The UPSC Indian Forest Service (IFoS) Exam 2026 is a prestigious All-India Service exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission to recruit officers for the Indian Forest Service—one of India’s top three civil services (IAS, IPS, IFoS).
IFoS officers manage forest conservation, wildlife protection, environmental governance, and natural resource policy implementation across India.

🧭 1. UPSC IFoS 2026 Selection Process

The IFoS selection process consists of three stages:

Preliminary Examination (with UPSC CSE) – Screening Stage
Mains Examination (Written – Subjective Papers)
Personality Test / Interview

Only candidates who qualify the Prelims cutoff specifically for IFoS (higher than the UPSC CSE cutoff) are eligible for Mains.

📝 2. UPSC IFoS 2026 Exam Pattern

🟦 Stage 1: Prelims Exam Pattern (Common with UPSC CSE)

Paper	Subject	Marks	Questions	Duration
General Studies I	GS Paper	200	100	2 Hours
General Studies II	CSAT	200	80	2 Hours

Important Rules

CSAT is qualifying with 33% minimum.
1/3rd negative marking in both papers.
Prelims score is not counted in the final merit.

🟩 Stage 2: IFoS Mains Exam Pattern (Descriptive)

Total Papers: 6 (All Descriptive)

Marks counted for Merit: 1400

Paper	Subject	Marks
Paper I	General English	300
Paper II	General Knowledge	300
Paper III	Optional Paper 1	200
Paper IV	Optional Paper 1 (Paper 2)	200
Paper V	Optional Paper 2	200
Paper VI	Optional Paper 2 (Paper 2)	200
Total	—	1400

Optional subjects (choose two):

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

Note: Similar subjects cannot be combined (UPSC rules apply).

🟨 Stage 3: Personality Test

Marks: 300
Tests:
- Scientific temperament
- Problem-solving ability
- Knowledge of forests, ecology & wildlife
- Decision-making
- Communication skills
- Environmental ethics

📘 3. Detailed UPSC IFoS 2026 Syllabus

📌 A. Prelims Syllabus (Common with CSE)

🟦 General Studies Paper I

Current Affairs
Indian History
Geography: Physical, Indian, World
Polity & Governance
Economy
Environment, Ecology, Biodiversity
General Science

🟩 CSAT

Comprehension
Logical reasoning
Analytical ability
Basic numeracy
Data interpretation
Problem-solving

📌 B. IFoS Mains Syllabus (Detailed)

📝 1. General English

Essay writing
Comprehension
Précis writing
Usage & vocabulary
Grammar & structure

📚 2. General Knowledge

Indian Polity
Economy
Geography
Current events (environment focus)
Forest-related government schemes
Biodiversity & conservation topics

🌿 3. Optional Subject Syllabus (Examples)

🌳 Forestry (Popular Optional)

Silviculture
Forest ecology
Agroforestry systems
Forest mensuration
Forest engineering
Wildlife biology
Climate change impact
Forest management techniques

🧬 Zoology (High-scoring optional)

Animal morphology
Physiology
Ecology
Ethology
Genetics
Evolution
Applied zoology

🧪 Chemistry

Physical chemistry
Organic reactions
Inorganic chemistry
Analytical chemistry

🌾 Agriculture

Agronomy
Soil science
Crop improvement
Agro-climate systems
Plant breeding
Pest management

🏆 4. Final Selection & Marks Weightage

Stage	Marks
IFoS Mains (written)	1400
Interview	300
Total (final merit)	1700

Ranking determines allocation to state cadres.

🚀 5. Practical Preparation Tips for IFoS 2026

Focus heavily on two optional subjects—these determine merit.
Study environment, ecology, biodiversity deeply.
Practice descriptive answer-writing for scientific subjects.
Read Annual Forest Report, MOEFCC updates, IPCC summaries.
Attempt 10–15 years IFoS Mains previous papers.
Build strong fundamentals from NCERT Biology, Geography & Environment.
Stay updated with government schemes (CAMPA, Green India Mission, Wildlife Protection Act).
Use diagrams, flowcharts & field examples in Mains answers.
Improve physical & mental stamina for long exam cycles.

🔗 6. Useful Official UPSC Resources

UPSC Official Website: https://upsc.gov.in
UPSC IFoS Notification PDF 2026: will be available under Examinations → Notifications
UPSC Syllabus PDF: https://upsc.gov.in/exams/syllabus
IFoS Previous Year Question Papers: https://upsc.gov.in/exams/question-papers

Indian Forest Service - Wikipedia Indian Forest Service 2025: Mains ...

UPSC Indian Forest Service (IFoS) Exam 2026 – Complete Guide