IFS Exam

The Indian Forest Service (IFS) is one of the Civil Services Examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for the recruitment officers at the All India level by the Government of India for the scientific management of its forests.

Graduation should be from any of the 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.

The IFS is responsible for framing the Government's foreign policies and managing Indian missions abroad.

IFS Exam Highlights

Eligibility Criteria for IFS Exam

Nationality

The candidate who is willing to be an IFS officer should be either of the following:

1. A citizen of India;

2. A citizen of Nepal;

3. A citizen of Bhutan;

4. Secondly, the candidate can be a Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1 January 1962 for permanent settlement; or

5. Migrants from any of the countries mentioned below for permanent settlement in India – Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, The United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam.

Educational Qualification

1. The candidate should be a graduate or have a degree equivalent to a bachelor’s degree from any recognized University.

2. Candidates will have to clear the examination in three stages (preliminary, mains, interview) for recruitment after they have registered themselves according to eligibility criteria.

Age Limit

1. The minimum age is 21 years but the maximum is 30 years as per the norms.

2. For SC/ST candidates, the age relaxation is up to 35 years of age. For OBC, it is up to 33 years of age.

3. Similarly, the age limit is different for residents from J&K, Defence candidates, and physically handicapped candidates.

How To Apply for (IFS Exam) the Indian Foreign Service Exam

1. Candidates are required to apply Online using the link www.upsconline.nic.in for Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination which will act as a screening mechanism for the selection of candidates for the Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination.

2. Candidates who wish to apply for Civil Services Examination also, have to apply once by appropriately indicating in the online application form that they intend to appear for both the Indian Forest Service Examination and the Civil Services Examination.

3. Candidates, who will qualify for the Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination, will have to fill in a Detailed Application Form subsequently as per further instructions to be provided to the candidates through the website (www.upsconline.nic.in) of the Commission.

IFS Exam Pattern

Stage I: Preliminary Written Test (IFS Exam)

Stage II: Main Written Test (IFS Exam)

Stage III: Interview

A. PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION:

The Examination shall comprise two compulsory Papers of 200 marks each.

(i) Both the question papers will be of the objective type (multiple choice questions).

(ii) The General Studies Paper-II of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination will be a qualifying paper with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%.

(iii) The question papers will be set both in Hindi and English.

(iv) Details of the syllabi are indicated in Part A of Section III.

B. MAIN EXAMINATION:

The written examination consists of the following papers: —

1. Paper I—General English 300 Marks

2. Paper II—General Knowledge 300 Marks

3. Papers III, IV, V and VI. —Any two subjects to be selected from the list of optional subjects set out in para 2 below.

4. Each subject will have two papers. — 200 marks for each paper.

C. INTERVIEW FOR PERSONALITY TEST:

1. The last and final stage is the Interview, which consists of 275 marks. In the interview stage, the board members evaluate the abilities of the candidate.

2. Training Period: After qualifying all three stages, candidates are trained for two years at Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy.