FPSC announces CSS 2025 results with 2.67% written pass rate

LAHORE: The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) on Thursday announced the results of the Central Superior Services (CSS) Examination 2025, saying the overall written pass rate stood at 2.67%.

According to the commission, 12,792 candidates appeared in the examination, while 355 succeeded in clearing the written stage.

The FPSC also said 170 candidates were recommended for appointment. Of them, 84 were men and 86 were women.

In the final merit list, Asad Rafiq secured the first position, Muhammad Mohsin stood second, and Tariq Hafeez placed third.

Punjab had the strongest representation among the leading candidates, with 23 aspirants included in the top 30. Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had two candidates each in the top bracket, while Balochistan had three candidates among the top 30.

According to the announced allocations, all of the top 30 position holders were placed in the Pakistan Administrative Service and the Police Service of Pakistan.

Notably, none of the top-ranked candidates were allocated to the Foreign Service, according to the FPSC results.

Highly competitive examination

The CSS examination is regarded as one of Pakistan’s most competitive annual recruitment processes for the civil services.

The latest results again underline the limited number of candidates who move past the written phase and into the final pool for appointment. While thousands of candidates appeared in the 2025 examination, only a small fraction cleared the written component, and an even smaller number were ultimately recommended for appointment by the commission.

The gender breakdown of the recommended candidates showed a slightly higher number of women than men, with 86 women and 84 men making the final list.

The merit positions announced by the commission placed Asad Rafiq at the top of the list, followed by Muhammad Mohsin and Tariq Hafeez. The provincial distribution among the top 30 also showed Punjab with a clear lead, while Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan also secured representation in the highest-ranked group.

The FPSC announcement further showed that the top 30 candidates were allocated to two of the country’s most sought-after occupational groups: the Pakistan Administrative Service and the Police Service of Pakistan. The results also showed that no candidate from the top-ranked group was allocated to the Foreign Service.

The commission released the results on Thursday, formally concluding this stage of the CSS Examination 2025 process.