‘t stand Agriculture and Forestry, it gave me a hard time, and I didn‘t do justice with it because my heart never accepted it. Lower the aptitude, higher would be boredom; higher would be boredom, higher the difficulty in dealing the subject and ultimately higher stamina would be required to borne that subject. So please do not waste your vitality just in digesting perceived monotony a subject.
5. SAFE CHOICE

Try to opt a subject that provides you safer passage on the basis of your educational background, precise syllabus, repetition of questions from past





papers, and overlapping. Try to opt subjects that give you the freedom to express your own general opinion e.g. sociology, journalism.




6. MAXIMUM MARKS


CSS Exam is not about clearing or passing the written exam but it is about scoring maximum marks. Compulsory Subjects such as Essay, English Précis & Composition, and Islamic Studies are the most vulnerable subjects. You had better focus on merely passing these papers rather than scoring very highly.




A POINT TO UNDERSTAND


It is you who is going to finalise the subjects. Don‘t leave it to someone else. Nor you should follow someone‘s advice blindly since there is difference between your aptitude and background and that of other person.