APPSC Forest Beat Officer 2026
Can I apply for APPSC Forest Beat Officer 2026 with my Intermediate, age and height, and how do the written exam, walking test and computer test work?
Forest Beat Officer is a field post in the Andhra Pradesh Forest Subordinate Service, and APPSC fills it by direct recruitment. Notification No. 18/2026, dated 16 October 2026, offers 23 posts across 10 districts. You apply online at psc.ap.gov.in from 16 October to 5 November 2026, until 11:59 pm. You need an Intermediate pass or its equivalent, and you must be 18 to 30 on 1 July 2026, with 5 more years for SC, ST, BC and EWS. Men need a height of at least 163 cm and women 150 cm, plus a chest standard. The written test is computer based: a 50-mark qualifying essay, then two 100-mark objective papers. Candidates at a 1:2 ratio then walk 25 km (men) or 16 km (women) in 4 hours and face a medical board. The last step is a qualifying computer test, and the final merit is the written marks plus NCC bonus marks.
This page may be out of date. It was due for a re-check on 30 June 2027. Confirm every rule with the official source before acting on it.
Applications are open from 16 October to 5 November 2026. The written test date will be announced on psc.ap.gov.in.
Exam at a glance
- Notification
- APPSC Notification No. 18/2026, dated 16/10/2026 (Forest Beat Officer, A.P. Forest Subordinate Service, general recruitment)[1]
- Posts
- 23 vacancies, district-wise, in 10 districts[1]
- Apply
- Online at psc.ap.gov.in, 16 October to 5 November 2026, until 11:59 pm, after One Time Profile Registration (OTPR)[1]
- Qualification
- Intermediate (Class 12) or its equivalent, passed by 16 October 2026, the date of the notification[1]
- Age on 1 July 2026
- 18 to 30 years; SC, ST, BC and EWS get 5 more years[1]
- Scale of pay
- Rs 25,220-80,910 (as printed)[1]
- Height and chest
- Men 163 cm, chest 84 cm; women 150 cm, chest 79 cm; 5 cm chest expansion for both[1]
- Fee
- Rs 250 application processing fee plus Rs 80 examination fee; SC, ST, BC, ex-servicemen, white-card families and unemployed youth of Andhra Pradesh pay only the Rs 250[1]
- Written test
- Computer based (CBRT): a 50-mark qualifying essay, then Paper I and Paper II of 100 questions, 100 marks and 100 minutes each[1]
- Wrong answers
- Minus 1/3 of the question's marks[1]
- Walking test
- Men 25 km in 4 hours, women 16 km in 4 hours; qualifying, no marks[1]
- Exam date
- Not announced; APPSC says it will tell candidates later[1]
This check runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere. It applies the qualification, age and physical rules in APPSC Notification No. 18/2026 of 16 October 2026, checked on 21 October 2026. It tells you whether you can apply, not your chances. APPSC and the Forest Department measure and verify everything themselves.
Where the 23 seats are
APPSC Forest Beat Officer 2026: from form to selection
| District | Open seats | Local seats | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASR (Agency) | None | 3 ST | 3 posts |
| Anakapalli | None | 1 OC | 1 post |
| Eluru (Agency) | None | 2 ST | 2 posts |
| Prakasam | 1 OC | 1 BC-D | 2 posts |
| Nellore | None | 1 BC-C | 1 post |
| Nandyal | 1 OC | 1 OC, 1 SC Group-I, 1 BC-A | 4 posts |
| Tirupati | 1 OC | 1 OC, 1 SC Group-I | 3 posts |
| Annamayya | 1 OC | 1 SC Group-I | 2 posts |
| Y.S.R. Kadapa | 1 BC-D | 1 BC-A, 1 BC-E | 3 posts |
| Chittoor | 1 SC Group-I | 1 BC-A | 2 posts |
By community: OC 7, SC Group-I 4, BC-A 3, BC-C 1, BC-D 2, BC-E 1, ST 5 (23 in all). Two seats are for women: the ST seat in ASR (Agency) and the BC-E seat in Y.S.R. Kadapa. The other 16 districts of Andhra Pradesh have no vacancy in this notification.[1]
| Who | Relaxation |
|---|---|
| SC, ST, BC and EWS | 5 years |
| Ex-servicemen, NCC instructors, A.P. State Government employees, retrenched Census staff | None for this post (APPSC errata, 23 October 2026) |
APPSC's errata of 23 October 2026 corrected para 5.2: only SC, ST, BC and EWS candidates get extra years. Under G.O.Ms.No.88 of 19 July 2000, the age concessions for State Government employees, ex-servicemen and NCC instructors don't apply to Forest Beat Officer recruitment. The post has no reservation for persons with benchmark disabilities, so there is no PBD relaxation either.[2]
| Standard | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 163 cm or more | 150 cm or more |
| Chest on full inspiration | 84 cm or more | 79 cm or more |
| Chest expansion | 5 cm or more | 5 cm or more |
| Walking test | 25 km in 4 hours | 16 km in 4 hours |
Minimum height is 5 cm lower for Gurkhas, Nepalese, Assamese, NAFA, Naga, Manipur, Gauhati, Kummoni, Sikkimese and Bhutanese candidates and Scheduled Tribes. If the ST quota can't be filled, ST standards can go down to 158 cm height and 78.8 cm chest, with 5 cm expansion. Normal eyesight is also required.[1]
| Paper | Questions | Time | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying test: essay in English, Telugu or Urdu on forests and environment (descriptive) | 1 question | 45 minutes | 50 marks, qualifying only |
| Paper I: General Studies and Mental Ability (objective) | 100 questions | 100 minutes | 100 marks |
| Paper II: General Science and General Mathematics, SSC standard (objective) | 100 questions | 100 minutes | 100 marks |
| Computer Proficiency Test (practical, after the walking test and medical) | Practical tasks | 60 minutes | 100 marks, qualifying only |
Papers I and II make up the 200 merit marks. A wrong answer costs 1/3 of the question's marks. To qualify in the written test you need an aggregate of 40% (OC, sportspersons, ex-servicemen, EWS), 35% (BC) or 30% (SC, ST). The computer test needs 40 marks (OC), 35 (BC) or 30 (SC, ST) out of 100.[1]
Forest Beat Officer is a post in the Andhra Pradesh Forest Subordinate Service, filled district by district. The notification treats it as outdoor work: on top of the written exam it asks for a walking test and a Medical Board certificate of fitness for outdoor work in the Forest Department. APPSC runs the recruitment; the Forest Department arranges the walking test and the medical.[1]
- It suits someone with an Intermediate pass who is under 30, likes outdoor work, and wants a state government post close to home. Most seats go to local candidates of each district.
- Paper II is SSC standard, meaning Class 10 science and maths. If you kept those subjects fresh, you start ahead. Arts and commerce students can catch up, but plan more time for it.
- It is a harder fit if you are below the height or chest standard, or not used to long walks. The 25 km (men) or 16 km (women) walk in 4 hours carries no marks, but failing it ends your attempt.
- With only 23 seats, there may be none for your district and community. Check the seats table before you invest months in preparation.
Source[1]
The post is a district cadre post. Under the Presidential Order 2025, 95% of the seats in each district go to that district's local candidates. You are local to a district if you studied there for at least four consecutive academic years up to and including the year you took Class 7, or lived there for those years if you weren't in school. Keep your Class 1 to 7 study certificates ready; a residence certificate is accepted only if you never studied in a school up to Class 7.
The seats in the scheduled (Agency) areas are 100% reserved for local Scheduled Tribe candidates: the 3 ST seats in ASR (Agency) and the 2 in Eluru (Agency). Local ST means you or your parents have lived continuously in the scheduled areas of the district since 26 January 1950, shown by a Tahsildar's certificate.[1]
Step one is the computer-based written test. You must sit every paper; missing one disqualifies you. If the test runs in several sessions, APPSC normalises the scores and announces results as percentiles. Questions are set in English and translated into Telugu, and the English version counts.
On the written merit, APPSC picks candidates at 1:2 for the walking test and the medical examination by the Medical Board at Rajamahendravaram. Those who pass both sit the Computer Proficiency Test, which tests office software (word processing, spreadsheets, presentations) and is only qualifying.
The final list is drawn from those who cleared the walking test, the medical and the computer test, ranked on written marks plus NCC bonus marks: 5 for a C certificate, 3 for B and 1 for A. On equal marks the older candidate ranks higher. There is no waiting list.[1]
Paper I, General Studies and Mental Ability: everyday science and technology, current events of national and Andhra Pradesh importance, Indian history with a focus on Andhra Pradesh and the national movement, geography of India and Andhra Pradesh, Indian polity and economy, reasoning, sustainable development and environmental protection, and disaster management.
Paper II has 50 marks of General Science and 50 of General Mathematics at SSC (Class 10) standard. The science half covers energy sources, life processes, reproduction and heredity, metals and non-metals, carbon compounds, environment and water conservation, the solar system and satellites, and ethnobotany: the botanical names and uses of a printed list of medicinal plants such as neem, tulsi, ashwagandha and sandal. The maths half covers arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry, geometry, mensuration and statistics.[1]
Tips and tricks
- Check your OTPR before you pay. The details used for the fee and age relaxation come from it and can't be changed in the correction window.[1]
- Practise the walk, not just the syllabus. Men need about 6.25 km an hour for 4 hours and women 4 km an hour. Time yourself over the full distance on a weekend well before the test.[1]
- Learn the medicinal plant list in Paper II with both names. The notification prints the common and botanical names side by side, so you can learn them as pairs.[1]
- If you hold an NCC certificate, keep it ready. A C certificate adds 5 marks to your written score, which can decide a seat when only 23 are on offer.[1]
- Practise for the computer test early. It comes after the walking test, and failing it rules you out even with top written marks. Regular practice on a word processor, a spreadsheet and slides covers what it tests.[1]
Questions people ask
What is the last date to apply for APPSC Forest Beat Officer 2026?
5 November 2026, until 11:59 pm. Applications opened on 16 October 2026 on psc.ap.gov.in.[1]
What is the age limit for APPSC Forest Beat Officer?
18 to 30 on 1 July 2026. SC, ST, BC and EWS candidates get 5 more years, and nobody else gets a relaxation. APPSC's errata of 23 October 2026 removed the ex-servicemen, NCC instructor, State Government employee and Census staff concessions printed in the notification. There is no relaxation for persons with disabilities, as the post has no PBD reservation.[2]
What qualification do I need for APPSC FBO?
An Intermediate pass or its equivalent, from any stream, held on 16 October 2026, the date of the notification.[1]
What is the height required for APPSC Forest Beat Officer?
163 cm for men and 150 cm for women, 5 cm less for Scheduled Tribes and some hill and north-eastern groups listed in the notification. Men also need an 84 cm chest and women 79 cm, with 5 cm expansion.[1]
How long is the walking test for APPSC FBO?
Men walk 25 km and women 16 km, each within 4 hours. It carries no marks but you must pass it.[1]
Is there negative marking in the APPSC Forest Beat Officer exam?
Yes. Each wrong answer costs 1/3 of the marks for that question.[1]
How many vacancies are there in APPSC FBO 2026?
23, in 10 districts: Nandyal 4; ASR (Agency), Tirupati and Y.S.R. Kadapa 3 each; Eluru (Agency), Prakasam, Annamayya and Chittoor 2 each; Anakapalli and Nellore 1 each.[1]
When is the APPSC Forest Beat Officer exam?
APPSC hasn't announced it. The notification says the exam date will be given later, and hall tickets will be on psc.ap.gov.in.[1]
Connected pages
- Related · PathwayAfter Class 12 Science (PCB)What Physics, Chemistry and Biology in Class 12 open up: MBBS, BDS and AYUSH via NEET (UG), nursing and veterinary seats that use NEET, and B.Sc via CUET (UG).
- Related · PathwayAfter Class 12 Arts (Humanities)What Class 12 Arts (Humanities) opens up: BA through CUET (UG), five-year law through CLAT, CA Foundation from any stream, and B.Planning if you have Maths.
- Related · ExamAPPSC Group-I Services 2026APPSC Group-I 2026: 166 posts from Deputy Collector to DSP, the age window on 1 July 2026, the Screening Test on 24 January 2027, Mains and interview.
- Related · ExamSSC CHSL (Combined Higher Secondary Level Examination)SSC CHSL 2026 from the official SSC notice: LDC/JSA and Data Entry Operator posts, the 18-27 age rule, Tier-I and Tier-II pattern and the typing or skill test.
- Related · ExamAPPSC Analyst Grade-II 2026APPSC Analyst Grade-II 2026: 18 Pollution Control Board posts for science graduates aged 18 to 44, the two-paper exam, seats by community and the dates.
Official and partner links
Sources
- Notification No. 18/2026 dated 16/10/2026: Direct Recruitment to the post of Forest Beat Officer in A.P. Forest Subordinate Service (General Recruitment), 34 pages, Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission. para 1 pp. 1-2; para 3 pp. 2-3; para 4 pp. 3-5; para 5 pp. 5-6; para 6 pp. 6-7; para 7 pp. 7-9; para 8 p. 9; paras 9-11 pp. 9-11; para 12 p. 11; para 14 pp. 12-13; Annexure-I pp. 15-16; Annexure-II pp. 17-23. Accessed 1 November 2026.
- Errata to para 5.2 of Notification Nos. 17/2026 (Forest Section Officer) and 18/2026 (Forest Beat Officer), dated 23.10.2026, 1 page, Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission. Accessed 1 November 2026.
Found an error or a newer rule? Tell us through the corrections page. Updated 1 November 2026.