Just a little over three per cent of all candidates were able to pass the Central Superior Services (CSS) examinations of 2017, while the top three positions were clinched by male candidates.

According to results declared by the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) on Thursday, only 3.3pc students could secure the minimum passing marks.

Statistics show a total of 9,391 candidates appeared in the written examination of the year 2017; out of them only 312 managed to pass.

After viva voce 310 candidates, including 199 males and 111 females, finally qualified.

The 2017 result is a slight improvement over that of the previous year, when only 199 candidates (2.06pc) out of a total of 9,643 had cleared all rounds.

Examine: CSS decline

A press release stated that only 261 candidates have been recommended for appointments (155 male and 106 female) to posts in BS-17 out of all the qualified aspirants.

According to the results, the top three positions were bagged by male candidates — Muhammad Awaid Irshad (Punjab domicile) stood first, while Adeel Akbar (Punjab domicile) and Mohammad Murtaza (Sindh urban domicile) secured second and third positions, respectively. The top three positions of the last CSS exam were all taken by female candidates.

The results of the CSS exams have been facing decline for several years (until 2017), as 3.33pc students cleared the exam in 2014, 3.11pc in 2015 and 2.06pc in 2016.