The notification for Indian Forest Service Examination will be released on 14th February 2024. Aspirants can check the latest UPSC Notification in the linked article.
The Indian Forest Service (IFoS) is one of the three All-India Services of the Union Government, the other two being the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS). It was constituted in its present form in 1966, although the service dates back to 1864 when it was established as the Imperial Forest Service under the British Raj. In this article, you can read all about the Indian Forest Service Exam – pattern, syllabus, how to apply, salary, etc.
Latest Update:
- As per the official UPSC Calendar 2024, the tentative schedule for the Indian Forest Service examination has been announced.
- The important dates for UPSC exam 2024 as released by the Commission are as follows:
| UPSC IFoS 2023 Exam | |
| Event | Important Dates |
| Official Notification | February 14, 2024 |
| Last Date to Apply | March 05, 2024 |
| Prelims | May 26, 2024 |
| Mains | November 24, 2024 |
Indian Forest Service is usually mentioned as IFoS. UPSC IFS is mentioned for the Indian Foreign Service. UPSC IFS is also a part of the Civil Services Exam. Therefore, candidates should be aware of the difference between the UPSC IFS and IFOS.
| Candidates can strengthen their preparation for the UPSC Exams by taking the CSAT Mock Test now!!Â
To complement your preparation for the upcoming exam, check the following links: |
Indian Forest Service Exam 2024
The notification for Indian Forest Service Exam 2024 was released on 14th February 2024 along with the Civil Services Exam notification. The candidates who wish to appear for this year exam can check and download the notification PDF given below:
IFoS Notification 2024:-Download PDF Here
IFoS Prelims 2024
The Union Public Service Commission will hold a Screening Test for selection to the Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination, 2024 through the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2024 which will be held on 26th May 2024.Â
Indian Forest Service Exam 2024
Every year, the UPSC conducts the Indian Forest Service exam to recruit officers into the forest service. The chief mandate of this service is to manage the country’s natural resources and implement the National Forest Policy.
IFOS Notification 2024:- Download PDF Here
The Indian Forest Services recruitment 2024 is still ongoing and given below are the details of the latest UPSC IFoS examination.
IFoS Prelims 2024
The Indian Forest Service Prelims exam will take place on 26th May 2024 (the same exam as the civil services prelims).
Candidates can check the UPSC Prelims Question papers for 2021 and 2020 given below along with the answer keys.
| UPSC Prelims 2021 Question Paper PDF | UPSC Prelims 2021 Answer Key |
| UPSC Prelims 2020 Question Paper PDF | UPSC Prelims 2020 Answer Key |
The IFoS Prelims took place in 72 UPSC Prelims Exam Centres across India.
IFoS Mains 2024
The Indian Forest Service (Mains) Examination is scheduled to take place from 24th November 2024 onwards for 10 days. The detailed timetable will be released on the UPSC official website.
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IFoS Mains Exam Date |
Forenoon Session (9AM – 12PM) |
Afternoon Session (2PM – 5PM) |
| 26th November 2023 |
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| 28th November 2023 |
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| 29th November 2021 |
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| 30th November 2021 |
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| 1st December 2021 |
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| 2nd December 2021 |
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| 3rd December 2021 |
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IFOS Exam – Salient Points
- The IFoS notification is the same as the Civil Services UPSC Notification which is released by the UPSC every year in February. This is because the prelims exam, which is the first stage of both the civil services and the forest services exams is the same.
- Candidates should indicate while applying online whether they are taking the civil services, the IFoS, or both exams. Know more about the UPSC Online Application in the linked article.
- There is less number of vacancies for the IFoS exam (around 100 per year), as compared to the civil services.
- The mains exam for the IFoS is different from the civil services exam.
- The eligibility criterion is also slightly different, as explained in the sections below.
Check the IAS Exam details here.
Indian Forest Service Exam Eligibility
The eligibility conditions for the IFoS exam can be categorized under four headings as under:
- Nationality
- Age limit
- Number of attempts
- Education
The criterion for nationality, age limit and number of attempts is the same as for the civil services exam.
Read the detailed IAS/IFoS eligibility criteria at the linked article.
- However, when it comes to the educational criteria, the conditions are different for the forest service exam.
- Whereas the civil services require any bachelor’s degree, the IFoS exam requires a science or engineering bachelor’s degree from UPSC recognized universities.
- The candidate must have a Bachelor’s degree with at least one of the following subjects: animal husbandry & veterinary science, botany, chemistry, geology, mathematics, statistics, physics, zoology; OR,
The candidate must have a Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, forestry or engineering.
Note:
Every candidate appearing for the examination shall be permitted six attempts. However, the number of attempts will not apply in the case of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates who are otherwise eligible. The number of attempts permissible to candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes is nine.
Indian Forest Service Exam Pattern
The Indian Forest Service Exam is conducted in three rounds. A candidate has to clear one stage to qualify for the subsequent stage. The syllabus for the IFoS exam is similar to the UPSC Syllabus. They are explained below:
Stage 1: Prelims Exam
- The prelims exam for IFoS is the same as the UPSC IAS Prelims exam. There are two papers, GS I and CSAT, both objective in nature.
- The cut off for the IFoS exam is higher than for the IAS exam since the number of vacancies is markedly less.
Read more on the UPSC Prelims exam (common round for IFoS and CSE) at the linked article.
Stage 2: Mains Exam
- There are 6 papers in the IFoS mains exam.
- All are descriptive in nature. Each paper is for a duration of 3 hours.
- There are two optional subjects candidates have to choose from.
UPSC Indian Forest Service Mains Exam Papers:
| Paper | Subject | Total marks |
| Paper I | General English | 300 |
| Paper II | General Knowledge | 300 |
| Paper III | Optional I | 200 |
| Paper IV | Optional I | 200 |
| Paper V | Optional II | 200 |
| Paper VI | Optional II | 200 |
List of optional subjects (two to be chosen) available for the IFoS main exam:
- Agriculture
- Agricultural Engineering
- Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
- Botany
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Forestry
- Mathematics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Physics
- Statistics
- Zoology
- Geology
- Chemistry
Please note that the candidates will not be allowed the following combination of optional subjects:
- Agriculture and Agricultural Engineering
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Agriculture and Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
- Of the Engineering subjects namely, Agricultural Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering – not more than one subject.
IMPORTANT: Candidates must also note that all the papers will be only in English and this is the only medium of examination in the IFoS.
Only candidates who score higher than the cut-off marks in the mains exam will be summoned for the next stage, which is the interview round.
Stage 3: Interview
- The interview will be for a total of 300 marks.
- The candidate will be assessed on general awareness, communication skills, intellectual curiosity, critical powers of observation and assimilation, balance of judgment and alertness of mind, initiative, tact, capacity for leadership, etc.
- Here, the candidate will be interviewed by a Board.
- A physical test will follow the interview. Here, male candidates have to complete a 25 km walk or run in under 4 hours, and female candidates have to complete a 14 km walk or run in less than 4 hours.
Candidates must review the details about the personality test and the IAS Interview Questions for the upcoming UPSC exam to get a better understanding of the level of examination.
Candidates can also refer to the CSE Syllabus, which has some similarities with the syllabus for the IFoS.
Indian Forest Service Syllabus
IFoS Prelims Syllabus:
The syllabus for the IFoS prelims exam is the same as the civil services prelims exam.
You can check out the IFoS prelims syllabus in detail here.
IFoS Prelims Syllabus:-Download PDF Here
IFoS Mains Syllabus
- There are six descriptive papers in the mains exam.
- There are four optional papers, two for each optional.
IFoS Mains Syllabus:-Download PDF Here
For a comparison between the Indian Forest Service and the Indian Administrative Service, click here.
Given below are a few important links that will give a boost to your upcoming UPSC exam preparations-
How to Apply for Indian Forest Service Exam?
The mode of application for the Indian Forest Service Exam is the same as for the civil services examination. At the time of applying for the exam online, candidates should mention the exam for which they are applying. They can apply for both the exams as well.
Read more on how to apply for the civil services exam (and the IFoS exam through the CS prelims) here.
Indian Forest Service Salary
The following table gives the salary and rank hierarchy of IFoS officers.
| Grade | Designation in state govt. | Designation in GOI | Basic Monthly Salary |
| Junior Time Scale | Assistant Conservator of Forests/Asst. Dy. Conservator of Forests | Assistant Inspector General of Forests | ₹56,100 |
| Senior Time Scale | Deputy Conservator of Forests | Assistant Inspector General of Forests | ₹67,700 |
| Junior Administrative Grade | Deputy Conservator of Forests | Assistant Inspector General of Forests | ₹78,800 |
| Selection Grade | Deputy Conservator of Forests (Selection Grade) | Assistant Inspector General of Forests | ₹1,18,500 |
| Super Time Scale | Conservator of Forests / Chief Wildlife Warden | Deputy Inspector General of Forests | ₹1,50,000 |
| Senior Administrative Grade | Chief Conservator of Forests | Inspector General of Forests | ₹1,75,000 |
| HAG scale | Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests | – | ₹2,00,000 |
| HAG+ Scale | Principal Chief Conservator of Forests | Additional Director General of Forests | ₹2,05,400 |
| Apex Scale | Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force) | Director General of Forests | ₹2,25,000 |
Learn from the success stories of previous year IAS Toppers and accordingly prepare for the upcoming civil services exam.
Related Links:
Frequently Asked Questions on Indian Forest Service Exam
Q 1. What is the difference between the UPSC IFS and IFoS exams?
Q 2. What is the educational qualification required to apply for the Indian Forest Services?
Q 3. What is the selection process for Indian Forest Services?
Ans. The Union Public Service Commission is the conducting body for the IFoS exam:
- Prelims
- Mains
- Personality Test
The preliminary exam is the same as conducted for the IAS Exam. The mains phase is conducted separately.
Good job
Hi Team
Suppose I apply for both IAS and IFoS; and give my prelims. But in mains If I opt to write only IFoS exam papers will there be any issue?
If you are preparing for IFoS, then you only have to write IFoS mains if you clear CSE prelims.
Does syllabus change every year or we can use the same syllabus?
The syllabus apparently remains the same. If any major change will occur in the syllabus, it will be mentioned in the UPSC Notification.
so IFOS is tougher than IAS ?
Hi
The comparison of the syllabus and career between IAS and IFoS can be read here.
i need test pattern and syllabus for IFS 2021 and CSE 2021 clearly.
Hi
Get all the details about CSE in the linked article.
Can i take combination in optional subjects Geology + Chemistry
Hi
Yes, you can take this combination. The combination of the optional subject that you can’t opt for is:
1. Agriculture and Agricultural Engineering
2. Agriculture and Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
3. Agriculture and Forestry.
4. Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
5. Mathematics and Statistics, and
6. Engineering subjects combination (Example – Agricultural Engineering, Chemical Engineering, etc.)
Is mains for IFos and IAS are different?
Dear Aspirant,
Yes, as per the format of both the exams, IAS and IFoS share prelims, however, mains examination is held separately for these. For examples, CSE Prelims 2020 took place on 4th October 2020, but IAS Mains took place from 7th January 2021 onwards while IFoS Mains took place from 28th February 2021 onwards.