LAHORE: Just 344 candidates out of more than 37,000 have cleared the written stage of Punjab’s largest competitive examination, the Provincial Management Service (PMS), for 119 posts of Assistant Commissioner.
The Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) announced the result of Phase-II of the written examination of the Combined Competitive Examination 2025. According to the official announcement, the notification of the written result was issued by Secretary Punjab Public Service Commission Afzaal Ahmad following the final approval of Lieutenant General (Retired) Muhammad Abdul Aziz.
More than 37,000 candidates had appeared in the written examination for the 119 advertised posts — a field that works out to roughly one successful candidate for every 108 who sat the papers, or a pass rate of under one percent.
According to PPSC spokesperson and Deputy Director Syed Kazim Muqaddas Kazmi, the 344 candidates have been provisionally cleared for the Psychological Test and Interview against the 119 posts.
The word “provisionally” carries weight in Commission notifications: clearance at this stage is conditional on candidates satisfying the documentary and eligibility requirements at the next stage, and does not by itself constitute selection.
The 344 candidates declared successful in the written examination will now undergo the Psychological Test and Interview in the next phase of the recruitment process.
According to the Punjab Public Service Commission, call-up letters for the Psychological Test and Interview will soon be uploaded on the Commission’s website, while candidates will also be informed through SMS and email.
Candidates have been directed to bring their academic certificates and other relevant documents with them at the time of the Psychological Test and Interview. Aspirants are advised to keep the mobile number and email address registered with the Commission active, since the call-up schedule is communicated through those channels.
The PMS written examination consisted of 12 papers covering examinations in different subjects. The papers also included English and Urdu Essay and General Knowledge — components that have traditionally proved decisive, since essay-based papers are marked qualitatively and account for a large share of the attrition at this stage.
The PMS remains the principal entry route into Punjab’s district administration. Assistant Commissioners are the officers who sign off on price-control magistracy, land-revenue matters, encroachment drives and local relief operations — which means the 119 posts being filled now will translate directly into how residents experience administration in tehsils across the province over the next decade.
The scale of the applicant pool also tells its own story about Punjab’s graduate job market. More than 37,000 applications for 119 positions places the PMS among the most competitive public-sector entry examinations in the country, and mirrors the crush seen in other provincial recruitment drives, including the Apna Khet Apna Rozgar scheme, where Punjab recently set a fresh eligibility formula for 31,505 applicants.
Examination integrity has remained a live public concern in Punjab this month, after the provincial authorities ordered action against four super checkers in the Afia Naeem position case — a reminder of how closely marking processes are now being scrutinised.
Candidates can verify their result and follow subsequent announcements only through the PPSC’s official website. Readers are cautioned against unofficial lists circulating on social media.
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