Plenty of candidates apply for more than one FPSC post. A lecturer applies for a subject post and an administrative one. An engineer applies for two grades in the same field. The natural plan is to prepare for each post separately, which doubles the work for no reason.
The reason is that FPSC papers are built from sections, and the same sections turn up in many posts. Before you plan anything, find out what your posts have in common.
Key takeaways
- Compare syllabus pages for the posts you applied to. Matching sections and topics are studied once.
- Deputy Director and Editor (both BS-18, 200 marks) have identical English and General Intelligence/Ability parts: 100 of 200 marks. Only the Professional Test differs.
- Male and female lecturer posts in the same subject can list exactly the same topics.
- A shared topic name does not make two papers identical. Compare marks, sections and the passing rule too.
A real pair: Deputy Director and Editor
Both posts are in Advertisement 03/2026, both BS-18, both 200 marks. Here is how their papers are built.
| Part | Deputy Director | Editor |
|---|---|---|
| English (40 marks) | 10 topics | The same 10 topics |
| General Intelligence/Ability (60 marks) | 5 topics | The same 5 topics |
| Professional Test (100 marks) | Geographical Information System, Remote Sensing, Land Surveying, Human Resource and Financial Management, Basic Concept of Quality Management | Public Relations, Basic models in Mass Communication, Mass Communication Theories, Media and Society, Mass Media in Pakistan, Media Laws and Ethics |
Look at that. Half of each paper is identical, and the half that differs has nothing in common. A candidate applying to both can prepare English and General Intelligence/Ability once, then split the remaining time between two very different professional subjects.
The English part covers Comprehension, Grammar Usage, Vocabulary, Sentence Structuring, Sentence Correction, Grouping of Words, Pairs of Words, Idiomatic Phrases, Synonyms/Antonyms and Translation. The General Intelligence/Ability part covers basic quantitative ability, logical reasoning and analytical ability, current affairs of the last two years, basic Pakistan affairs and basic IT.
You can see both on their pages: Deputy Director and Editor.
Pairs that mirror each other
Some posts differ only in who they are advertised to. The Lecturer (Male) (D) Computer Science (AI) post and the Lecturer (Female) (A) Computer Science (AI) post list the same 19 topics, and both are 100-mark papers. If you are preparing for one of them, you are already preparing for the other. Check the two pages: male and female.
The IT posts overlap less. Computer Operator and Programmer share English grammar and sentence structuring and one professional topic, Computer Networks and Internet. A shared English base and a single professional topic are worth knowing about, but they do not make the papers interchangeable.
What to compare
Open each post's page and check:
- Total marks and passing rule. A 100-mark paper with a 40% overall bar is a different test from a 200-mark paper with a bar in every part, even if the topic list matches.
- Section marks. English is 20 marks in one post and 40 in another. The same topic is worth different amounts of effort.
- Topic names. Match them line by line. Wording often differs slightly for the same ground.
- What does not match. That is your real workload. List it separately.
Let the tool do the matching
Mock CSS has a Saved jobs list. Save up to ten posts, and it shows which topics they have in common, so one round of revision covers several of them. You can open a mock for any saved post from the same page.
One honest limit: it compares the topics of the posts, not the exact questions you will see. Each post's mocks are built for that post. Use the shared view to plan your revision, then check yourself with a mock for each post.
Plan the revision around the overlap
A simple order that works for most pairs:
- Do the shared sections first, because every hour counts twice.
- Then the bigger of the unshared sections, by marks.
- Take a mock for each post to see how each paper actually feels. Your result for each will differ even where the topics are the same.
Studying Smart for an FPSC Post gives a routine for that last step.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, and often it is efficient. Compare the syllabus pages and study the shared sections once. Then spend the remaining time on the sections that only one post has.
Sometimes. The English part appears on 88 of the 91 posts, and many 200-mark posts share a General Intelligence/Ability part. The Professional Test is where fields differ.
Up to ten. The Saved jobs list shows the topics they have in common and lets you open a mock for any of them.
No. It means the same ground is covered. Each mock is built for its own post, and the real FPSC paper can ask anything within the syllabus.