IAS : Exam pattern
All India Combined Competitive Examination for the Civil Services conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) comprises of two successive stages:
- Preliminary Examination: It is of objective type, which is a qualifying examination.
- Main Examination: It consists of written examination and interview.
A candidate is permitted 4 attempts at the examination. If a person appears in the Preliminary Exam or even appears in one paper, it is counted as an attempt.
Selection to the Indian Forest Service, on the other hand, is on the basis of a written test held in the month of July/August every year. The test comprises: two compulsory papers (General English and General Knowledge); and additional papers in any two subjects chosen from the following options: agriculture / botany / chemistry / physics / geology / zoology / mathematics / agricultural engineering / chemical engineering / civil engineering / mechanical engineering , excepting combinations of agriculture and agricultural engineering , chemistry and chemical engineering.
Examination Papers:
Preliminary Examination The preliminary examination consists of two papers:
- Paper I -- General Studies 150 marks
- Paper II -- An Optional subject 300 marks
Both the papers will be of objective type questions (multiple choice). The question papers are set in Hindi as well as in English. The course content for the optional subjects will be of the degree level. Each paper is of two hours duration. Blind candidates are allowed an extra time of 20 minutes for each paper.
Main Examination It Consists of the following papers:
- Paper I - One Indian language (selected by the candidate) 300 marks
- Paper II - English
