CSS written exam, in short: once you clear the MPT screening test, the real competition is a 1200-mark written exam spread across 12 papers, six compulsory and six drawn from optional groups. Add the 300-mark viva voce and the full merit list runs on 1500 marks. MPT itself never enters that final number.
How CSS splits 1500 marks across three stages
People asking how many subjects are in CSS usually mean the written exam, but the written exam is only the middle of three scored stages, and not even the first one. FPSC runs candidates through MPT, then the written exam, then viva voce, and only two of those three actually count toward your final position.
| Stage | Marks | Counts Toward Final Merit? |
|---|---|---|
| MPT Screening Test | 200 MCQs | No, qualifying only |
| Written Exam | 1200 | Yes |
| Viva Voce | 300 | Yes, minimum 100 required |
| Total Merit | 1500 | Written plus viva |
A candidate can score well on MPT and it changes nothing about their eventual rank. It only decides whether they get to sit the written exam at all. Everything that determines where you land on the final list happens in the 1200 written marks and the 300 viva marks that follow. For how the viva stage itself is scored and what the 100-mark floor actually means, see our CSS viva voce interview guide.
Stage 1: MPT, the screening test
The first stage every CSS candidate faces is the Mandatory Preliminary Test, or MPT. It exists purely to filter the applicant pool down to a manageable number before FPSC commits to marking a full written exam for everyone.
Key features
- Total marks: 200 MCQs
- Duration: 3 hours and 20 minutes
- No negative marking
- Qualifying only, not included in final merit
Candidates must clear MPT to appear in the written exam. Nothing from this stage carries forward into your 1500-mark total, so a strong MPT score buys you a seat at the written exam, not a head start on merit. For the full CE-2027 schedule, registration steps, and the updated PSID payment process, see our dedicated CSS MPT 2027 guide.
The six compulsory papers every candidate sits
Regardless of career background or optional choices, every CSS candidate writes the same six compulsory papers, each worth 100 marks, for 600 marks total.
| Compulsory Paper | Marks |
|---|---|
| English Essay | 100 |
| English, Precis and Composition | 100 |
| General Science and Ability | 100 |
| Current Affairs | 100 |
| Pakistan Affairs | 100 |
| Islamic Studies, or Comparative Study of Major Religions for non-Muslim candidates | 100 |
Each compulsory paper needs at least 40 percent to count. Score below that in even one paper and the rest of your marks don't save you. Browse every compulsory paper together in the compulsory subjects past papers archive, and check FPSC's recommended books for CSS before you start building a reading list from scratch.
Optional subjects selection
This is where most confusion about css exam subjects comes from, especially the css groups subjects used to build the optional 600 marks. Candidates select optional subjects from a prescribed list, and it isn't a simple pick-any-six exercise.
Rules
- Total optional marks: 600
- Subjects are grouped into categories, not one flat list
- You must meet the combination requirements for each group, not just hit 600 marks however you like
FPSC organizes optional subjects into seven groups. Groups I and II offer 200-mark choices, while Groups III through VII each contribute one 100-mark subject toward your total.
Group I: choose one subject of 200 marks
| Subject | Marks |
|---|---|
| Accountancy and Auditing | 200 |
| Economics | 200 |
| Computer Science | 200 |
| Political Science | 200 |
| International Relations | 200 |
All five options in this group carry the same 200 marks as a single paper, so the choice comes down to background and interest rather than marks weighting. See every Group I subject gathered in one place at our Group I past papers hub, and check the recommended books for Group I before committing to one.
Group II: select subjects totaling 200 marks
| Subject | Marks |
|---|---|
| Physics | 200 |
| Chemistry | 200 |
| Applied Mathematics | 100 |
| Pure Mathematics | 100 |
| Statistics | 100 |
| Geology | 100 |
Physics and Chemistry stand on their own as full 200-mark papers. The four 100-mark subjects, Applied Mathematics, Pure Mathematics, Statistics, and Geology, are meant to be paired so two of them together reach the same 200-mark requirement. Check the recommended books for Group II before deciding which pairing suits your background.
Groups III to VII: one subject of 100 marks each
The remaining five groups each contribute a single 100-mark subject to your optional total, for 500 marks combined with the 200 marks from Group I and II. Once you can name your Group I and Group II picks, most of the strategy shifts to these five choices.
Group III: select one subject, 100 marks
| Subject | Marks |
|---|---|
| Business Administration | 100 |
| Public Administration | 100 |
| Governance and Public Policies | 100 |
| Town Planning and Urban Management | 100 |
Recommended reading for this group is covered in our Group III recommended books guide.
Group IV: select one subject, 100 marks
| Subject | Marks |
|---|---|
| History of Pakistan and India | 100 |
| Islamic History and Culture | 100 |
| British History | 100 |
| European History | 100 |
| History of USA | 100 |
See the recommended books for Group IV if you're weighing which history paper fits your existing reading.
Group V: select one subject, 100 marks
| Subject | Marks |
|---|---|
| Gender Studies | 100 |
| Environmental Sciences | 100 |
| Agriculture and Forestry | 100 |
| Botany | 100 |
| Zoology | 100 |
| English Literature | 100 |
| Urdu Literature | 100 |
Check the recommended books for Group V before choosing between the sciences and the literature options here.
Group VI: select one subject, 100 marks
| Subject | Marks |
|---|---|
| Law | 100 |
| Constitutional Law | 100 |
| International Law | 100 |
| Muslim Law and Jurisprudence | 100 |
| Mercantile Law | 100 |
| Criminology | 100 |
| Philosophy | 100 |
Group VII: select one subject, 100 marks
| Subject | Marks |
|---|---|
| Journalism and Mass Communication | 100 |
| Psychology | 100 |
| Geography | 100 |
| Sociology | 100 |
| Anthropology | 100 |
| Punjabi | 100 |
| Sindhi | 100 |
| Pashto | 100 |
| Balochi | 100 |
| Persian | 100 |
| Arabic | 100 |
Group VII is the widest of the seven, spanning social sciences and six languages in one list. Our guide to choosing optional subjects walks through how to weigh a language option against a social science one if you're stuck between the two.
What it actually takes to clear the written stage
Passing on paper and passing in practice are two different things. Every css paper, compulsory or optional, carries its own qualifying threshold, and missing even one throws off the whole aggregate. FPSC's minimum qualifying marks are 40 percent on each compulsory paper, 33 percent on each optional paper, and 50 percent in aggregate across the full 1200. Miss any one of those three conditions and the rest of your score doesn't matter.
In practice, competition pushes real cutoffs well past that floor. FPSC's own written result for CE-2026 recommended 476 candidates out of 24,321 who applied, a pass rate under 3 percent. For the numbers behind a specific cycle and how pass rates have moved year to year, our CSS result and pass rate analysis breaks it down further.
Age limit and attempts: correcting a claim you may have seen elsewhere
You may have come across articles stating the CSS age limit is now 21 to 35 with five attempts allowed. That change was proposed, not finalized. Pakistan's National Assembly passed a resolution in May 2025 to raise the limit from 30 to 35 and add two more attempts, but as of September 2026, the federal government's Establishment Division rejected that recommendation as impractical, and FPSC confirmed during its 174th meeting that it is maintaining the existing policy.
That means the age limit for CSS remains 21 to 30 years, and the attempt cap remains 3, not 5, for now. Pages claiming otherwise are reporting a proposal that never became policy. For the actual relaxation rules by category, including for government employees and specific regions, see our full CSS age limit and eligibility guide.
Frequently asked questions
How many subjects in CSS?
Twelve papers total: six compulsory papers worth 600 marks that every candidate writes, and six optional papers worth 600 marks chosen from seven FPSC-defined subject groups.
How many papers in CSS?
The written stage has 12 papers. MPT and the viva voce are separate, non-paper-based stages that sit outside this count.
What is the CSS exam structure overall?
Three stages: MPT as a qualifying screening test that doesn't count toward merit, a 1200-mark written exam across 12 papers, and a 300-mark viva voce. Written plus viva gives a total merit of 1500.
What are the CSS groups subjects?
FPSC organizes optional subjects into seven groups. Candidates build their 600 optional marks by selecting specific combinations across these groups rather than any six subjects of their choosing.
Has the CSS age limit actually increased to 35?
Not yet. A 2025 National Assembly resolution proposed raising it from 30 to 35 with five attempts, but the federal government rejected that recommendation, and FPSC is maintaining the existing 21 to 30 age limit with 3 attempts as of its most recent policy meeting.