Conducted by UPSC to recruit officers for Indian Forest Services, IFS exam is considered as one of most crucial exams of India. The selected candidates play a major role in the supervision and management of forest reserves and wildlife sanctuaries of the country. Divided into two parts i.e. preliminary and mains, the scheduled dates for IFS exam 2020 have already been announced. With only a few days to spare, students are already busy in preparation to ace the exam with flying colors and serve the nation with pride. This article focuses on some mandatory details and other valid information that will guide and encourage the candidates for a better preparation.

Important Dates:

Commence of Online Registration – 12^th February, 2020

Last date of Application Submission – 3^rd March, 2020

Availability of Admit Cards  – 3^rd week of May, 2020

IFS Preliminary Exam – 31^st May 2020

IFS Mains Exam – 22^nd November 2020

Eligibility Criteria:

1. The candidates appearing for the exam should hold a Bachelor’s degree in at least one of the subjects such as chemistry, mathematics, biology, geology, statistics, botany, zoology, animal husbandry, and veterinary science.
2. The age group of the students, who are going to appear for the exam, should not be less than 21 years or more than 32 years with respect to 1^st august of the year of examination.
3. Applicants must be physically strong as per the physical standards for admission to IFS exam.

Syllabus:

The preliminary exam will be mandatory for all applicants. Exam duration will be 2 hours and the candidates will face objective type questions. It will be an offline mode exam with questions in both English and Hindi. Total mark will be 400 and for every incorrect answer one-third of the mark will be deducted.

1. Paper I will consist of questions from General science, History of India and political movements, India and world geography, Current affairs, and Indian polity and governance.
2. Paper II will include questions from Basic numeracy, Logical reasoning and Analytical ability, Communication skills, Interpersonal skills, General mental ability, Decision making and Problem solving.

The students who will qualify for the preliminary round will be eligible for the main round. It consists of 2 compulsory papers which are General English, General knowledge, and one paper for Optional subject.

1. The question paper covering General English subjects will have questions related to essay writing, passage summary, and use of words.
2. In General knowledge paper, there will be questions on various subjects related to Current affairs, History, Politics and Geography.
3. The list of optional subjects can be accessed from the website. There are 14 optional subjects available for the exam from which the applicant can choose one. Some of the subjects are Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Chemistry, Botany, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Zoology, Forestry, Mathematics and Statistics.

The last round will be a personal interview round in which the qualified candidates will be interviewed by a panel of competent and unbiased professionals. The intention of this round will be to examine the candidate’s personal suitability for joining the services.

Some Preparation Tips:

1. The students who are planning to appear in the IFS - 2020 EXAM should keep themselves updated with the current affairs related to Geography, Environment, and Politics.
2. Covering all the topics from the scratch especially from NCERT text books will help the students to be conceptually clear about the subject.
3. Solving mock tests, sample papers and previous year’s questions will make the students acquainted with the patterns and time constraints of the examination.

Good Luck!!!