IFS Exam Pattern (IFos)

“The study of nature has no beginning and it has no end” – Jim Corbett. Forests are an integral part of our ecosystem and their management is an important aspect of keeping the ecosystem balanced. Every year the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Union Civil Service exams for recruitment to the Indian Administrative Services (IAS), Indian Forest Services (IFoS), Indian Police Services (IPS), and other central services and posts in various departments and personnel in the Gazette of India extraordinary. If you can serve the country, preparing for civil services can be the right opportunity for you. IFoS is an integral part of Civil Administration. Every year thousands of students appear for the UPSC exam and a few lucky ones secure their jobs in IFoS. Here’s a comprehensive blog for civil service aspirants to understand the key aspects of the IFoS/IFS exam pattern.

Must Read: IFS Exam Syllabus: In-depth Analysis

Understanding IFoS/IFS Exam Pattern

UPSC conducts an annual examination for the recruitment of candidates to the Indian Forest Services (IFS). The IFoS/IFS exam is a civil service examination conducted for the recruitment of officers at the all-India level by the Government of India. The preliminary exam is common with the CSE prelim based on which candidates qualify for the IFS mains exams.

IFS officers are allocated between various state cadres and joint cadres under the mandate to serve under both state and central government. The objective of the IFSoS is the implementation of the National Forest Policy which seeks to ensure the scientific management of forests.  As per the announcement by the Government of India, the Forest Service examination will be a 2 tier examination similar to the pattern of the Civil Services examination. 

The IFoS/IFS exam consists of the following examinations:

Examination	Exam Pattern	Examination Month
Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination	Objective-type Questions	May
Indian Forest Services (Mains) Examination	Written Examination and Personal Interview	September

Let’s understand each of these examinations in detail in the next section.

Must Read: How to Become an IFS Officer?

Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination Pattern

The Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination acts as a screening test to select candidates for the next stage of the IFoS/IFS Exam. Here’s a table to understand the CSE exam pattern for the preliminary stage:

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Paper	Subject	Marks	Duration
Paper 1	General Studies	200	2 Hours
Paper 2	Aptitude Test – qualifying exam and students are required to score a 33% to qualify for the first preliminary step. However, the marks obtained are not counted to determine the final order of merit of a candidate, if they qualify for the main exam as well.	200	2 Hours
	Total	400

The medium of the question paper is both English and Hindi. And, the language comprehension skills of class 10th level are tested through passage writing. 

Note: There is a negative marking for every incorrect answer, but no negative marking for unanswered questions. Also, special time slots are available for blind candidates with an extra 20 minutes given for each paper. 

Relevant Read: Civil Service Exam

Indian Forest Services (Mains) Examination Pattern 

Candidates who have successfully cleared their CSE are called for the Mains exam which comprises a series of written papers. Here’s a table to understand the IFoS/IFS exam pattern for the mains stage:

Paper	Subject	Marks	Duration
Paper 1	General Knowledge	300	3 Hours
Paper 2	General English	300	3 Hours
Paper 3	Section A of 1st Optional subject	200	3 Hours
Paper 4	Section B of 1st Optional subject	200	3 Hours
Paper 5	Section A of 2nd Optional subject	200	3 Hours
Paper 6	Section B of 2nd Optional subject	200	3 Hours
Total		1400

General Knowledge and General English papers are common for all candidates. However, for the latter part, students are offered an option to pick 2 subjects of their choice. Each optional subject will have 2 papers and each paper comprises 8 descriptive-type questions. These will come under section “A” and section “B” – each section consisting of 4 questions. 

Interview Round

The maximum score for a personal interview is 300 points. The candidate will be interviewed by a Board of competent and unbiased observers who will have a record of his/her career in front of them. The purpose of the interview is to determine the candidate’s personal suitability for the Service. The candidate will be expected to have taken an intelligent interest not only in his/her academic subjects, but also in events happening around him/her both within and outside his/her own state or country, as well as in modern currents of thought and new discoveries that should pique the interest of well-educated youth.

IFS Exam Pattern – Eligibility Criteria

Below are the eligibility requirements one has to fulfil to appear for the entrance exam:

Minimum Educational Qualification

The candidate must hold a bachelor’s degree in any of the following disciplines (or included as one of the subjects) from a recognised board of education.

• Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
• Agriculture
• Botany 
• Chemistry 
• Engineering 
• Forestry 
• Geology 
• Mathematics
• Statistics 
• Physics
• Zoology

Candidates will not be permitted to offer the following topic combinations:

• Agriculture and Agricultural Engineering
• Agriculture and Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
• Agriculture and Forestry
• Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
• Mathematics and Statistics
• Engineering subjects viz. Agricultural Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering not more than one subject.

Relevant Read: Top Forestry Courses

IFS Exam Pattern – Age Limit

The candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not exceed the 32 years of age limit on 1st August of the respective year of the preliminary exam. 

Relaxable Age Limit

• Up to a maximum of 5 years for SC/ST candidates
• Up to a maximum of 3 years for OBC candidates
• Up to a maximum of 5 years for candidates from Jammu and Kashmir 
• Up to  a maximum of 5 years for Defence Services Personnel

Nationality 

The nationality of the candidate must be either of the following:

• Citizen of India
• Subject of Nepal
• Subject of Bhutan
• Tibetan refugees who entered India before January 1962 are eligible to appear for the exam 

UPSC IFS Exam 2023: Preparation Strategy

Aspirants are advised to believe in themselves and their ability to pass the UPSC IFS Examination and the first stage of prelims with the highest possible scores. Check out the tips below to get the desired UPSC IFS results.

• Keep your cool in the UPSC IFS Examination Hall.
• Stay away from any distractions and bad ideas.
• Make a plan that will allow you to finish the UPSC IFS 2023 Syllabus on time.
• Revisit the UPSC IFS 2023 Prelims Syllabus before beginning with the UPSC IFS 2023 Mains Test Syllabus.
• You might ask your pals to help you remember questions for extended periods of time.
• Adhere to the approach you established solely for your personal benefit.
• In GS, you may be asked a few questions that make no sense to you; simply add the generic points in such circumstances.
• To obtain a complete understanding of the types of questions asked, candidates must study over the preceding five years’ question papers.
• Possibly books or the Internet; the main goal of a candidate must be to gather sufficient knowledge, therefore use the internet extensively.
• All subjects should be subjected to current events.
• Always be confident and offer your utmost during the selecting process.
• You must take appropriate notes and prepare accordingly.
• Applicants should keep current events and key world events in mind. Candidates should read newspapers, periodicals, e-magazines, and so on to stay up to date on current events.

IFS Exam 2023: Books to Read

The best IFS toppers’ books are crucial for UPSC IFS preparation. In order to strengthen their preparations, aspirants should be aware of the best-recommended UPSC IFS Books. The best book selection is available both online and offline. The information may be same, but it is the applications that are important. As a result, distinguishing between books and locating the proper book is critical.

S.no.	Subject	Book	Author/Publisher
1.	General Studies	India’s Struggle for Independence	Bipan Chandra
2.	History	Facets of Indian Culture	Spectrum Books
3.	Agriculture	UPSC IFS Agriculture Main Exam Guide (Paper I & II) Main Exam Guide	RPH Editorial Board
4.	Mains Paper I and Paper II	UPSC IFS Main Examination Guide: A complete book for Paper I and Paper II	RPH Editorial Board
5.	Polity	UPSC IFS exam Zoology main Exam Guide (Including Paper I & II)	RPH Editorial Board
6.	CSAT	Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude for Civil Services Examination	G. Subba Rao

Relevant Read: All NCERT Books For UPSC Exams

FAQs

We hope that you’re now equipped with detailed information related to the IFoS/IFS exam pattern. IFS officers efficiently work towards the welfare of the forest and natural resources to ensure environmental stability and maintenance of ecological balance. People tend to admire these officers and see them as role models. If you’re aspiring to take such an administrative role in society and pursue a career in Environmental Sciences and Agriculture, get in touch with our experts at Leverage Edu who can help you identify the right university to kickstart your career.