| Conducting body | Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC). Official website ↗ |
|---|---|
| Posts | Beat Forest Officer, Forest and Wildlife Department (district-wise) |
| Qualification | Pass in Plus Two conducted by Kerala's Board of Higher Secondary Education, or an equivalent recognised by the Government of India or Kerala. |
| Age limit | 19–30 years on 1 January 2025 (general category) |
| Domicile | See the notification |
| Selection stages | Written test (100 marks) → Physical measurement → Endurance test (2 km run) → Physical efficiency test → Medical standards check and certificate verification → District-wise ranked list |
| Latest notification | Beat Forest Officer Part I, Forest and Wildlife, Category No. 211/2025 |
Last checked . Sources
About Kerala Beat Forest Officer
Beat Forest Officers are the field staff of Kerala's Forest and Wildlife Department. Kerala PSC recruits them district-wise, and you may apply to only one district. The latest direct recruitment, Category No. 211/2025 (Part I), closed on 3 September 2025 with a pay scale of ₹27,900–63,700. Men and women can both apply, with different physical standards.
Eligibility
Age limit
General category: 19–30 years, counted on 1 January 2025.
Age relaxation
- OBC: 3 years
- SC: 5 years
- ST: 5 years
- Other concessions follow para 2 of the Kerala PSC General Conditions, with a ceiling of 50.
Qualification
Pass in Plus Two conducted by Kerala's Board of Higher Secondary Education, or an equivalent recognised by the Government of India or Kerala.
Other conditions
- Men: height 168 cm (160 cm for SC/ST), chest 81 cm with 5 cm expansion. Endurance test: 2 km in 13 minutes. PET: five of eight one-star events.
- Women: height 157 cm (150 cm for SC/ST). Endurance test: 2 km in 15 minutes. PET: five of nine one-star events.
- Hearing must be perfect, and vision is tested without glasses.
- Category No. 211/2025 lists 13 districts; Alappuzha is not among them. Differently abled candidates cannot apply.
Selection process
- Written test (100 marks)
- Physical measurement
- Endurance test (2 km run)
- Physical efficiency test
- Medical standards check and certificate verification
- District-wise ranked list
Exam pattern
Written test (100 marks)
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| General knowledge | 40 |
| Current affairs | 10 |
| Simple arithmetic, mental ability and reasoning | 10 |
| General English | 10 |
| Regional language (Malayalam, Kannada or Tamil) | 10 |
| Special topics: forest and wildlife | 20 |
Kerala Beat Forest Officer syllabus
General knowledge (40 marks)
- History of Kerala, India and the world (5)
- Geography (5)
- Economics (5)
- Indian Constitution (8)
- Kerala: governance and system of administration (3)
- Life science and public health (4)
- Physics (3)
- Chemistry (3)
- Arts, sports, literature and culture (4)
Other sections (40 marks)
- Current affairs (10 marks)
- Simple arithmetic: numbers, fractions and decimals, percentage, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, ratio and proportion, time and distance, time and work, average, exponents, mensuration, progressions (5 marks)
- Mental ability: series, problems on mathematical signs, analogy, odd one out, coding and decoding, family relations, direction sense, clock time and angles (5 marks)
- General English: grammar (5 marks) and vocabulary (5 marks)
- Regional language: Malayalam, Kannada or Tamil (10 marks)
Special topics (20 marks)
- Forests (6): definitions and benefits, forest types of India and Kerala, Western Ghats biodiversity, state of forests in the world, India and Kerala
- Wildlife (7)
- Conservation of forests and wildlife (5)
- Information Technology Act 2000 (2)
What they ask
The written test has the same 100-mark frame as other uniformed posts, with 20 marks set aside for forest topics. Wildlife carries 7 of those marks, forests 6 and conservation 5, and the IT Act adds 2. The forests unit asks about forest types in India and Kerala and the Western Ghats, so expect Kerala-specific questions there as well as in general knowledge.
How to prepare
- Build notes on Kerala's forest types, protected areas and Western Ghats biodiversity; they feed both the special topics and the Kerala units of general knowledge.
- Train for the 2 km run early. Men need 13 minutes and women 15, and the endurance test sits alongside the PET.
- Apply to only one district. The notification bars applications to more than one district.
- Practise arithmetic and reasoning with daily topic-wise quizzes on the free Improvam app.
Practise Kerala Beat Forest Officer syllabus topics a few minutes a day with short quizzes in the Improvam app.
How to apply
- Create a One Time Registration profile on keralapsc.gov.in, or log in to the one you already have.
- Open the notification and click 'Apply Now' against the category number. Kerala PSC charges no application fee.
- When the exam programme comes out, submit your confirmation to write the test from your profile within the window given. Applications without a confirmation are rejected.
- Download the admission ticket from your profile. It opens in the last 15 days before the test.
Photo and signature
- Photo: JPG, 200 pixels high and 150 pixels wide, up to 30 KB, face and shoulders clearly visible on a white or light background. A new One Time Registration profile needs a photo taken within the last six months, with your name and the date printed at the bottom.
- Signature: JPG, 150 pixels wide and 100 pixels high, up to 30 KB. A blank, unclear or incomplete signature image gets the application rejected.
Source: official instructions ↗
Resize your photo and signature for Kerala Beat Forest Officer
Previous papers and answer keys
Kerala Beat Forest Officer FAQs
19 to 30 in Category No. 211/2025, meaning born between 2 January 1995 and 1 January 2006. OBC and SC/ST candidates get the usual relaxation.
Sources
- Kerala PSC notification, Beat Forest Officer Part I, Category No. 211/2025 ↗ (official, checked )
- Kerala PSC detailed syllabus, Beat Forest Officer ↗ (official, checked )
- Kerala PSC General Conditions (Part II of every gazette notification) ↗ (official, checked )
Checked against official sources on . Rules change with each notification, so read the latest one before you apply.
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