UPSC Indian Forest Service (IFS) Exam 2025 - Notification, Eligibility, Important Dates, Syllabus and more

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the exams for IFoS (Indian Forest Service). The UPSC has released the calendar for 2025 exams and will soon release the detailed notification for UPSC IFoS 2025 exam on its official website.

The application fee details for the UPSC IFoS 2025 exam are as follows:

• General and OBC Candidates: ?100
• Female, SC, and ST Candidates: Exempted from the application fee.

Read below for eligibility selection procedure, age limit, educational qualification and all other information.

• Opening date for online application: 22/01/2025
• Closing date for online application: 11/02/2025
• Exam date: 25/05/2025 (Prelims), 16/11/2025 (Mains)
• Admit Card: To be announced
• Result date: Will be announced after exam

Pay Scale:

?56,100 (Basic Pay) + Allowances

Posts Available:

Central Level Posts: Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF), Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Conservator of Forests (CF), Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF).

State Level Posts: Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF).

Other Opportunities: Wildlife Conservator, Forest Policy and Planning Officer, Environment and Climate Change Specialist.

Job Profile - Group A

For applying for UPSC IFoS 2025, candidates must meet the given eligibility criteria:

• Age Limit:

  21-32 years, with relaxation for certain categories, refer to official notification for more details.

• Educational Qualification:

  Bachelor’s degree with at least one of the subjects being Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics, and Zoology Or, Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Forestry, or Engineering from a recognized university.

The UPSC IFos 2025 syllabus is provided below:

Stage 1: Preliminary Exam

Paper 1: General Studies (GS)

• Events of national and international importance.
• Physical, Economic, Social, Geography of India and the World.
• India History and Indian National Movement.
• Social Sector Initiatives, Inclusion, Sustainable Development, Poverty, Demographics, etc.
• Constitution of India, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Rights Issues, Public Policy, etc.
• General Science, General issues on Environmental ecology, Climate Change, and Biodiversity.

Paper 2: Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT)

• Interpersonal skills including communication skills
• Logical reasoning and analytical ability, decision-making, and problem-solving.
• Class X level topics on basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.)
• Class X level charts, tables, graphs, data sufficiency, etc.

Stage 2: Main Examination

General English

Essay writing, comprehension, precise writing, usage and vocabulary

General Knowledge

Indian History (with emphasis on the national movement), Indian Polity and Constitution, Geography (economic and physical), Current Affairs (national and international importance), Environment and Ecology, Science and Technology (basic and modern developments)

Optional Subjects (Choose two from given subjects)

Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Forestry, Geology, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Statistics, Zoology

Please note that , each optional subject has its own detailed syllabus (Refer to official notification for more details).

Stage 3 : Personality Test/ Interview

No prescribed syllabus, questions will be asked to test your communication skills, decision making ability and presence of mind.

Exam Pattern:

UPSC IFoS Exam 2025 consists of three stages:

Stage 1: Preliminary Exam (Prelims)

Type: Objective (MCQs).

• Paper I: General Studies (200 marks).
• Paper II: CSAT (200 marks, qualifying with 33% minimum).
• Duration: 2 hours each.
• Purpose: Screening for Mains.

Stage 2: Mains Exam

Type: Descriptive (Written)

• Paper I: General English (300 marks).
• Paper II: General Knowledge (300 marks).
• Papers III–VI: Two Optional Subjects (2 papers per subject, 200 marks each).
• Duration: 3 hours per paper.
• Total Marks: 1400.

Stage 3: Personality Test/ Interview

• Marks: 300
• Final Score
• Total = Mains (1400 marks) + Interview (300 marks) = 1700 marks.

• Refer to previous year questions of UPSC IFoS exam to be aware of exam pattern.
• Go through standard books available in the market as per the syllabus.
• For study materials, practice papers and mock tests, you can refer to https://vksir.com

Below are some tips following that will help to cover the entire syllabus on time and also make it easier to ace the exam for UPSC IFoS 2025.

• Know the syllabus and take a printout of it.
• Manage your time effectively.
• Decide your study materials and stick to it.
• Study daily as consistency is the key.
• Go through the previous year question papers.
• Join test series and attempt mock tests from time to time.

For further details, candidates can read the notification on UPSC official website.