IFOS Recruitment 2026
India was the first one in the world to scientifically manage their forests. In 1864, the British North American Government started the Imperial Forest Department. In 1866, they appointed German Forest Officer Brandis to be Inspector General of Forests. To direct the management of the numerous natural resources of the enormous sub-continent and to arrange the functions of the Imperial Forest Department, an Imperial Forest Service was created in 1867. In 1966, the Indian Forest Service, one of the three (with the Indian Administrative Service, IAS & Indian Police Service, IPS) All India Services, was created under the All-India Services Act, 1951 by the Government of India. The Indian Forest Service (IFS) is under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) is the Cadre Controlling Authority.
Pay Structure of Indian Forest Service Officers?
| Posts | Scale of Pay (in Rs) | Pay Level |
|---|---|---|
| Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forestry) | 225000 | Level 17 |
| Principal Chief Conservator of Forests | 205400 -224400 | Level 16 |
| Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests | 182200 – 224100 | Level 15 |
| Chief Conservator of Forests | 144200 – 218200 | Level 14 |
| Conservator of Forests | 131100 – 216600 | Level-13A |
| Deputy Conservator of Forests (Selection Grade) | 118500 – 214100 | Level 13 |
| (Junior Administrative Grade) | 78800 – 209200 | Level 12 |
| (Senior Time Scale) | 67700 – 208700 | Level 11 |
| (Junior Time Scale) | 56100 – 177500 | Level 10 |
Where Can You Apply for the Indian Forest Service Exam?
Those looking to take the Indian Forest Service exam can apply as soon as applications open as the Indian Forest Service exam or IFOS exam applications open at the same time as the Civil Services Exams applications. You can apply for both at the same time by visiting the UPSC Civil Services examination portal by visiting Website. Make sure you double-check the eligibility requirements before applying.
How Can Someone Apply for the Indian Forest Service Exam?
Before you apply for the exam, you need to register using the One Time Registration (OTR) system. Registration is simple and only needs to be done once. You can access the OTR System by going to the UPSC website.
Users who have already registered on the system can bypass the OTR and start working on the application for the exam immediately.
Requirements:
Nationality: A candidate must be one of the following:
A citizen of India.
A Nepalese or Bhutanese citizen or Tibetan refugee that entered India before January 1, 1962, and plans to permanently settle in the country.
An Indian Origin whose migration was from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar or certain countries in East Africa, and Vietnam with the purpose of settling in India permanently.
Age Limit: A candidate must be 21 years old at minimum and at maximum, 32 years old.
The Indian Forest Service Examination has two parts.
There is the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination- Objective type) to choose candidates for Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination.
Preliminary Examination is qualifying in nature and is made up of two Objective papers of 200 marks.
General Studies Paper II of Prelims (or CSAT) has minimum qualifying marks of 33% set.
