Alongside the six compulsory papers, every PMS candidate takes three optional subjects worth 200 marks each — another 600 marks, and the half of the examination a candidate actually gets to choose.
The choice is not free. The Commission sorts the thirty optional subjects into seven groups, and the rule is short enough to fit on one line:
All candidates shall take three of the optional subjects — not more than one from any group.
That single constraint is what makes the choice difficult. Commerce, Economics, Business Administration and Public Administration all sit in Group A, so a candidate with a commerce background cannot simply take the four subjects they know best; they must reach into at least two other groups.
The seven groups
Thirty subjects, seven groups, 200 marks each. Pick three — one group at most per subject.
Group A — Commerce & Administration
| # | Subject | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Commerce | 200 |
| 2 | Economics | 200 |
| 3 | Business Administration | 200 |
| 4 | Public Administration | 200 |
Group B — Life & Agricultural Sciences
| # | Subject | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Agriculture | 200 |
| 6 | Veterinary Science | 200 |
| 7 | Botany | 200 |
| 8 | Zoology | 200 |
Group C — Quantitative & Computing
| # | Subject | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Mathematics | 200 |
| 10 | Computer Science | 200 |
| 11 | Statistics | 200 |
| 12 | Principle of Engineering | 200 |
Group D — Physical & Earth Sciences
| # | Subject | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Physics | 200 |
| 14 | Chemistry | 200 |
| 15 | Geology | 200 |
| 16 | Geography | 200 |
Group E — Politics, History & Law
| # | Subject | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Political Science | 200 |
| 18 | History | 200 |
| 19 | Law | 200 |
| 20 | Mass Communication | 200 |
| # | Subject | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Philosophy | 200 |
| 22 | Psychology | 200 |
| 23 | Sociology | 200 |
| 24 | Social Work | 200 |
Group G — Languages & Education
| # | Subject | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | English Literature | 200 |
| 26 | Urdu | 200 |
| 27 | Arabic | 200 |
| 28 | Education | 200 |
| 29 | Persian | 200 |
| 30 | Punjabi | 200 |
How the rule plays out
What "one per group" means in practice, and where candidates most often lose the combination they wanted.
Six groups hold four subjects each; Group G holds six. Because a candidate takes three subjects and may use each group only once, every valid combination draws on exactly three different groups out of the seven.
Three consequences follow, and they are the ones that catch people out:
- Neighbouring subjects are usually rivals, not partners. Economics and Commerce, Botany and Zoology, Physics and Chemistry, Psychology and Sociology, Urdu and Persian — each of those pairs sits inside a single group, so you can take one or the other, never both.
- A science background is not automatically an advantage. Botany and Zoology (Group B) compete with each other; a life-sciences graduate still has to find two subjects outside their discipline.
- Group G is the widest door. With six subjects it offers the most room, and a language or Education paper is where many candidates find their third subject once the first two are settled.
Detailed paper-by-paper syllabi for the optional subjects are published separately by the Commission.
Keep reading
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