CSS With Ayaz

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/470511-a-potential-confrontation

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/475042-the-cost-of-economic-dependency

There is a repeated question many of CSS candidates have been asking for the last couple of months, but I did not have enough time to deliberate on it properly. The question is: how can one develop 'realistic confidence' to attempt CSS and PMS examination swith a calm and composed mind, while trusting one’s own abilities?

This can be done in two ways.

First, you must do something repeatedly, whether it is tests, answer writing, essay practice, or any other form of preparation. You have to do it again and again. Repetition trains the mind. Your mind gradually learns how to handle that task, and eventually it becomes a new normal in your life. I learned this from the book Atomic Habits by James.

However, the most important factor in building confidence is gradually increasing the level of difficulty. This , I myself tried and applied to my students, especially those there are officers now.

For example, if you only attempt simple essays, ordinary 20-mark questions, or easy précis exercises, you will never develop real confidence and remain in the trap of ' I am giving my best. Don't say anything to me'. You must first understand the actual standard of the examination and then attempt questions according to that level. If you repeatedly attempt difficult précis,essay tasks, and high-level questions, initially you will struggle. But with time, proper evaluation, and continuous work on your mistakes, you will eventually rise to that level.

Now, if you want 'super realistic confidence ' — the kind of confidence that remains with you inside the examination hall — then you have to go even beyond the actual difficulty level of the task, whether it is CSS, PMS, business challenges, or any competitive examination. Confidence cannot be faked for long. Real confidence stays with you during pressure because it is built on preparation and exposure. Don't jump to this. You will drown. First cross the first two levels.

That is why I allow my students to move gradually from easy practice to CSS-level and PMS-level questions. After that, we even assign them extremely difficult topics, especially from India’s UPSC Civil Services Examination. When they attempt such demanding essay topics, they gain a different level of confidence.

The reason behind this confidence is simple: when they finally enter the CSS, PMS, or other examination halls, the paper no longer feels beyond their capacity. Their caliber becomes stronger than the question paper itself because they have already practiced at a higher level.

Their thinking becomes broader, their analytical ability sharper, and their mental endurance stronger.

All these things collectively contribute to genuine confidence.

Merely reading books, watching lectures, or listening to motivational talks will never give you confidence.

If you are currently pursuing a university degree, I would advise you to focus on it wholeheartedly, enjoy the experience, and do justice to your studies. Your university education should remain your first priority. Alongside that, if you are considering attempting CSS or PMS after graduation, you may gradually build some basic habits, such as reading newspapers regularly, especially important national, international, and business news, along with quality columns. You can also watch current affairs programs occasionally.
Moreover, if you come across good ready-made essays, try reading them, or you may buy a standard essay book for basic exposure. Beyond this, there is no need to overburden yourself. Do not put unnecessary pressure on your mind during university life.
In fact, I would not advise students who are still doing their university courses to join teachers or academies, even someone like me, because it often creates mental pressure and distracts them from their primary academic responsibilities. Once you complete your graduation, you will have sufficient time to join a teacher or academy to improve essay writing, précis and composition, and other CSS-related subjects in a systematic way.

Candidates from Punjab appearing in CSS must go the extra mile and choose their optional subjects very carefully. Since the announcement of the CSS 2024 results, I have received multiple DMCs of unallocated candidates from Punjab, mostly female candidates, and some even shared DMCs of selected candidates. Interestingly, there is often a difference of just 2, 3, or 5 marks in some. Even a single mark can shift a candidate’s position by 5 to 10 ranks.

This is why candidates must remain extremely cautious, because one attempt in CSS represents years of effort, investment of resources, and emotional commitment. It is very painful when a candidate clears the written examination and viva but still remains unallocated due to a narrow margin.

Therefore, candidates—especially from Punjab where competition is intense and seats are limited—must understand that simply passing the written exam is not enough. You need to secure excellent marks for allocation.

You must go beyond basic preparation. This means writing more essays, attempting more tests, improving quality of arguments, adding relevant data, incorporating quotations, and strengthening analytical depth to secure those extra marks that make the real difference. Extra miles for them...

When you analyze DMCs of allocated candidates, particularly those on the last merit in Punjab, the picture becomes very clea.

So along with planning to pass the exam, you must also plan for allocation. Watch some final range allocated candidates's DMCs and plan accordingly.....

I was reading some comments regarding CSP Qurban, and some candidates also messaged me saying that he came from a poor background yet still passed CSS.

Qurban was actually my student, and when he came to me for the assessment of English Essay and Precis & Composition, I found him to be the richest candidate—not in material terms, but in intellectual terms. In today’s world, which values skill, smartness and critical thinking, Qurban possessed all these qualities. He was resilient, fast in learning, responsive to change, humble and critically sharp.

A person with such traits can earn enough in a month working anywhere, because intellectual capability with the power of actions itself is a form of wealth. That is why I consider him intellectually rich, not poor.

In my view, the real “poor” person today is not the one without resources, but the one who has resources yet lacks the skill and mental capacity to utilize them. Real poverty is the inability to use one’s potential and to grow beyond it.

Remember this clearly: in today’s world, your real wealth is not gold, property, or inheritance. Your true wealth lies in your intellectual ability—your smartness, your speed of learning, your adaptability, and your capacity to execute ideas effectively and move forward in life.

We often see examples around us. Some families that were once wealthy gradually declined because the next generation lacked these intellectual traits. On the other hand, there are individuals who started with nothing but, through persistence and mental strength, became officers and achieved stability.

So the lesson is simple: if you are intellectually strong, you can transform your life within a few years. This is the kind of “richness” candidates like Qurban represent, intellectual richness, and it is this that ultimately leads people forward.

Wealth with intellect, the best together.

When some candidates contacted me after failing the paper, I carefully interacted with them to understand where things had gone wrong. I remember that one of my students, Dr. Sibtain, who is following me here, appeared in the same examination and passed it. What I guided him not to ignore were ignored by many.
The first and foremost problem was that many candidates failed to properly decode the essay topic. They gave incorrect weightage to less important parts of the essay while neglecting the central demand of the topic. This alone reduces marks to around 20 to 30 out of 100.

The second major mistake was that candidates were unaware that their introduction and conclusion should directly reflect the outline. In many cases, the points mentioned in the outline were not properly mirrored in the introduction and conclusion, which weakened the structure and coherence of the essay.

The third key mistake was that candidates failed to differentiate between supporting ideas and examples or illustrations within paragraphs. A strong paragraph requires two to three supporting ideas linked with the central idea, along with relevant evidence or illustrations. Many candidates mixed these elements without proper organization. They confused the PPSC .

What surprised me was that many of these candidates were intelligent, knowledgeable, and had reasonably good written English. However, their ideas and language were not properly channelized.
I observed that several capable candidates with strong knowledge became victims of weak guidance, which ultimately damaged the structure of different parts of their essays. As a result, essay checkers in commissions such as the PPSC or FPSC become confused about the candidate’s structure, paragraph development, and overall direction of argument. They often fail to understand what exactly the candidate wants to convey.
Therefore, it is extremely important not to make these mistakes. At the same time, candidates should be very careful while selecting a mentor, teacher, or academy. Before joining any platform, do proper research instead of blindly trusting social media impressions.

In abstract essays, many candidates lose crucial marks because they fail to identify which non-essential paragraphs should or should not be included. Students often add three to four such paragraphs that are mostly irrelevant to the topic.

Yesterday, while checking an essay written by an already serving officer on the topic “Great Nations Win Without Fighting,” I noticed that the candidate had written around 10 to 11 highly relevant paragraphs explaining how great nations achieve success without war. In my experience, if such paragraphs are relevant and well-developed, examiners usually award around 42 to 50 marks, which are enough for a candidate to pass the essay paper.

However, many candidates then add three to four extra paragraphs. if the non-essential paragraphs are intelligently selected and properly linked with the topic, marks can rise from 50 to even 60, as examiners may reward the essay with extra credit .
For example, the officer whose essay I checked had already sufficiently explained how great nations win without fighting. After those 10 to 11 paragraphs, the candidate unnecessarily started giving recommendations to great nations on how they should win without fighting. That was unnecessary to advise the nation that is already great. Avoid this.

There are two specific domains from which candidates may choose one after completing the essential paragraphs in this essay. If even one of these domains is discussed intelligently and relevantly, marks can significantly improve.

Therefore, I would advise you to ask your mentor, teacher, or academy to specifically train you on this aspect: how to include non-essential paragraphs wisely. This may seem like a minor issue, but scoring even 10 extra marks in the essay paper can make a huge difference in the final result.

Messages sent to my messenger will be screened on Sunday. Repeated questions that have already been addressed will not be entertained. Out of the many queries received, only three to five important ones will be selected and addressed. The remaining unnecessary questions, such as paragraphs and other irrelevant material shared by candidates, will not be entertained due to a shortage of time.

Today I shared that one of my coordinators spent some time at the commission and met candidates coming out of the viva room to collect important questions for preparation. In response, someone commented, “He didn't—come clean on it.” This means that person is unaware of such practices. However, blunt rejection of something from a credible source must be avoided. Be responsible in comments as we are very selective and quick in recognizing what is constructive and what is otherwise.
This reminds me of my previous visit to Quetta during the PCS Balochistan viva process in 2025. Interviews were ongoing at the BPSC, and I observed that some individuals—including reporters from academies and publishers, as well as a few written qualifiers—were waiting outside to note down questions from candidates as they came out. They then used this material for preparation, especially since many questions were recurring or appeared in similar forms.Those who appeared are familiar with it.
Such practices are not uncommon in Sindh and Balochistan.

WhatsApp groups created for this WhatsApp by qualifiers would be more convenient. I would advise for this.

One of my coordinators—he later passed multiple examinations—was quite smart. After clearing the written part, he visited the commission while the viva was in progress.
For his viva preparation, he had only five hours daily, but he was very systematic. He used to spend about two hours at the commission. When candidates came out after their interviews, he would personally meet them, ask about the questions they were asked, and note them down. He also observed the behavior of the panelists and recorded all these details.
This ultimately helped him, and he got allocation.

Not advisable for CSS and PMS. Not advisable to all. He used to live nearby. These days, use social media or be part of groups of qualifiers to get questions asked to others...

This question is extremely important. Basically, the two or three supporting ideas we give in one paragraph should be related to our topic sentence, which is the main idea of the paragraph. It basically depends on our brainstorming ability.
As I suggested today, when you read something, just sit down and think about it. If you are writing paragraphs and you are a beginner, especially for beginners, their minds are not yet mature or trained. Those who are mature already know how to produce such supporting ideas.
For beginners, one simple thing can help. For example, if you are writing about corruption—how corruption leads to a lack of education growth in Pakistan—just sit down and do some rough work. You can think of ideas like: corruption leads to misuse of funds, corruption leads to nepotism in selecting teachers, corruption leads to teachers leaving classes, etc. These are very simple and rudimentary supporting ideas.
If you sit down and think, these ideas are already in your mind. They are clear and not very difficult. If you practice this, within one month your mind will be trained to produce supporting ideas for paragraphs. For this, you do not need anyone’s help. With the passage of time, you ideas will be more mature....
However, you should watch good current affairs programs and read essays written by successful candidates, trained teachers, and professors. All these things contribute to your improvement.
But the most important point, which I have observed during my teaching experience, is the exercise of sitting down, thinking about a topic, and producing supporting ideas. That is the best method.
While writing paragraphs, sit down and think. You will see that your mind can produce even 10 to 20 supporting ideas, but you only need two or three for one paragraph. Initially, you may face some difficulty, but with time, your mind will become trained.