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IFS Exam
Indian Forest Service Exam
What is 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.
Importance
IFS is one of the three All India Services. The exam is conducted for recruitment to forestry services of India. The other two All India Services being Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS).
Indian Forest Service is one of the Civil Services of India and belongs to the apex All India Services group. IFS 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 mandate of IFS service is the implementation of the National Forest Policy which aims to ensure environmental stability and maintenance of ecological balance.
An IFS officer is largely independent of district administration and exercises administrative, judicial and financial powers in their own domain. All top positions in the state forest department are held by IFS officers.
Indian Forest Service (IFS) 2023
In order to become an Indian Forest Service officer, candidates need to appear for the examination conducted by UPSC. The IFS selection procedure consists of three stages – preliminary, main examination and personality test.
Aspirants have to note that they need to appear for the Civil Services (Preliminary) examination and qualify the same for the second phase of the examination, i.e., IFS (Main Examination). Candidates who qualify in the Civil Services (Preliminary) and meet the eligibility criteria of IFS will be shortlisted for the IFS Main Examination.
The desiring candidates can apply for the Indian Forest Service examination through a common online application form of Civil Servic es Examination (CSE). The applicant has to submit the application form through online mode only. The important details regarding Indian Forest Service 2023 are given below.
Union Public Service Commission has released the exam dates of Indian Forest Service (IFS) Prelims & Main 2023 Examination. The UPSC IFS Preliminary Exam 2023 will take place on 28 May, 2023, Whereas the IFS Main Exam will be held on 26 November, 2023 for 10 Days.
UPSC IFS 2023 - The online registration process has started from 01 February, 2023, and it will end on 21 February, 2023. The applicant has to submit the application form through online mode only, but there is no offline mode. Click here to know the important dates of the IFS 2023 Exam.
| Indian Forest Service (IFS) 2023 | |
| Indian Forest Service 2023 Notification | 01 February, 2023 |
| Organising body | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Exam mode | Offline |
| Number of attempts | 6 |
| Number of vacancies | 151 (approximately) |
| Starting date to apply online | 01 February, 2023 |
| Last date to apply online | 21 February, 2023 |
| IFS Admit card 2023 | May 2023 |
| IFS Preliminary Exam 2023 | 28 May, 2023 |
| Preliminary result | June 2023 |
| IFS Main Examination 2023 | 26 November, 2023 (10 days) |
| IFS Main result | December 2023 |
| IFS Interview | January 2023 |
| IFS final result | February 2023 |
The UPSC IFS Prelims 2023 qualified candidates must note that their candidature is provisional. In accordance with the Rules of the Examination, all of them have to apply again in the Detailed Application form-I (DAF) for IFoS (Main) Examination, 2023. The dates and important instructions for filling up the DAF-I and its submission will be announced in the due course on the commission's website.
Candidates are also informed that marks, cut-off marks, and the answer keys of screening test held through Civil Services (Prelims) Examination, 2023 for IFoS (Main) Examination) will be uploaded on the commission's website i.e. upsconline.nic.in only after the entire process of the Indian Forest Service Examination, 2023 is over i.e. after the declaration of the final result.
IFS Notification 2023
Union Public Service Commission has released the Indian Forest Service (IFS) Examination 2023 Notification on 01 February, 2023. The Indian Forest Service (IFS) Preliminary Notification was released through the Civil Service (Preliminary) Examination2023. Candiates, who are aiming for the Indian Forest Service (IFS) can apply online between 01 February to 22 February, 2023. The IFS 2023 Notification was released for approximately 110 vacancies. However the number of vacancies is liable to alteration.
IFS Number of Vacancies 2023
The total number of vacancies announced in the official notification is approximately 151 (Tentatively). However, candidates belonging to SC, ST, OBC, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and PWD categories will be provided with the reservation according to the Government. According to the official notification released by the UPSC, a few vacancies are reserved. Check the details below.
| Total number of vacancies | 115 (approximately) (Tentatively) |
| Reserved vacancies | 5 |
| Low Vision category: 2 | |
| Partially Deaf category: 2 | |
| Locomotor disability (subâ€category: Leprosy cured and Acid attack): 1 |
Aspirants have to note that the final number of vacancies indicated are liable to further alteration.
Indian Forest Service (IFS) Application Form 2023
Candidates who are aspiring for the Indian Forest Service (IFS) should apply only through the Civil Services (Preliminary). There is no separate IFS application form. However, there are a few important points aspirants should know before IFS registration.
- Candidates should satisfy the educational prerequisites set by the Commission to get eligibility for IFS.
- Aspirants should register for the Civil Services (Preliminary) examination and qualify in the screening test for going to the second stage of IFS (Main) examination.
- The qualified candidates in the Preliminary will be eligible to fill a Detailed Application Form available on official site.
- The IFS Main Examination will be held from 26 November, 2023 Onwards.
Interested candidates are advised to visit our IFS online application form 2023 page for detailed information. One can also check the exam fee, exam dates and other important details here.
Eligibility Criteria
-
Physical criteria:
Aspirants must be physically fit according to the physical standards for admission to Indian Forest Service Examination. Candidates are advised to visit the IFS official notification to check the detailed rules and regulations.
-
Nationality:
A candidate must be
- A citizen of India, or
- The subject of Nepal, or
- The subject of Bhutan, or
- Tibetan refugee who came over to India before 1st January 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India, or
- A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries like Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India
- Candidate belonging to categories b, c, d, and e should produce a certificate of eligibility, which has been issued by the Government of India.
Centers in India
- The Examination will be held at the most of states Centres in India like Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat etc.
- Applicants should note that there will be a ceiling on the number of candidates allotted to each of the Centres, except Chennai, Dispur,
Kolkata and Nagpur - Allotment of Centres will be on the "first-apply-first allot" basis, and once the capacity of a particular Centre is attained, the same will be frozen
- The Main Examination will be held on the following Centres like Bhopal, Chennai, Delhi, Dispur (Guwahati), Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Nagpur, Port Blair and Shimla
-
Education qualification:
- Candidate should hold a Bachelor’s degree with at least one of the subjects namely, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics and Zoology or a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture or Forestry or Engineering of a recognised university or equivalent.
- Candidates appearing for their degree examination (with prescribed subjects) can also apply. If they qualify on the result of the written part of the examination, they have to submit the proof of passing the required examination along with their detailed application form to be filled in at that stage.
Age limit:
Age of a candidate should be minimum 21 years and maximum of 32 years on 1st August, 2022 of the year of examination, i.e. he must have been born not earlier than 2nd August, 1990 and not later than 1st August, 2001. While the upper age limit will be relaxable in the following cases:
- For Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe (SC /ST): Up to 5 years
- Other Backward Classes (OBC): Up to 3 years
- Defence Services personnel: Up to 3 years
- Ex-servicemen including Commissioned officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at least 5 years Military Service as on and have been released: Up to 5 years
- ECOs/ SSCOs: Up to a maximum of five years.
(Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that they can apply for civil employment and that they will be released on three month's notice on selection from the date of receipt of offer of appointment)
- Blind, deaf-mute and Orthopaedically handicapped persons: Up to 10 years.
Cumulative Age relaxation:
- SC, ST and the OBC who are also covered under other clauses mentioned above will be eligible to grant cumulative age-relaxation under both the categories
Number of atempts:
The maximum number of attempts restricted for candidates are as follows:
- General Candidates: 9 attempts
- Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Candidates: No restriction
- Other Backward Classes: 9 attempts
- Physically handicapped- 9 attempts for general and OBC, while unlimited for SC/ST
Appearing for one or more papers of an examination will be counted as an attempt at the examination even if the candidate failed to qualify for the selection.
Roles and Responsibilities
Few of the roles and responsibilities of Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer includes:
- One of the main roles of an IFS officer is to protect and conserve the heritage of the forest and working towards preserving the forest resources.
- Preserving the forest trees is another important task which needs to be taken seriously. As an officer one needs to keep a check on illegal logging of trees and work with the forest guards and security personnel to be alert at all times.
- As an officer one has to work towards planting more trees in the forest are and also initiate and participate in such events.
- Animals are another important forest resource and as a forest officer one needs to assure their safety and need to prevent any illegal activity that involves hurting or killing them. As an officer being alert of poachers and illegal entry in the forest area is also important.
- As an officer one will be responsible for implementing the National Forest Policy.
- As an officer one will have to chalk-out plans for legal commercial exploitation for timber etc.
- As an officer one will have to do the required paperwork and complete reports that have to be presented to the forest department and ministry.
- As an officer one will have to conduct regular surveys of the forest and guarantee that the work is rightly being done. Travelling will also be included.
What After UPSC IFS Preliminary Exam Result
The UPSC will conduct the Indian Forest Service (IFoS) Preliminary through Civil Services (Preliminary) exam. On the basis of a screening test through Civil Services Preliminary, candidates will be shortlisted for the IFoS Main Exam. After checking the IFS Preliminary exam result, candidates are advised to save the soft copy of the pdf file until the final result. The Commission will release the cut-off marks, answer keys of the Preliminary exam only after the final declaration of the IFS exam.
All the qualified candidates in the screening test have to apply again in the Detailed Application Form-I (DAF) for IFoS (Main) Examination. The application will be available only on the UPSC website (www.upsconline.nic.in). All the qualified candidates are advised to fill up the DAF-I for IFoS and submit the same for admission to the IFoS Main Examination, which will be held in December.
Note: The DAF-I will be available on the official website from September 3 to 18, 2020, till 06.00 PM.
IFS Mains Result 2022
The UPSC has released the Indian Forest Services (IFS) Mains result 2022 on January, 2023. Candidates who have appeared for the recruitment exam held between November 20 to 28 November, 2022, can visit the official website to check their Mains result. A total od 222 candidates have qualified for the IFS Interview round.
Click here for IFS Mains result 2020
What After IFoS Mains Result
Candidates who have appeared for the UPSC IFS Mains result can check their result on the Commission's official website. One who stands out in the written examination will be called for the final phase of the selection process, i.e., the Personality Test or Interview, which will be held in February. It is advised to access the IFS interview schedule on the official site. We also advise aspirants to download the IFS interview call letter early. The Commission will release IFS final result in April.
Optional Subjects In Indian Forest Service (IFS)
After Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, the shortlisted candidates will be called for the main examination, which will be about 12 to 13 times the total number of vacancies. In the IFS Main Examination, candidates are required to select two optional subjects.
| Agriculture |
Agricultural Engineering |
|
Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science |
Botany |
|
Chemistry |
Chemical Engineering |
|
Civil Engineering |
Forestry |
|
Geology |
Mathematics |
|
Mechanical Engineering |
Physics |
|
Statistics |
Zoology |
Aspirants have to note that the following combination of optional subjects will not be allowed in the UPSC IFS Mains Exam:
- Agriculture and Agricultural Engineering
- Agriculture and Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Of the Engineering subjects, viz., Agricultural Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering - not more than one subject
Latest Updates
THe Union Public Comission has declared the Civil Service Examination Result 2022 for prelims and IFS Result today 22 June, 2022. The UPSC Prelims Result 2022 has been declared om the Official website at upsc.gov.in. The Prelims result of UPSC IFS can be downloaded in PDF format containing roll numbers of the selected candidates.
Shortlisted candidates in the UPSC prelims exam 2022 are eligible to appear for the mains exam. UPSC CSE Main 2022 Exam will be conducted from 16 September, 2022 Onwards.
22 June 2022
The UPSC has released the Indian Forest Service (IFS) Preliminary admit card 2021. The exam will be held through Civil Services. Candidates who have registered for the written exam can download the admit card on the official portal. One should take the printout of the admit card and carry the same to the examination centre.
The written exam will be held on October 10 in two shifts - General Studies (morning) and CSAT (afternoon). Candidates who qualify in the Prelims will be eligible for the Mains exam.
17 September 2021
The UPSC has released the Indian Forest Service (IFS) Personal Test (PT) 2020 dates. It has released the schedule for the interview on the official portal - www.upsc.gov.in
The Interviews will be held from October 18 to 22 in the forenoon and afternoon sessions. A total of 222 candidates were shortlisted for the interview.
10 September 2021
The UPSC has released the Indian Forest Service 2022 exam dates. The screening round which will be held through Civil Services Examinations 2022 is scheduled for June 5. The Mains exam will be held from November 20, onwards. (10 days).
Earlier, the Commission has released the Annual Calendar 2022. It has also released the tentative dates of all the examinations along with the date of notification and last date to receipt of online applications.
16 August 2021
The UPSC has released the revised exam dates of the Indian Forest Service (IFS) Mains 2021 exam. The IFS Mains exam will be held for a total of 10 days from February 27 to March 8, 2022. It will be conducting the screening round through the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2021 scheduled on October 10.
The Commission has also revised the exam dates of IAS Mains and Combined Medical Examination 2021.
26 June 2021