APPSC Forest Section Officer photo, signature and age rules
No official size publishedAge 18 to 30 years
Quick answer
The APPSC Forest Section Officer notification (No. 17/2026, dated 16 October 2026) gives no pixel or KB size for the photo or signature. You upload your own scanned photo and signature as JPG files, and the photo should be a recent colour passport photo. There are 26 posts, you need a science, agriculture or engineering degree from the listed subjects, the age limit is 18 to 30 on 1 July 2026, and the last date on psc.ap.gov.in is 12 November 2026, 11:59 pm.
What the APPSC Forest Section Officer form asks you to upload
| Item | Rule in the notice | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Photo | Your own scanned photo as a JPG; the instructions ask for a recent colour passport photo. No pixel, KB or background rule is printed, so go by the upload screen. | p25, Annexure-III A.4; p27, C.3 |
| Signature | Your own scanned signature as a JPG. No size is printed. | p25, Annexure-III A.4 |
| Degree proof | Not uploaded. If your degree is an equivalent one rather than a listed subject, send APPSC a copy of the Government Order within 10 days of the last date, or the form is rejected. | p2, para 3, Note |
| Same photo later | APPSC may ask for the uploaded photo again at verification. If the hall ticket has no photo or a very small one, paste a passport photo, get it attested by a Gazetted Officer and carry a spare for the nominal roll. | p27, C.3 and C.8 |
What to do, step by step
- 1First APPSC form? Register through OTPR on psc.ap.gov.in. Your fee and age relaxation details come from OTPR and lock once you pay, so fix them first.
- 2Log in with your OTPR ID, open Online Application Submission and click Fill Application against Notification No. 17/2026.
- 3When the form reaches the photo and signature, check the screen for a size or file-type rule and make matching JPG files with the custom mode of our resizer.
- 4Enter your degree subjects exactly as on the certificate, pick your exam centre and click Save & Submit. Only Save & Submit opens the payment link.
- 5After paying, download the filled application PDF and note the payment reference ID. From 13 November, each correction costs Rs. 100.
Tools for this form
APPSC Forest Section Officer (Notification No. 17/2026, 26 posts)
16 Oct 2026 to 12 Nov 2026
Source: APPSC web note of 2 Nov 2026: last date for Notification No. 17/2026 extended to 12 Nov 2026, 11:59 pm, no further extension. Checked 3 Nov 2026. See the exam calendar
This cycle
- Forest Section Officer, Notification No. 17/2026, dated 16 October 2026: 26 district posts across 16 districts; Eluru has the most, 4. Pay scale Rs. 32,670-1,01,970. (p1, para 1.2; p14, Annexure-I)
- Online applications: 16 October to 12 November 2026, up to 11:59 pm, on psc.ap.gov.in. The notice gave 5 November; an APPSC web note of 2 November moved it to 12 November and says there will be no further extension. (p1, para 1.1; web note 02.11.2026)
- Corrections: open for 7 days after the last date, at Rs. 100 for each correction. Name, fee and age relaxation fields stay locked. (p8, Step V)
- Exam: a computer-based test (CBRT); APPSC will announce the date later. (p1, para 1.5)
- Fee: Rs. 250 application processing fee plus Rs. 80 examination fee. SC, ST, BC and ex-servicemen candidates, Andhra Pradesh white card families and unemployed youth (with a declaration) skip the Rs. 80 but still pay the Rs. 250. Candidates from other states pay both. (p8-9, para 8)
- Education: a bachelor's degree with Botany, Forestry, Horticulture, Zoology, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Statistics, Geology or Agriculture as a subject, or a B.E. in Chemical, Mechanical or Civil Engineering. (p2, para 3)
- Physical standards: men at least 163 cm tall with an 84 cm chest and 5 cm expansion; women at least 150 cm with a 79 cm chest and 5 cm expansion. Height is relaxed by 5 cm for Scheduled Tribes and the communities the notice lists (Gurkhas, Nepalese, Assamese, Naga, Sikkimese and others). Normal eyesight is required. (p2, para 3)
- After the written test: a walking test (men 25 km in 4 hours, women 16 km in 4 hours, qualifying only) for 2 candidates per vacancy, a medical board at Rajamahendravaram and a Computer Proficiency Test. NCC C, B and A certificates add 5, 3 and 1 bonus marks. (p3, para 3)
- Exam pattern (degree standard, objective): a qualifying General English and General Telugu paper (50 marks each, pass both separately; 100 questions, 100 minutes), then Paper I General Studies and Mental Ability, Paper II Mathematics and Paper III General Forestry, 150 questions, 150 minutes and 150 marks each: 450 marks. A wrong answer costs a third of the marks for that question. (p15, Annexure-II)
- Half the posts in the scheduled (agency) areas go only to local Scheduled Tribe candidates. There is no reservation for persons with benchmark disabilities, and this notice has no horizontal-reservation vacancies. (p6, para 6.2(d); p3, para 4.3; p14, Note)
Official links
- APPSC home page (OTPR, apply, hall tickets)
- Notification No. 17/2026, 16 Oct 2026 (PDF, 37 pages)
- APPSC web note of 2 Nov 2026 (last date 12 Nov)
- APPSC recruitment notifications
Source: APPSC Notification No. 17/2026, Direct Recruitment to the post of Forest Section Officer in A.P. Forest Subordinate Service (dated 16/10/2026). Read for this page on 3 November 2026. How we verify
APPSC Forest Section Officer age limit and eligibility
| Age band | Born not earlier than | Born not later than | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Section Officer: 18-30 | — | — | p1, para 1.2 table; p5, para 5.1 |
— The notice gives ages but no birth dates, and it doesn't say whether someone a few months past the upper age still qualifies. So we leave these dates blank. If your birthday is within a year of the upper limit, ask the board before you pay the fee.
- ·APPSC's errata of 23 October 2026 withdrew rows 2 to 5 of para 5.2, which gave concessions to ex-servicemen, NCC instructors, regular AP State Government employees and retrenched Census Department employees. Under G.O.Ms.No.88, EFS & T (For.IV) Dept., dated 19 July 2000, those concessions don't apply to Class-A forest posts, which include FSO and FBO. If you were counting on one of them, your upper limit is 30, or 35 if you are SC, ST, BC or EWS. (APPSC Errata dated 23.10.2026)
- ·There is no age relaxation for persons with benchmark disabilities, because the post has no PBD reservation. (p3, para 4.3)
- ·SC, ST, BC and EWS candidates from other states cannot claim reservation. (p4, para 4.9)
- ·Your details for fee and age relaxation come from your OTPR and lock once you pay; the correction window does not reopen them. (p8, Payment process and Step V)
Age relaxation
| Code | Category | Relaxation beyond the upper limit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | SC, ST, BC and EWS | 5 Years | p5, para 5.2, row 1; Errata 23.10.2026 (rows 2-5 withdrawn) |
Source: APPSC Notification No. 17/2026, Direct Recruitment to the post of Forest Section Officer (dated 16/10/2026) (16 October 2026). Each row gives the page and para. Checked on 1 November 2026.
Tips and tricks for the APPSC Forest Section Officer upload
- 1Age counts on 1 July 2026, not on the day you apply.
- 2Check your degree subjects against the list. For engineering, only Chemical, Mechanical and Civil count.
- 3A distance-mode B.E. or B.Tech counts only if AICTE recognised that course.
- 4The written exam has a qualifying English and Telugu paper, and you must pass each half on its own.
- 5Train for the walk early: 25 km in 4 hours for men, 16 km in 4 hours for women.
- 6Your BC non-creamy layer or EWS certificate must be dated between 1 April 2026 and 12 November 2026.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the photo size for APPSC Forest Section Officer 2026?
- Notification 17/2026 gives none. It asks for your own scanned recent colour passport photo as a JPG. Use whatever limit the psc.ap.gov.in upload screen shows, and keep a full-size copy.
- What is the last date for APPSC FSO 2026?
- 12 November 2026, up to 11:59 pm, after the APPSC extension of 2 November. Corrections open for 7 days after that, at Rs. 100 each.
- What is the age limit for APPSC Forest Section Officer?
- 18 to 30 on 1 July 2026. SC, ST, BC and EWS candidates get 5 more years, and no other relaxation applies. APPSC's errata of 23 October 2026 withdrew the ex-servicemen, NCC instructor, State Government employee and Census Department concessions that the notification first listed.
Disclaimer: CorrectForm is an independent tool and is not affiliated with Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) or any government agency. This page follows APPSC Notification No. 17/2026, Direct Recruitment to the post of Forest Section Officer in A.P. Forest Subordinate Service (dated 16/10/2026), read on 3 November 2026. Always check the official notice and the portal before you submit.