This page is written from APPSC's brief Notification No. 17/2026 (15 September 2026) for Forest Section Officer in the A.P. Forest Subordinate Service, 26 provisional posts, and its scheme annexure. Age, fee, physical standards and the exam date are not in the brief; they belong to the detailed notification, so this page does not state them. Eligibility and the application steps are in the FSO guide.
The scheme in one table
| Part | Subject | Questions | Minutes | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying test | General English (50) and General Telugu (50), SSC standard | 100 | 100 | 100 (qualifying) |
| Paper I | General Studies and Mental Ability | 150 | 150 | 150 |
| Paper II | Mathematics (SSC standard) | 150 | 150 | 150 |
| Paper III | General Forestry | 150 | 150 | 150 |
| Merit total | Papers I to III | 450 (our arithmetic) |
Three points decide how you plan:
- Single level, no screening. The brief says no screening test will be held, irrespective of the number of applications. Every eligible applicant sits the full set of papers.
- Online CBRT. If the test runs in several sessions, the Commission may normalise marks and will announce the method later; read that as a possibility, not a promise.
- One minute a question. Every objective part gives exactly as many minutes as questions, so the pace is the same all day.
The qualifying test is a gate, not a score
You must qualify in General English and in General Telugu separately. A high English mark cannot cover a weak Telugu mark, and neither is added to the 450. The qualifying mark is not printed in the brief; look for it in the detailed notification. Treat this part as a hurdle to clear with margin, then move on.
Negative marking, as arithmetic
Each wrong answer costs one-third of the marks for that question. With one mark per question, three wrong answers cancel one right answer. This is arithmetic from the scheme, not APPSC advice: an answer where you have eliminated at least one option is worth attempting; a blind guess is not.
After the written test
The brief says candidates must undergo a walking test and a medical examination arranged by the Forest Department with the Commission's concurrence. Both are qualifying. The walking distance, time limit, height, chest and eyesight standards are set out in the detailed notification, so we quote none here; read them there before you apply. The annexure also prints the scheme of the Commission's Computer Proficiency Test; the brief does not say at which stage it applies to FSO, so check the detailed notification.
Dates that are fixed, and one that is not
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Brief notification | 15 September 2026 |
| Online application | 16 October to 5 November 2026 |
| Exam date | Not announced |
| Cut-offs | None exist yet; see the cut-off page |
Update your OTPR on psc.ap.gov.in before applying.
How FSO differs from Forest Beat Officer
The Forest Beat Officer (Notification 18/2026) has a qualifying essay and two 100-mark papers; the FSO has a qualifying objective language test and three 150-mark papers, including a forestry paper the FBO does not have. Both are single-level CBRTs with one-third negative marking, and both end in a walking test and medical. If you hold the degree, read both schemes before deciding where your preparation goes.
What this page does not have
- The qualifying mark for the language test, the question split within each paper, and the normalisation method.
- Age, fee, physical standards, community-wise post breakup and the exam date: all in the detailed notification.
Full-length mocks on Pareeksha are Pro; the 10-question mini-mock and Daily Dangal are free.
Related: Syllabus · Cut-off · Preparation strategy