FPSC's official final result notification for the CSS Competitive Examination 2025 (No. F.2/4/2026-CE, dated 30th April 2026) confirms that just 342 candidates finally qualified out of 12,792 who appeared, with only 170 recommended for appointment. Here's the full breakdown of the numbers, the funnel between them, and what they mean for future CSS aspirants.
The four-stage CSS-2025 funnel
A lot of confusion around CSS-2025's numbers comes from different reports citing different stages of the same process. FPSC's own Annex-A clears this up: 355 and 342 are both correct, they just measure different points in the funnel.
Region and gender breakdown of allocated candidates
Of the 170 candidates recommended for appointment, allocation by domicile and gender broke down as follows.
| Region | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Punjab | 41 | 63 | 104 |
| Sindh (Rural) | 16 | 5 | 21 |
| Sindh (Urban) | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 14 | 7 | 21 |
| Balochistan | 6 | 4 | 10 |
| Ex-FATA | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Gilgit-Baltistan | 2 | — | 2 |
| Azad Jammu & Kashmir | — | 4 | 4 |
| Total | 84 | 86 | 170 |
Top position holders
FPSC's merit list places Usaid Rafique at first position, followed by Muhammad Mohsin Khalid at second and Tariq Hafeez at third. Among the top 30 position holders, 23 belong to Punjab, two each to Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and three to Balochistan — most of whom were allocated to PAS or PSP.
| Merit No. | Name | Domicile | Group Allocated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Usaid Rafique | Punjab | PAS |
| 2 | Muhammad Mohsin Khalid | Punjab | PAS |
| 3 | Tariq Hafeez | Sindh (Rural) | PSP |
| 4 | Mir Ahmad Jalal | Punjab | PAS |
| 5 | Amir Khalid Qazi | Punjab | PAS |
What the numbers mean for future aspirants
A 2.67% pass rate confirms what CSS aspirants have felt for years: the exam has stayed brutally competitive despite no major change to its format. This continues a pattern of sub-3% pass rates across recent CSS cycles, a trend our editorial on the CSS exam failure rate looked at in detail.
A few things stand out in this cycle specifically. First, the gap between "passed written" (355) and "recommended for appointment" (170) is wide — more than half of those who cleared the written stage and viva still didn't get a group allocation, since allocation depends on available vacancies and the quota system, not qualification alone. Second, Punjab dominated both the applicant pool and the allocated list, while smaller quotas like Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK saw only a handful of allocations. Third, women's stronger qualification-to-appearance ratio this cycle is worth watching across future results to see if it holds as a trend rather than a one-off.
Frequently asked questions
Did 355 or 342 candidates pass CSS-2025?
Both figures are correct for different stages. 355 candidates passed the written exam; after the Psychological Assessment and Viva Voce, 342 finally qualified. FPSC's official 2.67% pass rate is calculated against the 342 figure.
How many CSS-2025 candidates actually got appointed?
170 candidates were recommended for appointment (84 male, 86 female) against available vacancies and the national quota system — fewer than half of the 342 who finally qualified.
Who topped the CSS-2025 merit list?
Usaid Rafique secured first position, followed by Muhammad Mohsin Khalid in second and Tariq Hafeez in third. Most top-30 position holders were allocated to PAS or PSP.
Which region had the most CSS-2025 appointments?
Punjab led with 104 of the 170 total allocations (41 male, 63 female), followed by Sindh (Rural) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 21 allocations each.
Official source
All figures in this analysis are sourced directly from FPSC's official final result notification for CE-2025, Reference No. F.2/4/2026-CE, dated 30th April 2026.
References
- FPSC Annex-A — Announcement of Final Result, CSS Competitive Examination-2025, No. F.2/4/2026-CE, 30 April 2026.
- FPSC Official CSS Section — current notices, syllabus, and results.
- CSS Bureau — Why Is the CSS Exam Failure Rate So High?