CSS 2026 Written Result: FPSC Declares 476 Qualified Out of 17,351

FPSC released the CSS Exam 2026 written result on 31st August 2026, and the numbers tell a familiar story with a slightly bigger stage than last year. Of the 17,351 candidates who sat at least one paper, only 476 made it through, putting the official pass percentage at 2.74%. The full list of qualified roll numbers sits in Annex-A. Here's the complete breakdown, from the MCQ-based preliminary test all the way down to who passed and what happens next.

Key takeaways

Only 476 out of 17,351 candidates passed the CSS 2026 written exam, a 2.74% pass rate, almost identical to CSS-2025's 2.8%.
The applicant pool grew this cycle: 24,321 candidates applied for the written exam, up from CSS-2025's numbers.
Female candidates made up nearly half of the passers (237 of 476), a stronger showing than their roughly 45% share of applicants.
Passing the written papers is not the final result. Medical Examination, Psychological Assessment, and Viva Voce are still ahead.
FPSC separately listed 525 candidates as rejected or withheld, most often over documentation issues rather than exam performance.

Quick definitions: MPT is the MCQ-based Preliminary Test that screens applicants before they can sit the written exam. Annex-A is FPSC's official document listing candidates who qualified a given stage. Group allocation is the process of assigning a qualified candidate to a specific service group, such as PAS or PSP, based on merit position, stated preference, and available vacancies.

Applied (Written) 0 13,206 male · 11,025 female

Appeared 0 Sat at least one paper

Completed All Papers 0 Sat every compulsory & optional paper

Passed Written 0 239 male · 237 female

Pass Rate 0% Against total appeared

Why this result matters

The CSS exam decides entry into some of Pakistan's most competitive civil service groups, including PAS, PSP, and the Foreign Service of Pakistan. The written stage is the hardest filter in the whole process. Out of 17,351 candidates who appeared, only 476 got through, which means most of the work that shapes a candidate's eventual career is already done before the interview stage even starts.

Candidates who clear every stage move toward defined pay scales, long-term job security, and a structured promotion path that most private-sector careers in Pakistan do not offer in the same way. For a full breakdown of what officers in different service groups actually earn once appointed, see our CSS officer salary guide.

The full funnel: from MPT to written result

CSS 2026 candidates went through a screening stage most people forget about by the time results season arrives. This is the MCQ-based Preliminary Test, or MPT, and it works as a filter before anyone is even allowed to sit the written papers. FPSC's own numbers show how sharply the pool narrows at every step between applying and actually clearing the written papers.

63,368

Applied for the MPT The starting pool before any screening took place.

43,189

Appeared in the MPT Roughly one in three applicants never showed up to sit the preliminary test at all.

36,758

Passed the MPT 20,625 male, 16,133 female candidates cleared the MCQ screening and became eligible to apply for the written exam.

24,321

Applied for the written exam 13,206 male, 11,025 female candidates submitted written-exam applications after clearing the MPT.

17,351

Appeared in the written exam 16,342 of these sat every paper; the rest attempted at least one but skipped others, which usually means an automatic fail on the missed subject.

476

Passed the written examination 239 male, 237 female candidates qualified and now move to the Medical Examination, Psychological Assessment, and Viva Voce.

Why 2.74%, not 2.91%? FPSC calculates the pass percentage against the 17,351 candidates who appeared in at least one paper, not the smaller 16,342 who completed every paper. Measured against that narrower base, the same 476 passes would work out closer to 2.91%. Both numbers describe the same result; they're just answering slightly different questions.

Gender breakdown across every stage

Female candidates kept pace with male candidates at almost every stage of CSS-2026, and at the final written-result stage they were within two of parity.

Stage	Male	Female	Total
Passed MPT	20,625	16,133	36,758
Applied for written exam	13,206	11,025	24,321
Passed written exam	239	237	476

Almost an even split. Female candidates made up about 45% of MPT passers and roughly 45% of written applicants, but nearly 50% of those who finally passed the written exam, a stronger qualification rate than their share of the applicant pool would suggest.

What happens next for the 476 qualified candidates

Clearing the written papers isn't the finish line. FPSC's press release confirms that the schedule for the Medical Examination, Psychological Assessment, and Viva Voce will be announced separately, and candidates are expected to keep checking the FPSC website rather than wait for individual notices.

The Medical Examination checks basic physical fitness to serve. The Psychological Assessment is a written test of temperament and reasoning, not an interview. The Viva Voce is the interview stage, conducted by a panel, and it's typically where the largest share of candidates who cleared the written papers still fall short.

What history suggests: In CSS-2025, roughly half of the candidates who passed the written exam were dropped by the time psychological assessment and viva results came in, and a further group qualified overall but wasn't allocated a service group due to vacancy limits and the quota system. There is no confirmed reason yet to expect CSS-2026 to look dramatically different once viva results land.

For a closer look at how the interview and psychological stages actually work, see our CSS Viva Voce guide and our Psychological Assessment guide.

How merit position decides your service group

Passing the psychological assessment and viva does not automatically place a candidate into a specific service group. FPSC ranks every successful candidate by total marks across the written papers, psychological assessment, and viva combined. That ranking is the merit list, and it decides who gets first pick among the available groups.

Each candidate lists group preferences when applying, usually ranking options such as PAS, PSP, the Foreign Service, Customs, and Inland Revenue in order of choice. FPSC then works down the merit list, giving each candidate the highest preference still available at their rank. A candidate near the top has a real shot at their first choice. A candidate lower down may end up in a group they ranked fourth or fifth if the more popular groups fill up before their turn comes.

Vacancy numbers change every year and directly affect this process, since a group with only a handful of open seats fills up fast even among high scoring candidates. For context on what different service groups actually pay once appointed, see our guides to Deputy Commissioner salary and Assistant Commissioner salary.

Rejected and withheld candidates

Alongside the qualified list, FPSC also published a separate list of rejected and withheld candidates for CSS-2026, running to 525 roll numbers. Withholding usually points to an issue with the application itself rather than exam performance.

Common reasons a result gets withheld include:

Incomplete or inconsistent details on the original application form
Missing or unclear documentation submitted during scrutiny
A mismatch between the application form and supporting documents
Non-compliance with a specific eligibility requirement flagged during review

Candidates on this list should check the official notification directly for their specific reason rather than assume any of the above applies to their case.

CSS-2026 vs CSS-2025: how the written stage compares

CSS-2026 drew a noticeably larger pool than the year before: 17,351 appeared this time against 12,792 in CSS-2025's written stage, and 476 passed compared to 355. In absolute terms, this is the bigger cycle. The pass percentage, though, barely moved, 2.74% now versus roughly 2.8% then which fits the pattern our editorial on the CSS exam failure rate has tracked across recent years. More people are applying and appearing, but the exam keeps letting through roughly the same slice.

Understanding your DMC

Once the written result is finalized, FPSC issues a Detailed Marks Certificate, usually just called a DMC, to every candidate who appeared in the exam. The DMC lists the marks scored in each compulsory and optional paper, so a candidate can see exactly where they gained or lost ground rather than only knowing pass or fail.

Many candidates go looking for their DMC before it is officially released, since it usually comes out some weeks after the written result itself. The safest way to check is through FPSC's own result portal rather than a third party page, since the DMC carries personal roll number data that should come from an official source.

Topper DMCs, the marks breakdown of the highest scoring candidates, also draw attention every year, since they show what a genuinely strong paper by paper performance actually looks like rather than just a final pass percentage.

Frequently asked questions

How many candidates passed the CSS 2026 written exam?

476 candidates passed, out of 17,351 who appeared in at least one paper. That works out to a pass percentage of 2.74%, as officially confirmed by FPSC.

Is the CSS 2026 written result the final result?

No. This is only the written-stage result. The 476 qualified candidates still have to clear the Medical Examination, Psychological Assessment, and Viva Voce before a final merit list and appointments are announced.

Why do some reports mention 16,342 appeared instead of 17,351?

17,351 candidates appeared in at least one paper, but only 16,342 sat every paper in the written exam. FPSC uses the larger 17,351 figure to calculate the official 2.74% pass rate.

Where can I check my roll number in the CSS 2026 result?

The complete list of qualified roll numbers is published in Annex-A on FPSC's official website, along with a separate list of rejected and withheld candidates.

How does the CSS 2026 pass rate compare to CSS 2025?

CSS-2025 saw 355 candidates pass the written stage out of 12,792 who appeared, a rate close to 2.8%. CSS-2026's 2.74% is nearly identical, even though both the applicant pool and the number of passes grew.

What is a DMC and when will I get mine?

DMC stands for Detailed Marks Certificate. It shows the marks a candidate scored in each individual paper and is usually released some weeks after the main written result, through FPSC's official result portal.

How does group allocation work after the final result?

FPSC ranks all successful candidates by combined marks from the written exam, psychological assessment, and viva to form a merit list. Working down that list, each candidate is offered the highest group they ranked as a preference that still has an open seat, so final placement depends on both merit position and how many vacancies each group has that year.

Official source

All figures in this article are sourced directly from FPSC's official press release and Annex-A for the CSS Competitive Examination-2026.