Aligning CSS English Preparation with Exam Demands: A Linguistic Needs Analysis from the Perspective of CSS Mentors in Pakistan

Central Superior Services (CSS) examination Pakistan is a prestigious but a competitive entry to civil service, where assessments in the English language, especially the Essay and Precis are a major hindrance for most candidates. Even after the long preparation, at least 90 percent of the aspirants are never able to meet linguistic standards desired by Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC). This paper, called Aligning CSS English Preparation with Exam Demands: Linguistic Needs Analysis through the Eyes of CSS Mentors in Pakistan, examines the attitudes of CSS mentors and tutors towards the language shortcomings of applicants, discrepancy between the existing teaching methods, and the conformity (or non-conformity) of curriculum and the requirements of the exam. With the qualitative research design, the researcher gathered data with the help of semi-structured interviews with CSS mentors in different academies and independent platforms. In the findings, it is established that there are big gaps between the knowledge instilled on language proficiency during training and the one tested in the actual exam. The common weaknesses cited by the mentors were the skills in academic writing, consistency in developing an argument, lexical resources, grammatical correctness and structuring answers within specified time. The same research area points to the high necessity of a context-based English curriculum that has examinable specifications in line with the real linguistic requirements of the CSS exam. It provides practical suggestions to the curriculum designers, trainers, and policymakers to improve instructional strategies and eventually increase the rate of student achievement.