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IFS 2019 Exam: UPSC Notification, Application Form, Syllabus & Vacancies

IFS Exam

The Union Public Service Commission has announced its recruitment notification to fill up the vacant seats of Indian Forest Service through the Civil Service Exam 2019. Interested candidates can send their entries for the UPSC CSE 2019 exam from February 19, 2019 to March 18, 2019 till 6:00 PM. According to the officials, a sum total of 90 vacancies are available in the IFS Department this year. The examination ground of UPSC Civil Services will be dispersed into two stages i.e. stage 1 (Preliminary) or stage 2 (Main). The Preliminary level examination will be held on June 2, 2019, whereas the Main level examination is scheduled to be held on December 1, 2019.

Fascinating applicants can endow their entries for UPSC Civil Service Exam 2019 from the official window - upsconline.nic.in.

The annual summit of UPSC is conducted for the auspicious scholar who wishes to join forces with Indian Forest Service (IFS Exam), Combined Defense Services (CDS Exam), Indian Civil Services (IAS Exam), etc.

UPSC IFS Main 2018 Exam Latest Notification: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) releases the examination schedule of the Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination 2019.  All those apprentices who have qualified in the UPSC IAF Prelims exam and applied for UPSC IAF DAF 2019 can check the examination schedule through the UPSC official website which is upsc.gov.in.

IFS Exam 2019 Quick Overview

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 CSE IFS 2019 No. of Vacancies

90

IFS Exam 2019 Important Dates

UPSC IFS Exam 2019 (Preliminary/Main) Important Dates -

Indian Forest Service Exam 2019

Dates To Be Remembered

Official Notification Issue Date

19th February 2019

Closing Date of Application Form Submission

18th March 2019

IFS Preliminary Exam (Admit Card)

10 days before the exam

Date of Examination (Preliminary)

02nd June 2019

Date of Examination (Main)

01st to 08th December 2019

Morning Shift: 9.00 AM to 12.00 PM

Afternoon Shift: 2.00 PM to 5.00 PM

Earlier this week, UPSC has released the IFS Detailed Application Form 2019 for the Main examination.

IFS Exam Previous Years Solved Papers

IFS Exam 2019 Pattern & Syllabus

The Indian Forest Service Examination consists of three stages -

  1. The Civil Services Preliminary exam
  2. The IFS Main exam
  3. 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 2019 Main Exam Pattern

Main Exam- IFS 2019 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 2019

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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UPSC IFS Personality Test/Interview 2019 -

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, the 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.

More info about IFS Exam Pattern & Syllabus.

IFS Exam 2019 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 2018. It means the candidates who born before 2nd August 1986 or after 1st August 1997 are not eligible for the exam.

Age relaxation –

  • The SC/ST category candidates are given 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 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 2019

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 in accordance with the physical standards laid down in Appendix-III of the rules of Indian Forest Service Examination, 2018. 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 2019 Application Process

How to Fill UPSC IFS Application Form

Candidates should visit the official website of the UPSC for filling the IFS 2019 Exam application form. Here, they will be provided with the guidance to fill the Application form correctly.

  • 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 their 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 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 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.

Other Details

IFS 2018 Main Exam e-Admit card

The Union Public Service Commission will issue the IFS Main 2018 admit card in November 2018 i.e. one month before the exam. The Commission will not send hard copy of admit card 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.

IFS 2018 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 Main Exam which will be conducted on December 1, 2019.

IFS Exam FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q. What is the date of IFS (Indian Forest Service) 2019 Pre Exam?

The 2019 Prelims exam for IFS is scheduled to be held on June 2, 2019.

Q. What is the date of IFS 2019 Main Exam?

The Main exam will be held on December 1, 2019.  

Q. When can one get the application form for the IFS exam 2019?

Candidate can get the Application form for IFS 2019 from February 19, 2019 to March 18, 2019.

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 IFS Preliminary exam?

It is mainly 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 Mains exam of IFS?

The Mains exam is a descriptive or summative type.

Q. What is the age limit for the 2019 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 2019 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.

7 Comments

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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IFS Exam Study Material

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