Physics Wallah

UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025, Download Subject-wise Topics PDF

UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025 has been released by the commission on its official website along with the exam pattern. Candidates can download the UPSC IFS Prelims and Mains Syllabus 2025 PDF
authorImageAnil Solonki20 Sept, 2025
Share

Share

UPSC IFS Syllabus 2024

UPSC Indian Forest Service (IFS) Syllabus 2025 is the official roadmap for all aspiring candidates. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has designed the IFS exam pattern to rigorously assess aspirants on a wide range of subjects, including General Studies, as well as specialized knowledge in forestry, wildlife, and environmental science. This detailed UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025 PDF provides a clear structure for effective preparation, helping candidates gain a broad understanding of general topics and an in-depth mastery of the natural sciences required for this prestigious service.

UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025

Indian Forest Service Syllabus 2025 is divided into three main stages of the selection process: IFS prelims, IFS mains, and IFS interview. The Syllabus for IFS Prelims is the same as the UPSC Prelims syllabus. This is because the UPSC CSE Preliminary stage serves as a common screening test for both exams. The Indian Forest Service Syllabus 2025 is the key to unlocking successful results.

UPSC IFS Prelims Syllabus 2025

The UPSC IFS Prelims will have two papers, viz., Paper 1 General Studies I and Paper 2 General Studies II, also known as CSAT. The first paper evaluates candidates' general knowledge, such as current affairs; the second paper tests the candidate's aptitude for forest service. The Indian Forest Service prelims syllabus is as follows:
UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025 - 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.
  • 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 Syllabus 2025 PDF

 The Union Public Service Commission has released the Syllabus for IFS UPSC on its official website in the PDF format. Candidate can be downloaded from the official website or the direct link given below:

UPSC IFS Mains Syllabus 2025

Indian Forest Service Mains Syllabus must be with every candidate given the marks of this stage to decide their selection. The UPSC IFS Syllabus for mains is distributed into 6 mains papers. Of these 4 are optional papers for which candidates select two subjects. The syllabus for the UPSC IFS main exam is as follows:

UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025 - Compulsory Subjects

The compulsory papers are General English and General Knowledge. Candidates have no choice of subjects in these papers. The topics covered in the UPSC IFS syllabus for compulsory papers are provided in the below table:
UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025 - 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:
    • Indian Polity including the political system
    • Constitution of India
    • History of India
    • Geography

UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025 - Optional Subjects

In UPSC IFS Mains, the candidates will have to opt for two optional subjects from the list of 14 subjects. The question papers for the UPSC IFS optional subjects list in the IFoS Exam 2025 will consist of eight questions in total. These questions will be divided into two parts:

Part A: 4 questions

Part B : 4 questions

Candidates are required to attempt five questions out of the eight. One question from each part (A and B) will be compulsory. The UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025 for optional papers is as follows:
UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025 - 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

As conveyed there are three main stages in the UPSC IFS Exam 2025 and candidates must clear each separately to serve as officers in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The UPSC IFS Exam Pattern 2025 for prelims and mains stages is as follows:

UPSC IFS Prelims Exam Pattern 2025

The UPSC IFS Prelims is a screening test where candidates are shortlisted based on their performance in two objective-type papers. The marks of this stage are not calculated for the merit list. The UPSC IFS Prelims Exam Pattern 2025 is:
  • The nature of the exam is qualifying, hence, candidates simply have to score above the IFoS cut off.
  • There will be two papers of 2 hours duration having MCQ-type questions.
  • Candidates must score 33% marks i n Paper 2 to be considered.
  • There will be a negative marking of 1/3 mark deducted for wrong answer in both papers of IFoS prelims.
UPSC IFS Prelims Exam Pattern 2025
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

UPSC IFS Mains Exam Pattern 2025

Candidates who are successful in the UPSC IFS prelims are moved to the main exam. This stage has 6 descriptive-type paper s. UPSC IFS Syllabus for the mains stage is most important as the score of this stage is considered for preparing the final merit list. The UPSC IFS Mains Exam Pattern 2025 goes:
  • There are 6 papers and candidates have 3 hours duration.
  • Paper I and Paper II will be worth 300 marks and the remaining papers will be worth 200 marks.
  • For Papers III, IV, V, and VI candidates will have to choose two optional subjects from the approved list avoiding the combination of certain subjects as recommended in the official notification.
UPSC IFS Mains Exam Pattern 2025
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 Syllabus 2025 for Interview

Candidates who are selected in the written examination will be summoned by the commission for a (Personality Test). This stage is known as the UPSC IFS Interview . Candidates with twice the number of available vacancies will be shortlisted in the UPSC IFS Mains Result PDF for the interview round worth 300 marks.
  • The final merit list will be prepared of 1700 mark s ranking candidates based on their marks combined with the written exam and interview.
  • The purpose of the Interview is to assess the suitability of the candidate for the Indian Forest Service.
  • The areas that need to be prepared for the interview stage are events happening in India and the world, topographical sense, practical knowledge of UPSC IFS Syllabus, hobbies, etc.
 Since the UPSC IFS prelims are just a few months away, the best way to prepare the syllabus is by solving UPSC IFS Previous Year Paper . It will also help candidates analyze high-yield topics and focus on them more as the exam approaches.Do you have doubts about the syllabus of the UPSC exam? Join the PW UPSC Online Course for comprehensive preparation!

UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025 FAQs

What is the UPSC syllabus for the IFS exam?

The UPSC syllabus for the IFS exam consists of General English, General Studies, Reasoning, Mathematics, and 14 optional subjects.

Is the syllabus the same for the UPSC IAS and IFS exams?

Yes, the syllabus for UPSC IAS and UPSC IFS exams prelims stage is the same. The main syllabus is slightly different for both exams due to different exam patterns.

Which subject is best for the UPSC IFS mains optional papers?

There are no such best subjects, candidates must choose as per their knowledge as the questions asked in these papers are graduate level.

Is there a negative marking in the UPSC IFS exam?

Yes, in the UPSC IFS prelims there is a negative marking of -.66 for Paper 1 and -.83 for Paper 2.

How many subjects are there in the UPSC IFS Mains exam?

There are 6 papers with two compulsory subjects and 14 optional subjects from which candidates must select two.
Popup Close ImagePopup Open Image
Talk to a counsellorHave doubts? Our support team will be happy to assist you!
Popup Image
CTA Image
008448982616
Check out these Related Articles
BlogImage
UPSC
Share
Directive principles of state policy
Read Full Story
30 Sept 2025, 01:01 am
BlogImage
UPSC
Share
National Post Day 2025
Read Full Story
6 Oct 2025, 12:58 pm
BlogImage
UPSC
Share
India Mobile Congress 2025
Read Full Story
8 Oct 2025, 12:46 pm
BlogImage
UPSC
Share
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Read Full Story
6 Oct 2025, 07:40 pm
BlogImage
UPSC
Share
New Economic Policy 1991
Read Full Story
7 Oct 2025, 05:44 pm
BlogImage
UPSC
Share
Indian Air Force Day 2025: History, Celebrations and Importance
Read Full Story
8 Oct 2025, 11:01 am
BlogImage
UPSC
Share
Nobel Prize in Physics 2025 Winners: Who are John Clarke, Michel Devoret, and John Martinis
Read Full Story
7 Oct 2025, 07:27 pm
BlogImage
UPSC
Share
Baltic Countries: Geography, History, Economy, International Relations
Read Full Story
6 Oct 2025, 02:46 pm
BlogImage
UPSC
Share
World Food Day 2025
Read Full Story
6 Oct 2025, 03:16 pm
Join 15 Million students on the app today!
Point IconLive & recorded classes available at ease
Point IconDashboard for progress tracking
Point IconMillions of practice questions at your fingertips
Download ButtonDownload Button
Banner Image
Banner Image
Free Learning Resources
Know about Physics Wallah
Physics Wallah is an Indian edtech platform that provides accessible & comprehensive learning experiences to students from Class 6th to postgraduate level. We also provide extensive NCERT solutions, sample paper, NEET, JEE Mains, BITSAT previous year papers & more such resources to students. Physics Wallah also caters to over 3.5 million registered students and over 78 lakh+ Youtube subscribers with 4.8 rating on its app.
We Stand Out because
We provide students with intensive courses with India’s qualified & experienced faculties & mentors. PW strives to make the learning experience comprehensive and accessible for students of all sections of society. We believe in empowering every single student who couldn't dream of a good career in engineering and medical field earlier.
Our Key Focus Areas
Physics Wallah's main focus is to make the learning experience as economical as possible for all students. With our affordable courses like Lakshya, Udaan and Arjuna and many others, we have been able to provide a platform for lakhs of aspirants. From providing Chemistry, Maths, Physics formula to giving e-books of eminent authors like RD Sharma, RS Aggarwal and Lakhmir Singh, PW focuses on every single student's need for preparation.
What Makes Us Different
Physics Wallah strives to develop a comprehensive pedagogical structure for students, where they get a state-of-the-art learning experience with study material and resources. Apart from catering students preparing for JEE Mains and NEET, PW also provides study material for each state board like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and others
Privacy Policy
Terms of use
Copyright © 2025 Physicswallah Limited All rights reserved.