UPSC IFS 2021: Important Dates, Application Form, Pattern, Syllabus and Vacancies

Important Dates Syllabus Eligibility Application Process Other Details

The Union Public Service Commission conducts the Indian Forest Service examination for the recruitment of officers in the Indian Forest Services. It is a national-level exam conducted in three phases - Preliminary, Main, and Interview. The Preliminary phase is covered under the Civil Services examination while the Main phase is conducted under the UPSC IFS examination. In the article here, we are covering complete details related to the UPSC IFS 2021 recruitment. Aspirants are advised to visit the official website of UPSC to check official notification.

UPSC also conducts other examinations viz. Combined Defense Services (CDS Exam), Indian Civil Services (IAS Exam), etc.

What is UPSC IFS exam?

The Indian Forest Service is one of the three major all India level exams conducted by UPSC; the other two being the IAS and IPS exams. As the name suggests, the IFS exam is conducted to recruit potential candidates to different forest service posts of the Indian government.

Every year, UPSC conducted the Indian Forest Service examination in three phases – Preliminary, Main and Interview. The UPSC Indian Forest Service (IFS) is one of the important Civil Service Examinations conducted for recruitment to forestry services of India.

UPSC IFS 2021 Exam Latest Notification: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the official notification for the Indian Forest Service exam 2021 on 4th March 2021. The IFS Preliminary exam is scheduled for 27th June 2021 and the Main phase exam will be held on 21st November 2021.

According to the official notification, UPSC IFS Mains will comprise of questions from English, general knowledge, mathematics, statistics, physics, zoology, chemistry, geology, agriculture, animal husbandry and veterinary science, forestry, agricultural engineering, civil engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering and botany papers. The e-admit card for the Mains exam will be released 3-4 weeks before the commencing of the exam. Till then candidates are advised to check the official website frequently for major updates.

IFS Exam 2021 - Quick Overview

This year, the commission has released 110 vacancies for the IFS recruitment exam. Check out the details below:

Name of the Exam	Indian Forest Service (IFS) Exam
Conducting Authority	Union Public Service Commission
Official Website	upsc.gov.in and upsconline.nic.in
Exam Occurrence	Once in a year
Stages of Examination	Stage 1: Preliminary Stage 2: Main Stage 3: Interview
Paper Language	English and Hindi
Mode of Examination	Offline (Pen and Paper mode)
Type of Examination	National Level
Age Limit	Scholastic scholars lie in between the age group of 21 to 32 years old are eligible SC/ST students get the age relaxation of 5 years
UPSC IFS 2021 Vacancies	110

IFS Exam 2021 Important Dates

UPSC IFS Exam 2021 (Preliminary/Main) Important Dates -

Indian Forest Service Exam 2021	Dates To Be Remembered
Official Notification Issue Date	4th March 2021
Closing Date of Application Form Submission	24th March 2021
Last date for fee payment (offline - by cash)	23rd March 2021
Last date for online fee payment	24th March 2021
Form Withdrawal Process	31st March to 6th April 2021
IFS Preliminary Exam (Admit Card)	Three weeks before the exam
Date of Examination (Preliminary)	27th June 2021
Declaration of result	To be announced
Release of UPSC IFS 2021 Main admit card	Three weeks before the exam
Date of Examination (Main)	21st November 2021
Main exam result	To be announced
Filling Detailed Application Form (DAF-II)	To be announced
Date of IFS Main Interview Round 2021	To be announced
Final Result	To be announced

IFS Exam 2021 Pattern & Syllabus

The Indian Forest Service Examination consists of three stages -

The Civil Services Preliminary exam
The IFS Main exam
Interview or Personality Test

IFS Preliminary Exam Pattern -

Preliminary Exam	Details
Number of question papers	Two (Paper-1 and Paper-2)
Type of questions	Objective type
Total marks	400 marks (200 marks each paper)
Duration of the exam	2 hours for each paper (For blind candidates - 20 minutes EXTRA)
Exam Language	Hindi and English
Scheme of negative marking	For every incorrect answer, 1/3 marks will be deducted

UPSC IFS Preliminary Exam Syllabus

Paper-1	General studies	2 hours	200 marks
Paper-2	CSAT - Civil Services Aptitude test	2 hours	200marks

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Note – The marks scored by the candidates in the IFS Paper-1 of the Preliminary stage is counted to get selected for the Mains exams. The Paper-2 of the exam is only qualifying in nature. The candidate is required to score a minimum 33% marks to be declared as qualified for the Mains exam.

Indian Forest Service 2021 Main Exam Pattern -

Main Exam- IFS 2021 Exam	Details
Total number of Papers	7
Type of Question Paper	Descriptive or Subjective
Main Exam Language	English
Marks of Main Exam	1750
Marks of Interview Round	275

UPSC IFS Main Exam Syllabus

Paper	Subjects	Marks	Duration
Paper-1	Essay	250	3 hours
Paper-2	General Studies- I: Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society	250	3 hours
Paper-3	General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International	250	3 hours
Paper-4	General Studies- III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management	250	3 hours
Paper-5	General Studies- IV: Ethics, Integrity	250	3 hours
Paper-6	Optional Subject- Paper 1	250	3 hours
Paper-7	Optional Subject- Paper 2	250	3 hours
Interview Round		250
Grand Total		2025 Marks

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Candidates are required to select two optional subjects from the given list of 14 subjects for the Mains exam. Each optional subject has 2 papers.

Each question paper of the optional subject contains 8 descriptive type questions. It has two sections, ‘A’ and ‘B’. Each section contains 4 questions. The candidates are required to answer only 5 questions of the question paper.

List of Optional Subjects from which a candidate should choose two subjects -

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

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It should be noted that candidates are not allowed to have the following combination of subjects –

Optional Subject-1	Optional Subject-2	Combination
Agriculture	Agriculture Engineering	Not Allowed
Agriculture	Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science	Not Allowed
Agriculture	Forestry	Not Allowed
Chemistry	Chemical Engineering	Not Allowed
Mathematics	Statistics	Not Allowed
Candidate cannot take more than one Engineering subject	Agriculture Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering	Not Allowed

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More info about IFS Exam Pattern & Syllabus.

UPSC IFS Preparation Tips & Guide

Just like the other two all India Civil Service exams, cracking the Indian Forest Service 2021 exam also requires pure dedication, focus and productive study. Every candidate has followed their own study method or strategy to do great in the exam. However, instead of wasting precious time on the preparation module, candidates can consider the following important tips to do well in the UPSC IFS exam.

Tip Number 1: Start Studying Earlier For Great Results

Do not waste your precious time thinking that you can manage to cover the syllabus by studying for a month or less. One should keep a note that there is just no shortcut to passing any civil service exam, so start your preparation as soon as possible.

Tip Number 2: Set a Study Plan and Make Your Milestones

Milestones are some serious targets to achieve. That is why we advise you to set your defined schedule to achieve your study targets. Dedicate necessary study hours and effort to complete these study targets in time.

Tip Number 3: Schedule to Do Mock Tests

It is recommended to take the mock test in periodic intervals; preferably at the end of each study milestone. This will help you to improve your problem-solving skill and make you visible to check how prepared for the exam. Also, make sure to note down weaknesses and start working on them.

Tip Number 4: Practice Previous Year Questions

Practice from previous year question papers is a key to success in the exam. Solve these papers, not only help you to prepare well for the exam but also help you to achieve excellent scores.

Tip Number 5: Refer To Good Books

Though there are several preparation and guide books available in the market, make sure to choose according to your needs to study. Here you can go through some of the most important books to study for the IFS 2021 exam.

UPSC-IFS Main Examination Guide: A Complete Book for Paper I and Paper II	Buy Now
UPSC-IFS Forestry Main Guide (Paper I & II)
Indian Forestry A Breakthrough Approach to Forest Service 7th Edition	Buy Now
The Mental Ability, Logical Reasoning & Problem-Solving Compendium for IAS Prelims	Buy Now
UPSC: Civil Services & Indian Forest Service (Common Preliminary: Paper-I) Exam Guide	Buy Now

IFS Exam 2021 Eligibility

IFS Exam Age Limit -

The candidate should not be less than 21 years of age and must not be more than 32 years of age on 01st August 2021. It means the candidates who were born before 2nd August 1989 or after 1st August 2000 are not eligible for the exam.

Age relaxation –

The SC/ST category candidates are given an age relaxation of 5 years in the upper age limit.
The OBC candidates are given a maximum of 3 years of age relaxation.

Category	Age Relaxation (in upper age limit)
SC/ST	5 years
OBC	3 years
Ex-servicemen (Commissioned Officers and ECOs/SSCOs)	5 Years
Low Vision/ Partially deaf	Up to 10 Years
J&K Domicile Candidates (1 January 1980 to 31 December 1989)	5 Years

UPSC IFS Nationality Criteria -

A candidate should be an Indian citizen.
The subject of Nepal or Bhutan is also eligible for the exam.
A Tibetan who have migrated to India as a refugee before 1st January 1962 are also eligible for the exam.
In addition, PIO (People of Indian Origin) candidates who migrated from some countries of the world are also eligible for this exam, if they have migrated to India with an intention to permanently settle down. These countries are Vietnam, Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri-Lanka, or from the East African countries of Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, and Kenya. It is required that the government of India should have issued a certificate in their favour.

Educational Qualifications for IFS Exam

The candidate should have done Bachelor’s degree from a recognised University with at least one of the following subjects:

Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
Botany
Chemistry
Mathematics
Geology
Physics
Zoology
Statistics

Candidates with Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture or Forestry are also eligible.

Candidates possessing a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering are also eligible for the exam.

Number of Attempts Allowed for Indian Forest Service Exam -

Category	Number of Attempts
General candidates	6 attempts
OBC Candidate	9 attempts
SC/ST Candidates	Unlimited attempts
General candidates with Benchmark disability	9 attempts

Physical Standards Specification for IFS Officer –

Candidates, who qualify for the written test, will have to go for the physical standard test. This test will be carried out following the physical standards laid down in Appendix-III of the rules of the Indian Forest Service Examination. They should note that this test is very important for their selection. If they do not fulfil the physical standards, they will be considered unsuitable for the Indian Forest Service.

Download the official Appendix-III

IFS Exam 2021 Application Process

How to Fill UPSC IFS Application Form

Candidates should visit the official website of the UPSC for filling the IFS 2021 Exam application form. Here, they will be provided with the guidance to fill the Application form correctly.

Note: The application process for the 2021 session is over now.

Candidates should, first of all, reach the official website or portal of the commission.
They must try to fill the Application form without making any mistake. For which, they are required to read the instructions carefully. They must understand what is to be filled and in which format.
Candidates are required to register themselves first on the official website of the Commission. For this, they are required to provide information about their basic details like name, address, mobile number and valid email id.
The commission sends updates and communicates with the candidate through his email id. So candidates must keep their email id until the end of the process of the exam.
They must upload their photo and signature in the given size. They are required to keep the scanned copy of their photo and signature in the jpg format. The size of which should not be less than 3kb and must not exceed 40kb. This is to validate the Application of the candidate to the commission.
They must pay the requisite amount of the Application fee to the Commission.

IFS Exam Application Fee

Candidates should pay an Application Fee of ₹ 100/.
However, the reserved category candidates (SC/ST and Physically handicapped) are exempted from paying any application fee. Female candidates are also not required to pay any application fee.
Candidates can pay the fee thru cash, net banking or credit/debit card.
For net banking, candidates can use only the State Bank of India.
Candidates can also pay the application fee by cash in any branch of the SBI. They should also take a print of the Pay Slip.

UPSC IFS 2021 Application Form Withdrawal Process

The Commission allows candidates with the facility to withdraw applications if they do not wish to appear in the exam. For those who desire to withdraw their UPSC IFS applications, they can do the same through the website of the Commission within the specified schedule i.e. 31st March to 6th April 2021. Consider the following important points to withdraw the application form.

Must have submitted the application in the first place to withdraw the application, which means incomplete or applications that were not submitted cannot be withdrawn.
Once you completed the withdrawal process, you will not be refunded the application fee.

Candidate needs to enter the registration number and registered mobile number in order to withdraw the application. Besides, an OTP is sent at the registered email id and mobile number of the applicant.

Other Details

IFS 2021 Main Exam e-Admit card

The IFS Main 2021 admit card will be released three weeks before the exam. The Commission does not send hard copies of admit cards to the postal address of candidates. They can only download the admit card from the "Admit Card" page of the official website of UPSC upsc.gov.in. To download the IFS e-Admit card candidates are required to enter their ‘Application number’ and ‘Date of Birth’. The admit card carries the roll number, date of exam, the centre of exam, name, and address of the candidate. It is mandatory to carry the admit card to the examination hall. Without the admit card candidate cannot be allowed to take up the IFS Main exam.

How to download UPSC IFS Main admit card?

Visit the official website at upsc.gov.in.
A link to download e admit card for IFS Mains will be displayed under what’s new section on the homepage.
Click on the link.
Key in your login credentials.
Your UPSC IFS main admit card will be displayed on the screen.
Download and take its printout.

How to download IFS admit card if forgot your registration ID?

Candidates can follow the steps mentioned below to recover/ re-generate their registration ID:

Step 1: Visit the official website of UPSC - http://www.upsc.gov.in

Step 2: Click on the Admit Card link available on the Home page of the website.

Step 3: Read the instructions given on the page and click on the Yes button.

Step 4: Click on the link, "Forgot Registration ID'

Step 5: Enter the following details:

Name
Father's name
Mother's name
Date of birth
Captcha code as shown on the screen

Step 6: Click on Submit.

On clicking the button, a registration ID will be re-generated.

IFS 2021 Exam Result (Prel. & Main)

The result of the IFS Exam comes in various stages. First, comes the Preliminary exam result and after that the Main exam result. Qualifiers of the Preliminary exam will get a chance to sit and appear for the Main Exam which will be conducted on 21st November 2021.

IFS 2021 Final Result –

A total of 110 will be selected to recruit for the eligible posts and have been selected for appointment to the posts in IFS. The sarkari result will also be available on the UPSC Website i.e. www.upsc.gov.in. The mark-sheets of candidates are likely to be made available on the Commission’s website within fifteen days from the date of declaration of the result.

UPSC IFS Personality Test/ Interview 2021 –

Candidates, who clear the Mains exam, are selected for the next stage of the selection procedure, i.e. the Personality Test. This stage of the exam carries 250 marks. Candidates are tested for their overall personality orientation, which covers their dressing style, communication skills, presence of mind, listening skills etc. In addition to this, the board of qualified and unbiased observers checks their problem-solving and decision-making skills, leadership qualities, etc.

Candidates are advised to dress formally on the day of the interview and use formal words while being interviewed by the panel of interviewers. They should not use slangs or any informal words. While answering the questions, they should speak moderately and avoid bluffing. The marks scored during an interview by the candidates play a crucial role in determining their overall selection in the Indian Forest Service exam.

IFS Exam FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

UPSC conducts the IFS exam for recruitment in the Indian Forest Services. Here are the answers to the frequently asked questions related to the IFS 2021 exam.

Q. What is the date of IFS (Indian Forest Service) 2021 Pre Exam?

The 2021 Prelims exam for IFS is scheduled to be held on 27th June 2021.

Q. What is the date of IFS 2021 Main Exam?

The Main exam will be held on 21st November 2021.

Q. When can one get the application form for the IFS exam 2021?

Candidates can get the Application form for IFS 2021 from 4th to 24th March 2021.

Q. How many stages are there for the Indian Forest Service Exam?

There are 3 stages. The Preliminary exam, the Main exam and the Personality test or the Interview stage.

Q. How many papers are there in the Preliminary exam of the IFS?

The Preliminary stage of the IFS exam has two papers:

Paper-1 - General Studies
Paper-2 - CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test)

Q. What is the question pattern of the IFS Preliminary exam?

It is an objective type in nature.

Q. Is there any scheme of negative marking in the IFS Preliminary Exam?

Yes, there is a scheme of negative marking in the IFS exam. For every incorrect answer, 1/3 marks will be deducted.

Q. What is the question pattern of the Main exam of IFS?

The Main exam is a descriptive or summative type.

Q. What is the age limit for the 2021 UPSC IFS Exam?

The candidate should be between the age group of 21 years to 32 years.

Q. What should be the educational qualification for the IFS Exam?

The candidate should have done a bachelor’s degree from any recognized university or institution.

Q. IFS exam Interview is conducted for how many marks?

The personality test or interview is the final stage of the IFS officer selection process, and it carries 250 marks.

Q. What is the Application fee for the IFS 2021 Exam?

The candidate should pay ₹ 100 as the Application fee for the IFS Exam. However, the reserved category candidate SC/ST/PH and the Female candidate are exempted from paying any application fee for the exam.

8 Comments

Nimmy - January 12, 2020REPLY

Is microbiology degree is eligible for ifs exam?

Exams Planner - January 25, 2020REPLY

Debashish Dash - August 22, 2019REPLY

The two optional subjects should be different or one can choose the same subject for paper 1&2?

Exams Planner - August 27, 2019REPLY

There are lists for optional subjects 1 and optional subjects 2. You can check out the article above for the list.

Adesh Gaynar - June 7, 2019REPLY

Induan Forest Service technical hai ya fir non-technical

Exams Planner - June 12, 2019REPLY

Technical

Kavya - May 26, 2019REPLY

Can a ece BTech candidate can apply for this exam ?

Exams Planner - May 31, 2019REPLY

Yes.

Aniruddha Purkait - May 23, 2019REPLY

Is B.tech in leather technology eligible for ifs exam?

Exams Planner - May 23, 2019REPLY

Yes, candidates with an engineering degree are eligible for the IFS exam.

Ramachandran - April 26, 2019REPLY

B E Automobile engineering are eligible ?

Shubh Jani - May 15, 2019REPLY

Yes

Bipin - March 19, 2019REPLY

B.tech agricultural engineering Eligible

Exams Planner - March 19, 2019REPLY

Yes.

Ganesh hagare - December 22, 2018REPLY

What is cut off ifs preliminary exam ??

Exams Planner - December 27, 2018REPLY

The UPSC IFS Preliminary exam cut-off has not been released yet. However, the result has been released.

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