FPSC rejects claims of 45 per cent decline in CSS applicants

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) has rejected claims suggesting a 45 per cent decline in the number of candidates applying for the Central Superior Services (CSS) examination.

In a statement, the Commission said the perception that young people are losing interest in the CSS examination is inaccurate. It noted that several media reports had drawn misleading conclusions by comparing CSS statistics without considering the appropriate context.

According to the FPSC, comparisons between applicant numbers for 2022 and 2025 have been made incorrectly. For the 2025 MCQ-Based Preliminary Test (MPT), 64,081 candidates registered.

Subsequently, 18,139 candidates submitted applications for the written CSS examination, of whom 12,792 appeared, while 354 qualified.

Following the interview stage in 2025, 342 candidates were declared successful, and 170 were allocated to various civil service groups.

The FPSC further stated that tens of thousands of candidates participate in the MPT screening test each year, but these figures were overlooked in several media reports.

It also pointed out that the results of the Special CSS Examination 2023 had been omitted from some analyses, despite the fact that 141 candidates were allocated to different services through that examination.

The FPSC highlighted that the Special CSS Examination 2023 provided greater opportunities for women, minorities and candidates from underdeveloped regions.

It reiterated that joining the civil service through the CSS examination remains a long-standing aspiration for many young people and urged media organisations to verify and accurately interpret official statistics before publishing reports.