The Indian Forest Exam is carried out by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Candidates who clear this exam successfully will be able to get jobs with various departments of the Indian government. Some of the job positions that are available include:

• District conservator
• Assistant conservator
• Principal conservator
• Chief conservator
• Environment Secretary
• Inspector General of forests

The minimum age required for the candidates to apply for this exam is 21 years. They should not be above 30 years. Candidates who are appearing for this exam are required to have a graduate degree in any one of these fields:

• Agriculture
• Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
• Botany
• Chemistry
• Forestry
• Geology
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Statistics
• Zoology

Structure of the IFS exam

• The IFS entrance exam is descriptive or conventional essay type. The paper is separated in 6 parts and the paper will carry a total of 1400 marks.
• The first 2 papers will include topics on English and General Knowledge. This paper will carry 300 marks.
• The subsequent 4 papers will include questions on the elected optional subjects. This paper will carry 200 marks each.

Syllabus of the IFS exam

In the General English paper, candidates have to write an essay or precise. They should maintain a regular flow in the tone of precise and it must not have grammar or spelling mistakes. The General knowledge paper will have questions from topics like:

• Current events
• Global and Indian geography
• Indian economic and polity

Apart from this, the students should also be aware of the day to day issues in addition to national and international events.

The other four papers will include questions from the given combination of topics:

• Agriculture
• Agricultural Engineering
• Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
• Chemistry
• Chemical Engineering
• Mathematics And Statistics
• The candidate should not select more than one in the following as the elective subjects. They are:
• Agricultural Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering

Reference Books for the IFS exam

• Agricultural Economics and Farm Management
• Agricultural Extension Education in India
• Agronomy By Yellamananda Reddy
• Entomology - Vasantha Raj & David
• Genetics - by B.D Singh
• Handbook Of Agriculture By ICAR
• Introduction To Horticulture - Kumar
• Pathology - Singh
• Physiology - by Pandey & Sinha
• Plant Breeding - by B.D Singh

It would also be of great help to them if they read newspapers and other journals for information pertaining to the latest advances in the Indian economy and the agriculture sector.

Study Plan for the IFS exam

The best thing that the students can do prior to their appearance for their exam is to calm down and start preparing earnestly. There is absolutely no need to panic or get tensed. It will only get them more frustrated.  Preparing a time table is the simplest yet most effective method to cover all topics. Allocating a specific amount of hours to each subject will not only give them more confidence but also help them, increase