Islamic Studies and Pakistan Studies
Islamic Studies
The five pillars, the articles of faith, the Quran (revelation, compilation, major surahs and their themes), the life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in its Makki and Madani phases with key events and battles, the four rightly guided caliphs, hadith and its kinds, basic fiqh terms (farz, wajib, sunnah, mustahab, haram, makruh), the rate of zakat, and the prophets named in the Quran.
Pakistan Studies
The War of Independence of 1857, the Aligarh movement, the founding of the All-India Muslim League in 1906, the reforms of 1909 and 1919, the Lucknow Pact of 1916, the Khilafat movement, the Allahabad Address of 1930, the Round Table Conferences, the coining of the name Pakistan in 1933, the Lahore Resolution of 1940, the elections of 1945-46, independence in 1947, the Kashmir dispute, the Objectives Resolution of 1949, and the constitutions of 1956, 1962 and 1973.
Traps
Date swaps are the single most common error: 1906 against 1916, and 1930 against 1940. Distinguish the Allahabad Address, which expressed Iqbal's idea of a separate Muslim state, from the Lahore Resolution, which was the formal political demand. In Islamic Studies, do not confuse the five pillars with the articles of faith, and check whether the question asks for the first, the longest, or the most emphasised.
Worked example
Anchor dates in a chain: 1857 revolt, 1906 League, 1916 Lucknow Pact, 1930 Allahabad, 1940 Lahore, 1947 independence. Reconstruct the chain mentally and a stray option date stands out at once. Rule of thumb: never learn a date alone; learn its two neighbours.