Every year, thousands of graduates compete for a limited number of seats in Pakistan's civil services, and the CSS exam is one of the toughest filters in the country. Among the CSS 2025 results, Tarique Hafeez secured Merit No. 3 in Pakistan, putting him among the highest-ranking candidates in the exam.
His path involved consistent academic work, a fair amount of public speaking, and years of preparation that went beyond the syllabus. For aspirants preparing for the Central Superior Services examination, there's more to learn from his case than the merit number alone.
Tarique Hafeez Secures 3rd Position in CSS 2025
According to the official FPSC CSS 2025 Final Result, Tarique Hafeez secured 3rd position in Pakistan. Landing in the top three means performing consistently across every stage of the exam: written papers, psychological assessment, and viva voce, not just excelling in one part of it.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Tarique Hafeez |
| Merit Position | 3 |
| Domicile | Sindh |
| Allocated Group | Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) |
For future candidates, his result is a case for preparing across the board rather than betting everything on one stage.
From a Small Village to National Recognition
During his mock interview, Tarique Hafeez said he belongs to Village Abad Bugti, Tehsil Wara, District Qambar Shahdadkot, Sindh. His father works as a local government employee, his mother is a homemaker, and he's the eldest of four siblings. He attended his first school under a tree in his village.
From there, he did well consistently: first division in both matriculation and intermediate, then a degree from Quaid-i-Azam University where he posted the highest percentage across his semesters.
Academic Work Beyond the Classroom
Tarique Hafeez had a solid academic record well before he sat the CSS exam.
He took part in the Global UGRAD Exchange Program at Shawnee State University in the United States. He also won first position in nine All Pakistan declamation competitions and placed fifth in an international declamation contest with participants from 33 countries.
Alongside that, he worked with the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) on projects covering climate change, women's empowerment, and financial literacy, work that sharpened the research and communication skills that came up again in his CSS interview.
A Long-Standing Interest in Public Service
In his interview, Tarique Hafeez said he'd wanted to join the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) since he was young. He described policing as the base layer that lets other public institutions function, and said serving in a uniformed role was something he'd wanted for a long time.
The interview panel questioned him on policing, climate change, foreign policy, governance, national security, criminology, and gender studies. He answered directly where he had the knowledge, and was upfront about the areas where he didn't.
Interview Insight: That mix, preparation plus honesty about gaps, is part of what separates a strong interview from a rehearsed one.
Lessons Every CSS Aspirant Can Learn
Public Speaking Practice Pays Off in the Interview
His run of declamation competitions built the kind of composure and clarity that showed up later in his CSS interview.
The Syllabus Isn't the Ceiling
His research work, exchange program, and policy projects gave him a working knowledge of national and global issues that went beyond exam material, and it showed in how he handled interview questions outside the syllabus.
This Wasn't a One-Year Push
From steady academic performance to Merit No. 3 in CSS 2025, his result reflects years of groundwork rather than a single intense preparation cycle.
Preparing for the CSS Examination
The CSS exam stands for Central Superior Services Examination, conducted annually by the Federal Public Service Commission to recruit officers for Pakistan's federal civil services.
Before starting preparation, check the current CSS exam eligibility, CSS exam eligibility criteria, age limit, and official exam dates announced by FPSC.
From there: study the updated CSS exam syllabus, choose your CSS exam subjects, work through CSS exam past papers, and know how to apply for the CSS exam before the deadline.
For guidance on the exam process, preparation strategy, and syllabus updates, visit Central Superior Services.
Final Thoughts
Tarique Hafeez went from a village school under a tree to Merit No. 3 in one of Pakistan's toughest exams. That gap says something about what steady, unglamorous preparation can do over several years.
For anyone preparing for the Central Superior Services examination, his case is a straightforward one: the work you put in outside the syllabus, on writing, speaking, and reading widely, ends up mattering just as much as the syllabus itself.
To hear more about his journey directly, you can watch his address at the CSPs 55th CTP Event where he was celebrated for securing the 3rd Position in Pakistan and Topper Sindh.
Editorial Note: This success story is written to help CSS aspirants analyze top-performing candidates and extract actionable preparation lessons from Tarique Hafeez's achievement. For more CSS guidance, visit our main blog: Central Superior Services (https://centralsuperiorservices.com/) .
