Chemistry drew 364 candidates in CSS 2025 and allocated 4 of them, an overall conversion of just over 1%. The paper sits a little below the field average at 40%, but still clears the passing line, so the scarcity of allocations reflects a thin written pass and a demanding merit cut rather than an impossibly hard exam. Only seven candidates cleared the written stage from the full field.
Chemistry's mean of 40% trails the CSS optional-subject average of 43.5% by 3.5 points, placing it modestly below the field. The gap is minor, but it is overshadowed by the subject's thin written pass and its four allocations from 364 candidates. For a prospective candidate, the near-average mean is far less important than the reality that very few cleared the paper to a competitive standard.
Of the 364 who appeared, 7 passed the written stage and 4 of those were allocated. Because the mean of 40% sits above the 33% threshold, the paper itself is not the principal barrier, yet the low written pass count shows how few candidates reached a passing standard in this technical subject. The further drop to 4 allocations completed the filtering at the merit stage.
At 40% of the 200 available marks the mean clears the passing line, and the median, just under it at 42.75% of max, sits close to the mean, suggesting a roughly balanced distribution. The standard deviation of 34 marks, around 17 percentage points, is wide, placing a candidate one deviation below the mean at 23.5%, well short of passing. This is a moderate-risk paper where the average candidate passes but the broad spread pulls a substantial share below the line. In a technical subject like this, accuracy across the paper rather than partial brilliance is what keeps a candidate above the threshold. The roughly two-point gap between median and mean is a slight left skew, with a few low scripts nudging the average just beneath the centre of the distribution, so the typical candidate sits marginally above the 40% mean.
Punjab took 3 of the 4 seats, with Azad Kashmir taking the fourth. With only four allocations there is little distribution to interpret, beyond the usual concentration of successful candidates in Punjab.
Women took 3 of the 4 seats, a 75% female share in a sample far too small to generalise from. The figure records the outcome for four individuals rather than any meaningful gender pattern.
Chemistry suits candidates with a strong scientific foundation who can deliver accurate, complete answers under exam pressure, and even they should note how few succeeded in 2025. Four allocations from 364 applicants is a slim record. The technical nature of the paper rewards genuine command and offers little to candidates hoping a partial grasp will carry them.