UPSC IFS

UPSC IFoS 2026

  • Notification Release: Expected on January 14, 2026.
  • Prelims Exam Date: May 24, 2026.
  • Application Method: Online via the official UPSC portal. 

1. Examination Overview

  • Exam Name: Indian Forest Service Examination (IFSE)
  • Conducting Authority: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
  • Exam Level: National
  • Recruitment Year: 2025
  • Mode of Examination: Offline (Pen & Paper)
  • Total Stages: 3
  • Source Documents Used: Official UPSC IFSE Examination Notice No.06/2025-IFoS dated 22.01.2025

2. Eligibility Criteria

  • Nationality Requirements: A candidate must be either: (a) A citizen of India, or (b) a subject of Nepal, or (c) a subject of Bhutan, or (d) a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before 1st January, 1962, or (e) a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India. Candidates belonging to categories (b), (c), (d) and (e) must have a certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India.
  • Age Limits (Minimum & Maximum): A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 32 years on 1st August, 2025 (i.e., born not earlier than 2nd August, 1993 and not later than 1st August, 2004).
  • Age Relaxation Categories:
    (i) upto a maximum of five years for Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe.
    (ii) upto a maximum of three years for Other Backward Classes.
    (iii) upto a maximum of three years for Defence Services personnel disabled in operations.
    (iv) upto a maximum of five years for ex-servicemen.
    (v) upto a maximum of five years for ECOs/SSCOs.
    (vi) up to a maximum of 10 years for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities [(a) low vision; (b) Partially deaf; (c) locomotor disability (Sub-category : leprosy cured and acid attack victims only)].
  • Educational Qualification: A candidate must hold a Bachelor’s degree with at least one of the subjects namely Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics and Zoology or a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Forestry or in Engineering of any of Universities incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification.
  • Number of Attempts: Every candidate appearing at the Examination, who is otherwise eligible, shall be permitted six attempts. The restriction does not apply to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates. The number of attempts permissible to candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes is nine. A person with benchmark disability belonging to the General and EWS Category shall be eligible for nine attempts.
  • Physical / Medical Standards: Candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards for admission to Indian Forest Service Examination, 2025 as per regulations given in Appendix-III of the rules.
  • Any Other Eligibility Conditions: Candidates applying for the Indian Forest Service Examination are required to appear in the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination and qualify the same for going to the second stage of Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination.

3. Examination Plan (Stage-wise Structure — Summary Only)

  • Stage I: Preliminary Examination
    • o Paper I: General Studies, Objective, 200 Marks, 2 Hours
      o Paper II: Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT), Objective, 200 Marks, 2 Hours
    • Qualifying / Merit-counting status: The Preliminary Examination is a screening test only; the marks obtained are not counted for determining final order of merit. General Studies Paper-II is a qualifying paper with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%.
  • Stage II: Main Examination
    • Qualifying Papers: Paper II (General Knowledge) – Answer scripts of only those candidates who have obtained the minimum marks as decided by the Commission for this paper will be evaluated.
    • Merit Papers: Paper I (General English), Papers III, IV, V, VI (Optional Subjects).
    • Optional Subject Papers: Any two subjects to be selected from the list of optional subjects. Each subject has two papers (Paper I & II).
    • Marks Distribution: Paper I – 300 Marks; Paper II – 300 Marks; Each Optional Subject Paper – 200 Marks.
    • Duration: 3 hours for each paper.
  • Stage III: Personality Test / Interview

4. Optional Subjects (Official List Only)

5. Examination Marks Summary

  • Total Stages: 3
  • Total Written Papers: 8
  • Objective Papers: 2
  • Descriptive Papers: 6
  • Optional Papers: 4
  • Interview Marks: 300
  • Grand Total Marks: 1700 (1400 Main + 300 Interview)
    Preliminary Examination marks are for screening only and not added to the final total for merit ranking.

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Previous Year Question Papers
Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2025
Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination, 2025