Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission Forest Beat Officer

APPSC Forest Beat Officer (FBO) recruitment fills field posts in the Andhra Pradesh Forest Subordinate Service. It is conducted by the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) through a screening test, a main written examination, a walking test and a medical examination. Forest Beat Officers patrol and protect a forest beat, prevent illegal felling and poaching, and support plantation and wildlife work.

The latest full recruitment, Notification No. 06/2025, announced 256 FBO posts along with 435 Assistant Beat Officer (ABO) posts. This page covers the vacancy split, eligibility, physical standards, the exam stages, pay and how selection works, using the official notification, so you can prepare with the correct rules for the next cycle.

Table of Contents

APPSC Forest Beat Officer at a Glance

Latest Recruitment Update

APPSC has issued a brief notification (No. 18/2026) for 23 Forest Beat Officer posts. It lists the online application window as 16 October to 5 November, with the detailed notification due before applications open. The post count is provisional and the category split, fee and physical rules will be confirmed in the detailed notification, so check psc.ap.gov.in before you apply.

The previous full cycle under Notification No. 06/2025 held its screening test on 7 September 2025, with the screening result in October 2025 and the main exam scheduled for February.

Vacancy Details

The vacancy figures below are from Notification No. 06/2025, the latest cycle with a published category split.

Of the 175 fresh FBO posts, 54 were for ST candidates and 51 for OC, reflecting the large share of posts in scheduled (agency) areas. Posts in scheduled areas are reserved 100% for local ST candidates, and posts in plain areas follow an 80% local and 20% open-merit rule.

Eligibility Criteria

• Education: A pass in the Intermediate examination or its equivalent.

• Age: 18 to 30 years on the reference date in the notification. In Notification No. 06/2025 the reference date was 1 July 2025.

• Relaxation: 5 years for SC, ST, BC and EWS candidates, and 10 years for SC and ST candidates applying for carried-forward vacancies.

• Citizenship and health: Indian citizen of sound health and good character.

The full rules, including local status and reservation, are on the APPSC Forest Beat Officer eligibility page.

Physical Standards and Walking Test

STs and certain hill communities get a height relaxation of 5 cm. Normal eyesight is required, and a Medical Board checks hearing and fitness for outdoor work. The walking test is qualifying only and carries no marks.

Application Fee and How to Apply

Candidates from other states pay both fees and get no reservation. The fee figures are from Notification No. 06/2025.

1. Complete One Time Profile Registration (OTPR) on psc.ap.gov.in. OTPR alone is not an application.

2. Log in with your OTPR ID and open the Forest Beat Officer application.

3. Fill in the form, choose your exam centre and pay the fee online.

4. Download the submitted application for your records.

A short correction window opens after the last date, at a fee per correction. Name, fee and age-relaxation details cannot be changed.

Selection Process

1. Screening test: Held only if applications exceed 200 times the number of vacancies. It is used for shortlisting, and its marks do not count in the final merit.

2. Main examination: A qualifying essay and two objective papers of 100 marks each.

3. Walking test and medical examination: Candidates are called at 2 times the vacancies, in order of main exam merit.

4. Final selection: Based on main exam marks, plus NCC bonus marks where applicable, subject to reservation and local rules.

NCC certificate holders get bonus marks: 5 for a C certificate, 3 for B and 1 for A.

Exam Pattern Summary

The minimum qualifying marks in the main exam are 40% for OC, EWS and ex-servicemen, 35% for BC and 30% for SC and ST. Timings and the marking scheme are on the APPSC Forest Beat Officer exam pattern page.

Syllabus Summary

• General Studies and Mental Ability: Current affairs, Indian and Andhra Pradesh history, geography, polity and economy, reasoning, sustainable development, environment and disaster management.

• General Science (SSC standard): Energy, life processes, heredity, natural resources, carbon compounds, ecosystems and medicinal plants.

• General Mathematics (SSC standard): Arithmetic, algebra, geometry and statistics, with trigonometry and mensuration in the main exam.

The topic-wise list is on the APPSC Forest Beat Officer syllabus page.

Salary

The pay scale for Forest Beat Officer is Rs. 25,220 to Rs. 80,910, plus dearness allowance, house rent allowance and other allowances under Andhra Pradesh pay rules. For comparison, the Assistant Beat Officer scale in the same notification was Rs. 23,120 to Rs. 74,770.

How to Prepare

1. Weeks 1 to 6: SSC-level science and mathematics, since they form half of both the screening test and the main exam.

2. Weeks 3 to 10: General studies with a focus on Andhra Pradesh, plus 30 to 40 minutes of current affairs a day.

3. From week 4: Daily reasoning practice and a weekly essay on a forest or environment topic.

4. Throughout: Walking practice that builds towards 25 km (men) or 16 km (women) in under 4 hours.

5. Final phase: Full-length timed papers, same-day analysis and revision from an error log, with care over negative marking.

For timed practice in an objective format with negative marking, you can attempt online tests on Testkart and use the section-wise analysis to see where you lose marks. Pair them with the official previous papers published by APPSC to understand the real difficulty level.

Official source: Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (Notification No. 06/2025 and later notices).