This page is based on APPSC's brief Notification No. 18/2026 for Forest Beat Officer in the A.P. Forest Subordinate Service, dated 15 September 2026, and its scheme annexure. The detailed notification is due on or before 16 October 2026; physical standards, age and fee for 2026 will be confirmed there. Where we quote the 2025 cycle (Notification 06/2025), we say so.
Key facts
| Item | 2026 (Notification 18/2026) |
|---|---|
| Posts | 23 Forest Beat Officer, A.P. Forest Subordinate Service |
| Pay scale | Rs.25,220–80,910 |
| Qualification | Intermediate or equivalent, as on the date of the detailed notification |
| Detailed notification | On or before 16-10-2026 (its date is the crucial date) |
| Online applications | 16-10-2026 to 05-11-2026, 11:59 PM |
| Exam | Single-level, online CBRT, no screening test |
| Exam date | Not yet announced |
APPSC issued 20 brief notifications on 15-09-2026; FBO is one of the batch whose applications run from 16 October to 5 November. The same batch includes the other forest notifications: Forest Section Officer (17/2026, 26 posts), Forest Range Officer (16/2026, 4 posts) and Draughtsman Gr-II (15/2026, 20 posts).
Stages at a glance
| Stage | What it is | Counts in merit? |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying Test | Essay (descriptive), 50 marks | No, must qualify |
| Paper-I and Paper-II | Objective, online CBRT, 200 marks | Yes |
| Walking test | Forest Department, at 1:2 | No, qualifying |
| Medical examination | Medical Board, at 1:2 | No, qualifying |
Written examination scheme
Scheme under G.O.Ms.No.3 GA (Ser-A) dated 04-01-2019:
| Paper | Subject | Questions | Time | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying Test | Essay in English, Telugu or Urdu on a theme related to Forests and Environment (descriptive) | 1 | 45 minutes | 50 |
| Paper-I | General Studies and Mental Ability (objective) | 100 | 100 minutes | 100 |
| Paper-II | General Science and General Mathematics, SSC standard (objective) | 100 | 100 minutes | 100 |
| Total (merit) | 200 |
- Negative marking: 1/3 of the marks for each wrong answer (G.O.Ms.No.235 Finance, 06-12-2016).
- Paper-II is split into General Science (50 marks) and General Mathematics (50 marks).
- Online CBRT. If the exam is held in more than one session, APPSC will normalise marks by a method it will notify.
- The essay is qualifying: it must be cleared, but its 50 marks are not part of the 200.
How the 200 marks split
| Block | Marks | Share of 200 |
|---|---|---|
| Paper-I: General Studies and Mental Ability (8 syllabus heads) | 100 | 50% |
| Paper-II: General Science | 50 | 25% |
| Paper-II: General Mathematics | 50 | 25% |
Paper-I covers general science, current events of India and AP, Indian history with an AP focus, geography of India with an AP focus, polity and economy, mental ability, sustainable development and environmental protection, and disaster management. Paper-II is school (SSC) standard science and maths. The syllabus page lists every unit.
The qualifying essay
One essay, 45 minutes, 50 marks, written in English, Telugu or Urdu on a theme related to forests and environment. It is descriptive, so it is evaluated by examiners rather than by machine. The brief does not print the qualifying percentage; look for it in the detailed notification. Because it is a pass-or-fail hurdle, a weak essay can cost you the post however well you score in the objective papers.
If you write in Telugu (our suggestion): even in your mother tongue, a well-organised essay in 45 minutes needs practice. Learn the standard Telugu terms for forest and environment words (biodiversity, mangroves, groundwater recharge, climate change, forest fire). Keep to an introduction, three or four paragraphs and a conclusion, and add one or two examples from AP's forests and coast.
Computer-based test and normalisation
The 2026 exam is an online CBRT, not a pen-and-paper OMR test. If APPSC runs it in several sessions, it will normalise scores so that candidates who got a harder session are not disadvantaged; the method will be notified. Practise on screen: reading a question, marking, reviewing and moving on with a mouse is slower at first than on paper.
Walking test and medical
The brief says candidates must take a walking test and a medical examination by a Medical Board. Both are arranged by the Forest Department with APPSC's concurrence. APPSC picks candidates in the ratio 1:2 of vacancies under General Rules 22 and 22A. With 23 posts, that is about 46 candidates (our arithmetic). The brief states the ratio with reference to the total vacancies; how calls split by reservation will show in the detailed notification and the result note. Either way, so few are called that the written rank is the real contest.
Standards from the 2025 detailed notification, expected to carry over; confirm in the 2026 detailed notification:
| Standard | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Walking test (qualifying, no marks) | 25 km in 4 hours | 16 km in 4 hours |
| Height | at least 163 cm | at least 150 cm |
| Chest | at least 84 cm, expansion 5 cm | at least 79 cm, expansion 5 cm |
Height is relaxable by 5 cm for STs and hill communities; the 2025 notification also gives an ST standard of 158 cm height and 78.8 cm chest. The 2025 notification gave NCC bonus marks: C certificate 5, B certificate 3, A certificate 1.
What changed from 2025
| 2025 (Notification 06/2025) | 2026 (Notification 18/2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Stages | Screening Test, then Main exam | Single-level exam only |
| Screening Test | 150 marks (75 + 75), 1/3 negative | None, whatever the number of applicants |
| Main / single exam | Essay 50 (qualifying) + Paper-I 100 + Paper-II 100 | Same: essay 50 + 100 + 100 |
| Mode | As notified in 2025 | Online CBRT, normalisation if multi-session |
| Age | 18–30 | In the detailed notification |
| Fee | Rs.250 + Rs.80 | In the detailed notification |
Dropping the screening stage means every eligible applicant sits the merit exam directly. There is no shortlisting round to clear first, so your first attempt at Paper-I and Paper-II is the one that counts.
Eligibility and fee
- Qualification: Intermediate or equivalent, held as on the date of the detailed notification.
- Age: to be stated in the detailed notification. The 2025 cycle used 18–30. Do not assume the 18–44 limit printed for most Group-I posts; that limit comes from an order for non-uniform posts, and FBO has physical standards. Wait for the detailed notification.
- Fee: to be stated in the detailed notification. The 2025 cycle charged Rs.250 plus Rs.80.
- OTPR: APPSC's web note of 29-09-2026 requires every applicant to update OTPR particulars from 30-09-2026 before applying for any APPSC notification.
How to apply
- Update your OTPR at psc.ap.gov.in (compulsory from 30-09-2026).
- Read the detailed notification when it is published (on or before 16-10-2026) for age, fee, physical standards and the community-wise breakup of the 23 posts.
- Apply online between 16-10-2026 and 05-11-2026 (11:59 PM). Applications in any other mode are not accepted.
- Keep certificates ready for Intermediate, community, and NCC if you hold one, since the 2025 cycle gave NCC bonus marks.
Common misreadings
- "There will be a screening round, so I can prepare later." Not in 2026. The first exam is the merit exam; be fully prepared from day one.
- "Essay marks add to the total." They do not. The 50 marks are qualifying only.
- "A strong walking test raises my rank." It does not. It is qualifying; rank comes from the written marks (plus any bonus marks the notification allows).
- "Maths is only SSC level, so it is easy." It is 50 marks, a quarter of the merit total, and the syllabus includes logarithms, quadratic equations, trigonometry and loci.
- "The 2025 age limit will apply again." It may or may not. Do not assume anything until the detailed notification is out.
CBRT test-day tips
Our suggestions; follow the official instructions that come with the hall ticket:
- Take full mocks on screen beforehand so that "mark for review" and the question palette feel familiar.
- In the first round, answer only what you know; mark hard questions for review and return in a second round.
- If a rough sheet is provided, keep your working in order, with question numbers; it saves time when you review.
What this means for your attempt strategy
Our arithmetic from the scheme, not APPSC advice:
- Time: 100 questions in 100 minutes per paper, so 60 seconds a question.
- Guessing: a right answer adds the full mark and a wrong one costs a third, so an attempt helps on average once your chance of being right is above 25%. Eliminate first.
- Weight: General Science is 50 marks in Paper-II, and Paper-I also opens with general science, so science is the biggest single subject across the two papers.
- Walking pace: 25 km in 4 hours is 6.25 km/h; 16 km in 4 hours is 4 km/h. A brisk walk is about 5–6 km/h, so men in particular need specific training.
- Few posts, one exam: with 23 posts and no screening round, the written rank is decided by one exam of two 100-minute papers. Rehearse it: both papers in one session, on screen, with the 1/3 penalty applied to your score.
- Essay first: the essay is the only descriptive part and the only one that can eliminate you outright before the merit list. Write at least one timed 45-minute essay a week.
Full topic lists are on the syllabus page; a 45-day plan is in the preparation strategy.
Related: Syllabus · Cut-off · Preparation strategy