THIS is apropos of Hussain Nadim’s letter ‘Civil Service in decline’ (Aug 27). First of all, each year there is a diversified list of candidates for enrollment (13,071 applied in CE-2011) from graduates and postgraduates.

Secondly, the trends for setting a paper have drastically changed. One should pick up a test paper and analyse the prevailing pattern.

For “United Kingdom’s Graduate Fast Stream” part, there are questions on analytical assessments, which after clearing the written portion, spread over a period of two days.

A viva voce is taken in front of a highly competent panel where one’s verbal and written skills are assessed. There is also a medical test to gauge the candidate’s physical fitness.

MUHAMMAD UMAIR Lahore