CSS Past Papers 2023 to 2026: FPSC's Free Official PDFs for Every Compulsory Paper
CSS past papers are free on the FPSC site for 2023 to 2026: 230 PDFs, no login. Get direct links for all compulsory papers and see which subjects are missing.
FPSC posts CSS past papers free on its own website for 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. Open fpsc.gov.pk, then Schedule, Previous Question Papers, CSS. You get 230 PDF files in all, with no login and no fee. The links for every compulsory paper are in the table below.
The Federal Public Service Commission uploaded the four sets, each marked 16 June 2026 on its page. You do not need an academy's "solved" copy to see the real paper. We opened the page on 7 November 2026, counted the files and tested every link in the table below. Each one returned a PDF.
The files have no answers. FPSC publishes the questions only, so a "solved paper" sold elsewhere is someone's own attempt, and it may be wrong.
Compulsory CSS papers from 2024 to 2026 are all on the FPSC site
All six compulsory papers are available for 2024, 2025 and 2026, and five are available for 2023. FPSC names three of them by short codes. GK-I is General Science and Ability, GK2 is Current Affairs and GK3 is Pakistan Affairs. Save these codes, since the file names use them.
| Paper | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Essay | ||||
| English (Precis and Composition) | ||||
| General Science and Ability (GK-I) | ||||
| Current Affairs (GK2) | Not posted | |||
| Pakistan Affairs (GK3) | ||||
| Islamic Studies |
FPSC's 2023 set has no Current Affairs file on this page. We looked through all 58 files for it, so that gap is on FPSC's list and not in this table.
Optional papers are in the same folders, with a few gaps
FPSC posts 58 files for 2023, 58 for 2024, 59 for 2025 and 55 for 2026. The rest are optional subjects, with a separate file for each paper of a 200-mark subject. A few subjects are missing in some years, so check before you plan around one.
| Year | Files posted | Not on FPSC's list that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 55 | Geography, Governance and Public Policies, Pure Mathematics, Town Planning |
| 2025 | 59 | The fullest set of the four |
| 2024 | 58 | Botany, Geology (Urdu Literature appears twice) |
| 2023 | 58 | Current Affairs |
Not sure which optional subjects to take yet? The CSS optional subjects list sets out all seven groups and their marks.
The 2026 papers show the latest format
We read the 2026 Essay and Precis papers to check the format. The Essay paper asks for one essay of 2,500 to 3,000 words, with an outline, in three hours. The Precis paper has a 20-mark MCQ part in 30 minutes, then an 80-mark written part.
| Paper, CE-2026 | Time | Marks | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 3 hours | 100 | Outline plus one essay from 10 topics |
| English (Precis and Composition) | 3 hours, MCQs in the first 30 minutes | 20 + 80 | MCQs on an OMR sheet, then written part |
Two rules printed on the Precis paper are worth knowing. There is no negative marking in the MCQs, so attempt all of them. And overwriting or cutting an option gets no credit.
The 2026 essay topics give a good feel for the paper. They included "Youth Bulge: a demographic dividend or a demographic bomb?", "Cyber Security as the new national security frontier" and "Revitalising agriculture sector of Pakistan". Each is short, and each needs a clear stand with data behind it.
Use the papers in this order before the written exam
Past papers work best when you treat them as a test, not as reading. Start with the most recent year, since it is closest to what you will see. FPSC has tentatively set the written exam to start on 27 January 2027, which leaves about 11 weeks.
- Download the 2026 and 2025 files for your six compulsory papers and your optional subjects.
- Sit one paper in full, in three hours, without notes.
- Mark the topics that appear in more than one year.
- Check those topics against the FPSC CSS book list, and read only what you need.
- Repeat with the 2024 and 2023 files in the final weeks.
Remember that the screening test is a separate paper. FPSC's answer keys for that test are in our report on the CSS MPT 2027 answer key. The application dates for the written stage are in the CSS 2027 schedule, and FPSC calls them tentative.
Older CSS papers are not on this FPSC page
This page has four years only, from 2023 to 2026. We did not find older years on it when we checked. Copies of older papers do exist elsewhere online, but we cannot confirm that any such copy is complete or correct.
Four years is enough for most candidates. If you want more practice on one subject, start with the file for each year on FPSC's list. Only then look further back, and check any older paper against the current syllabus, since FPSC's syllabus for CE-2016 onwards may not match what a much older paper asked.
Common questions
Where can I download CSS past papers for free?
On fpsc.gov.pk, under Schedule, Previous Question Papers, CSS. No login or fee is needed.
Which years does FPSC have?
2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, on the page we checked on 7 November 2026.
Does FPSC give answers with the past papers?
No. The PDFs carry the questions only.
What are GK-I, GK2 and GK3?
GK-I is General Science and Ability, GK2 is Current Affairs and GK3 is Pakistan Affairs.
Is there negative marking in the CSS MCQs?
No, according to the 2026 English (Precis and Composition) paper, which says all MCQs must be attempted.
How many words does the CSS essay need?
The 2026 paper asks for 2,500 to 3,000 words, with an outline, on any one topic.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on 7 November 2026. We read the FPSC Previous Question Papers page for CSS, tested the 23 links in the table above, and read the 2026 Essay and Precis papers in full.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
