The Full form of IFS is the Indian Forest Service and this is one of the three All India Services along with the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) under the All India Services Act, 1951. The Indian Forest Service was constituted by the Government of India in the year 1966 for the scientific management of India’s forests and natural resources. In this article, Candidates will get to know about Indian Forest Service's Exam Syllabus, Eligibility, Exam Patterns, and Training Process.
An Indian Forest Officer holds the responsibility to look after the ecological security aspect of India. During the training period of Indian Forest Officers at Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), Dehradun, they develop knowledge, skills, and capability to effectively manage 23% of India’s geographical area. Despite having the same prelims exam, the mains exam of Indian Forest Service is conducted separately from the UPSC Civil Services Mains Examination.
The foundation of Indian Forest Services was laid during the rule of the British over India after the British Indian government recognized the need for this department to cater to the vast natural resources of India and this action made India one of the first countries to adopt scientific management of its forests.
| Indian Forest Service Exam | |
|---|---|
| IFoS Full Form in English | Indian Forest Service |
| IFS Full form in Hindi | भारतीय वन सेवा |
| Roles of Indian Forest Service Officer | Scientific management of India’s forests and vast natural resources. |
| Recruitment Process | 1. UPSC Civil Services Exam 2. Appointment of state forest service officers by promotion. |
After clearing all the stages of the Indian Forest Services examination, the successful candidates are selected for the training process.
After successful completion of the probation period of 4 years on the junior time scale, the Indian forest officers are appointed to the Senior time scale.
The Indian Forest Service consists of 25 state cadres that also include AGMUT(Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territories) and ASSAM-MEGHALAYA Joint cadre. The strength of the service of each cadre is reviewed by the cadre review committee in intervals of every 5 years. The subject of the Indian Forest Service - Cadre controlling authority, Nodal Ministry, and implements all Rules, and Regulations made under the All India Services Act in respect of the Indian Forest Service is allocated to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
The UPSC eligibility criteria for the Indian Forest Service examination and Civil Services examination have one difference, which is the educational qualification. For the Indian Forest Service, the educational qualification is limited and accepts a bachelor's degree in the specific field.
| Nationality | Age Limit | Age Relaxation | No. Of Attempt | Educational Qualification |
| Indian Citizens only | 21 - 32 Years |
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Bachelor's degree (Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics, and Zoology or a Bachelor's degree in Agriculture, Forestry, or in Engineering) |
| Post | Scale of Pay - Pay Matrix (in Rs) | Pay Level |
|---|---|---|
| Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forestry) | 2,25,000 | Level-17 |
| Principal Chief Conservator of Forests | 2,05,400-2,24,400 | Level-16 |
| Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests | 1,82,200-2,24,100 | Level-15 |
| Chief Conservator of Forests | 1,44,200-2,18,200 | Level-14 |
| Conservator of Forests | 1,31,100-2,16,600 | Level-13A |
| Deputy Conservator of Forests (Selection Grade) | 1,18,500-2,14,100 | Level-13 |
| (Junior Administrative Grade) | 78,800-2,09,200 | Level-12 |
| (Senior Time Scale) | 67,700-2,08,700 | Level-11 |
| (Junior Time Scale) | 56,100-1,77,500 | Level-10 |
The exam pattern for the Indian Forest Service includes three stages - the Prelims stage, the Mains stage, and the Interview stage.
| Preliminary Stage | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type: | Objective (MCQs) | |
| No. of Papers | Paper 1- GS ;Paper 2- CSAT | |
| Marks | 200 Marks (Each) | |
| Note- Paper 2 is qualifying in nature and only Paper 1 marks are calculated for the merit. | ||
| Mains Stage | ||
| Type: | Written (Subjective) | |
| No. of Papers | 6 Papers - 1 General English (300 Marks), 1 General Knowledge(300 Marks) and 4 Optional paper (4x200 Marks) | |
| Marks | Total- 1400 Marks | |
| Note- Marks of all 6 papers will be calculated for the final merit. | ||
| Interview Stage | ||
| Marks | 300 Marks | |
| Note- The marks of 6 mains paper and interview are calculated for the final merit list | ||
The prelims stage of the Indian Forest services is the same as UPSC Civil Services consisting of 2 papers - GS & CSAT. The GS paper has 100 questions about subjects like polity, economics, history, geography, and current affairs, whereas CSAT has 80 questions about subjects like math, reasoning, and English comprehension. As prelims is a kind of screening test, the marks of the GS paper are counted for merit and the CSAT is a qualifying paper and requires 33% marks to qualify.
The mains exam of the Indian Forest Service is completely different from the Civil services exam. The mains stage of the Indian Forest Service consists of 6 papers - General English (1), General Knowledge (1), and Optional Paper (4). The standard of General English and General Knowledge will be set in a way that is expected of a science and engineering graduate. The standard of the optional paper Indian Forest Services is not higher than the honors degree level and not lower than the bachelor's degree level. For engineering subjects, the level is equivalent to the bachelor's degree level.
The prelims syllabus for the Indian Forest Service exam is the same as the UPSC Civil Services examination. Indian Forest Services Prelims Syllabus
| General Studies (Paper 1) |
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| CSAT (Paper 2) |
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Every year UPSC conducts the civil services exam to recruit for posts like IAS, IPS, etc. Recruitment to the IPS (Indian Police Services) is done mainly through the UPSC's Civil Services Examination annually.
| Paper | Subject | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Paper I | General English | 300 Marks |
| Paper II | General Knowledge | 300 Marks |
| Paper III & IV (Optional 1) | subject selected from optional subjects | 200 Marks (each)x2 |
| Paper V & VI (Optional 2) | subject selected from optional subjects | 200 Marks (each)x2 |
| General English | Essay, Passage Summary & Precis, Letter writing, Report writing |
| General Knowledge | Indian Polity, Economy, Geography, History and Current Affairs |
| Optional Paper | 4 Optional Paper (2 Optional Subject) |
Each optional paper carries 8 questions of which 5 are to be attempted. There are 14 optional subjects and candidates are required to choose only 2 optional subjects, in which each optional subject has 2 papers. Candidates are not allowed to choose some combination of optional subjects in UPSC Indian Forest Service Examination-
| Agriculture | Agricultural Engineering |
| Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science | Botany |
| Chemistry | Chemical Engineering |
| Civil Engineering | Forestry |
| Geology | Mathematics |
| Mechanical Engineering | Physics |
| Statistics | Zoology |
Note: The medium of the answer is English only. The question paper will be set in English only.
Candidates who qualify the mains exam of Indian forest services are called for the interview round. The interview round carries 300 marks and is calculated for the final merit. The general motive of the interview round is to analyze the candidate’s suitability for the Indian Forest Service.
