| Conducting body | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Official website ↗ |
|---|---|
| Posts | Indian Forest Service (IFoS) |
| Qualification | A bachelor's degree with at least one of animal husbandry and veterinary science, botany, chemistry, geology, mathematics, physics, statistics or zoology, or a bachelor's degree in agriculture, forestry or engineering. |
| Age limit | 21–32 years on 1 August 2026 (general category) |
| Domicile | Not required |
| Selection stages | Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, used as the screening test → Indian Forest Service main exam: six descriptive papers → Interview (personality test) of 300 marks |
| Latest notification | Indian Forest Service Examination 2026 notice (through CS(P) Examination 2026) · 80 vacancies |
Last checked . Sources
About UPSC IFS (Forest)
The Indian Forest Service Examination recruits officers for the all-India forest service. There is no separate prelims: candidates sit the Civil Services prelims and are shortlisted for the forest service mains from it. The 2026 notice expects about 80 vacancies.
Eligibility
Age limit
General category: 21–32 years, counted on 1 August 2026.
Age relaxation
- OBC: 3 years
- SC: 5 years
- ST: 5 years
- PwBD: 10 years
- Ex-servicemen: 5 years
- General category candidates must be born between 2 August 1994 and 1 August 2005.
- The 10-year PwBD relaxation applies only to the disability types the notice lists for this service: low vision, partially deaf, and locomotor disability limited to leprosy cured and acid attack victims.
- Defence personnel disabled in operations get up to 3 years.
Qualification
A bachelor's degree with at least one of animal husbandry and veterinary science, botany, chemistry, geology, mathematics, physics, statistics or zoology, or a bachelor's degree in agriculture, forestry or engineering.
Other conditions
- Attempts: 6 in general; 9 for OBC candidates and for PwBD candidates of the general and EWS groups; no limit for SC and ST candidates.
- Fee is Rs 100 for the prelims and Rs 200 more for the forest service mains. Women, SC, ST and PwBD candidates are exempt.
- The forest service mains papers are set and answered in English only.
Selection process
- Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, used as the screening test
- Indian Forest Service main exam: six descriptive papers
- Interview (personality test) of 300 marks
Exam pattern
Preliminary exam (the Civil Services prelims)
Mode: Objective, multiple choice · Negative marking: One third of the marks for a question is cut for each wrong answer. A blank question has no penalty.
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| General Studies Paper I | 200 |
| General Studies Paper II (CSAT), qualifying at 33% | 200 |
Main exam (written)
Mode: Descriptive, in English only · Duration: 3 hours for each paper
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| Paper I: General English | 300 |
| Paper II: General Knowledge | 300 |
| Papers III and IV: first optional subject (200 each) | 400 |
| Papers V and VI: second optional subject (200 each) | 400 |
Personality test
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| Interview | 300 |
UPSC IFS (Forest) syllabus
Prelims
- Same two papers and syllabus as the Civil Services prelims
- Separate cut-off for the forest service list
Mains: compulsory papers
- General English: an essay, plus questions on understanding English, summary and precis
- General Knowledge: current events, everyday science, Indian polity and Constitution, history of India and geography
Mains: optional subjects (choose any two)
- Agriculture, agricultural engineering, animal husbandry and veterinary science, forestry
- Botany, zoology, chemistry, chemical engineering
- Civil engineering, mechanical engineering, geology
- Mathematics, physics, statistics
What they ask
The first hurdle is the Civil Services prelims, but the forest service has its own cut-off and the mains list is about twelve to thirteen times the vacancies. The mains asks for two optional subjects, two papers each, set at honours level (bachelor's level for the engineering subjects). Some pairs are barred, such as mathematics with statistics, agriculture with forestry, or more than one engineering subject. All mains papers are in English, and the interview carries 300 marks with no minimum.
How to prepare
- Check your optional pair against the barred list in the notice before you start. Mathematics with statistics or agriculture with forestry, for example, is not allowed.
- Prepare for the Civil Services prelims as your base, since the forest service shortlist comes from the same GS Paper I and CSAT papers.
- Pick optionals close to your degree. Each carries 400 marks and is set at honours level, so a subject you studied for three years saves months.
- Write the mains in English from the start of your practice, because the notice allows no other medium for this exam.
- Revise general studies with daily topic-wise practice quizzes on the free Improvam app.
Practise UPSC IFS (Forest) syllabus topics a few minutes a day with short quizzes in the Improvam app.
Previous papers and answer keys
UPSC IFS (Forest) FAQs
No. You apply for the forest service and sit the Civil Services prelims. UPSC draws a separate list for the forest service mains from those marks.
Sources
- UPSC Indian Forest Service Examination 2026 notice ↗ (official, checked )
- UPSC exam page: Indian Forest Service (Preliminary) Examination 2026 through CS(P) Examination 2026 ↗ (official, checked )
Checked against official sources on . Rules change with each notification, so read the latest one before you apply.
Related exams
FOREST EXAMS ELSEWHERE
- AP Forest Beat Officer · Andhra Pradesh
- AP Forest Section Officer · Andhra Pradesh
- Assam Forest Guard · Assam
- DNH DD Forest Guard · Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
- Goa Forest Guard · Goa
- Gujarat Forest Guard · Gujarat