Indian Forest Service Syllabus 2025, Exam Pattern, Download PDF

The UPSC Indian Forest Service Exam 2025 includes Prelims with General Studies & CSAT, Mains with compulsory & optional papers, and an interview. The syllabus covers topics like current affairs, forestry, environment, and specific optional subjects.

UPSC IFoS Syllabus
Table of Contents

The Indian Forest Service Notification 2025 by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) includes the IFoS Syllabus 2025 for the Indian Forest Service Exam. It is essential for candidates to go through UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025 and prepare based on the most recent UPSC IFS Exam Pattern 2025. The Indian Forest Service Prelims consists of two papers, while the Indian Forest Service Mains comprises six papers.

Indian Forest Service Syllabus 2025

For those aspiring candidates to join the Indian Forest Service (IFS), a thorough understanding of the UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025 and the exam pattern is essential. Having a clear understanding of the syllabus allows candidates to identify the various subject areas covered in the IFS Exam 2025. An extensive review of the Indian Forest Service Syllabus 2025 will provide candidates with valuable insights into the topics that will be included in the exam.

Indian Forest Service Syllabus 2025 for Prelims

The Indian Forest Service Syllabus 2025 for Prelims includes two papers; Paper 1 General Studies I and Paper 2 General Studies II, also known as CSAT. The first paper is conducted to  evaluate candidates’ general knowledge, such as current affairs; the second paper examines the candidate’s aptitude for forest service. The UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025 for Prelims is as follows:

Indian Forest Service Syllabus 2025 for Prelims

Paper 

Topics

General Studies 

  1. Current Affairs: Events of national and international importance.
  2. Geography of India and World: Physical, Economic, and Social Geography of India and the World.
  3. History: India History and Indian National Movement.
  4. Economic and Social Development: Social Sector Initiatives, Inclusion, Sustainable Development, Poverty, Demographics, etc.
  5. Indian Polity and Governance: Constitution of India, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Rights Issues, Public Policy, etc.
  6. Environment and Science: General issues on Environmental ecology, Climate Change, and Biodiversity.
  7. General Science

CSAT

  1. Reading Comprehension: English, Interpersonal skills including communication skills
  2. Reasoning: Logical reasoning and analytical ability, decision-making, and problem-solving.
  3. General Mental Ability: Class X level topics on basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) 
  4. Data Interpretation: Class X level charts, tables, graphs, data sufficiency, etc.

UPSC IFS Exam Pattern 2025 for Prelims

The UPSC Indian Forest Service (IFS) Prelims 2025 serves as a preliminary screening test where candidates will be evaluated based on their performance in two objective-type papers. There will be two papers, each lasting 2 hours, consisting of multiple-choice questions (MCQs). It is important to note that the scores from this stage will not contribute to the final merit list. To be considered for advancement, candidates must secure at least 33% in Paper 2. The UPSC IFS Exam Pattern 2025 for Prelims is as follows:

UPSC IFS Exam Pattern 2025 for Prelims

Paper

Total Questions

Total Marks

Negative Marking

General Studies Paper I

100

200

-0.66 marks

General Studies Paper II (CSAT)

80

200

-0.83 marks 

Indian Forest Service Syllabus 2025 for Mains

Every candidate aspiring to succeed in the Indian Forest Service Exam 2025 must understand the IFoS Syllabus 2025 for mains as it plays a crucial role during selection based on the marks obtained. The UPSC IFS Mains Exam 2025 consists of six papers, of which four are optional. Candidates are required to select two subjects from the optional papers.

The compulsory papers include:

  • General English
  • General Knowledge

Candidates are mandated to attempt these papers without any options for subject selection. The detailed topics included in the syllabus for the compulsory papers are outlined in the table below.

UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025 for Compulsory Papers

Subject 

Topics

General English

  • One Essay in English
  • Other questions will be designed to test candidates’s understanding of English and workmanlike use of words. 
  • Passages will usually be set for summary or precis. 

General Knowledge

  • General Knowledge including knowledge of current events and of such matters as may be expected of an educated person who has not made a special study of any scientific subject. 
  • The paper will also include questions on the following subjects:
    1. Indian Polity including the political system
    2. Constitution of India
    3. History of India
    4. Geography 

UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025 for Optional Subjects

In the UPSC Indian Forest Service Mains Exam 2025, candidates must choose two optional subjects from a list of 14. Each optional subject paper has two parts: Part A and Part B. Each part contains four questions, making a total of eight questions for each subject. For those preparing for the Indian Forest Service Exam 2025, it’s important to review the UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025 for Optional Subjects to understand what to expect and how to prepare effectively.

UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025 for Optional Subjects

Subject 

Topics

Agriculture

Paper I:

  • Ecology
  • Cropping patterns and related topics
  • Forestry plantations
  • Soil
  • Farm management
  • Agricultural extension, etc. 

Paper II:

  • Cell Theory
  • Cytoplasmic inheritance
  • Seed technology
  • Physiology
  • Growth and development
  • Pests and diseases
  • Food production

Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science

Paper I:

  • Animal Nutrition
  • Animal Physiology
  • Livestock Production and Management
  • Genetics and Animal Breeding

Paper II:

  • Health and Hygiene
  • Veterinary Public Health
  • Animal Diseases
  • Milk and Milk Products Technology
  • Meat Hygiene and Technology
  • Extension

Chemistry

Paper I:

  • Atomic structure
  • Chemical bonding
  • Solid State
  • The gaseous state
  • Thermodynamics and statistical thermodynamics
  • Phase equilibria and solutions
  • Electrochemistry
  • Chemical kinetics
  • Photochemistry 
  • Surface phenomena and catalysis
  • Bio-inorganic chemistry 
  • Coordination chemistry
  • General chemistry of ‘f’ block elements
  • Non-Aqueous Solvents

Paper II:

  • Delocalised covalent bonding
  • Pericyclic reactions
  • Reactions
  • Chemistry and mechanism of reactions 
  • Polymeric Systems
  • Synthetic uses of reagents 
  • Photochemistry
  • Principles of spectroscopy and applications in structure elucidation

Agricultural Engineering

Paper I:

  • Soil and Water Conservation
  • Aerial Photography and Remote Sensing
  • Irrigation and Drainage
  • Agricultural Structures 

Paper II:

  • Farm Power and Machinery
  • Agro-energy
  • Agricultural Process Engineering
  • Instrumentation and Computer Applications in Agricultural Engineering 

Botany

Paper I:

  • Microbiology and Plant Pathology
  • Cryptogams
  • Phanerogams
  • Plant Utility and Exploitation
  • Morphogenesis

Paper II:

  • Cell Biology
  • Genetics, Molecular Biology and Evolution
  • Plant Breeding, Biotechnology and Biostatistics
  • Physiology and Biochemistry
  • Ecology and Plant Geography

Civil Engineering

Paper I:

  • Strength of materials
  • Structural analysis
  • Engineering Mechanics 
  • Structural Steel Design
  • Design of Concrete and Masonry Structures 
  • Fluid Mechanics, Open channel flow, and Hydraulic Mechanics 
  • Hydraulic Machine and Hydropower
  • Geotechnical engineering

Paper II:

  • Construction Technology
  • Construction Equipment
  • Survey and Transport Engineering
  • Hydrology, Water Resources, and Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Paper I:

  • Fluid and Particle Dynamics
  • Mass Transfer 
  • Heat Transfer
  • Noval Separation Processes
  • Process Equipment Design
  • Process Dynamics and Control

Paper II:

  • Material and Energy Balances
  • Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
  • Chemical Reaction Engineering
  • Chemical Technology 
  • Environmental Engineering and Safety
  • Process Engineering Economics

Forestry

Paper I:

  • Silviculture
  • Agroforestry, Social Forestry, Joint Forest Management and Tribology 
  • Forest Soils, Soil Conservation and Watershed management 
  • Environmental Conservation and Biodiversity
  • Tree Improvement and Seed Technology

Paper II:

  • Forest Management and Management Systems
  • Forest Working Plan
  • Forest Mensuration and Remote
  • Sensing
  • Surveying and Forest Engineering
  • Forest Resources and Utilization
  • Forest Ecology and Ethnobotany
  • Forest Protection & Wildlife Biology
  • Forest Economics and Legislation

Mathematics

Paper I:

  • Linear Algebra 
  • Calculus 
  • Analytic Geometry
  • Dynamics, Statics, and Hydrostatics
  • Vector Analysis
  • Ordinary Differential Equations

Paper II:

  • Algebra
  • Real Analysis
  • Complex Analysis
  • Linear Programming
  • Partial differential equations
  • Numerical Analysis and Computer programming
  • Numerical integration
  • Numerical solution of ordinary differential equations
  • Computer Programming
  • Mechanics and Fluid Dynamics

Mechanical Engineering

Paper I:

  • Theory of Machines
  • Mechanics of Solids
  • Engineering Materials
  • Manufacturing Science
  • Manufacturing Management
  • Elements of Computation

Paper II:

  • Thermodynamics
  • I.C. Engines, Fuels and Combustion
  • Heat Transfer, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
  • Turbomachine and Powerplants

Physics

Paper I:

  • Classical Mechanics
  • Special Relativity, Waves & Geometrical Optics
  • Physical Optics
  • Electricity and Magnetism
  • Electromagnetic Theory & Black Body Radiation
  • Thermal and Statistical Physics

Paper II:

  • Quantum Mechanics I
  • Quantum Mechanics II & Atomic Physics
  • Molecular Physics
  • Nuclear Physics
  • Particle Physics & Solid State Physics
  • Electronics

Zoology

Paper I:

  • Non-Chordata and Chordata
  • Ecology
  • Ethology
  • Economic Zoology
  • Biostatistics
  • Instrumental Methods

Paper II:

  • Cell Biology
  • Genetics
  • Evolution 
  • Systematics
  • Biochemistry 
  • Physiology
  • Developmental Biology

Statistics

Paper I:

  • Probability
  • Statistical Inference
  • Linear Inference and Multivariate Analysis
  • Sampling Theory and Design of Experiments

Paper II:

  • Industrial Statistics
  • Optimization Techniques
  • Quantitative Economics and Official Statistics
  • Demography and Psychometry

Geology

Paper I:

  • General Geology
  • Geomorphology and Remote Sensing
  • Structural Geology
  • Paleontology 
  • Stratigraphy and Geology of India
  • Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology

Paper II:

  • Mineralogy 
  • Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology
  • Sedimentology
  • Economic Geology
  • Mining Geology
  • Geochemistry and Environmental Geology

UPSC IFS Exam Pattern 2025 for Mains

Candidates who clear the Indian Forest Service Prelims Exam 2025 move on to the mains exam, which includes six descriptive papers. The Indian Forest Service Syllabus 2025 for Mains is very important as the scores obtained in this phase significantly influence the final merit list.

  1. There are six papers, each lasting three hours.
  2. Papers I and II are worth 300 marks each, while Papers III, IV, V, and VI are worth 200 marks each.
  3. For Papers III to VI, candidates need to choose two optional subjects from the approved list, following the guidelines about which subjects can be combined as stated in the official notification.

UPSC IFS Exam Pattern 2025 for Mains

Paper 

Subject

Marks

Paper I

General English 

300

Paper II

General Knowledge

300

Paper III

Optional I

200

Paper IV

Optional II

200

Paper V

Optional III

200

Paper VI

Optional IV

200

UPSC IFS Interview 2025

Candidates who clear the written exam will be invited for the UPSC IFS Interview 2025, which assesses their suitability for the Indian Forest Service. The interview carries 300 marks and includes twice the number of candidates based on the UPSC IFS Result 2025 PDF. The final merit list, totaling 1700 marks, combines scores from both the written exam and interview. Preparation should focus on current events, geography, and practical knowledge of the UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025. Solving previous years’ papers can help candidates prioritize high-yield topics. 

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Latest UPSC Exam 2025 Updates

Last updated on Feb, 2025

UPSC Notification 2025 was released on 22nd January 2025.

→ The UPSC Vacancy 2025 were released 1129, out of which 979 were for UPSC CSE and remaining 150 are for UPSC IFoS.

→ As per UPSC Notification, the last date to apply is 18th February 2025.

→ The UPSC Prelims 2025 is scheduled to be conducted on 25th May 2025 and UPSC Mains 2025 will be conducted on 22nd August 2025.

→ Apply once through it and aspirants can apply for various government exams conducted by UPSC.

→ The UPSC Selection Process is of 3 stages-Prelims, Mains and Interview.

→ Also check Best IAS Coaching in Delhi

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