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IFS Exam
Indian Forest Service Exam
IFS Examination Pattern
The Indian Forest Service (IFS) Examination is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The Exam pattern of IFS examination has been designed to test the academic expertise of a candidate and that candidate's ability to present himself/herself in a systematic and coherent manner. The examination pattern intends to assess the overall intellectual traits and understanding level of the candidates.
The UPSC IFS Exam 2025 is conducted in three stages namely.
1. Preliminary Examination (Common with the Civil Service Examination).
2. Mains Examination.
3. Personality Test (Interview)
Scheme and subjects for the Preliminary and Main Examinations 2025 are as follows:
1. IFS Preliminary Examination (400 Marks):
The Prelims consists of two papers of 200 marks each.
Both the question papers are of the objective type (MCQ) of two hours each
The question papers will be set in both Hindi and English. However, questions related to English Language Comprehension skills would be provided only in English.
Blind candidates would be allowed an extra 20 minutes of time for each paper.
The General Studies Paper-II of the Preliminary exam will be a qualifying paper with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%.
2. IFS Main Examination (1700 Marks):
- Candidates who qualify Preliminary exam are called for the Main exam and on the basis of marks secured in the Main exam, they will be called for Interview
- The total marks of the Main exam and Interview sum up to produce the final result
A. The written examination consists of the following papers:
| Paper | Subject | Total Marks |
| Paper-I | General English | 300 Marks |
| Paper-II | General Knowledge | 300 Marks |
| Paper-III | Any two subject to be selected from the list of the optional subjects | 200 Marks (For Each Paper) |
| Paper-IV | ||
| Paper-V | ||
| Paper-VI |
B. Interview Personality Test - 300 Marks
List of Optional Subjects for IFS Main Exam:
- Agriculture
- Agricultural Engineering
- Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
- Botany
- Chemistry
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Forestry
- Geology
- Mathematics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Physics
- Statistics
- Zoology
The candidates will not be allowed to offer the following combination of subjects:
- Agriculture and Agricultural Engineering
- Agriculture and Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Engineering subjects viz. Agricultural Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering not more than one subject
3. Personality Test (Interview)
The interview is the final stage of the IFS Examination and aims to assess the candidate's personality, communication skills, and sustability for a career in the Indian Forest Service.
Structure
Total Marks : 300
Conducted by a panel of UPSC experts.
Focus Areas:
General Awareness.
Interest in forestry and related issues.
Leadership qualities, decision - making skills, and ethical standards.
4. Final Selection
The final merit list is prepared based on the cumulative marks obtained in the Mains Examination (1400 Marks) and the Personality Test (300 Marks).
The Preliminary Examination marks are not considered in the final selection.