This is a different examination from the open PMS competition, and it is worth being clear about who it is for. It is the route by which serving ministerial employees of the Provincial Government compete for the 10% quota reserved for them, as set out in Schedule-1 of the PMS Rules, 2007.
The shape of the paper reflects that. There are no optional subjects and no Urdu paper; instead, a whole 100-mark paper is given to Office Management — the rules of business, the secretariat instructions, the civil servants act and the financial rules that a serving official already works inside every day.
Two conditions apply throughout:
- The examination includes four compulsory subjects.
- A candidate shall answer the papers in English unless otherwise directed.
| S# | Paper | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paper I — Pakistan Affairs | 100 |
| 2 | Paper II — English Grammar & Composition | 100 |
| 3 | Paper III — Office Management | 100 |
| 4 | Paper IV — Current Affairs / Everyday Science | 100 |
| 5 | Viva Voce | 100 |
| Total | 500 |
Paper I
100 marks
Paper I — Pakistan Affairs
The constitution carries twice the weight of any other component in this paper.
| Component | Marks |
|---|---|
| Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan | 40 |
| History of Pakistan | 20 |
| Economy of Pakistan | 20 |
| Society and Culture of Pakistan | 20 |
| Total | 100 |
Note the distribution: the Constitution alone is worth 40 marks, double any other component. For a candidate already serving in government, this is the part of the paper that most closely matches the work.
Paper II
100 marks
Paper II — English Grammar & Composition
Seventy of the hundred marks go to grammar and usage rather than to the essay.
| Component | Marks |
|---|---|
| English Essay | 30 |
| English Grammar and its usage / composition | 70 |
| Total | 100 |
Unlike the open PMS competition, where the essay is a paper of its own worth a full 100 marks, here the essay is worth 30 and the bulk of the paper tests grammar, usage and composition directly.
Paper III
100 marks
Paper III — Office Management
Five instruments of 20 marks each — the rules a serving official administers daily.
| Component | Marks |
|---|---|
| The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rules of Business, 1985 | 20 |
| Manual of Secretariat Instructions | 20 |
| The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Servants Act, 1973 | 20 |
| Fundamental Rules and Supplementary Rules | 20 |
| General Financial Rules (GFR) | 20 |
| Total | 100 |
This is the paper that has no equivalent in the open competition. All five components are weighted equally at 20 marks, so no single instrument can be skipped: a candidate who knows the Rules of Business thoroughly but has never opened the GFR is leaving a fifth of the paper on the table.
Paper IV
100 marks
Paper IV — Current Affairs / Everyday Science
An even split between current affairs and everyday science.
| Component | Marks |
|---|---|
| Current Affairs | 50 |
| Everyday Science | 50 |
| Total | 100 |
100 marks
Viva Voce
A hundred marks — a fifth of the whole examination — decided in the interview room.
The viva voce carries 100 marks, the same as any single written paper and a fifth of the 500-mark total.
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Sit a timed past paper and find out which parts of this you actually know.