How To Select Subjects For PMS Exam |Readers Option|Glaciers Newz

How To Select Subjects For PMS Exam 

We all have heard at some point of our life about the PMS exams and also about exclusive perks and benefits that await afterward. But in order to ace a PMS exam, one must have to dive into the details of it and we are here to help you out in that. So what exactly is PMS and what should we consider and be very cautious about, when selecting the optional subjects in these exams.

PMS Basic introduction:

Provincial Management Service commonly known as PMS is a competitive exam that is held by provincial governments of Pakistan. These exams are taken by commissions of the province such as Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) or Baluchistan Public Service Commission (BPSC) depending on the respective province. Candidates have to go through a series of test which includes a written test and then a psychology test along with the interview, to clear the exams successfully. Initially, the PMS officer often known as first-class officer is in grade 17 and then further promoted to 18 and onwards, depending upon the experience and the duration of service. As far as the age to appear in these exams is concerned, it ranges from 21 to 30. So no need to worry if you just graduated, you still got time. 

 Pattern of PMS Exam: 

•  Compulsory subjects (600 marks)
•  Optional subjects (600 marks)

Compulsory Subjects:

These subjects are mandatory and no liberty is granted to change or swap these subjectss. Only with the exception of Islamic studies where Non – Muslim candidates can replace it with Ethics. Furthermore, some of these subjects have subjective as well as objective parts. Picking the wrong option in the objective question will result in the deduction of 0.25 marks which means negative marking is effective in the Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) of General Knowledge.

                                                  

                                                                                             

Optional subjects:

 This is the part where most of the confusion occurs and many random thoughts surround our logical reasoning. This eventually results in making a mistake that can’t be amended after the closing date for the submission of applications.

 The subjects are divided into 7 groups having 4 subjects each (Except the language group that contains 6 subjects). As per the requirement, one has to choose 3 subjects out of these groups and not more than 2 subjects from a single group. But the question arises which subject to select and why.

Following are some factors that are not to be ignored while selecting the optional subjects.

1.       Syllabus
2.       Pre-requisite knowledge and background
3.       Level of interest

Syllabus:

It is very important to consider syllabus of all the subjects before making a final selection. This will enable the candidate to understand what he may be expected to study and the contents of the course that he may be required to read. Please note that this should be just an overview of the course contents and one is basically not required to go into further detail of all the subjects.

Pre-requisite knowledge and background:

Many subjects let’s say for instance Economics or Botany requires a strong background or pre-requisite understanding, and if not it may take a lot of time to familiarize yourself with the terminologies and theories that these subjects has to offer. So if a person hasn’t taken these subjects previously, it is recommended that he should go for the general subjects.  

Level of Interest:

Now if there are two general subjects but only a single subject have to be chosen from them, the best decision will be to select the one in which you already have some interest (or you can develop it) rather than a boring one, for which you will have to force yourself to study.

Stepwise guide to select the optional subjects:

This is a stepwise procedure which can help you in selecting the optional subjects without making any trivial mistake.

1.  Choose all the prospective subjects, it doesn’t matter how many you can select. During selecting these subjects, keep the aforementioned 3 key points in mind.                                         
2.  Make a sound comparison between the subjects of the same group on the basis of their syllabus and your level of interest. Neglect those which you think will be difficult and only select the one that you can easily prepare.                                                                                       
3.  Make a second comparison between the selected subjects on the basis of the past papers. If there is a striking variation in past paper of a subject, it means that the exam of that subject can be unpredictable and it will be a risk to select it. Hence, choose the subjects in which the trend in past papers is predictable.                                                                                                            
4.  Download all the resources and E-books for the selected subjects and buy only those books which are absolutely necessary for a hard copy.                                                                                  

To sum it up, PMS exams have a very competitive nature, so extreme dedication and determination is required to succeed in them. Generally speaking, nothing valuable can be achieved without putting in some effort and the same rule is applied for these exams.