Mercantile Law drew 263 candidates in CSS 2025 and allocated 5 of them, an overall conversion of just under 2%. The paper is a solid one to score in, with a mean of 52% well above the passing line, so the scarcity of allocations reflects a thin written pass and a modest seat count rather than a difficult exam. Eleven candidates cleared the written stage, of whom five reached a seat.
Of the five allocated candidates, one was a woman and four were men, a 20% female share in a sample too small to read as a trend. The figure records the outcome for five individuals rather than any pattern.
Mercantile Law's mean of 52% sits 8.5 points above the CSS optional-subject average of 43.5%, marking it as an above-average paper to score in. The favourable mean and the good conversion of written passers make it a rewarding specialist choice, though the small field and modest seat count mean it suits a narrow group. With 5 seats, a strong score rather than a bare pass is what secures allocation.
Of the 263 who appeared, 11 passed the written stage and 5 of those were allocated. With a mean of 52% sitting well above the 33% threshold, the paper is not the obstacle; candidates clear it readily and then lose just under half their number at the merit cut. The healthy ratio of allocations to written passers makes this one of the more rewarding specialist law subjects for those who clear the paper.
The mean of 52% clears the passing line by 19 points, and with the median of 54% sitting above it the distribution leans to the left, carried by a body of strong scripts. A standard deviation of 20 points places a candidate one deviation below the mean at 32%, just under the threshold, which marks this as a moderate-risk paper. The average candidate passes comfortably, but the spread is wide enough that a weaker showing can slip below the line. The high mean indicates a scoreable paper, with consistency the main safeguard. The two-point gap between a 54% median and a 52% mean reflects a left-skewed distribution, the weakest scripts pulling the average down, so the middle candidate scores a little above the headline mean.
Punjab took 4 of the 5 seats, with Sindh Rural taking the fifth. With only five allocations the distribution carries little weight beyond the usual concentration of successful candidates in Punjab.
Mercantile Law is a sound choice for candidates with a genuine grounding in commercial and business law who can apply it accurately under exam pressure. Its above-average paper and healthy conversion make it one of the more rewarding specialist law options, even if the field is small. As ever, the limited seats reward strong scores over mere passes.