Basic Information about CSS

[samdarudest]

guys i have been searching for the suggested books but could not find any , so any guideline for books guys?

[bhinder]

dear samdarudest,wat sort of books you are looking for n plz do let me know abt ur location  plz.If in Lahore u can find books in urdu bazar or otherwise you can write to publishers for book post to your area

[samdarudest]

i wanted to have a go through the books mostly given in the suggested areas of the CSS syllabus,,and except few books, most of them are hard to find in karachi, while i line in Chaman (Baluchistan) and i dont have any friend or something in lahore so cant do nothing about lahore but have found 2 or 3 books in karachi,now why i only need the suggested books is because i think think they are more authentic and besides nobody has yet reffered any other book other from the syllabus so far,,

[Thomas Anderson]

Hi samdarudest.
It is good to see you busy preparing for CSS. I wish you best of luck in your pursuit for success.


Well, you have complained that the books recommended in the syllabus are scarce or even not available at all. That's true. But do you really need to prepare from those books? Though they are valuable for masters or other serious students of the subject, but they aren't written from CSS perspective.

Our senior members have highlighted several times that when studying or selecting a book, keep CSS requirements in mind.

In case of CSS, one need to stay very careful when it comes to hit the bulls eye. I mean, it is the selection of the book as well as the topics to read from that book from CSS point of view.

In my personal view and I think many of the qualifiers will agree, it is all about the to the point selection of the topics to study and you are destined to win. Therefore, I would recommend that one should stick around with one book only and try to stay very selective in finding the right book and right set of topics for the study.

Apart from this, some of you might note that I keep repeating 'from CSS point of view' and that phrase is very significant since study for qualifying CSS examination is very different from the study we normally do in our class rooms at college and University.

It is all about acting intelligently. It is more a smart work than hard.

Going straight to the point, while preparing for CSS you can't afford to be an intellectual. You have to restrict yourself, and draw lines. For CSS preparation, you must be ready to become a 'jack of all, master of none', they call it versatility.

I mean, even if you happen to like the theory of modernity, you can't dedicate yourself to the domain, provided you want to pass all the subjects.

So, mind it that it's not a forum with intellectuals on board! Intellectuals are the people who are deeply rooted in one specific domain of a particular subject. It goes like: e.g., MA Political Science ---> MPhil International Relations ---> PhD Crisis Management, and after that a lot of journal publications and patents.

I don't mean to highlight the importance of degrees, rather trying to make a point that to be an intellectual, the narrowing of the domain, in order to reach the zenith in that particular domain, is essential, even if you don't have degrees.

That is why you don't see any commendable publications in internationally renowned journals by CSP officers. Of course it's beyond the purview of the purpose of their recruitment.

Here comes the utility of Dawn, etc, that is highlighted by different members on the forum. Dawn is not meant to make intellectuals, rather it provides you precious bits of information and ideas on a range of topics.

For example, preparing for Journalism for 15 days and getting 70% percent or more marks does not imply that Journalism is your domain.

Finally, the purpose of the post is to exhort the aspirants to be careful while deciding on the amount of material needed for a particular subject to go through.

This is the reason for the difference between the books recommended by CSS officers and written qualifiers, and the books recommended by FPSC. Take Journalism, for example, most recommend the one from Imtiaz Shahid; but it isn't even mentioned in the syllabus. Same is true for almost all the subjects.

My advice, is to ask our members to recommend books for your optionals; in the particular boards for each subject.

Books shops only keep those books which have some demand in the market. The culture of book reading is dying in our society. Students, studying in university, colleges or for competitive exams, go for only some particular books which are famous in the student circle. That's why you won't find many books, mentioned in the syllabus, in our books shops. But the books which are famous for CSS preparation, though not mentioned in the FPSC syllabus, are always and easily available.

I hope my reply was helpful.
If you are still confused or have any other query, please feel free to ask.

[samdarudest]

Bhinder:- well i guess my second post answers my problom and in addition with that thomas,s reply has pretty well opened my mind and selections, yet i would also like u to suggest books for the compulsary as well as optional subjects.

now i have not decided my optional subs yet i would like to go through most of the subjects and then decide which one fulfils the appetite of my taste.

i would select from the following subjs 1.political science 2.constitutional law 3.sociology 4.public administration 5.islamic jurisprudence 6.islamic history n culture 7.indian and pakistan history 8.international relations 9.journalism 10.american history


thomas,thanks for the fittest comments. well i also think that syllabul books are not necessarily important as for as CSS papers r concern,but since i had no idea as to how these books were prepared or written so i wanted to read atleast 2 books on each subject from the gven suggested books.

i have also bought books specially prepared for the CSS exams which i found very useful but there were few books (CSS designed) which were containing only limited study of every event and etc.for example pakistan affairs, i have a book which i,m still going thourgh,was prepared in an ideal way but most of the things were omitted which i knew myself through my regular studies before my mind set for CSS.so i am diying to find authentic book on every subject which really is prepared for CSS and in a detailed way, and looking for the suggested books was one of the reasons i have explained.

[Thomas Anderson]

thomas,thanks for the fittest comments.

It is always a pleasure to reply to your queries!

now i have not decided my optional subs yet i would like to go through most of the subjects and then decide which one fulfils the appetite of my taste.

I hope that following post will prove helpful in your subject selection :

To be or not to be

Go through the outline of subject given in the syllabus.
Did you always wish to study that subject but couldn't because of other commitments?
Do you find it interesting?
Any topic that has stuck in your mind?

Review a book on that subject. You may want to give it two or three days.
What's your opinion now?
How is the flame of interest that was kindled by the course outline?
Do you still feel interested?
Do you want to continue the study?

Finally, thoroughly study past year papers for the subject. Built an opinion about the questions asked.
Can you handle it?
Do you find the questions daunting?
Do you think you will be well equipped to face the questions before exam?
Will it fit into your timeline for preparations, with other optionals?

After answering all the above questions, if the subject still pull your heart, if you still feel confident; go ahead and savour it. Give it your best. And, viola! You have got a scoring subject in your hands. Congratulations!

Feel free to put forward any other query!

[samdarudest]

this is what exactly is in my mind about how to finally decide the optionals.and thats why i have choosen a list of subjects,which i have mentioned in my earlier post,about what i will be reading one book each subject atleast to find out what in your words would be my scoring subject.now thomas one thing more,i have been quite away from the studies since many years,and i would digg my whole sweat outta my tissues to IMPROVE MY WRITING,i think i have the worst handwriting,so any tips???though i,m wrting 2 to 3 hours daily to try to improve,,but what are ur suggestions?

[Thomas Anderson]

Hi samdarudest, hope your preparation is going fine.

i have been quite away from the studies since many years,and i would digg my whole sweat outta my tissues to IMPROVE MY WRITING,i think i have the worst handwriting,so any tips???though i,m wrting 2 to 3 hours daily to try to improve,,but what are ur suggestions?

I hope, in this regard,  you will find the following posts from Mr Nauman and Mr Mahmood, both are CSS officers, useful.

How to Structure and Arrange Your Answer

Any answer in a CSS paper, is a mixture of: -

1.Knowledge
2.Presentation Skills
3.Logical Flow of Ideas and Thoughts
4.Good Handwriting (not a must, but preferable)

handwriting does not matter much. maybe it does to an extent but not that much. i know because i have horrible handwriting.

try to improve ur handwriting. I did not work on this area much, and my handwriting in the last 2 questions in each paper was hardly legible.

I hope, the extent to which handwriting is important would be obvious now.

The impression which I got from above posts is that a legible handwriting with a satisfactory writing speed is enough for CSS. For that, the only tip I have got is to practice.

Beautiful or calligraphic style isn't required. As long as one can write legibly within the time limits, he is good to go!

I hope other members will share their opinion too.

Regards.

PS : samdarudest, I am sorry for replying you so late. Actually I had an inkling that there were some posts discussing handwriting issue but it took me sometime to search the exact posts. Hope you understand.

[samdarudest]

naaa man i understand and it was not like i had to cease my practice of handwriting untill ur reply dude,,, and i feel obliged being answered and fed back people like u,, i donnu if i succeed or not but i,m sure i have found place like this which would be the least advantage.....and one more question dear.,..its about vocabulary building,,,what r the tips to improve vocabulary?

[samdarudest]

hi thomas,its my 2nd month for the preparation and what i have reckoned from my study is that i need to improve desperatly my vocabulary, i think i dont need alot of things to read kuz i have been a steeped reader of every social and political book and i can enunciate everything breaifly when im well equipped with the vocabulary,what tips do u suggest in this regard?i have got some books on vocabulary building with different methods and techniques but i would avidly look forward to your tips,,thankss