Indian Forest Service

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

IFoS belongs to the apex All India Services group. IFoS services are placed under various State cadres and joint cadres though they have the mandate to serve both under the State and Central Governments. The main moto of IFoS service is the implementation of the National Forest Policy which aims to ensure environmental stability and maintenance of ecological balance.

It was constituted in the present form in 1966 under the All India Services Act, 1951, by the Government of India, although the service dates back to 1864 when it was established as the Imperial Forest Service under the British Raj.

Indian Forest Service Exam Eligibility

The eligibility conditions for the IFoS exam can be categorized under four headings as under:

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. They are explained below:

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.
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.
3
Interview
The interview will be for a total of 300 marks. 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.

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