Kerala Beat Forest Officer Syllabus, Exam Pattern

One OMR test of 100 marks. In December 2025 it ran from 1.30 pm to 3.20 pm. English questions are in English; the rest can be taken in Malayalam, Tamil or Kannada.

Part VI is the forestry paper and the one that separates candidates:

• Forest (6): forest types of India and Kerala, the Western Ghats, the state of forests globally and in Kerala, forestry bodies and observance days, forests and climate change.
• Wildlife (7): threats and the wildlife trade, CITES and TRAFFIC, in situ and ex situ conservation, national parks, sanctuaries, community and conservation reserves in Kerala, biosphere reserves, endemic species of the Western Ghats, IUCN red list categories.
• Conservation law (5): Indian Forest Act 1927, Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and its schedules, Forest Conservation Act 1980, Project Tiger, Project Elephant and similar programmes.
• IT Act 2000 (2): sections 43, 43A, 65, 66 to 66F, 67 to 67B, 72 and 77B.

Parts I to V follow the standard Plus Two level scheme. The full list is in the Beat Forest Officer syllabus on the PSC site.

• Age: 19 to 30. For the 2025 notification, born between 02.01.1995 and 01.01.2006. OBC, SC and ST candidates get the usual relaxation under the General Conditions, but the upper limit never goes past 50.
• Education: a pass in Plus Two (Kerala Higher Secondary) or an equivalent.
• Who can apply: men and women. Differently abled candidates cannot.
• One district only. Applying to more than one gets your name struck off the ranked list if selected, and someone already holding the post in one district cannot apply again.

Vision without glasses must be 6/6 distant and 0.5 near in each eye, with normal colour vision and no night blindness. Knock-knee, flat foot, varicose veins and similar defects disqualify. You bring a medical certificate from a government doctor (Assistant Surgeon or above) to the physical test, on the form printed in the notification.

1. OMR test.
2. District short lists of those called to the next stage.
3. Physical measurement, then the endurance run and the physical efficiency test. Fail the measurement and you are not allowed to run. An injury during the test does not earn a second chance.
4. Certificate verification and a ranked list for each district.

In the efficiency test you must clear any 5 events out of 8 for men or 9 for women, at the National Physical Efficiency one-star standard:

NCC A, B and C certificates add 2, 3 and 5 per cent weightage, and Student Police Cadet certificates also earn weightage.

Scale of pay ₹27,900–63,700. Recruits spend a year at a forest training school; anyone who does not complete it is discharged. Probation is two years of duty within three.

Apply online through your One Time Registration profile on the Kerala PSC portal. There is no fee. After applying you still have to submit a confirmation in the window given in the monthly exam programme; skip it and the application is rejected.

Each ranked list stays in force for at least one year and at most three, and a fresh notification comes after that.

Only candidates who confirmed can download the admission ticket from their profile, in the 15 days before the test. Bring it with an original photo ID.

The OMR answer key goes up on the answer key page. Short lists and the district ranked lists appear under Short Lists and Ranked List.

• Part VI is twenty marks of material few general aspirants read: Kerala sanctuaries, the three forest Acts and the IUCN categories. Learn those lists cold.
• The run decides as much as the paper. Train for 2 km in under 13 minutes (15 for women) well before the short list comes out.
• Get the vision test done early. Glasses are not allowed and 6/6 in each eye is needed.

• Notification, Cat. No. 211/2025 (direct recruitment)
• Notification, Cat. Nos. 212–214/2025 (by transfer)
• Gazette of 31 July 2025, all posts
• Detailed syllabus
• Endurance test short list, Thiruvananthapuram
• Kerala PSC notifications, exam schedule, previous question papers

Can women apply for Beat Forest Officer?

Yes. Women have their own height, endurance and efficiency standards.

Is there an application fee?

No.

Can I apply in two districts?

No. One district per candidate; a second application can cost you the selection.

What is the pay?

₹27,900–63,700.

When was the last exam?

The OMR test for Cat. No. 211/2025 was held on 20 December 2025.