AP Forest Beat Officer and Forest Section Officer 2026: Scheme, Syllabus and Walking Test

Two field-level forest posts are open for recruitment in Andhra Pradesh this season: Forest Beat Officer (FBO) and Forest Section Officer (FSO), both in the A.P. Forest Subordinate Service. Both are recruited by the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC), both use a single-level online test with no screening round, and both end in a walking test and a medical examination run by the Forest Department. The two posts differ in qualification, in the written papers and in pay.

This guide is built from the Commission's own brief notifications, which the Commission published on 15 September 2026, and from its 2025 detailed notification for the same post, which is the most recent source for age, fee and physical standards. Where a rule comes from the previous cycle rather than the current one, the text says so. Every time-sensitive figure carries the date and the source. If you read only one line before applying: the detailed notification for the current cycle was due on or before 16 October 2026, and it is the document that fixes the crucial date, the age limit and the physical standards.

1. The two posts and what they are not

The Forest Beat Officer is the entry grade of the field staff. A beat is the smallest territorial charge in a forest division, and the officer in charge patrols it, watches for felling, grazing and encroachment, keeps records and reports offences. The Forest Section Officer supervises a group of beats, which forms a section, and carries more technical and supervisory duty. Above the section sit the range, the division and the circle. The notifications place both FBO and FSO in the "A.P. Forest Subordinate Service". The Forest Range Officer is a different post, in the "A.P. Forest Service", and is advertised separately as Notification 16/2026.

Three nearby posts are easy to confuse with these two. The Assistant Beat Officer was advertised together with the FBO in the 2025 cycle (Notification 06/2025) but does not appear in the 2026 FBO notification. The Draughtsman Grade-II (Technical Assistant) in the same service is Notification 15/2026. The Thanedar was Notification 13/2025. If you search the APPSC site by post name, check the notification number and the year before you read anything.

As on October 2026 (source: APPSC brief notifications dated 15/09/2026):

Item	Forest Beat Officer	Forest Section Officer
Notification	18/2026	17/2026
Service	A.P. Forest Subordinate Service	A.P. Forest Subordinate Service
Provisional vacancies	23	26
Scale of pay (Rs)	25,220 - 80,910	32,670 - 1,01,970
Application window	16/10/2026 to 05/11/2026, 11:59 PM	16/10/2026 to 05/11/2026, 11:59 PM
Qualification	Intermediate or equivalent	Degree in listed subjects (see section 3)
Examination	Single-level CBRT, no screening	Single-level CBRT, no screening

The Commission states that the vacancies are provisional and subject to variation once the department confirms them. Treat 23 and 26 as the figures on the day of the brief notice, not as final.

2. How the selection works

The brief notification for each post says that the examination is a single-level examination only and that no screening test will be held, irrespective of the number of applications. It is a computer-based recruitment test (CBRT). If the test runs in several sessions, the Commission may normalise marks "wherever considered necessary and applicable", and it will announce the method later. Read that as a possibility, not a promise.

After the written test, the notification's note says that candidates must undergo a walking test and a medical examination conducted by a medical board. Both are arranged by the Forest Department, with the concurrence of APPSC. The Commission picks candidates for these tests in the ratio of 1:2 against the number of vacancies, applying General Rules 22 and 22A. That is important arithmetic: if a post has 23 vacancies, about 46 candidates would be called for the physical stage, in order of written-test merit and subject to reservation rules. The walking test is a qualifying endurance test, not a scoring one.

There is also a Computer Proficiency Test (CPT). Both notifications annex its scheme. The 2026 brief notification does not say at which point the CPT is held; in the 2025 cycle, the final selection was made from those who had qualified in the walking test, the medical examination and the CPT, on the basis of marks in the written examination, observing roster points. Expect the same shape again and confirm in the detailed notification.

A simple sequence to plan around:

1. Apply online between 16 October and 5 November 2026.
2. Appear for the single-level CBRT.
3. If you are within the 1:2 list, appear for the walking test and the medical board.
4. Qualify the CPT.
5. Final merit follows the written marks, with reservation rules.

3. Eligibility

Forest Beat Officer. The 2026 brief notification asks for a pass in the Intermediate examination or its equivalent, held as on the date of the detailed notification. It also says to see the physical requirements in the online detailed notification. Because the date of the detailed notification is the crucial date "in all aspects", an Intermediate result that arrives after that date will not count.

Forest Section Officer. The brief notification asks for a Bachelor's degree with one of these as a subject: Botany, Forestry, Horticulture, Zoology, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Statistics, Geology or Agriculture. A Bachelor's degree in Engineering in Chemical, Mechanical or Civil Engineering also qualifies, from a recognised university or an equivalent institution. Read the sentence as "a degree with the subject", which is a different test from "a degree in the subject". Your marks memo should show the subject by name.

Age, fee and relaxation: last cycle only. The current detailed notification was not out when this page was updated. The 2025 detailed notification (06/2025, dated 14/07/2025) fixed the age band at 18 to 30 years as on 1 July 2025, with a relaxation of five years for SC, ST, BC and EWS candidates. It also stated that the general-rule age concession for defence personnel and NCC instructors does not apply to class-A forest posts under a 2000 government order. The application processing fee was Rs 250 and the examination fee Rs 80, with the examination fee exempt for SC, ST, BC, ex-servicemen, white-card families (residents of AP) and certain unemployed youth. Use these only to understand the structure. The 2026 figures will be in the new document.

Physical standards: last cycle only. In the 2025 notification for the Forest Beat Officer, men had to be at least 163 cm tall with a chest of at least 84 cm on full inspiration and an expansion of at least 5 cm. Women had to be at least 150 cm with a chest of at least 79 cm and an expansion of at least 5 cm. The minimum height was relaxable by 5 cm for the groups named in the rule, including Scheduled Tribes. Candidates needed normal eyesight. The walking test for men was 25 km in 4 hours, and for women 16 km in 4 hours, and the notification called it a qualifying endurance test that carries no marks. The medical board sat at Rajamahendravaram in that cycle and the candidate needed a certificate of sound hearing and general fitness for outdoor work. A physical measurement certificate from a medical officer not below the rank of Civil Assistant Surgeon was also required at the appropriate stage.

For 2026 the brief notice only says "see the physical requirements in the online detailed notification". Do not assume that the 2025 numbers carry forward unchanged.

4. The Forest Beat Officer papers

The scheme follows G.O.Ms.No.3, General Administration (Ser-A) Department, dated 04.01.2019.

Part	Subject	Questions	Minutes	Marks
Qualifying test	Essay in English, Telugu or Urdu (descriptive)	1	45	50
Paper I	General Studies and Mental Ability	100	100	100
Paper II	General Science and General Mathematics (SSC standard)	100	100	100
Total merit marks				200

Three points are easy to miss. First, the essay is a qualifying test: its 50 marks do not add to the 200, but you must qualify it. The notification fixes the theme as one relating to forests and environment, and it fixes the languages as English, Telugu or Urdu. The minimum qualifying mark for the essay is not in the brief annexure, so check the detailed notification. Second, negative marking applies: each wrong answer costs one-third of the marks for the question, under G.O.Ms.No.235, Finance (HR-I, Planning and Policy) Department, dated 06/12/2016. Third, Paper II is "SSC standard", so the level is Class 10 science and mathematics, not Intermediate.

Time per question. Paper I has 100 questions in 100 minutes, so you have an average of one minute per question. With one mark per question and one-third of a mark deducted for a wrong answer, a guess is worth making only when you can remove at least one option confidently. Suppose you attempt 90 questions and get 72 right and 18 wrong. Your score is 72 minus 6, which is 66. If you leave out the six least certain answers and lose three of them, you gain three marks and lose one, a net gain of two. The point of the exercise is simple: the penalty is mild, so informed guesses help, and blind guesses do not.

5. Paper I: General Studies and Mental Ability

The official syllabus for Paper I has eight heads. Here they are, with a plain reading of what each asks of you.

1. General Science. Contemporary developments in science and technology and their implications, including matters of everyday observation and experience, as expected of an Intermediate pass who has not specialised in a science. Read news items on space missions, health, energy and technology, and link them to the textbook idea behind them.
2. Current events of national importance and the State of Andhra Pradesh. Keep a dated notebook with one line per event: what happened, which institution, which scheme or law, and the year.
3. History of India. The emphasis is on a broad understanding of the social, economic, cultural and political aspects, with a focus on Andhra Pradesh and the Indian National Movement. Our notes on the freedom struggle and social reform in Andhra and the formation of Andhra Pradesh cover this strand.
4. Geography of India with a focus on Andhra Pradesh. See the AP geography notes and the rivers, dams and irrigation notes.
5. Indian polity and economy. The political system, rural development, planning and economic reforms. The polity and Panchayati Raj notes apply here.
6. Mental ability, reasoning and inferences.
7. Sustainable development and environmental protection. This is the head closest to the work of the department, so give it extra time.
8. Disaster management. Concepts, the vulnerability profile of India and Andhra Pradesh, the causes and effects of earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis, floods and drought, and the prevention and mitigation of man-made disasters.

A sensible split of 100 questions is not published, so do not trust any blog that claims one. Prepare all eight heads and expect the mix to differ by session.

How to study the environment and disaster heads

Build a three-column sheet. In column one write the hazard or concept, for example cyclone. In column two write what the syllabus asks, for example causes, effects, and the coast of Andhra Pradesh. In column three write one example you can state in a sentence. For sustainable development, learn the idea of meeting present needs without harming future generations, then connect it to renewable energy, water conservation and afforestation. A question that asks for the best example of a mitigation measure is easier when you have written your own examples than when you have only read someone else's.

6. Paper II: General Science and General Mathematics

Paper II has two halves of 50 marks each, though the notification does not state how many of the 100 questions belong to each half. Plan for roughly equal weight.

General Science (SSC standard). The listed units are:

• Sources of energy: renewable (solar cooker, solar water heater, solar cell, wind, hydro including tides, geothermal, biogas, hydrogen, alcohol) and non-renewable (coal, petroleum, natural gas, combustion, fuel efficiency, nuclear fission and fusion, chain reaction, nuclear reactors and safety).
• The living world: nutrition, photosynthesis, the human digestive system, respiration in plants and animals, aerobic and anaerobic respiration, and the human respiratory system.
• Transportation and excretion: blood, clotting, blood groups, transfusion, the heart, lymphatic system, excretion, osmoregulation, and the nervous system with hormones and reflex action.
• Reproduction, growth, heredity and evolution: asexual and sexual reproduction, plant propagation, the human reproductive system, chromosomes, DNA, genes and sex determination.
• Natural resources: metals, ores, metallurgy of iron and aluminium, the activity series, corrosion, alloys, and non-metals including hydrogen, ammonia, sulphur and sulphuric acid.
• Carbon compounds: functional groups containing oxygen, alcohols, formaldehyde, acetone, acetic acid, polymers, soaps and detergents.
• Environment and environmental problems: pollution types, biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste, ecosystem interactions, ecological balance, water management, rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, forest conservation, the greenhouse effect, global warming, ozone depletion and acid rain.
• Ethnobotany: medicinal plants, their classification, botanical names and uses.
• The universe and space: the solar system, planets, asteroids, comets, stars, galaxies, and a brief history of space exploration, artificial satellites and their uses.

The ethnobotany unit is unusual and tends to surprise candidates, because it asks for botanical names. The syllabus lists seasonal plants such as ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), ginger (Zingiber officinale), turmeric (Curcuma longa), garlic (Allium sativum), fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), sarpagandha (Rauvolfia serpentina) and isabgol (Plantago ovata). It also lists perennial plants such as harad (Terminalia chebula), baheda (Terminalia bellirica), aonla (Phyllanthus emblica), neem (Azadirachta indica), babool (Acacia nilotica), sheesham (Dalbergia sissoo), karanj (Pongamia pinnata), peepal (Ficus religiosa), pomegranate (Punica granatum), sandal (Santalum album), arjuna (Terminalia arjuna) and bel (Aegle marmelos). Make flash cards with the common name on one side and the botanical name on the other. Say each pair aloud five times a day for a week, and the list stops feeling heavy.

General Mathematics (SSC standard). The six units are arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry, geometry, mensuration and statistics. Arithmetic includes number systems, unitary method, time and distance, time and work, percentages, simple and compound interest, profit and loss, ratio and proportion, HCF and LCM, divisibility tests and logarithms to base 10. Algebra covers polynomials, quadratic equations, simultaneous linear equations and laws of indices. Trigonometry is limited to ratios at 0, 30, 45, 60 and 90 degrees, simple identities and simple heights and distances. Geometry covers lines, triangles, congruence, similarity, parallelograms and circles. Mensuration covers areas and the surface area and volume of cuboids, cones, cylinders and spheres. Statistics covers tabulation, graphs and measures of central tendency.

Worked examples at the right level

Time and work. A can finish a plantation survey in 12 days and B in 18 days. Together they finish in 1 / (1/12 + 1/18) = 1 / (5/36) = 7.2 days.

Percentage. A nursery had 800 saplings and 15 per cent did not survive. Survivors are 85 per cent of 800, which is 680.

Simple interest. The interest on Rs 5,000 for 3 years at 8 per cent per annum is 5,000 × 8 × 3 / 100 = Rs 1,200.

Ratio. If 3 parts of a mixture are seeds and 5 parts are soil, seeds are 3/8 of the total. In a 40 kg bag, that is 15 kg.

Mensuration. A cylindrical water tank has a radius of 7 m and a height of 10 m. Its volume is πr²h = (22/7) × 49 × 10 = 1,540 cubic metres.

Trigonometry. A tower casts a shadow of 20 m when the sun is at 45 degrees. Height equals shadow length times tan 45, so the tower is 20 m tall.

Practice at this level, with a stopwatch, until each type takes under a minute.

7. The walking test, worked out

The 2025 standard for men was 25 km in 4 hours. That works out to an average speed of 6.25 km per hour, or 9 minutes and 36 seconds for each kilometre, sustained for four hours. For women, 16 km in 4 hours is 4 km per hour, or 15 minutes per kilometre. These are the previous cycle's numbers, so confirm them for 2026, but the arithmetic shows what training you need.

The strain is endurance, not speed. A person who can walk briskly for ten minutes may not hold a steady pace on the twentieth kilometre. A plan that works for most candidates:

• Weeks 1 to 2. Walk 5 to 6 km at a comfortable pace, four days a week.
• Weeks 3 to 6. Raise the distance of the longest walk each week by no more than ten per cent, up to 15 km, and add one 40-minute brisk walk in the middle of the week.
• Weeks 7 to 10. Build to 20 km on the weekend, holding 6 km per hour on at least part of it, and include a slight incline.
• Final fortnight. Do one trial of the full distance at the target pace, then taper. Rest properly in the last three days.

Wear the shoes you will use on the day, and test them in training. Practise drinking small amounts of water at planned intervals. If you have any chronic condition, see a doctor before you begin and not after you are called.

8. The Forest Section Officer papers

The Forest Section Officer scheme is an objective written examination at degree standard.

Part	Subject	Questions	Minutes	Marks
Qualifying test	General English (50) and General Telugu (50), SSC standard	100	100	100
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
Total merit marks				450

The qualifying paper has a rule that matters: the candidate must qualify in English and in Telugu individually, so a very good English score cannot cover a weak Telugu score. The English part covers comprehension, phrases and idioms, vocabulary and punctuation, and logical rearrangement of sentences. The Telugu part covers synonyms and vocabulary, grammar, Telugu to English meanings and English to Telugu meanings. The same negative marking rule applies, one-third of the marks for a wrong answer.

Paper I has ten heads: major current events (international, national and Andhra Pradesh); general science with information technology; the history of India with a focus on AP and the national movement; geography of India with a focus on AP; polity and governance including e-governance; the Indian economy and planning; sustainable development and environmental protection; disaster management including remote sensing and GIS; logical reasoning and analytical ability; and data analysis, including tabulation, visual representation and summary statistics such as mean, median, mode and variance.

Paper II repeats the SSC-standard mathematics units listed above, with 150 questions in 150 minutes. The questions are the same kind as in the FBO Paper II, but there are more of them, and the paper stands alone.

Paper III, General Forestry, is the heart of the exam. The official syllabus has eleven heads:

1. Plant science: cell structure, classification, plant physiology and nutrition, photosynthesis, hormones, DNA and RNA in cytology, propagation, seed biology, plant diseases, ecological adaptation, vegetation zones and forests of Andhra Pradesh, deforestation, afforestation and wasteland reclamation.
2. Forests and ecology: biodiversity, ecosystem structure, succession, food chains and pyramids, biogeographic classification of India, hotspots, threats such as habitat loss and man-wildlife conflict, endangered and endemic species, in-situ and ex-situ conservation, the Convention on Biological Diversity, forest protection and carbon sequestration.
3. Horticulture: its branches, importance, propagation by cuttage, layerage and grafting, and greenhouse production.
4. Soil science: rocks and minerals, geological structures, field use of the clinometer compass, soil types and classification, forest soils, erosion, soil conservation, wind breaks and shelter belts, reclamation of saline and alkaline soils, and manures and fertilisers.
5. Management of water resources and watersheds: water sources, demand, quality and analysis, waterborne diseases, potable water standards, forest hydrology, watershed management and water harvesting.
6. General silviculture, agroforestry, social forestry and community participation, including the economic importance of named tree species, agroforestry systems, urban forestry in Andhra Pradesh and AP community forest management.
7. Animal health and nutrition: feed and fodder, supplements, deficiencies, contagious diseases of cattle, buffaloes, sheep and goats, and animal feed management in zoological parks.
8. Economic zoology: beneficial and harmful insects, insect vectors, industrial fish, prawns and molluscs, poisonous and non-poisonous snakes, venomous animals, genetic disorders, genetic counselling and DNA as a forensic tool.
9. Forest economics, legislation and administration: cost-benefit analysis, demand and supply, the objectives and essence of the AP Forest Act 1967, the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, the Forest Conservation Act 1980 and the Forest Rights Act 2006, and the structure of the Indian Forest Service, the AP State Forest Service and the AP State Forest Subordinate Service.
10. Forest mensuration, remote sensing and working plans: measuring girth, height and volume, form factor, annual increment, yield tables, forest surveying, remote sensing and GIS, walkie-talkie communication basics, working plans versus management plans, and sampling methods.
11. Environmental science: pollution types, solid waste, environmental ethics, climate change, and renewable and non-renewable resources.

Unlike the FBO syllabus, the FSO syllabus names the four forest laws explicitly. Learn each law by four things: year, what it regulates, who administers it, and one typical provision. The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 provides protected areas and schedules of species. The Forest Conservation Act of 1980 restricts the diversion of forest land for non-forest use without central approval. The Forest Rights Act of 2006 recognises the rights of Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers. The AP Forest Act of 1967 is the State's own forest law. The Indian Forest Act of 1927, which is not named in the notification, is the older foundation and is still useful background.

9. The Computer Proficiency Test

Both notifications annex the CPT scheme, based on G.O.Ms.No.26, General Administration (Ser.B) Department, dated 24.02.2023. It is a practical test of 100 marks and 60 minutes, covering proficiency in office automation with the use of computers and associated software. The minimum qualifying marks are 30 for SC and ST, 35 for BC and 40 for OC candidates.

The assessment pattern is: Part A with multiple-choice questions for 20 per cent of the marks, and Part B as a computer-based practical in which the candidate prepares a formatted document, with typing speed assessed for 25 per cent, organising and inserting objects for 15 per cent, an Excel task for 20 per cent and a PowerPoint task for 20 per cent. The syllabus lists computer fundamentals, software types, operating systems (Windows, with basic Linux and macOS concepts), internet, e-mail and the web, and then a full office suite (word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software).

Treat the CPT as a skill you can learn in a month. Practise typing, then a formatted letter with a table and a header, then an Excel sheet with sum, average, conditional formatting and a chart, then a five-slide presentation with a transition. Do these on whatever office suite you have, since the syllabus accepts an equivalent open-source suite.

10. A 12-week plan for the Forest Beat Officer

This plan assumes about three hours of study and an hour of physical training a day.

Weeks	Study focus	Physical focus
1 to 3	Class 8 to 10 science, one unit a day; arithmetic units	Walking base
4 to 6	AP geography, history and polity; ethnobotany cards	Longer weekend walk
7 to 9	Current events notebook; reasoning; environment and disaster	Pace practice
10 to 11	Two timed mocks a week; essay practice	Full-distance trial
12	Error log review and light revision	Taper and rest

Write one essay a week in the language you will choose on the exam. The theme will relate to forests and environment, so prepare a short structure that you can adapt: a definition, why it matters, the present position, causes of the problem, measures taken, what citizens can do, and a closing sentence. Forty-five minutes is enough for roughly 350 to 450 words if you plan for five minutes before you write.

11. A 12-week plan for the Forest Section Officer

Paper III is the differentiator, so give it the largest block of time.

Weeks	Focus
1 to 3	Plant science, ecology and biodiversity; Telugu and English qualifying practice
4 to 6	Soil science, water, watershed, silviculture and agroforestry
7 to 8	Animal health, economic zoology, forest economics and the four forest laws
9	Mensuration, remote sensing, working plans
10 to 11	Mathematics speed work and full-length timed papers
12	Revision and walking test conditioning

Because the degree list is broad, many candidates have a background in only a part of Paper III. A physics graduate may find soil and mensuration comfortable and plant science new. Use your first diagnostic test to find which of the eleven heads cost you the most marks, and shift time there.

Common exam traps

• Reading the 2025 height, chest, age and walking-test numbers as the 2026 rules. The 2026 detailed notification decides.
• Forgetting that the FBO essay is qualifying and that it is written, not objective.
• Forgetting that the FSO language paper must be passed in English and Telugu separately.
• Treating the CPT as an afterthought. It is a practical test with its own pass marks.
• Applying with a degree that lacks the named subject on the marks memo.
• Taking the Intermediate result date too casually, when the detailed notification date is the crucial date.
• Paying the fee after the window closes. The window ends on 5 November 2026 at 11:59 PM.
• Ignoring the one-third negative mark in Paper I and II.

Key facts for the exam

• Posts: Forest Beat Officer (Notification 18/2026) and Forest Section Officer (Notification 17/2026), A.P. Forest Subordinate Service, published 15/09/2026.
• Provisional vacancies as on October 2026: 23 and 26 (APPSC).
• Pay: Rs 25,220 - 80,910 (FBO) and Rs 32,670 - 1,01,970 (FSO).
• Online application: 16/10/2026 to 05/11/2026.
• Single-level CBRT; no screening test; possible normalisation.
• Negative marking: one-third.
• FBO: qualifying essay (50 marks, 45 minutes), Paper I (100) and Paper II (100).
• FSO: qualifying English and Telugu (100), then three papers of 150 each, total 450.
• Walking test and medical examination arranged by the Forest Department; 1:2 ratio against vacancies.
• CPT: 100 marks, 60 minutes, minimum 30, 35 and 40 for SC/ST, BC and OC.
• 2025 cycle standards (reference only): age 18 to 30; men 163 cm and 84 cm chest; women 150 cm and 79 cm chest; walking 25 km (men) and 16 km (women) in 4 hours.

Ten practice MCQs

1. How long is the descriptive essay qualifying test for the Forest Beat Officer? a) 30 minutes b) 45 minutes c) 60 minutes d) 100 minutes Answer: b. The scheme gives one question in 45 minutes for 50 marks.

2. What is the penalty for a wrong answer in the Forest Section Officer written papers? a) None b) One-fourth of the marks c) One-third of the marks d) Half of the marks Answer: c. The notification applies G.O.Ms.No.235 of 2016.

3. In the walking test of the 2025 cycle, a man had to cover 25 km in 4 hours. The minimum average speed is: a) 5 km/h b) 6.25 km/h c) 7 km/h d) 8.5 km/h Answer: b. 25 divided by 4 is 6.25.

4. Candidates are called for the walking test and medical examination in the ratio of: a) 1:1 b) 1:2 c) 1:5 d) 1:10 Answer: b. The ratio is against the total number of vacancies.

5. Which statement about the Forest Beat Officer Paper II is correct? a) It is a descriptive paper b) It is at degree standard c) It covers General Science and General Mathematics at SSC standard d) It carries 200 marks Answer: c. It is an objective paper of 100 questions and 100 marks.

6. Which of the following is the botanical name of tulsi, as listed in the ethnobotany unit? a) Azadirachta indica b) Ocimum sanctum c) Curcuma longa d) Ficus religiosa Answer: b. Azadirachta indica is neem, Curcuma longa is turmeric and Ficus religiosa is peepal.

7. A and B can finish a task in 12 and 18 days respectively. Working together they finish in: a) 6 days b) 7.2 days c) 15 days d) 30 days Answer: b. 1 divided by (1/12 plus 1/18) equals 7.2.

8. Which law, named in the Forest Section Officer syllabus, recognises the rights of Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers? a) Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 b) Forest Conservation Act, 1980 c) Forest Rights Act, 2006 d) AP Forest Act, 1967 Answer: c.

9. The Forest Section Officer qualifying test in English and Telugu must be cleared: a) Only in aggregate b) In English only c) In Telugu only d) In each language individually Answer: d. The scheme says the candidate must qualify in English and Telugu individually.

10. The detailed notification date is treated as: a) Irrelevant b) The date of the walking test c) The crucial date for all aspects d) The date of results Answer: c. The brief notification says so in paragraph 5.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a screening test? No. As on October 2026, both brief notifications state that the examination is a single-level test and that no screening test will be held, whatever the number of applications (source: APPSC).

Can I apply for both posts? That depends on your qualification and on the rules in the detailed notification. A graduate in a listed subject meets the FSO qualification and also meets the FBO qualification, because a degree is above Intermediate. Check whether the detailed notification allows one application per post.

Are the height and chest numbers for 2026 the same as 2025? The 2026 brief notification does not give them. It refers you to the detailed notification. The 2025 numbers are given above for reference only.

Is the walking test scored? In 2025 the notification described the walking test as a qualifying endurance test with no marks. Confirm the same in 2026.

Is the post a regular government post? The posts are in a subordinate service with a scale of pay, which is the first sign of a regular post. Probation, training and posting rules appear in the detailed notification and in the service rules.

Which language should I choose for the essay? The notification permits English, Telugu or Urdu. Choose the language in which you can write 350 to 450 clear words in 45 minutes.

Where do I verify everything? On the Commission's website, psc.ap.gov.in, in the recruitment notifications list. Read the PDF, not a summary.

Related reading

• Andhra Pradesh government exams 2026
• AP polity and Panchayati Raj notes
• AP geography notes: rivers, districts and ports
• AP rivers, dams and irrigation projects
• AP economy and budget notes
• Telugu edition of this guide: AP ఫారెస్ట్ బీట్ ఆఫీసర్ గైడ్
• Andhra Pradesh hub

Practise on Pareeksha

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Sources and verification

Pages opened and read for this guide:

• Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission, portal home page and recruitment notifications list (portal-psc.ap.gov.in), read on 7 October 2026, for the existence and dates of Notifications 15, 16, 17 and 18 of 2026.
• APPSC Brief Notification No. 18/2026 dated 15/09/2026, Forest Beat Officer, with its annexed scheme, syllabus and CPT scheme (psc.ap.gov.in).
• APPSC Brief Notification No. 17/2026 dated 15/09/2026, Forest Section Officer, with its annexed scheme, syllabus and CPT scheme (psc.ap.gov.in).
• APPSC Notification No. 06/2025 dated 14/07/2025, Forest Beat Officer and Assistant Beat Officer, for the previous cycle's age, fee, physical standards and walking test (psc.ap.gov.in).
• Wikipedia entries on the Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972 and the Indian Forest Act 1927, as cross-checks only for the year of each Act.

Not verified: the 2026 detailed notifications, which were due on or before 16 October 2026 and were not yet on the Commission's site; the 2026 age limit, fee, physical standards and walking test; the minimum qualifying mark of the essay; the timing of the CPT. For these the text says "check the detailed notification".