How to Start CSS Preparation at Home

How to Start CSS Preparation at Home – The Ultimate Guide

But before that, Let us discuss the importance of CSS Preparation.

Central Superior Services (CSS) is one of the toughest and quite competitive exams organized by the Federal Public Services Commission (FPSC) to recruit civil officers on a merit basis. It is the most anticipated exam of the year wherein thousands of aspirants test their fate for a place in the prestigious bureaucratic framework of the country. Many people appear for the CSS examination, but unfortunately, only a few can pass these examinations with flying marks.

While many people have this misconception that CSS examinations are easy and can be prepared in a few months, this is not true, as CSS test preparation is no piece of cake and requires a lot of time, hard work and constant efforts to secure good marks. If you plan on preparing for CSS, then get ready to align your life in such a routine that you do not have to put the effort in just scheduling your days.

CSS test preparation is one of the most challenging tasks for students. The journey is surely not easy by any stretch of the imagination. While many students choose to prepare in academies but on the other hand, several other students choose to prepare for CSS test examinations in the comfort of their homes.

There are a lot of mind-boggling questions that come in the minds of students while preparing for CSS tests at home. Many aspirants ask, “How to start CSS preparation at home” or “Is it even possible to start and succeed in the CSS exams while preparing at home”, well there is no need to be concerned.

Sit back and relax as we have got you covered. In this article, we will discuss CSS tips and tricks and all the little details that show how to prepare for CSS. So, go through the article carefully and thoroughly.

Read on!

Download FPSC CSS syllabus

First things first, download and print all the CSS examination syllabus. This syllabus helps provide a deep and detailed understanding of the CSS examination preparation. Download it and go through it thoroughly, as this is the crucial step in the CSS test preparation because you must choose the compulsory and optional subjects you are planning to take.

Students cannot just choose any subject unless they are aware for the demand of the subjects; the syllabus is the only reliable source which will fully make you understand what CSS is.

Start preparing for compulsory subjects

The next important step while preparing for CSS examination is to start with compulsory subjects. Remember, do not go choose the optional subjects until you are done with the compulsory subjects. Many students make this mistake. One can start with English Grammar; without that, your preparation will just be a waste of time. Keep your focus on English Grammar and start learning and studying through Grammar books. English essay preparation should be done nearly at the end of your CSS examination preparation.

Choose optional subjects wisely

Yes, this is another important factor while getting ready to for CSS online preparation. Some students have mastered the art of a certain subject, it is highly recommended that they choose only those subjects that they have a proper grip on. High and low-scoring subjects are simply just myths. There are two categories of subjects’ selection in optional subjects category.

In the first category, some students are new to all these subjects or have only little information about the subjects. These students need to choose only those subjects that overlap with CSS Compulsory or any other optional subjects. Moreover, students should also keep track of their time, as time management also plays a vital role while preparing for CSS examinations at home. Overlapping subjects will save time and will not put any extra burden on the students.

Download past papers

Once you have chosen the optional subjects, the next important step is to download all the past papers. Every student who is looking to prepare for CSS examinations at home, must download all the past papers and have access to them. Past papers help study better and give a deeper understanding of how a subject will appear in the CSS exams. By solving the past papers, it will also help in managing your time more efficiently and prepare your desired subjects smartly.

Books for CSS preparation

Reading extra books helps a lot especially for those appearing in the CSS examinations. While FPSC recommends many books that go hand in hand with the subjects, there are still many other books that aspirants should read to help increase their knowledge.

Some of these books include, High School Grammar by Wren and Martin, Pakistan: Beyond the ‘Crisis State’, Governing the Ungovernable, Constitutional and Political History of Pakistan, and Why Nations Fail? This is the list of top books that everyone appearing for the CSS tests must read while preparing at home or otherwise.

Access to a great stable internet connection

While preparing for the CSS examination, one must have a good stable internet connection as it helps in studying much more efficiently. Internet will help in many ways, especially when wanting to extract information about a particular research or survey papers available online, it will be the quickest way to have access to all of it and will save time.

Moreover, having a fast stable internet connection provides way too many online platforms to take tests, and search on any topic without wasting your precious time. So, having access to a stable internet connection is a plus point.

Read newspaper daily

To kickstart your CSS preparation at home, you must develop a habit of reading newspapers regularly even if you don’t like it; there is no way to escape it. Focus on reading an English newspaper, to be more specific, start by reading The Tribune, The Daily Times, Dawn, or you can even go for international newspapers such as BBC or The Guardian.

Reading newspapers regularly will enhance your knowledge of Pakistan’s current affairs as well as the current affairs across the world, this would be fruitful for CSS exams. It can also help develop great, rich English vocabulary and strong Grammar skills that will help you in your CSS exams.

Buy necessary stationery

Besides purchasing the necessary books, you also need to buy journals, pens, pencils, highlighters, markers, and all other stationary that you think you need. Because once you start preparing for CSS tests, you will not be able to find time to go out and get these things.

CSS examinations is no child’s play; students must get extremely serious while studying for it. Besides, buying all this stuff will only leave a good impact as seeing all these things will help you keep motivated and keep on reminding you why you started in the first place. It will keep your morale high.

Steer clear of distractions

Distractions are everywhere, from our televisions to cell phones to laptops. So, preparing at home may be a huge risk, but nothing is impossible! As we live in the era of technology, the constant use of our cell phones usually makes it hard to concentrate on our tasks.

This technology is a mode of distraction. Try to switch off your phones while studying because this will surely help you pay attention, understand and study better. Try to convert your bedroom into a proper class so you can focus solely on your studies.

Set up a proper study schedule/timetable

Prepare a proper study schedule; the main thing should be that you must cover every day’s target on time because this will help students cover their syllabus right on time and give them plenty of time to revise their subjects.

In this way, students will also know where they stand or how well they are performing and will be ahead of time in studying. A proper study schedule helps you in getting organized and manage time.

Research on different topics daily

Do not mainly focus on the course books only, do your own research as well. You can easily go online and see up-to-date, informative content that will help in enhancing your knowledge skills on various topics. The more you research, the more information you will gain which will broaden your ideas and will also save your precious time. You can take online tests to see how well you perform or get access through YouTube or any other platform which you find feasible.

Test yourself

While preparing for CSS tests at home, there is a chance that you might not know about your mistakes or weaknesses, but this is no puzzler as you can very easily get your assignments or solved past papers checked by experts who would not only help you but will also tell you as to where you fall short and how to overcome it.

Learning without assessment may take you on a wrong path, ruining all your efforts. Try saving up your previous work, so you can compare it with your new work, to see the improvements.

Look after yourself

While preparing and appearing for CSS examinations can be tough, don’t forget to look after yourself. You may face a lot of obstacles, get tired of studying alone or may just want to give up on your dream, but remember this is not the solution.

Looking after yourself and your mental health should be your priority too. You will study better only if you take care of yourself. So, stay hydrated, indulge in physical activities like exercising, eat well and have plenty of sleep. Don’t push yourself to study all night long. These could take a toll on your health. Set reminders on your phone to drink at least eight glasses of water.

I hope this article helped you in your pursuit of starting CSS preparation at home. Remember, self-belief and hard work will always earn you success.

Best of Luck!