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UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025: Download Indian Forest Service (IFoS) Prelims & Mains Syllabus PDF

Check the latest UPSC IFS Syllabus 2025 for Prelims and Mains exams. Download the subject-wise syllabus PDF, check exam pattern, and optional subject list for Indian Forest Service (IFoS) 2025.
authorImageAnil Solonki15 Nov, 2025
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UPSC IFS 2025
UPSC IFS Exam Pattern
UPSC IFS Mains Time Table 2025
UPSC IFS Admit Card
UPSC IFS Salary
IFoS Mains General Knowledge Paper 2025
IFoS Mains Question Paper 2025
IFoS Mains General English Paper 2025
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 Syllabus 2025 – Selection Stages

Stage Name of Exam Nature of Exam Purpose
Stage 1 Preliminary Exam (CSE Prelims) Objective Type Screening Test
Stage 2 Mains Exam Descriptive Final Written Evaluation
Stage 3 Personality Test Interview Final Selection

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:

Prelims Paper I – General Studies

  • Current events of national and international importance
  • Indian History and National Movement
  • Indian & World Geography
  • Indian Polity and Governance
  • Economic & Social Development
  • General Issues on Environment, Ecology, Biodiversity
  • General Science

Prelims Paper II – CSAT (Aptitude)

  • Comprehension & Interpersonal Skills
  • Logical Reasoning & Analytical Ability
  • Decision-Making & Problem Solving
  • General Mental Ability
  • Basic Numeracy & Data Interpretation (Class X level)

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.

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:

 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!
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