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IFoS Forestry Paper I

Credits: Suraj

@g0uravs

IFoS Forestry Paper II

Credits: Suraj

@g0uravs

IFoS 2024 GK Paper

IFoS 2024 GK Paper (Text Format) by Acads @IndianForestServices

Scanned copy - Click here
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1.

(a) Critically evaluate the contributions of Samudragupta as a statesman and an administrator. (Answer in 200 words) - 15 Marks

(b) Bring out the similarity between the teachings of Buddha and Mahavira. (Answer in 200 words) - 15 Marks

(c) To what extent can the decline of the Mughal empire be attributed to the rise of Maratha power? Explain. (Answer in 125 words) - 10 Marks

(d) How did the social and religious movements provide a fillip in the social reforms of modern India? (Answer in 125 words) - 10 Marks


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2.

(a) Why does India have a low female employment ratio? What steps could be taken to boost the participation of women in the workforce? (Answer in 200 words) - 15 Marks

(b) "Manufacturing is the engine of economic growth." Examine the statement. Why has India not been successful in its efforts to boost manufacturing? What policies would you recommend to increase its share in the economy? (Answer in 200 words) - 15 Marks

(c) "The shift towards protectionism will adversely affect the economic growth of the emerging economies." Critically examine the statement. (Answer in 125 words) - 10 Marks

(d) How does excess liquidity in the economy lead to general inflation? Which policy, monetary or fiscal, is more effective to control it? (Answer in 125 words) - 10 Marks


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3.

(a) With reference to Parts III and IV of the Indian Constitution, elaborate how the Indian Constitution aims to foster social revolution. (Answer in 200 words) - 15 Marks

(b) "Democracy and rights have been the two values around which the debates on the basic structure doctrine have been framed and performed." Justify your answer with relevant judgments of the Supreme Court. (Answer in 200 words) - 15 Marks

(c) "There is no scope for any agencies in India of direct control by the people such as referendum." In the light of this statement, evaluate Indian democracy as a representative form of government.

(d) Discuss how the State Election Commission serves the channel of political expression at the local level. Examine how it reconciles people's basic desire and regional democratic needs.


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4.

(a) "The abrupt arrival of monsoon is of great climatic as well as socio-economic significance to the people of the sub-continent of India." Explain.

(b) Explain the causes of changing urban environment and how it is different from surrounding non-urban areas.

(c) How does eco-tourism encourage the ecological and social consciousness of individuals and enhance the cultural integrity of the people of India?

(d) Describe the distribution of chromite in India and discuss its socio-economic significance as a valuable mineral resource.


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5.

(a) What is the composition of biogas? Discuss the various efforts made by the Government of India to promote biogas technology.

(b) In what way is recombinant DNA technology beneficial for human healthcare and pharmaceutics?

(c) What is vermicomposting? Discuss its importance for sustainable agriculture and farming.

(d) The intensity of rain is escalating in India. Identify the causes and consequences of this phenomenon.


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6.

(a) What is Prime Minister (PM) Surya Ghar Yojana? Outline its main features. What are the merits and demerits of rooftop solar panels?

(b) What is the working principle of Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and its advanced version Light-Emitting Diode (LED) televisions (TVs)? Discuss their functioning in brief. What is the main difference between LCD and LED TVs?

(c) Explain the basic principle(s) of the Lie Detector Test. Comment on the various factors affecting its results.

(d) Discuss the merits and demerits of electric vehicles and their future prospects.

[1] This Diwali, I saw a 1000% increase in Gross Diwali wishes compared to 2021

[2] This Diwali, I saw a 10% decline in returning wishes rate from 2021.

While these figures are rough, but they aren’t far from reality.

The first one’s more of a 'vanity metric,' while the second is the true KPI that should act as our north star.

When I entered the service, I read an article by a civil servant where he joked about the lack of attention during Diwali, after retirement. I was reminded of the article again this morning.

It mentioned an intersting fable.

"" It was about a donkey carrying idols of gods on its back for a prayer ceremony. When it passed through villages on the way, people bowed before the idols. In every village, a crowd would gather to pay their respects. The donkey started thinking that the villagers were bowing to it and was thrilled at this newfound respect and reverence.

After leaving the idols at the site of the ceremony, the donkey's master loaded vegetables onto it, and they began the return journey. This time, nobody paid any attention to the donkey. The ignored animal felt so frustrated that it started braying to draw the villagers' attention. The noise irritated them, and they began beating the poor creature, which had no idea what it had done to deserve such cruel treatment. ""

Let Metrics [1] and [2] serve as reminders of what respect and wishes were directed at the position versus what was genuinely meant for us. The first metric mainly reflects wishes from various govt officials and stakeholders—not for us, but for the position we hold. The matrix inflation is not a reflection of your importance but a mere feature of any gatekeeper job - while more fancy versions of this are the fund managers, king makers and a little humble version is literally the Watchmen of a mansion. The service lies somewhere in the middle.

It's the second metric, the wishes from those who cared even when we were nothing, that truly counts.

The ones who saw your worth before you "mattered" are the ones who truly matter!

Never forget who you are without all the titles and 3 letters. The latter are rented. They can be taken away. They can vanish overnight but nobody can take away what's before them!

Regards,
Gourav Sharma IFS

Hello everyone,

Sharing my Geology Strategy for Indian Forest Service. Due to limited time, I kept the number of resources to the minimum and that worked in my favour.

Attempt: 1st IFS Mains
Preparation Time: 45 days for 2 new optionals (Geology + Forestry)
Study Material: K M Bhangar + Yaksh Chaudhary IAS Notes + PYQs
Test Series: None
Video Lectures: None

https://www.gouravs.com/post/strategy-for-geology-optional-priyansha-garg-air-31-cse-2022

Also, candidates appearing in IFS Mains can join the group for IFS-related queries.

https://t.me/+rIG3EHy-Wnw1N2Q1

@PriyanshaIAS

Hello everyone,

First of all, congratulations on finishing the CSE Mains. It must have been an exhausting but exciting and hopefully rewarding journey!

With the completion of the CSE paper, the other moderators and I have been receiving many queries regarding IFS Mains preparation. Most of the queries are about feeling overwhelmed by the two optionals and doubting whether this can be done.

Such queries remind me of many aspirants who approached me over the last three IFS exams (2021, 2022, and 2023), and fortunately, most of them managed to clear the IFS exam with good ranks. A few not only cleared but secured marks for a rank under 10, with two new optionals.

When I cleared the exam in 2020, I remember having hardly 30-40 days due to COVID. Fortunately, I had the mentorship of Lavish (CSE AIR 18, IFS AIR 2) to guide me, and I managed to score 268/400 in Forestry with just 10-15 days of preparation.

In 2022, I remember Priyansha (AIR 31, IAS) following the strategy shared by Lavish and me. She started her preparation post-CSE Mains with two new optionals—Forestry and Geology. Within just 40-50 days, she managed to secure marks for a rank under 10 in IFS.

The crux is—if you have cleared IFS prelims, then appear for IFS Mains. It doesn’t matter if both optionals are new. It doesn’t matter how well you’ve done in CSE (the exam is much more unpredictable than we like to believe). It doesn’t matter how exhausted you are!

Unfortunately, it’s not possible for us to reply to each query individually or to verify and approve each request. Candidates appearing in IFS Mains can join the group for IFS-related queries.

https://t.me/+rIG3EHy-Wnw1N2Q1

Rules

1. The group has more than 50 toppers from last 4 IFS and CSE exams. Please keep your queries limited to IFS exam only. Before asking any query, please go through pinned message to check if it has already been asked.

2. Be respectful to fellow group members. Cultivate a culture of collaboration and cooperation.

3. No spamming.

Resources

1. Forestry Notes - Notes referred by me and others are available for free. I strongly recommend against joining any coaching. These notes + Manikandan is more than sufficient for scoring 250+ marks
2. Forestry Strategy
3. 45 Days Strategy
4. Geology Strategy

Regards,
Gourav

If different civil services were startups, I’d go all in on IFS, with no need for diversification.

Take a look at this snapshot from the 2013 batch of the IFS—there were only about 6 candidates from IITs back then.

Fast forward to 2023, and the landscape has changed dramatically! Now, over 70% of new entrants are from IITs, and if you include talent from other premier institutes like NITs and BITS, that number soars above 80%!

The IFS is transforming silently but like never before, driven by high per capita IQ and nation's most ambitious minds.

The change has already begun to show with the growing popularity of the service in recent years!

With the world’s increasing focus on climate change and the critical role of forests, combine this with the most competitive, driven and ambitious and highest IQ individuals and it's not difficult to guess why I am absolutely bullish on the future for the IFS!

Better late than never!

https://www.livemint.com/news/supreme-court-exclude-creamy-layer-from-sc-st-reservations-quota-benefits-11722501396445.html

International Maths Olympiad paper

6 questions, 9 hours! 😊

India came 4th 😎

RBI Grade B Notification Out Now

One of the best jobs for UPSC aspirants. Around 70% of the selected candidates in RBI come from UPSC background and almost all of them start their preparation post notification.

However, for UPSC aspirants edge lies only in Phase 2. Phase 1 Quant, reasoning etc difficulty level is much higher than that of CSAT.

Some of the perks of RBI Grade B

✅ Postings in Metro and capital cities
✅ Opportunity to reach Deputy Governor RBI
✅ Work life balance
✅ Best paying government job (CTC of 30 LPA+)


https://www.quora.com/What-is-something-that-nobody-tells-when-you-prepare-for-the-RBI-Grade-B/answer/Gourav-Sharma

Interested candidates can join @RBIGradeBDR and @g0uravs for RBI guidance.

An unconventional but rational choice!

For candidates who have cleared both CSE and Indian Forest Service Prelims, I strongly recommend focussing solely on Indian Forest Service exam (and skip CSE), if you satisfy the following criteria

1. This is your first mains and you have no idea how you would perform in mains.

2. You have appeared in Mains earlier but failed to clear mains. Unless, you are doing something drastically different, it's not easy to increase marks in 100-150 marks in mains. That's the improvement you need to get a service IAS/IPS/IFS (services better than Indian Forest Service in conventional sense)

3. You are already in preparation for over 3 years but with no backups/job with you.

4. You have appeared in CSE interviews multiple times but couldn't make it to the final list.

I know it's not usually followed. But, here is the rationale behind this

1. Indian Forest Service is one of the 3 all India services with perks, benefits and facilities same as IAS and IPS, with a good work life balance. With increased global focus on climate change and environment, the service is gaining prominence.

2. In conventional terms, it can placed behind IAS and IPS. Unless you have a strong inclination towards Taxation, Finance, Data, City life Indian Forest Service offers better service profile than Indian Revenue Service (IRS).

3. Indian Forest service Mains is much more predictable and certain. With average writing skilld and limited content, one can easily clear IFS Mains (compared to CSE)

4. Candidates are usually mentally and physically exhausted after CSE Mains when they appear in IFS Mains and fail to give their best in the exam.

5. Forestry, geology etc are the optionals that can be done in 40-45 days max. Very few people study for more than 20-30 days per optional. Anyone studying solely for IFS will have almost 100% chances of clearing IFS

Basically the decision boils down to 1 simple question - if you are given a choice to either get a confirmed (almost) service comparable/better than IRS
OR
to appear in CSE to try your luck, what would you choose?

When can one plan for give CSE and IFS together?

1. You are already in a service and aiming for only IAS
2. You have your optional common with CSE.

The decision is not easy. Aspirants can use the discussion forum for the discussion. Or you can reach to me at [email protected] in case you need any help in this regard.

———————-
We have created a exclusive group of aspirants appearing for IFS 2024 Mains with many IFS/IAS officers as mentors.

Aspirants can message at @gaurav_iitm @blitzkrieggs for the group membership

Sometimes, success is costlier than you realize.

No doubt, every success offers you downside protection, ensuring you don't fall below a threshold level.

But the stronger the downside protection, the more bounded the upside. And more compressed the possible range of outcomes - making narrower the gap between your worst and the best-case scenarios.

Often, instead of an asset, success becomes a liability, restricting your ability to freely tinker and thus leaving you with a constant "what if" in your life.

Every result makes me wonder who is luckier—the successful who got into golden handcuffs, or the so-called unsuccessful ones who still have the world as their oyster!

@g0uravs

IFoS 2024 Prelims Result

Congratulations to all the selected Candidates.

Hello everyone,

Most of the queries I received are related to GS Mains preparation in which I scored 466 - that was one of the highest marks that year. For aspirants convenience, I have compiled all Mains resources at one place.


GS 1 [115 Marks]
GS 1 Test Papers
GS1 Geography Notes

GS 2 [122 Marks]
GS2 Test Papers
GS 2 Consolidated Notes

GS 3 [97 Marks]
GS 3 Strategy and Notes
GS 3 Consolidated Notes
GS 3 Test Papers

GS 4 [122 Marks]
GS 4 Answer Copies and Notes

Public Administration [292 Marks]

Public Administration Strategy I
Public Administration Strategy II

Public Administration Test Papers
Public Administration Paper II Notes
Public Administration Paper 2
Public Administration Paper 1
Public Administration Value Addition

IFoS Strategy

45 Days Strategy
Forestry Strategy
Geology Strategy

Acads Prelims 2024 Answer key

Around 5 questions have confusing options and there might be variation between correct answer and UPSC answer key. All confusing questions have been marked in Red. For the remaining questions, answers are correct!

In version 2, we’ll be providing what is technically correct answer and what UPSC might mark e.g. in case of NBFC and LAF, UPSC might mark this as incorrect. Similarly, there are 4 more questions.

Stay tuned.

For any confusion or correction, please mail us on [email protected] or text us on telegram @marks_up

Study Smart, Not Hard
Acads AI

@acadsCSE @IndianForestServices

The thrill of Prelims!

Tomorrow is the day. The day of CSE 24 prelims exam. The day you'll face 100 new and thrilling questions

Thrilling is not something you usually associate with an exam. However, this exam is different. Each question invokes a mixed feelings of excitement, fear and thrill. One option you would be able to eliminate easily, another option by some intuition. The real suspense appears in last 2 options

With each passing question the fear will start taking over. After all how we all are human with human weaknesses. The secret is to take each question as a new question. Mark each question with your brain and not your heart.

Remember, Prelims is not about knowledge but about temperament. Knowledge puts you in the race, but temperament makes you win it!

Feel the fear but cherish the excitement that comes with each new question. Who knows, it might be your last prelims!

May the probability be with you

@g0uravs

12 days to go for UPSC prelims!

What to expect

1. Feeling that you are forgetting everything

2. Extreme highs and lows - one moment you might imagine yourself scoring 130+/clearning IFS cutoff and the next moment unsure of even clearing CSE cutoff

3. Panic attacks after imagining most of the questions coming from the sections you skipped

4. Sudden realization that you don't know even the order of Mughals (Or Vijaynagara dynasty) when it comes to medieval

5. 1-2 two tests scores in 70s

6. A few "veterans" giving you gyan on how difficult prelims is and "prelims aise nahi nikalta"

7. Family/relatives testing you by asking random-est of information

8. Need for validation on both emotional/intellectual fronts

9. A few days of low/zero productivity

Just remember one thing, everyone is feeling the same and this is a part of UPSC (of any other exam) process. Try to minimize the last one and be comfortable with others.

Feel the feelings but execute the planned schedule.

May the probability be with you!

@g0uravs @gsifs

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/madhya-pradesh-man-completing-25-km-walk-test-for-forest-guard-post-falls-sick-dies-5745086


For IFS selected candidates, the final result is followed by 25 KM walking test that one needs to complete within the time duration of 4 hours.

Although, I passed the test twice in 2020 and 2022 exams, there were many who couldn't. A few candidates failed to clear even even in their second chance and their future is uncertain.

Don't believe anyone who says it's easy. Please don't take the test lightly. Start practicing. Form your own strategy. Focus on your health.

More importantly, know when to quit. Often, candidates are not given enough time to appear in the test. It's a possibility that you might feel exhausted and sick during the test. It's never a good strategy to push your body unnecessarily.

Remember, Life is more precious than any job!

IFS Cutoff: 18 marks more than CSE Prelims Cutoff!!

As mentioned, the correct answer is (D) 45 as per UPSC answer key.

Most of the institutes got 15-20 questions wrong after release of UPSC answer key.

IFS 2023 Final Result