The UPSC will conduct Indian Forest Service Examination to select the suitable candidates for the posts under Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. Candidates interested for these posts can apply for the examination online. Preliminary and main exam will be held followed by an interview for the selection of the candidates. It is notified that the application form will release by 1st February 2023 and the main exam will be conducted on 26th November 2023. Find complete details of the UPSC IFS 2023 from this post.
UPSC IFS 2023 application form will be available from 1st February 2023.
Major Highlights
- Candidates applying for Indian Forest Service examination are required to appear in the Civil Services preliminary examination and qualify the same.
- Those who qualify the preliminary exam will again have to submit an application form (DAF) to be able to appear in the main exam.
- For writing and marking answers in the OMR sheet, candidates must use black ball pen only. Pens with any other colors are prohibited.
- Candidates can contact the facilitation center for any guidance/ clarification regarding the application process, candidature, etc.
- Allotment of exam centers will be on the first‐apply‐first allot basis and will not be changed later.
UPSC IFS 2023 Important Dates
The tentative dates related to UPSC IFS 2023 have been given in the table below.
| Important Events | Dates |
| Availability of online application form | 1st February 2023 |
| Last date for submission of application form | 21st February 2023 |
| Release of admit card for preliminary exam | To be announced later |
| Preliminary exam date | 28th May 2023 |
| Result announcement | To be announced later |
| Online Detailed Application Form (DAF) release date | To be announced later |
| Last date for submission of DAF | To be announced later |
| Release of admit card for main exam | To be announced later |
| Main exam date | 26th November 2023 |
| Result announcement | To be announced later |
| Availability of e-summon letter for interview (via email) | To be announced later |
| Interview date | To be announced later |
UPSC IFS 2023 Eligibility Criteria
The detailed eligibility criteria for UPSC IFS exam are given below.
Nationality:
The candidate should be any of the following:
- Citizen of India
- Subject of Bhutan
- Subject of Nepal
- Tibetan refugee, who came to India before 1st January 1962 with the intention of settling permanently
- Person of Indian Origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of settling permanently
Age limit (as on 1st August 2023):
- The lower and upper age limit of the candidates should be 21 and 32 years respectively.
Relaxation in upper age limit
| Category | Age relaxation |
| SC/ ST candidates | 5 years |
| OBC candidates | 3 years |
| Defence Services personnel disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof | 3 years |
| Ex-servicemen including Commissioned Officers and ECOs/ SSCOs who have rendered at least five years Military Service as on 1st August, 2023 and have been released on i) completion of assignment (or will be completed within one year from 1st August, 2023) otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency, or (ii) on account of physical disability attributable to Military Service, or (iii) on invalidment | 5 years |
| ECOs/ SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment of five years of Military Service as on 1st August, 2023 and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years and in whose case the 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 | 5 years |
| Candidates with Low Vision, Hearing Impaired (Partially deaf) and Locomotor Disability (sub-category: Leprosy cured and Acid attack) | 10 years |
Educational qualification:
The candidate must 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, Forestry or in Engineering.
Physical standards:
Candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards for admission to Indian Forest Service Examination.
UPSC IFS 2023 Application Form
Candidates can apply online for UPSC IFS preliminary exam 2023 using the official website link www.upsconline.nic.in. Those who qualify for the main exam will have to later submit a Detailed Application Form (DAF).
Basic personal and academic details of the candidates will be asked in the application form. Scanned copies of important documents are required to be uploaded into the application form as well.
Choice for exam center city and of optional subject (for main exam) is also asked in the application form. The candidates can select these choices only from the options provided by the Commission.
Application form, complete in all respect, can be submitted online along with the requisite application fee. The fee can be deposited in any Branch of SBI by cash, or by using net banking facility of SBI or by using credit card/ debit card.
Application fee:
The application fee for IFS exam is Rs. 100/-. Female, SC/ ST and PWD category candidates are exempted from payment of fee.
UPSC IFS 2023 Exam Pattern
Check below the overview of UPSC IFS 2023 exam pattern:
For Preliminary exam:
- Mode of exam: Offline
- Medium of exam: English and Hindi
- Number of papers: 2
- Duration of exam: 2 hours (each paper)
- Type of questions: Objective type
- Total marks: 400
- Negative marking: 1/3rd of the allotted marks will be deducted for each wrong answer.
| Papers | Topics | Total marks |
| Paper I | General English | 200 marks |
| Paper II | General Knowledge | 200 marks |
For Main exam:
- Mode of exam: Offline
- Medium of exam: English
- Number of papers: 4
- Duration of exam: 3 hours (each paper)
- Type of questions: Descriptive type
- Total marks: 1000
| Papers | Topics | Total marks |
| Paper I | General English | 300 marks |
| Paper II | General Knowledge | 300 marks |
| Paper III, Paper IV, Paper V & Paper VI | Any two subjects selected from the list of the optional subjects. Each subject will have two papers. | 400 (200 marks for each subject) |
List of Optional Subjects
Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Forestry, Geology, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Statistics and Zoology
Interview for Personality Test
- Total marks: 300
UPSC IFS 2023 Syllabus
The syllabus for UPSC IFS 2023 is briefly discussed below:
For preliminary exam:
- Paper I: Current Events of India and World, History of India, Indian & World Geography, Indian Polity & Governance, Economic & Social Development, General Issues of Environment and General Science
- Paper II: Comprehension, Interpersonal Skills, Logical Reasoning & Analytical Ability, Decision Making & Problem Solving, General Mental Ability and Basic Numeracy
For main exam:
- General English: Essay Writing, Other Questions To Assess Basic Understanding of English and Workmanlike Use of Words
- General Knowledge: Current Events, Indian Polity and History of India & Geography
- Optional Subjects: Questions from the optional subjects selected by the candidates
UPSC IFS Admit Card 2023
- The eligible candidates will be issued an e-admit card around three weeks before the commencement of the exam.
- The admit card will be made available in the UPSC website www.upsconline.nic.in for downloading by candidates.
- If a candidate does not receive the admit card on time, he/ she should at once contact the Commission.
- Admit card along with a photo identity proof (same as the one whose details are provided in application form) should be carried in order to appear for the exam.
UPSC IFS Result 2023
- Result of both preliminary and main exams will be released on the official website as per their specified schedule.
- Candidates who clear both these rounds will have to appear for interview/ personality test.
- Further process of selection such as document verification, eligibility checking, etc will only be carried out for the candidates who clear the interview round.
- Final selection of the candidates is subject to fulfillment of eligibility and availability of vacancy.
UPSC IFS 2023 FAQs
Is there any restriction on the number of times a candidate can appear for UPSC IFS exam?
A total of 6 attempts are given to the candidates to clear this exam. For OBC, the limit is 9 and unlimited for SC/ ST candidates. An attempt at a preliminary examination shall be deemed to be an attempt at the examination.
Can I apply for both Civil services and IFS exam?
Yes. You can apply for UPSC civil services and IFS exam both through a single application form given you meet eligibility criteria for both. And you must not forget to mention in the form that you are applying for both the exams.
Do I need to apply separately for IFS preliminary and main exam?
Yes. Those who clear the preliminary exam must submit the DAF or else they won’t be allowed to appear in the main exam.
What important details should be mentioned in any communication made with the Commission?
- Name and year of the examination
- Registration id
- Roll number (if received)
- Name of candidate (in full and in block letters)
- Complete postal address as given in the application
- Valid and active email id
