The written tests of the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC), the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) and similar commissions often include a general portion next to the subject portion. The mix changes by post and year, so read the syllabus in your own advertisement first. This guide helps you decide where to start and how to learn from past paper questions.
The usual general-portion subjects
- General Knowledge: world and Pakistan geography, organisations, awards, books and personalities.
- Current Affairs: recent events at home and abroad.
- Pakistan Studies: history, the freedom movement, constitutions and geography.
- Islamic Studies: basic beliefs, history and personalities.
- English and Urdu: vocabulary, grammar and comprehension.
- Everyday Science, Basic Mathematics and Computer basics.
What to study first
Start with the subjects where facts repeat and where an hour of work gives the most marks. Pakistan Studies and General Knowledge usually come first, because the same people, dates, places and organisations appear again and again. Then add Islamic Studies and Everyday Science, and use English, Urdu and Basic Mathematics as daily short sessions. Keep Current Affairs for the last few months, because it ages quickly.
How to use past paper MCQs
- Practise by topic, not by year. Solving every question on one topic shows you how the same idea is asked in different ways.
- Spot the repeats. When a fact appears a second or third time, put it in your notes: it is likely to come again.
- Learn the family of a question. If you are asked for the capital of one country, learn five.
- Mark guesses. A correct guess is not knowledge. Review it like a wrong answer.
Be careful with answer keys
Old past papers were often copied and re-copied, and some printed answers are wrong or out of date: a country changes its capital, an office changes its holder. If an answer surprises you, check it in a textbook or a reliable reference before you memorise it. On Ansit.pk you can report a mistake when you find one.
A daily routine
- 45 minutes of one fact subject (Pakistan Studies or General Knowledge) with its MCQs.
- 20 minutes of English: words, grammar, one comprehension passage.
- 20 minutes of Everyday Science or Basic Mathematics.
- 10 minutes to revise your notes of mistakes.
Practise on Ansit.pk
Open PPSC, FPSC, KPPSC, BPSC and SPSC MCQs, pick a subject and work topic by topic. Questions from past papers show the year they were asked. Also read our general guide to public service test preparation.
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Choose your class or test and work through chapter-wise MCQs with explanations.
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