Public service commissions (PPSC, FPSC, KPPSC, BPSC, SPSC and similar bodies) usually screen candidates with an MCQ test before any further stage. These papers cover a wide range of subjects, so the key is to build a broad base, keep revising it and practise MCQs regularly. Here is a method that works for most candidates.
Each post has its own syllabus. The subjects, number of MCQs, marks and any negative marking depend on the post and on the advertisement. Always read the official advertisement and syllabus of your post, and use this guide as general preparation advice.
1. Start with the advertisement and syllabus
Download the advertisement for your post and list the subjects and topics it names. Note the minimum qualification, the test format and what comes after the MCQ test (for example a subject paper or interview). Everything you do afterwards should serve this list.
2. The common subject areas
Many general MCQ papers draw on a similar group of subjects:
- General knowledge and current affairs: national and world events, important personalities, organisations, geography and awards.
- Pakistan studies: the Pakistan Movement, constitutional development, important dates, geography, economy and resources.
- Islamic studies: the basics of beliefs and practices, the Prophet’s life and the history of the early period of Islam, and important events and personalities.
- Everyday science: physics, chemistry and biology as they appear in daily life: health, environment, energy, materials and technology.
- Basic mathematics and mental ability: percentages, ratio and proportion, averages, time and work, simple and compound interest, series and basic geometry.
- English: vocabulary, synonyms and antonyms, grammar, sentence correction, comprehension and idioms.
- Computer and Urdu: basic computer knowledge and Urdu grammar and literature, if your syllabus includes them.
Ansit.pk has practice sets for these areas in the PPSC / FPSC section.
3. An 8-week plan
| Weeks | Plan |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | Read the syllabus; collect good books and notes; test yourself on every subject once to see where you stand. |
| 3–5 | Study one subject area per day or two, then practise topic-wise MCQs. Keep short notes and an error log. |
| 6–7 | Mixed MCQ sets, past-paper style practice, and revision of notes. Strengthen the two or three weakest areas. |
| 8 | Full timed papers and revision of current affairs and the error log. |
4. Make current affairs a daily habit
Current affairs cannot be crammed in the last week. Spend 20–30 minutes a day reading a reliable newspaper or news summary, and write the important facts (names, places, dates, figures) in a notebook organised by month. Revise the notebook weekly. Before the test, a month-by-month review of the last year is usually enough.
5. Basic mathematics: practise, do not memorise
These questions are usually short and standard. Learn the formulae for percentage, ratio, average, profit and loss, time and distance, and simple and compound interest, and practise them until you can solve each type in about a minute. Learn to simplify fractions and percentages mentally; that saves more time than anything else.
6. English and Urdu
For English, learn about ten new words a day with their synonyms, and revise grammar rules with sentence correction exercises. For Urdu, revise grammar (parts of speech, gender and number, proverbs and idioms) and the main literary figures and works, if they are in your syllabus.
7. Revise in layers
Use short notes for each subject (one or two pages for each topic area) and revise them in layers: a quick daily skim, a weekly review, and a fuller review before the test. Attempt MCQs on topics you have just revised, and keep returning to the questions you got wrong.
8. On the day of the test
- Reach the centre early with your admission slip, ID and any items allowed by the instructions.
- Read the instructions on the paper and answer sheet carefully, including how to mark answers.
- Answer the questions you are sure of first and mark the rest to return to.
- If the test has negative marking, guess only when you can eliminate options; if it does not, answer every question.
Consistent daily work for a few weeks, rather than a rush at the end, is what separates candidates who succeed from those who do not. Good luck.
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