UPSC IFoS mock tests

Union Public Service Commission, Indian Forest Service Examination

Free practice tests

About UPSC IFoS

The Indian Forest Service Examination recruits for the Indian Forest Service, an all-India service. A candidate must hold a bachelor's degree with at least one of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics and Zoology, or a bachelor's degree in Agriculture, Forestry or Engineering. For 2026 the candidate must have attained 21 years and must not have attained 32 years on 1 August 2026 (born not earlier than 2 August 1994 and not later than 1 August 2005). The upper age is relaxed for the categories named in the notice, including five years for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, three years for Other Backward Classes, and up to ten years for the benchmark disabilities the notice lists.

There are two stages. Screening is the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2026, held on 24 May 2026: two compulsory objective papers, each of 200 marks and two hours, set in Hindi and English. A candidate must sit both papers. General Studies Paper II is qualifying at 33%. A wrong answer costs one-third of the marks of that question; more than one answer is treated as wrong; a blank answer scores nothing. Prelims marks are not counted in the final merit. Separate lists are prepared for the Civil Services Main Examination and the Indian Forest Service Main Examination.

The Main Examination is a written examination of conventional papers, all of which must be answered in English, followed by an interview. Paper I General English and Paper II General Knowledge are 300 marks each. Papers III to VI are any two optional subjects, two papers each of 200 marks. The written total is 1,400. The interview is 300, with no minimum qualifying mark in the notice. The final total is 1,700. About twelve to thirteen times the vacancies are admitted to the written examination, and about twice the vacancies are called for interview.

The notice of 4 February 2026 expected about 80 vacancies (12 Scheduled Caste, 6 Scheduled Tribe, 21 Other Backward Classes, 8 Economically Weaker Section and 33 unreserved), including posts reserved for persons with benchmark disability. That figure can change. Attempts are six for General and EWS candidates, nine for Other Backward Classes, and there is no limit for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. A person with benchmark disability in the General or EWS category gets nine attempts.

UPSC IFoS Prelims exam pattern

4 hours (2 hours for each paper)

UPSC IFoS Mains exam pattern

Each written paper is 3 hours; the interview is a separate sitting