My Target SSB PDF

My Target Service Selection Board (SSB)

My Main Motive to Make This Book Is
As now-a-days many of young boys and girls have a
dream to be a part of the Indian Defence by being
Defence officer, but due to insufficient knowledge
about SSB rules & regulations they fail to crack SSB
interview. Dear reader it’s very tough to find and
accumulate the information of SSB’s entire exam
procedure under one roof but I have done this to help
candidates who really want to be an officer. I promise
you dear readers that this content surely will help you
to crack the SSB.
MY best wishes are always with you.
Special Thanks to:
SSBCRACK.COM
AND
CHETAN SEHGAL
Why Youth Today
Want To Get Into The
Indian Defence
Forces?
In the recent years joining the defence forces has
emerged as a very promising career amongst the
youth. In fact it has become the favorite choice of
many. The Gen-Next is going gaga over this
career option and are leaving no stone unturned
to become a part of the elite society of Fauj.
Earlier while it was not so famous amongst the
youth and was seen as a career option full of
discipline and strictness, now everybody is
drooling over and they are happy and excited to
get the ragda, discipline, fronts rolls, maharaja
and what not!
Let us see what has made Fauj a hit choice for
our Gen-Next:
1. The Adventure seekers: The youth today are adventure seekers, they are thrilled imagining
a life full of travelling, meeting new people and visiting parts of the world which people only
dream off. So now when the option of a certain life has taken a backseat, we are thrilled to
get a life where bags are always packed for a get set go to places which you may never
know! Fauj definitely offers an adventurous life full of uncertainties sometimes. The adventure
sports you get to play in Fauj are something which civilian can only dream about.
2. For us difficulty is the new cool: There was a dialogue of this sort in some hindi movie that
‘tragedy is the new cool’, but for our yo-yo Generation difficulty is the new cool. Fauj offers
difficulty in a unique way, right from the training you get habitual to difficulties and crisis
handling. Each step in the Fauji attire demands you to sort out different problems and
unleashing the horses of your brain in order to sort out difficulties.
3. Khatron ke Khiladi: Right from the camps in training, to sitting on the borders, flying the jet
planes, to operating a submarine, there is danger everywhere. But the new Generation thinks
that dealing with danger is fun all together and the mainstream career options are well too
mainstream! (No offence please).
4. The patriots that we are: Love for motherland is a strong force which has driven people
towards the forces and compelled them to join the forces. The patriot within us has risen and
we love India, our motherland more than anything. Hindustani naam humara hai, sabse pyara
desh humara hai.
5. The online Generation: We are the online generation. With the rise in social media and the
internet revolution, we find ourselves more connected to the forces. From the tri services, to
our PMO, everything is available on the internet now, which helps our new generation to
connect in a better way with them. There are dedicated pages and websites which fill our
youth with motivation to join Fauj.
6. The bullet lovers: The new gen-next is the bullet lover. For bikes may come and bikes may
go but Enfield will have a place of its own. Often we connect fauj with the bullet. Of course
you can buy it as a civilian also, but the ‘Indian Army’ written on the number plate says it all.
Right?
Uniform: This is a major attraction, who doesn’t loves the uniform? Who doesn’t love the
crisp combats, the olive greens, and the sparkling white shine? We all do.
7. Fitness freaks: Of course as a civilian also you are not stopped from keeping up your fitness
level, yet the task is bit tough. In Fauj your day begins with PT and ends with games. You get
a chance to play and work at the same time. Now who will want to miss this chance?
8. Job Security: Ironically a job which offers you a life full of adventure, also offers you a job
security which is first class. No institution can offer you job security better than the Indian
Government.
Every moment is full of life: In Fauj you never see a dull moment, there is activity going on
all the time. The life you live being a Fauji is others can only dream of.
Officers like Qualities [OLQ] Explained

The three assessors measure the same 15 officers like qualities using their respective tools and
techniques. It is important for you to know what you are getting tested for at the SSB.
The Fifteen Officer like Qualities are:
Social Adjustment:
1. Social adaptability: ability of a person to adapt himself to the social environment and adjust well
with persons and social groups.
2. Cooperation: It is the attitude of an individual to participate willingly in harmony with others in a
group achieving the group goal.
3. Sense of Responsibility: It is the thorough understanding of the values of duty, social standard and
of what is expected of individual and then giving it his energy and attention on own accord.
Planning and Organizing:
1. Effective Intelligence: This is the ability of a person to evolve solutions to practical problems.
2. Reasoning Ability: It is the ability of a person to grasp a given situation and arrive at the
conclusion by rational thinking.
3. Organizing Ability: It is the ability to use the resources systematically to produce the desired result.
4. Power of Expression: It is the ability to put forward one’s ideas with ease and clarity.
Social Effectiveness:
1. Initiative: It is an ability to originate an action.
2. Self Confidence: It is the faith in your own abilities to meet unfamiliar situations.
3. Speed of Decision: It is an ability to arrive at a practical decision quickly.
4. Ability to influence the group: It is the ability of a person that enables him to get willing efforts of
others to achieve the objectives set by him.
5. Liveliness: It is the ability of a person to remain cheerful when faced with difficulties to bring about
a cheerful atmosphere in the group.
Dynamic:
1. Determination: It is the ability to put in sustained efforts to achieve objectives in spite of the
obstacles and setbacks.
2. Courage: It is an ability to appreciate and take purposive risks.
3. Stamina: It is the ability to withstand physical and mental endurance.
One must try to perform as per these 15 OLQs and show these qualities during their performance in
GTO, Psychology and Personal Interview.
Importance of PIQ
PIQ or Personal Information Questionnaire is a personal detail form, which a candidate is
supposed to fill in SSB Interview. After the screening procedure, the candidates are supposed to fill
this form. Thus this form is the first thing you fill after the beginning of your stage 2 testing. This form
is much more than a personal detail form. Candidates are asked to fill two copies of the same form,
the purpose being that, one copy is given to the Interviewing Officer and the other one to the
Psychologist. At some centers you might be asked to fill three copies, in which case the third copy
goes to the GTO. This form contains fields which are helpful for the board in knowing you better.
These fields are related to your family, academic performance, you’re extracurricular and sports
performance and the positions of responsibility you have held. It also contains a field which asks you
to give the record of your past SSB record.
This form holds a great significance. The reasons are many. The psychologist is never going to
interact you in person; it is through this form that he/she forms an opinion about the kind of person
you are. Then he/she matches that opinion with all what you write in your psychological test paper.
Both of them should match. PIQ forms a ground on which your personality is judged. The
psychologist may draw an inference about your background; your family etc. based on it and then
take help of that information to understand whether or not you have given your genuine reaction in
the paper.
The other copy which goes to the Interviewing officer forms the basis of your interview. It creates the
ground on which your interview will be based. The interviewing officer spends some 5-10 minutes to
read your PIQ before you go in for the interview. He then bases all his questions generally on this
PIQ. The reason behind this is to see whether you have written the genuine information or simply
boasted about achievements. It is expected for a person to know the information in depth if he/she
has actually done that thing. For example if you have played football for state level and do not know
the size of the field or about the positions you can play from then it is supposed that you are simply
boasting. This being a mere example, there are many other things which you mention in the PIQ.
Thus it is quite evident that PIQ has a great significance in SSB. It is advised to fill this form in good,
legible hand writing. Avoid any over writing or cuts. Write only the truth in your PIQ, do not boast
about anything which you have not done. Have in depth knowledge about the hobbies, games which
you are mentioning. Do not write small achievements if you have major ones. If you do not have
major achievements then only mention small ones. The column of position of responsibility held is
very important, fill it carefully. Also take any certificates you have for the things you have mentioned
in PIQ to the Interview.
Tips to fill PIQ form:

 Write legible so that your information is clearly understood by the reader.
 Know your personal details and avoid mistakes in basic information.
 Write true statements that prove about yourself, inaccurate information shows lack of self-
knowledge.
 Any information given by you should not mismatch with you are saying in the interview and
what you have furnished in the PIQ form.
 Write clearly about your hobbies make sure you know about what you have written on the
form.
 Avoid scratching and over writing.
 Avoid matching with others PIQ form.
 Write correct number of total attempts you have done so far.
5 Days Procedure in SSB Interview
Many candidates are fresher’s, they are not aware of SSB interview procedure, this leads to many
problems during SSB interview. They never know the dos and don’ts & about
the necessary documents required during interview process. Let’s talk about SSB interview
procedure and the various sources which can help you and prepare you before you go for your first
attempt.
5 Days SSB Schedule:

Reporting Day: The day commences by reporting at the assigned SSB, followed by document
check and form filling [PIQ forms]. You are supposed to report at the place mentioned in the call
letter, mostly you are asked to report at MCQ [Moment Control Office]. You will not find any difficult
in doing so because there are many other candidates who reports on the same day, so you may find
one or two.
[For some entries reporting day and Screening day are same, please follow your call letters for
correct information]
Note: For some entries reporting day and screening[PPDT] are same, when your reporting time is
early like 07:00 hours then your screening day will be on the very first day(reporting day)
DAY-1
Screening Test
Screening test also known as PPDT is conducted at SSB under day-1 testing to filter candidates for
stage-2 testing which happens for 5 days. Screening test is very crucial as it decides whether you
will stay or go back home. Some candidates say that they perform well during OIR (officers
intelligence Rating) and PPDT (picture perception and discussion test) but did not make it till stage-
2, so here we are providing best tips to excel in screening aka PPDT.
Stage-1 Testing
1. Screening: Screening process is to pick up some potential candidates from all those who have
reported for the particular entry. It consist of few activities like:
o Verbal and Non-verbal Test: Nothing hard, to be true, doesn't need any preparation too. But it
is always good to go well prepared, you can check some verbal. After this test you will get
some rest, and later proceed for PPDT.
o PPDT: We have already talked so much about PPDT in later posts, this consist of story writing
and discussion. You will be shown a picture for 30 sec, later you have to write a story based on
the picture you have seen in 3 minutes, after that, you will be divided into sub groups of 14-15
members, firstly each candidates will narrate his/her story which is followed by the group
discussion on the picture, among the group members. You can find more details here. Keep in
mind that PPDT is the most important part which helps you to clear screening and takes you to
stage-2 testing.
Results of Screening: After the completion of PPDT, you will get some rest for 2-3 hours and lunch
too. Your screening results will be declared after it, selected candidates are allotted with new chest
numbers. Rest of the candidates gets their TA and dropped backed to the railway station or bus
stand.
Beating Nervousness in Screening Test
SSB Interview Screening test is the very first thing where you have to face the board people
and your group mates. Also you have the pressure of performing well in Screening, because
your entire testing further depends on passing this test. To know more about how to break the
trap of screening, see ‘Breaking the Labyrinth of Screening’.
Since screening is so important it’s quite natural to get nervous in your screening. Especially
in Picture Perception and Discussion Test.
Screening is a stressful exercise where you are to face a large number of people at one go.
Many of you who have not been much into extra-curricular and on stage will be even more
nervous sometimes. So here are a few points which you should keep in mind to beat the
nervousness and tension during Screening.
1. Practice will make you confident: Be it OIR or be it story writing or even Discussion, you
can beat the tension by practicing hard, and you must start immediately! You can practice
for OIR from some good Reasoning books. For PPDT you have to make an extra effort,
look for PPDT exercises on our websites or in SSB books, you can even imagine a random
scene and write a story on that following the guidelines. Now imagine few people around
you, or make your friends or family sit around you, sit erect on a chair and tell them the
story. You can even have a discussion over it. This way you'll feel confident.
2. Take a break: When you are done with writing your story you are provided with a break of
5-10 minutes and then you are proceeded for the discussion. So utilize that break, take
deep breath and keep on revising your story in your mind. This is a great confidence
booster and also prepares you to speak.
3. Make friends: You get ample of time while being directed from one place to another. So in
that time talk to your group mates, you’ll feel much better after that because then you’ll not
be amongst complete strangers.
4. We are all the same: That girl in the formal attire or that boy who is in polished shiny
shoes and excellent formal tie might be as nervous as you are. Your pair of jeans or
sneakers don’t make you stand out! When you’ll talk to other candidates then you'll realize
that they also at the same stage where you are, hell nervous and super tensed. On
learning this you'll feel much better. So take it from me now only that 98% people in SSB
will be nervous, so relax take a chill pill.
5. Attitude Matters: Think all the time that you are there to be an officer. Do officers panic?
Do they feel nervous? No! So show the attitude of what you are there for, being an officer,
so feel like one. Think in your mind that it is easy, I’ll crack it, trust me when you’ll say this
in your mind three times confidently, and you’ll reduce your nervousness to a great extent.
6. Dress Rehearsal: Now some you might find it funny, especially boys who have this
thinking that ‘kuch bhi pehen ke chala jaunga’ wala thinking. But hold on, it is better to
spend a few minutes on thinking what to wear on screening rather than regretting it all
together later. Screening is the first time when you are facing the board so you need to
dress properly, your personality matters (of course wearing an Armani won’t help if you
don’t utter a word in PPDT). So wear a neat decent dress, no need to put something you
are not comfortable into. Wear something you are comfortable into because you have to be
in the dress for a long period of time.
7. Walk confidently and have a smile on your face: You must walk with full confidence, sit
in a good posture and maintain a smile. Do not look unduly nervous or tensed. If you are
having this then surely you’ll feel better inside and look confident from outside.
Practice makes everybody better. SO keep on following these things and you'll
surely be confident and tension free on the day of screening.
Tips for Screening Test

Top 10 Tips for Screening Test
1. Prepare for OIR test beforehand, the questions are very normal and with little practice you can
clear it easily.
2. Time is the biggest factor during OIR test, so make sure you have enough practice so as to
attempt each and every questions.
3. Attempt all questions as there is no negative marking in OIR test.
4. During PPDT, watch the picture carefully, write the story based on true and logical perception,
and do not deviate from the theme of the picture.
5. Mark the number of characters, their mood, age etc. correctly, and provide a suitable title to the
story.
6. Write legibly so that it is easy to read. Complete your story well within time, do not dive into too
much details and keep it simple and short.
7. Narration is very crucial, keep it solid, better command and control over your volume, accent,
language and expression. All these factors are really important, remember first impression is
the last impression.
8. Most of the candidates totally forget about their body language while narrating, make sure you
are sitting straight and not making uncomfortable body postures. Little bit of hand movements
are okay.
9. During group discussion, make sure you are calm and talking sense, don't be under the
impression that talking more and continuously will make you screened in. No, you need to talk
in sense and with confidence, make sure everyone listen when you talk, do not speak just for
namesake, give better suggestions to help the group and come to common consensus.
10. During fist market situation try to sit straight and calm, wait for the correct moment and then
share your thoughts, DO NOT JOIN fish market as no one will understand what you are saying
even though you are saying worthy points.
How to Achieve Success in PPDT?

1. How many characters you see in picture and their position needs to be marked in a box in
answer sheet.
2. What was the mood of the character, their sex and age?
3. You are also asked to identify main character of your story.
This all needs to be done in 1 minute in which you might also asked to give a title to story. Then you
get 3 minutes to write the story on it which should include past events, present scene and the future
happening. The story should be clear and crisp. The following should be kept in mind:
1. Hero of story should do something great then only the word hero has a real meaning.
2. There should be a problem in a story and it should be solved also.
3. Story should be natural and acceptable to all. That means it should have actions that could be
done by human beings.
4. No need to make story
unnecessarily positive, just
express it in the same way.
After this all are divided in small
groups for the group discussion.
Now you are asked to narrate story
individually for about a minute and
when everyone has done the same
the GD starts to conclude. Now the
impressive thing in this exercise is that since the picture was hazy everyone has different perception
of story. Remember the following while doing group discussion:
1. Don’t ever try to make a GD room a fish market. Since everyone tries to get his / her story
implemented so it’s necessary that you should go with group and try to conclude.
2. Enter at appropriate point to get group in one direction if there is digression.
3. Don’t allow to form subgroups and if formed ask people to discuss collectively.
4. Give chance to people who have not got one.
5. Try to enter 2-3 times depending on time given with each time speaking for 30-45 seconds. The
matter should be good enough to attract attention of all.
DAY-2
Psychological Test
How to Prepare for Psychology Round

“Worry is a total waste of time. It doesn’t change anything, all it does is, steal your joy and keep you
very busy doing nothing”- Anonymous
Psychology round at SSB is designed to test your brain waves so as to get the idea that in which
direction you think. You would hear people saying that all you intend to do in a SSB is to mention
heroic acts, be positive. This is not at all wrong but the excess of this myth might lead to disaster.
Remember the following:
 Keep your mind tension free

 Worry is the root cause of failure
 Thinking good about yourself is must
 Self-appreciation must be practiced regularly
 Result oriented approach never takes you to results.
Please remember that in SSB , assessors are very expert and trained to read human behaviour you
also need to act smart and remember the mantra “Don’t try to show off, just be yourself” If you
follow this simple mantra sure shot success is there. When people try to make use of their brain and
try to mould and modify their thought process, they are caught and rejected. Psychology round
judges how much your brain resembles you and your actions which would come alive during the
course of SSB. So do we need to fake here? Strictly, not... Just be you.
The various rounds for Psychology are:
 TAT: which means story writing based on your visualization

 WAT: framing sentences based on thought process you get after seeing words
 SRT: Reacting to situations of daily life
 Self-appreciation: How much you know yourself and how much you think others know about
you.
This simple round makes the psychology test. It’s of utmost importance to succeed in this round as it
determines whether you are suited for Indian defence forces or not. Remember the following for sure
shot success and ensure that you believe:
 You are the best: Though you might have failed several times in life, but still you are the best
if you had tried sincerely for your dream. Competition is stiff and there are lakhs of people
running for the same thing .Not cracking through, doesn’t mean you are bad. It simply means
you need to try more as there are still people better than you. Believe in yourself and keep
trying, success is going to be yours. If you stop trying, it simply means you lack a quality and
you quit easily, which in turn symbolizes you are not at all fit for the defence force and it gives
justification to the fact that, you were not selected.
 No word is negative if you have positive approach: It’s the way you perceive a situation to be
good or bad & start developing good or bad thoughts about a thing. So see everything
positively and see the magic that enlightens your thought process for a better tomorrow & in
the same cycle you’ll be enjoying each & every moment of your life.
Nothing is tough in life; it’s the thought process that makes things tough and easy. Enjoy and be
positive.
Psychology Testing: Don’t Mistake It as a

Test
We are at the top of the world. Smile is just not going away from the face. We want to dance and
party. But, what is the occasion? The occasion is we got screened in. We crossed the first hurdle of
SSB and now we are here for the next 4 days. We are confident that we will get through now. But,
which test do you have tomorrow? We have Psychology test tomorrow and I need to prepare for it.
This is the attitude of the majority of the candidates. But, let me tell you; don’t make your
recommendation difficult by combining ‘preparation’ with SSB. And that too with the Psychological
testing.
GTO meets you on the field (OUTDOOR). Interviewer talks to you in the room (INDOOR). There is a
third guy whom you will not see, but then also he will judge you based on your opinions, and
thinking. He is the Psychologist who will try to determine your personality without an interaction.
Astonishing right?
So, let’s talk what happens in the test and how to deal with this unique style of testing. First of all,
Psychology test is just a showcase of your personality (inner self). It will reflect you without utterance
of a single word from your mouth. This testing does not need any preparation but there are rules to
be followed during the testing.
RULE1: Every human being has a negative and a positive self. Candidates should leave their
negative self at home while coming to the SSB testing. Golden rule for SSB is being HAPPY,
HEALTHY AND POSITIVE. Same applies for psychological testing also. While expressing your
opinions and thinking you should always be the combination of above three.
RULE2: You are neither a superhero nor a perfect human being. You have your shortcomings. Don’t
hide them by being fake. If they are in you, let them in you and they should reflect in your testing
also. Just keep in mind – I am what I am, there are shortcomings in me. I will try to remove them but
I won’t hide them.
Let’s discuss the testing procedures which make the whole psychological testing an integral part of
the SSB:
1. TAT (Thematic Appreciation Test): 12 pictures (12th picture being blank) will be shown and
candidates have to write the story within stipulated time frame. As simple as that. This test
just gives you an opportunity to fly freely with the boundless imagination. Just see the picture,
think for some seconds and make the meaningful story which comes to your mind in the first
place. Keep in mind that the story should have – PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE and you
being the dynamic hero of the story. All the 11 stories could be made like this. Each being
mutually exclusive of other but filled with your own unlimited imagination. The 12th picture is
just boundary less. Think about your dreams in the final picture, think about the limitless
universe, the sky and make the story of your lifetime.
2. WAT (Word Association test): Words which you come across in your daily life are displayed
in the stipulated timeframe. See the words and make a small meaningful sentence which
comes to your mind in the first place keeping in mind the two rules of testing given above. If
you don’t know the meaning or nothing is coming in your mind, skip the word and concentrate
on the next one in the line.
3. SRT (Situation Reaction Test): Practical situations which a person could face will be given
to you and you have to give your reactions. Imagine yourself in the situation and write the
reaction which comes to your mind. Keep in mind that you have to solve the situation instead
of running away from it i.e. your reactions must convey the solution.
4. Self-Description: No one knows yourself better than you. Hence, describe what you feel
about yourself (your good qualities and those qualities which you would like to improve on).
Write your heart out in this one. Your parents and friends must have formed an opinion
about you. Write freely about that opinion also.
Champs, take this testing as a game in which you are given an opportunity to be an artist, a writer, a
thinker and a leader. Utilize this testing to its best by telling the psychologists about you. Remember
– Faking is not at all an option.
Thematic Apperception Test-TAT of SSB
Interview
Why Thematic Apperception Test?

This pictures originally employed for this purpose were very vague. There was a great play of
projection or inner sub consciousness in the interpretation of these T.A.T pictures with
greater details and needing less play of projection and imagination were introduced by two
psychologist, Murray and Margon, who used these in 1903 and the same are generally in use in
India.
The test is based on the theory that in the construction of stories around ambiguous pictures, the
candidate organizes the material from his own personal experiences, partly as a result of the
stimulus that he receives i.e. what he finds in the picture and partly his associations with such stimuli
recalled from his past experiences.
Thematic Apperception Test comes under the psychological test series. In this test the candidates
are shown 12 different pictures, one after the other, and are expected to write stories relevant to the
pictures. Each picture is shown for about thirty seconds and thereafter, four minutes are given to
write the stories relevant to that picture. The last picture is always a blank picture, on which you have
to write any story of your own choice. However, the other stories must be purely based on the shown
picture.
The picture can be perceived in many a ways, but the candidate has to remember that the story that
he writes shows his personality and his thinking. The actions in your story that are done by the hero
of your story, is actually thought as the actions that you will undertake in those conditions. For
example, if the picture shows a site of an accident, you could write a how the hero of your story saw
that and helped the injured and took appreciable actions.
While writing the story, show that the hero of your story was brave, intelligent and took quick
responses to the situations. Do not write stories showing that your main character was a superhero
or possessed any magical powers. Your hero should be an average person with a positive attitude.
Your hero must show determination. For example, in a picture where you perceive a boy who failed
in his exams, you can write how he overcame that situation by his hard work. Your hero should be of
same age group and sex as you. Your story must have a practical and acceptable plot. Your hero
must be shown as a leader of the group and should be able to control the activities of the group. He
must be confident and ambitious in his life.
Always write a story that may reflect, that your hero is not a coward but a brave person who faces
every situation with courage. It should not be shown that he got anything by luck or chance, but his
hard work and determination have helped his achieve his goals. Your hero must not be impatient. He
must always be polite and respectful to everyone. He must not show any lack of patriotism and
nationalism. He should be a normal person, not any character from a fairytale.
Your story must not contain any anti-national of anti-social topic. You have to write a story of about
100 words, so do not be indulged in a complex issue as you may be out of time while writing about
such situations. Do not show lethargy and try to write in your best possible hand-writing.
Thus, the qualities that your main character must contain are:
Intelligence, compassion, quick decision making skills, patriotism, courage, sense of responsibility,
determination, social adaptive skills and high moral values. Whatever you write about your main
character is how you will behave in your life. Your main character also reflects the qualities that you
have or are trying to achieve.
Glimpse into story’s character traits

1. Your hero must have an organized, disciplined and logical approach towards the problems of
his/her life.
2. Your hero must show determination to achieve aims and goals in life.
3. Your hero must have a helpful attitude.
4. Your story must have a positive and constructive base.
5. If your hero has derived a plan, it should be backed by hard work, overcoming difficulties and
having an optimistic view of life.
6. Your hero must have the ability to coordinate the working of a group.
7. Your hero must have confidence, energy and independent bend of mind.
8. Your hero must show social adaptability.
9. Your hero must show Speed of Action.
10. Your story must have a brief introduction about the background of the hero, a main body and
a final result part.
11. Your hero must be a normal, natural Human.
12. Write the first thought that comes to your mind.
Your story must have a strong, acceptable plot

and theme.
How to Prepare For TAT?
“It doesn’t matter if you have failed, if you had been beaten. All that really matters is if you get back
up and try again. Because winning is fun, but winning when nobody thought you would, is just
awesome.”
Thematic appreciation test is the very first test of the Psychology round giving a dozen of pictures to
perceive with 11 being hazy & the last standing blank. You get 30 seconds to think and 4 minute to
write the story. The hazy pictures are presented because it is assumed that the candidate will reveal
happenings of his life, through the stories. Also through these hazy pictures different situations are
shown and it is expected that the qualities of social adaptation, leadership, adventure, team work
might come out. The blank picture is presented, so as to analyse the thought process of candidate
and his ability to link with the sequence shown to him. This is also linked to his imagination power as
through this blank slide the psychologist tries to gather the idea of what a candidate has in mind for
his future. It might be linked to his/ her vision, mission of life.
It is also said that the qualities that the psychologist gathers are compared with those shown in PIQ
and forwarded to GTO and PI officer for crosschecking. So if anyone wants to fake in SSB it is not at
all possible because similar things would be checked throughout in all the processes and if they
overlap achirally then only can a candidate have his chances for recommendation. Now everybody
would be thinking of how to write an effective story.
I still remember the following lines: ‘Your future begins with your next thought’ ~~ Bryant McGill. And
it’s true give a thought before penning down to create your future. Feel free to get in touch with me
for quick tips and converting your dreams into reality.
Characteristics of the Story
The candidates must remember that there are certain essential elements or components of a well-
constructed story. These are:
 The Hero: Each story must have a hero or the chief character with whom the writer identifies
himself. The hero should exhibit qualities which an officer of the Armed Forces should
possess. He should act and behave like a normal human being and not like a supernatural
being.
 Other characters who help the hero in the execution of the task undertaken by him.
 Situation in the Story:
o What it is?
o How it came into being or what events led up to it?
o What will be the outcome or conclusion?
 The them or plot:
o It is an attempt by the hero, assisted by other characters to organize the story by
pooling all the resources at this disposal in order to successfully solve the problem by
him.
o The plot should be interesting and end successfully.
o It should be self-evident. The reader must not remain in doubt about it or keep on
guessing it.
Sample Pictures in TAT:
How to Write Stories in TAT
TAT is test of your imagination. It’s not a test for beauty of expressions, so, do not use heavy-duty
words and do not try to over show your ideas through writing. You just have to make a story around
the picture.
 The psychologist will test your personality using TAT, WAT, SRT, and self-description.
 All the tests are used for analyzing your personality and to check whether you have officers
like quality.
 Always remember, the answers of TAT, WAT, SRT and self-description are compared with
one another to find out the real personality of the candidate.
Few Tips Related to TAT Thematic
Apperception Test
TAT is the Thematic Apperception Test, a part of the battery of psychological tests conducted in
the SSB Interview. It is test of imagination where 11+1 pictures are displayed on the screen.
Given below are few tips which you may find useful while tackling TAT:
1. It is a test of your imagination and you

have to imagine and write a story.
Remember it is a story writing and not
describing the picture.
2. You story should clearly have a hero.
Now this Hero is very important. This is
so because this Hero represents you.
3. The thing a person writes or says or in
other words the kind of reaction a
person gives depicts his/her personality
in a great deal. Hence the kind of story
you make depict your personality to a
certain extent.
4. Thus the Hero represents you. So make the Hero a positive character.
5. You story must be a positive story.
6. The story should have a past, a present and a future. The picture which is shown according
to which you frame the story must appear somewhere in the story, most likely in the present
part of the story.
7. Observe the picture very carefully and note down the minutest detail in your mind, they will
help you in framing the story nicely.
8. Never write a pre-conceived story. Also do not try to forcefully fit something in the picture.
Write only around what is shown.
9. Now some pictures may appear totally negative. A gloomy face, a dead body, an accident
scene etc. What to do then? In these cases don’t overlook and avoid what is very evidently
visible, instead try to make a positive ending.
10. Don’t unnecessarily put negativity in your story. A sad face doesn’t imply death all the time,
so do not make negative stories. You have to make it positive.
11. Generally the structure of the story is that there is a hero. There is some information related
to how things led to the present scenario (The picture), then the Hero solves the problem
thus giving a positive ending.
12. Give realistic aim, and practical problems and their solutions. Do not give impractical views or
childish imagination.
13. An ideal story lies between 80-100 words. A shorter story is not better, so practice writing
fast. There is ample sample material present on our website.
14. Choose the age and profession of the main lead of your story very carefully. The age should
be exactly what is evident from the picture. And choose the profession according to the age.
15. In case of many characters in the clip, choose the one closest to your age as your hero. In
case of pictures in which it is very difficult to determine the age, there also choose the age
nearest to yours. But do not forcefully give the age of very evident characters near to your
age. For e.g. If in the picture only one child of 5 years is shown then do not write his age as
21 years in the story.
A good story has a motto, however small it may be, but it should be practical, mature and realistic
motto.
TAT and PPDT Story Writing Tips
TAT is test of your Imagination
 It’s not a test for beauty of expressions, so, do not use heavy-duty words and do not try to
over show your ideas through writing. You just have to make a story around the picture.
 The psychologist will test your personality using TAT, WAT, SRT, and self-description.
 All the tests are used for analyzing your personality and to check whether you have officers
like quality.
 Always remember, the answers of TAT, WAT, SRT and self-description are compared with
one another to find out the real personality of the candidate.
I am taking an example so that I can help you to understand how to make story out of the picture.
Picture Interpretation
What I can see in the picture is
an old lady age of around 45-50
who is lying on the bed looking
gaunt and a boy of around 20-
22 age group. The boy looks in
positive or neutral mode. The
background looks like inside a
house.
Story Idea
Person Y is a boy of 22 and he
was keenly interested in social help. He started to take tuition of all the street children who used to
live in the nearby. One day he visited one of his students’ houses and found out his mother was sick.
So he quickly with the help of some people took her to the hospital where she was treated and
became fine. Or
Person Y is a boy of 22 and he was average boy who is very fond of outdoor games and exercise.
One day his friend’s mother fell in their house and hurt herself. She was diagnosed with a hair line
fracture and was advised to bed rest. So Y helped his friend in his studies and his household work
and helped his mother in exercise to revive.
Interpretation of the story
 The hero of the story undertook the challenge, the hero has a sense of responsibility for his
society and he doing something to make a change in his surroundings.
 His punctuality, dedication and schedule reveal his planning and organizing ability.
If in a picture: A boy’s hand is placed on his head. The idea is: X is a boy, who lost his job in the time
of recession. Now, he uses social networking sites to track HRs of different companies, after few
months he got an interview call. If in a picture: there are 2 girls. Then the idea is: To interpret one
boy and then you can make your situation accordingly to illustrate women empowerment,
harassment issue, women education like issues If in a picture: 2 people are fighting. The idea is –
they are performing under karate, taekwondo, or a boxing match.
So you can easily make a story by observing a picture carefully and by correlating with a practical
problem.
Common Mistakes in TAT
TAT skills are very important in SSB, it’s a main part of psychology test and also PPDT requires
perfect skills of writing a story. Earlier we have discussed about "How to write a story in TAT",
now this post is regarding the common mistakes done by a candidates while attempting TAT.
Conditions Responsible to Make a Story Undesirable and Psychologically Weak
Let’s look into a story, which would put light on the common stories made by the aspirants at the
SSB’s.
Story:
Mahesh hailed from a remote area. He was a
hardworking and sincere student, who always thought
about the development of his village. Mahesh
completed his studies and became an engineer.
Mahesh got posted to his district. He saw that his
village lacked the basic infrastructure and because of
the
Funds, the village could hardly progress. Mahesh along with villagers approached the
administration and requested the roads and bridges on the river. Soon, the Govt. sanctioned a
bridge and a road to the village. Mahesh being the engineer was made the engineer of the
construction work. Road and bridge was constructed, which brought prosperity to the village.
Village became a modern village.
Line-wise Interpretation of the Above Story by the Psychologist

o Mahesh hailed from a remote village area – The first requirement of the TAT is the Hero
identification and not the introduction. Here, the Hero identification is not complete. Another
point here is, you should name the village, district, state etc.
o He was a hardworking and sincere student – Please note that, no unwanted details,
impression management is required and even no adjectives like hard-working, sincere,
national-champion, honest, brave etc. These qualities should be revealed through your
action and through your problem solving behavior.
o He always thought about the development of his village – Was there no one in the village
to think about the development except him? For this, the Hero in the background should not
necessarily be from an engineering background; rather he should be have been introduced
as a social worker.
o Mahesh completed his studies and became an engineer – Which studies did Mahesh
complete, whether B. Tech in Civil, Mechanical, Electrical etc. and from where? Further,
there was no one to see the progress of his village except him and that too, when he became
an engineer. And before becoming an engineer, did he not see whether the village was
lacking progress because of fund?
o Mahesh got posted to his Dist. He saw that his village lacked the basic infrastructure
and because of the funds, the village could hardly progress – Again, Mahesh means
the Hero is doing according to his wish by getting him posted to his own Dist. and witnessing
that the village lacked the basic infrastructure and due to the shortage of the funds, the village
could not progress. So, what he is doing is writing the story as he wants. This kind of story
is evaluated as Self-Generated Response. This means, you generate a response as per your
wish and as per your convenience. See Mr. Mahesh is doing whatever he wants and the
story is running according to his wish, hence termed as Wishful-Thinking.
o Mahesh along with his villagers approached the administration and requested
the roads and bridges on the river. Soon, the Govt. sanctioned a bridge and a road to
the village – Here, it means that getting the funds sanctioned was predetermined, that the
fund has to be sanctioned without hurdle or problem. Nothing comes ever so easy in life.
Mahesh being the engineer, was made the engineer of the construction work – Again, here
the story is being designed to suit the Hero and as he wants to perform.
o Road and bridge was constructed, which brought prosperity to the village. Village
became a modern village – Again, here the story reveals a small effort and big
achievement, which is not possible in practical life.
The Practical Interpretation of the Story with Context to Subjective Interpretation and
Psychological Interpretation
The above interpretation by the Psyche officer was a subjective one. Now, we will see the
psychological and actual interpretation which can make and break the story and may not allow
the story to become psychologically desired one:
Please see, in the above story the person has not perceived the situation and seen of the situation
properly and has not used/applied his imagination to observe that, what this particular situation
demands:
o There is no similarity between the situation and the point of start. Now, the situation of the
scene is that a person being alone is going ahead while facing the cyclone and heavy rain,
that too in the night.
o The aspirant has not forced his intellectual imagination to imagine that, what this particular
situation demands and what the aspirant has perceived or has written in the story – is it
logical? What the Aspirant has Perceived and Written?
o The aspirant has perceived that a remote village has not progresses and no one has thought
ever to do so except him, whereas the demand of the situation is something else.
o What he is expected to perceive to make his story imaginative and acceptable? The aspirant
has perceived a Long-term goal, whereas the demand of the situation is to perceive Short-
term goal. The requirement of the Armed Forces is ‘Leader of Crisis-Problem Solver’ and not
a ‘Manager-Crisis Preventer'.
Here some TAT photos are given for your practice.

Ideas for Thematic Apperception Test Stories
Today we are sharing few themes or ideas which you can use while writing stories during Thematic
Apperception Test aka TAT. We have mentioned few themes which you can use based on the
picture shown to you. Basically, these are the plots for your stories which you can include while
writing stories during TAT.
Ideas for Thematic Apperception Test Based on Picture

 Scene of Factory or Workshop
o Modification of Factory
o Quick Order Delivery
o New Invention
o New design
 Scene of Office Meeting/ Phone Calls
o Board of director
o Presenting new idea
o Inventions
o New techniques
o New education system
o Planning attack
 Scene of Fight/Running/Knife in hand/ Pistol in hand/Catching the Throat
o Yoga
o Karate
o Commando attack
o Learning martial arts
 Scene of Defence Forces /Army Soldiers
o Patrolling
o Planning
o Attack
o Destroying enemy target
o Destroying Am dump
o Getting information of enemy
 Scene of Vehicle Car/ Bike
o Car/Bike rally
o New design of an engine
o Pollution free vehicles
o Less competition
o Multi fuel design
 Group of Girls/women
o Vocational training center
o Cottage industries
o Handicraft industry
o Health/hygiene training
o SSB selection training
o Modeling
o Dramatics
o Folk dancing
o Family Planning
 Scene of Boat/River/lake
o Boating competition
o New design of boat
o Racing
o Rafting
 Scene of Bridge
o Repair of bridge
o New design
o Widening of bridge
o Bridge inauguration
 Scene of Mountains
o Mineral/Oil discovery
o Plantation/forestation
o Tourism/archeological
o Hiking, skiing, study of historical structure
 Water/river
o Pollution
o Creating lake
o Reservoirs
o Tourist resort
o Boating
o Flood control
o Digging
o Navigation/waterway
 Land
o New technology of agriculture
o Drip irrigation
o Digging canal
o Creation Reservoir for water
o Plantation
o Windmill
 People/Villager
o Cottage industries
o Small scale industries
o Handicraft Industries
o Agricultural Industries
o Teaching new agricultural Method
o Education/Family planning/Child Marriage menace
 Road/traffic/accident
o Widen road
o One- way traffic
o Bus facilities
o Street- lights
o Encroachment removal
o Zebra crossing
o Traffic lights
o Evacuation of hospital
 Boys scouts/cycle/car
o NSS Camp
o Flood relief
o Cycle rally
o Car rally
o Picnic
o Jogging
o Peace march
o Blood donation
o Rescue operation
 Sitting in Office
o Planning
o Research
o Relief operations i.e. flood, earthquake etc.
All these are theme or plot for a story based on the picture shown to
you. You are suggest to take utilize these themes as per the picture
and mix your story with perfect combination of ideas you are getting.
If you have any other suggestion, do share it below.
Golden Tips for writing stories in TAT

 First, look at the pictures carefully showing on the screen and relate to the pictures to form an
idea in your mind about the situation.
 Most likely, it is always easy to form an idea to drive it with a positive approach and then write
a story on that idea
 Write story on that idea which comes to your mind at the very beginning.
 Each story must have a central character with whom you can identify with. The hero should
act in a normal manner to find out the solution of the problem.
 The story should have some supporting character that can help the main character to come
out of the problem.
 Do not write pre-conceived stories, because the pictures stories are set to an accorded
pattern. And if one misses or skips through the loop, the psychologist can easily trace that
your story does not follow the psychological pattern which can get you out.
 To narrate the story, use names of people in your group as the central character. And do not
use RAM, SHYAM, SITA, and GEETA as the main character instead.
 The stories should always reflect your personality. As it will be crosschecked in the WAT,
SRT and self-description.
 FOR EXAMPLE- If in a story, you are writing that X is a sportsperson then you should also
have played sports in your life.
 If you are friendly and lively than it should reflect in the main character’s personality. He
should be fun loving and friendly in the story.
 An important note: Try to portray as many officers like quality you have in your personality in
the stories and let it appear in other psyche tests also.
 The main character has to be positive and bring out the story as a positive one.
Tips to follow when the ideas do not come to your mind, here I am using some examples:
 If in a picture: A boy’s hand is placed on his head. The idea is: X is a boy, who lost his job in
the time of recession. Now, he uses social networking sites to track HRs of different
companies, after few months he got an interview call.
 If in a picture: there are 2 girls. Then the idea is: To interpret one boy and then you can make
your situation accordingly to illustrate women empowerment, harassment issue, women
education like issues.
 If in a picture: 2 people are fighting. The idea is – they are performing under karate,
taekwondo, or a boxing match
So you can easily make a story by observing a picture carefully and by correlating with a practical
problem.
Word Association Test
Word Association Test is a test that is conducted under the Psychological testing series. This test
is conducted for the candidates who have successfully passed the screening test. This test is very
important as it reflects the way you think and brings out your personality.
In this test, the candidates are shown 60 words, one after the other and are expected to make
sentences using those words. Your sentence can make use of any form of the word. For example, if
the word is run, then your sentence can use any form of the word run as run, ran, running, etc. For
every word, a time of around 15 seconds are given after which, the next word is shown. You have to
see the word and write a sentence within those thirty seconds. As you are bound by time, so you
cannot mask your original responses. Hence, practice is highly required for that test. The difficulty of
the words is not very high. Remember, the test is to test your personality and your behavior, not your
vocabulary. However, you need to have a good vocabulary, as it helps in the other parts of the
interview.
 WAT helps psychologist to understand the real behavior of the candidate under pressure.
 WAT totally depends on how you react to words in your real life.
 A better introspection will help you to know your real personality, your interests, your fears
and your weaknesses. By knowing your weaknesses one can work on that and can change
them in one’s strengths. It will help you in changing the image of a word in your mind
{explained later}.
 Write sentences from human point of view.
Points worth bearing in mind:
1. Don’t ever make negative sentences. Always make a sentence that is positive in the
meaning, even when there is a word which conveys a negative sense. For example: the word
disturb conveys a negative meaning in itself. One should not make sentences like ‘Ram
disturbed his sister ‘or any such negative sentence. You should make positive sentence like
‘Nothing disturbs the brave’ and other such sentences which are positive. Some examples for
you to practice are: cannot, confuse, bad, cry, defeat, fearful, exploitation, bluff, lonely,
Untouchability etc.
2. Do not use ‘I’. Use of such words should be avoided. For example: for the word friend, don’t
make sentence like I am very Friendly or I have many friends. Instead, you should make
sentences like, one must choose friends carefully, or friends are trustworthy, etc. Excess use
of ‘I’ can reflect that the person is self-centered which leaves a negative impact.
3. Don’t use famous Idioms or phrases. For example: for the word spoil, try not to write famous
lines like ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’. But make simple sentences like freedom without
restriction spoils a child. Use of such famous lines shows your lack of imagination and
thinking capacity.
4. Also one should avoid sentences that are preaching or very bookish. Also negative
sentences should be highly avoided.
5. Positive sentences should be written. The sentences should always be written in legitimate
handwriting. As time is short, so you have to write fast. Practicing only would help in that
scenario.
6. Do not write sentences for words whose meaning is not clear to you. Remember, you do not
have to necessarily attempt all the words. Try to attempt near fifty to fifty-five words. You
must attempt more than forty-five words.
7. Write sentences which are based on facts and recent happenings. For example: for the word
bomb, you can write that ‘City of Mumbai has faced several bomb blasts in the past’.
8. The famous saying goes as ‘Honesty is the best policy’. Well, in this case you have to be
honest and write sentences which come to your mind first. Although, in fifteen seconds you
cannot mask your natural responses. So, practice as much as you can. Start by collecting
words for the Word Association Test from the internet. Next make sentences based on them
in the given fifteen seconds of time limit. After you have done it for sixty words, check your
response thoroughly and try to see any mistake that you might have made. While practicing
again, make sure you do not repeat those mistakes again. Some examples to practice are:
 Consider
 Rose
 Create
 Brain
 Ability
 Academy
 Faith
 Fellow
 Leader
 Attach
 Axe
 Kill
 Infantry
 Defence
 High
 Cheer
 Faith
 Exercise
 Important
 Love
 Beware
 Ability
 Beat
 Love
 Sacrifice
 Nation
 Books
 Practice.
How to Prepare for WAT
WAT is a partly guided, subconscious and also the test of your imagination. It is not a sentence
making test. This test evaluates your quality of ideas associated with all the 60 words shown on the
screen.
Points to remember while attempting WAT

1. First of all look at the words carefully as it will be shown only for 15 seconds. If you’ll miss
even a single word, you'll miss the whole sequence.
2. As you’ll see the word your mind will form an idea, now it depends on your personality to
make a positive idea or a negative idea.
3. Then write a sentence on the idea you have formed. Make sure your writing is legible.
4. There are no negative words, if you’ll look them with a positive approach. Words will work in
your favor automatically.
5. Do not use too many sentence on defence forces.
6. Try to give rare piece of information.
7. If you leave a word in between, then please leave the word according to serial to maintain the
similarity.
8. If you do not complete the sentence, try your best to write something.
9. DO not give one word response. If you do not complete the sentence, try your best to write
something.
10. DO not give one word response.
Dos and Don'ts of Word Association Test
WAT Word Association Test is a critical exercise. It lets the psychologist analyze by just a few
sentences! Hence you must know how crucial it is to give the correct responses in this test. So here
is a guide on some dos and don'ts of this test.
Dos and Don'ts of WAT

1. Do write your natural response.
2. Don't mug up sentences on certain words, and write responses then and there.
3. Do write your good thinking, or your positive thinking.
4. Don't write simple observations. E.g. - Sleep-A dog is sleeping. (Wrong response). Sleep
refreshes us (Correct Response).
5. Write the effect of the word. E.g.: War- War causes destruction.
6. Don't write idioms, phrases, quotations, universal truths. They show lack of original thoughts.
7. Write a meaningful sentence.
8. Don't give negative response or any word, try remaining positive as much as you can. If a
negative word comes try to write something positive for that as well.
9. Write sentences from human point of view.
10. Don’t use the word “I or Me” much.
11. Don’t write the word in the answer sheet.
12. Maintain as far as possible a good hand-writing.
13. Attempt at least 45-50 words.
WAT Word Association Test is meant to put you under pressure and squeeze the real you out of
you! You need practice to do well in WAT. Several PPT’s and words are present online and also on
SSBCrack you can take them and write your responses keeping the given points in mind.
How to tackle a Negative Word in WAT

When your reaction to a negative word is positive, it will be easy for you to make a sentence from the
word. The tip is to form a positive idea from a negative word shown in the slide.
For example- Defeat: - Now when we hear defeat, an image of failure comes to our mind. It is natural
but a little practice will help you to change the image out of your mind.
1. Sentence- A brave man defeats his weakness.

2. Danger- Indian defence is always ready for dangers
3. Weapon- weapon is used for protection.
4. Hijack- commandos are trained for
5. Difficult-difficulties are solved by patience.
6. Fear- winners bravely face his fear.
7. Aggressive- A leader patiently deals with his team.
Do not use readymade sentence. This will break the pattern of loop created by psychologist.
Practice writing negative words, it will help you in

changing the image of those words in your mind.
25 Most Common Words in WAT:
25 Most Common Words Comes in WAT:
1. Dark
2. Beat
3. Alone
4. Organize
5. Heat
6. Ability
7. Beware
8. Bolt
9. Boast
10. Sputnik
11. Award
12. Power
13. Defeat
14. Lure
15. Behave
16. Cooperate
17. Duty
18. Discipline
19. Lead
20. Problem
21. Wisdom
22. Noble
23. Luck
24. Fear
25. Government
These are few words which are common in most of the WAT conducted in different SSB Boards.
You can write the answer for these words in the comment box below. After few days best selected
responses will be posted against each words.
How to Tackle Word Association Test [WAT]
in Psychology Test
A candidate. It brings out attitudes, thoughts, desires, feelings and even negative aspects of one’s
personality. The words are easy and of day-to-day usage. Time given to the candidates is so short
that they have to write down the very first thought that comes after seeing the word. The psychologists
analyses the personality traits, attitudes and feelings on the basis of these natural reactions of the
candidates to specific words.
There can be no readymade solutions to the word association test. However, with a little bit of practice
the candidates can choose correct sentence. The pessimistic, negative, pervert and counter-
productive feelings must be avoided whereas positive feelings of success, honesty, respectfulness,
uprightness, optimism, humanism, etc. should be highlighted. For example, the word "failure", can be
used as "Failure cannot always be avoided", or "Failures are the pillars of success". Whereas the
former sentence depicts pessimism and defeat, the latter sentence shows how a negative word can
also be used in a positive manner. On similar lines the candidates must prepare himself beforehand
for words like defeat, death, disease wrong, etc. It must be ensured that the sentences used are small
and convey some positive aspect of one’s psyche. Due care must be taken to ensure that the
sentences do not depict the feeling of fear, insecurity, anxiety, cowardice, etc. To do well in this test
the candidates must practice with several sets of words and do the self-appraisal.
1. WAR
Candidate’s reactions: a) Peace overcomes war
b) War is destruction
c) I hate war
d) War means bloodshed
Suggestion: Love Peace, but be prepared for war
2. PEACE
Candidate: a) Everyone loves peace (Acceptable)
b) I love peace
c) Peace brings Progress (Very Good)
3. WORK
Candidate: a) work is worship
b) Hard work pays (Acceptable)
c) Hard work leads to success (Very Good)
d) Work while you work play while you play (Avoid using proverbs)
4. DEFEAT
Candidate a) Defeat the enemy
b) Defeat the defeat
c) Defeat -don’t get upset
d) Don’t get depressed by defeats (Acceptable)
Suggestion: a) Defeat teaches us lessons.
b) Analyze causes of defeat to succeed
5. COUNTRY
Candidate: a) I Love my Country (Good)
b) Serving our country is Nobel (Acceptable)
C) it’s our duty to safeguard our country (A)
d) Country first self-next
6. HOME Suggestion: Home teaches us Manners.
These are the best WAT responses and answers which can be used by candidates in SSB. These
are the most common word association test examples which you might face in SSB interview for
Army, Navy and Air Force.
Here are some examples for WAT:

 Choice: Choosing a correct profession leads to happiness.
 Co-Education: Co-Education teaches adaptability with the opposite gender.
 Champion: India won the World Cup.
 Deteriorate: Indo-Pak relations are deteriorating with time.
 Cure: Ayurveda cures without any side effects.
 Cooperate: Team work is all about cooperating with each other.
 Clever: Being extra clever will annoy friends.
 Disease: Hygiene prevents spread of diseases.
 Demand: People of Telangana are demanding a separate state.
 Friend: Company of friends gives immense joy.
 Compel: Indian students are compelled to choose Engineering or Medical professions.
 Doctor: Doctor is like a God in human form.
 Forest: Deforestation is causing Global Warming.
 Home: Home is a heaven on earth.
 Crowd: Cricket attracts the crowd in India.
 Earn: Earning money through hard work is very satisfying.
 Instruction: It is important to read instruction before starting the exam.
 Lie: Telling lie is a bad habit.
 Exercise: Regular exercise is good for health.
 Patriotism: Soldiers inspire patriotism in every Indian.
 Live: World Cup Football will be telecasted live on Sony Pix.
 Fearful: Nothing is Fearful for a brave person.
 Progress: Hard work leads to progress in life.
 Respect: Indian Children respect their elders.
 Bank: Central Bank of the country issues the currency notes.
 Rude: rude behavior is never liked by anyone.
 Team: Team’s aim is more important than an individual’s aim.
 Future: Children are the future of a country.
 Book: Book is the best friend.
 Get: Working hard is important to get success.
 Easy- Proper planning makes a task easy to execute.
 Ahead- India’s future is bright ahead.
 Sacrifice-A team player sacrifice his interests for his team.
 Happy- Family and friends gives us joy and happiness.
 Discussion- Discussion leads to understand others better.
 Satisfaction- Working for country gives utmost satisfaction.
 Encourage- Team player always encourages his team.
 System-leader makes a workable and systematic plan.
 Quick- Spontaneous people quickly adapt things.
 Judge- P.sathasivam is the Chief justice of India.
 Women- women are leading our country from the front.
 Love- Love for country gives strength and optimism.
 Difficulty- Difficulty serves as an opportunity for a brave man.
 Duty- Working for the welfare and safety of the country is a duty.
 Idea- Different ideas help us to find the solution in a short interval of time.
 Books- Eleanor Catton won 2013 booker prize
 Future- Hard work in present gives the best in future.
 Music – Music gives peace, dedication and determination.
 Error- Errors are removed by revaluation.
 Work-Hard work, determination and optimism lead us to our aims.
 Justice – President appoints the chief justice of India.
 Charity- Altruist people give charity and empower others.
 Kindness- Altruists people are Kind and generous.
 Self-control- Self-control is the character of a leader.
 Educate- Education aware and empower us.
 Medicine-Medicines save lives.
 Exercise – Exercise keeps us physically and mentally fit.
 Poetry- Poetry fills us with Zeal and enthusiasm.
 Hard work- A winner always put hard work and dedication in a work.
 Blood- Blood donation camps help collecting blood.
 Face- A Brave man always wins over his fear.
 Snake- Snake poison is used for the manufacturing of medicines.
 Luck- Luck comes with hard work.
 Won- Babur won the 1st battle of Panipat.
 Company- Proper coordination leads a company to greater heights.
 Attempts- Continuous attempts lead us to our aim.
 Knowledge- Knowledge becomes the foundation of a great future.
 Honey- Honey is the outcome of hard work.
 Tackle- Team coordination helps in tackling a situation.
 Punctuality- Punctuality is the character of winners.
 Reaction- Reactions helps to understand others better.
 Offer- A friendly person always offer help.
 Drive- Passion, dedication and determination drives us to our goal.
 Atom: India uses her atomic energy for peace purpose.

o Future source of energy.
 Assist: A good leader assists his seniors with due respect.
o India assisted UNO whenever asked.
 Agree: Agreement is the result of mutual understanding.
o Defence agreement with USA shows India’s growing status.
 Affection: Prevails in close-knit family.
o Love and affection goes hand in hand.
 Accept: Strong people accept challenge willingly.
 Attack: On right time with good strategy wins battle.
 Afraid: Brave people are never afraid of adversity.
 Alone: When alone, books give good company.
o Youth alone brings changes in society
 Admire: Admiring others for good deeds bring them closer to us.
o India’s progress in space science/BPO is admirable.
 Active: Sports keep body active.
o Inspiration activates people to do well.
o Youth takes active part in nation building.
 Avoid: Proper planning avoids suffering.
 Attempt: Serious attempts ensure good results.
o Determined people attempt till the goal is achieved.
 Army: The backbone of a nation’s security.
o Symbol of discipline.
 Accomplish: Capt. Batra accomplished his mission bravely.
o Perseverance accomplishes success.
 Appeal: Human right groups appeal against injustice.
o Indians have right to appeal directly in Supreme Court.
 Abuse: US army committed human abuse in Iraq.
 Annoy: Mature people keep everyone happy.
 Award: Hard work is an award itself.
 Accident: Implementation of traffic rules avoids accidents.
o Konkan Railway uses anti-collision device to avoid accidents.
 Against: Government is working against Polio and Hepatitis B.
o Government works against the odds to make nation develop.
 Average: Average People rise to glory with continuous efforts.
 Ask: India forces always help UNO whenever asked for.
 Approach: Positive approach always gives positive results.
 Aloof: Company of friends removes aloofness.
 Aid: The whole world provided aid to Tsunami victims.
 Argument: Reasonable argument promotes good ideas.
 Architect: Architecture is the game of Imagination.
 Ambassador: Pt. Nehru was an ambassador of peace.
o Mother Teresa was an ambassador of charity.
 Again: Practicing again and again improves performance.
 All: All citizens are responsible formation.
 Aware: Awareness minimizes the cases of AIDS/Polio.
 Adult: Education helps to remove orthodoxy from society.
 Boredom: Removed by engaging experience.
o Remove by reading/talking to friends.
 Bachelor: Is the state of gaining experience.
 Ballot: Plays important role in democracy.
 Barrier: Large population is a barrier in development.
 Beauty: Nature is bestowed with beauty.
o Nature beauty refreshes mind and body.
 Bride: Taking and giving bribe is moral crime.
 Books: Power house of knowledge.
o Are good companions.
 Behave: Good behaviors shows maturity.
o Good behaviors reflect good upbringing.
 Break: Continuous efforts help to break records.
 Blood: Saves life.
o O+ is universal donor.
o Patriots nurture national interest with their blood.
 Begin: A good beginning entails a good end.
 Beggar: Social workers work for beggar’s upliftment.
o Relations are based on loyalty.
 Bed: After hard work; be gives relief.
 Bad: Life if full of good things
 Brave: Brave men build society.
 Borrow: USA is borrowing good brains from India.
o Pak borrowed missiles from China/North Korea.
 Beat: Indian Scientists beat the world in IT.
 Burden: Cheerfulness eases the burden.
o Good citizens burden their responsibility willingly.
 Bilateral: India is improving bilateral relations with Pak/China.
 Blame: US blamed Saddam to have WMDs.
o Weak always blames others.
 Bomb: Vast population acts as a bomb.
o Bombing on Hiroshima/Nagasaki was inhuman act.
 Calamity: Tsunami was great calamity.
o Effectively disaster management minimizes the harm in a calamity.
 Calm: Calm and cool people win other’s heart.
o Calm and cool mind brings better results.
 Careful: Careful preparation keeps errors away.
 Compel: Compelling reasons win a lot of supports.
 Captain: Motivates his men/leads by example.
 Capable: Continuous efforts increase capability.
 Congratulation: Congratulating others on their success motivates them to do well again.
 Company: Of friends gives pleasure.
o Of good people gives good habits.
 Cheat: Cheating does not give long-lasting results.
o Cheaters need strict punishment.
 Clean: Systems serve better.
 Cult: India is a home of different cults and creeds.
 Culprit: Is brought to justice by law.
 Cruel: Cruelty of Hitler led to the Second World War.
o Cruelty of Saddam was the cause of his fall.
 Cry: To check growing population is the crying need of the hour.
 Cup: Life is a cup of joy.
 Child: Priceless asset of parents.
o Future torch bearer of country’s progress.
o UNICEF runs may schemes for uplifement of children.
 Care: Caring and sharing makes the relations strong.
 Casual: Attitude harms the success.
 Change: Determined people change the fate.
o Gandhi fought for a change in the system.
 Conduct: Conducting environmental campaigns increases awareness.
 Class: Food for work scheme helps lower class of society.
o Class differences are slowly but surely fading.
 Convince: Confident people convince others easily.
 Criticize: Positive criticism improves performance.
o Healthy criticism improves performance.
 Decide: India and China have decided to improve their relations.
 Develop: Youth plays crucial role in the development of country.
 Discourage: Coach encourages team to win the match.
 Duty: Duty and responsibility goes hand in hand.
o Duty implies responsibilities.
o To perform duty is always joyful.
 Delay: Doing work without delay shows sincerity.
 Dictator: Democracy is the answer to dictatorship.
 Drink: Clean drinking water is essential for public health.
o Interlinking of revers will provide enough drinking water.
 Differ: India is a home of different yet unified cultures.
 Death: The brave soldier died a martyr’s death.
o Death of a martyr inspires young blood.
 Deteriorate: Illiteracy deteriorates a country’s progress.
o ASI checks the deterioration of historical monuments.
 Disagree: disagreement is removed by pragmatic approach.
 Doubt : Knowledge removes all doubt
 Desire: Indian youth desires for a developed nation.
 Diversity : Crop diversification is beneficial for good cultivate
 Determined: India is Determined people achieve their goals definitely.
 Dialogue: Is the only solution of problems like Kashmir.
 Difficult: Strong people face difficulties bravely.
 Demand: Talented people are always demanded.
o Indian brain is demand in the world.
 Earn: Honesty earns respect.
o Gandhiji earned respect from countrymen and others as well.
 Escape: Braves don’t escape from difficulties.
 Elder: Is the best inspiration.
 Examination : Test the level of preparation
o Good leader examines problem from all angles.
 Enjoy: Friend’s company is enjoyable.
o Friends enjoy each other’s company.
 Encourage: Encouragement motivates people, Improve performance.
 Efficiency: Encouragement motivates people, Improve performance.
 Enemy: Lively people have lots of friends.
o Troop’s fights with enemy will full enthusiasm.
 Excuse: Strong people never give lame excuse.
 Fight: Indian army fight with exemplary courage.
 Fear: Courage removes it.
o Enemy is fearful of Indian troops.
 Future: Future of Indian space research is very bright.
o Upcoming generation is the future of country.
 Failure: Gives chance to mend the shortcomings.
 Fair: Is the confidence of multi-cultures.
o Book fairs draw people from diverse fields.
 Fellow: Trust and understanding is the bond among the fellows.
 Follow: Good leaders command healthy following.
 Friend: Friends help/trusts/understands each other.
o Is the gift of God?
 Future: Is good for go-getters.
 Family: Always stand together.
o Indians stand together like a family.
 Flower: Relaxes and freshens from inside.
 Favorite: Dr. Abdul Kalam is favorite of all Indians.
 Film: Documentary films educate masses.
o Is the showcase of creative message?
 Guard: Defence forces guard the border who full devotion.
 Girl: Deserves equal opportunities for development for society.
 Gallant: Gallant mountaineers scaled the peak successfully.
 Happy: Meeting friends gives happiness
 Having a goal is a state of happiness.
 Honest: Good citizens show honesty
o Towards their responsibilities.
 Holiday: Helps to keep mind relaxed.
 Hesitation: Practice removes hesitation.
o Knowledge overcomes it.
 Home: Learning starts from home.
 Habit: Good habits lead a long way in life.
o Good habits are inculcated by practice.
 Headmaster: Takes his institution to great heights.
o Is the role model for students?
 Hard work: Always pays in life.
o Persistent hard work in right direction brings positive result.
o India always gives a helping hand to its neighbors.
 Hand: India joined hand with others to fight terrorism.
 Illiterate: Literacy bring prosperity in society.
o Literacy gives a helping hand to its neighbors.
 Impossible: Persistence made it possible to reach the moon.
o Consistent effort make everything possible.
 Insult: He respects his elders.
o Gandhiji converted it into motivation, get success.
 Jump: India jumped to great heights in IT field.
 Joke: Creates Light-moments in life.
 Jungle: Is the home to diverse flora and fauna.
o Is a natural treasure for living being?
 Joy: Life is full of joy.
 Jealous: Love overcomes jealousy.
o Caring and sharing removes jealousy.
 Lose: Strong people bounced back from their loss.
 Love: Binds people.
o Brings unity.
o Is the sweetest and strongest bond.
 Leader: Always shows right path to his men.
o Good Leaders lead their men effectively.
 Lonely: Company of friends overcomes effectively.
 Luck: Luck favors those who take initiatives.
o Great efforts bring good luck automatically.
 Loyal: Loyalty towards duty/work shows strong character.
o Loyalty makes relations stronger.
 Language: Makes communication possible.
o Language of love is known by all.
 Logic: Logical ideas are welcomed by all.
 Mad: Fanaticism is a madness of making.
 Make: Timely decisions help in making the career.
 Meet: Meeting regularly creates better understanding.
 Mend: Mending fences improves relations with neighbors.
 Mother: Is an embodiment of faith and sacrifice.
 Movement: High morale gives momentum to the goal.
 Necessity: Motivates a man to work hard.
 Newspaper: Improve the knowledge.
 Notice: Great deeds are notice by everyone.
 Obey: Proper command and control brings obedience to orders.
o Firm and just orders are always obeyed.
 Opportunities: Wiseman always makes proper use of opportunities.
 Overcome: One can overcome the hurdles with determination.
o Self-confidence helps in overcoming difficulties early.
 Quick: Army Officers take quick and correct decision.
 Read: Reading enhances knowledge.
 Recognition: Great deeds are always recognized.
 Respect: Good deed are always respected.
 Responsible: Rank and responsibility go together.
 Rest: Rest is essential after handwork.
 Revolution: Brings a change.
 Rights: Rights and duties are co-related.
 Risk: Higher the risk, higher the aims.
 Rule: Enforcement of rules and regulations brings discipline.
 Shy: Shyness can be avoided by free interaction with others.
 Sister: Elder sister is a good friend and an advisor
 Sportsman: Sportsman spirit helps in winning the match.
 Stamina: Regular exercise increases stamina.
o Sports help in building stamina.
 Struggle: Struggle makes life thrilling experience.
 System: Systematic approach makes work easier.
 Teacher: Guides and helps in drawing best in a child
 Team: Team’s victory depends on each ones efforts.
 Temper: Short tempered people create more enemies than friends.
 Thank: Thanking people cost nothing.
 Tired: Short break after handwork avoids tiredness.
 Travel: Traveling improves knowledge.
 Understand: Friendship in based on mutual understanding.
 Uniform: Gives pride and unity.
 Union: Mutual understanding brings unity in a team.
 Victory: Sincere efforts leads to victory.
 War: War is not the solution to human problems.
 Worry: Hurry and worry brings diseases only.
 Young: Young performers are goal oriented.
 Youth: Youth alone can built society.
 Zeal: He plays with Zeal & Josh.
Basically, one should make positive and factual sentences based on recent happenings. Hence,
practice is necessary.
How to write a positive sentence from a

negative word
 When your reaction to a negative word is positive, it will be easy for you to make a sentence
from the word.
 Form a positive idea from a negative word shown in the slide.
For example- DIE: - Now when we hear die, an image of death comes to our mind. It is natural but a
little practice will help you to change the image out of your mind.
Sentence- Indian people are diehard fans of cricket. Or
Sentence-With Agni- V, Indian security system becomes a deadly combination.
 Do not use readymade sentence. This will break the pattern of loop created by psychologist.
 Practice writing negative words, it will help you in changing the image of those words in your
mind.
Examples of Some WAT

1. Sacrifice- A person with morals never sacrifice with his principles.
2. Defeat – A winner defeat his weakness.
3. Danger- Indian defence is always ready for dangerous situations.
4. Risk- A winner always ready to take calculated risk.
5. Worry- A fighter never worries about failures.
6. War- Indian war of independence got tremendous support.
7. Problem-Proper planning lead to an easy solution of the problem.
8. Failure-failures are the foundation of success.
9. Challenge - challenges increase the abilities.
10. Difficult-difficulties are solved by patience.
11. Fear- winners bravely face his fear.
12. Aggressive- A leader patiently deals with his team.
13. Confusion-leaders have a clear vision.
14. Weapon- weapon is used for protection.
15. Hijack- commandos are trained for hijack.
From the examples, you can understand how to change the image of the word in your mind and if
you’re able to change the image of negative words from your mind, then you’ll be able to tackle your
WAT test easily.
ONE IMPORTANT THING YOU NEVER FORGET THAT
 Golden Tips for Word Association Test

 Award
o A brave parson is awarded for his valor.
o Hard work is an award itself
 Atom
o Atomic power is used in India for electricity and eventually development.
o India uses its atomic energy for peaceful purpose.
 Accident
o Proper execution of traffic laws helps to reduce accident.
o Strangers accidently become best friends.
 Assist
o A team player and a cooperative person assist others in their work.
o A team player assists his seniors in work.
 Annoy
o A cool and patient person don’t get annoyed
 Agrees
o A team player easily agrees and, help them in executing a plan.
 Abuse
o Gentlemen always use decent tone.
 Affection
o We all have affection towards our country.
o Love and affection makes a person content and lively.
 Appeal
o Indian army dress and conduct is very appealing.
 Accept
o A leader accepts all the point of views of his team.
o Leader accepts and takes responsibility for a job.
 Accomplish
o A proper planning and execution by a leader accomplish the plan.
 Attack
o Indian soldiers are well trained to neutralize attacks.
o Attacking at the right time leads to an easy win.
 Army
o Indian army is the 3rd largest army of the word.
o Indian army keeps vigil at the border.
o Indian army is the real hero of our country.
 Afraid
o A courageous and a brave person don’t get afraid of impediments.
 Attempt
o AA brave person regularly and continuously attempts to reach to his goals
 Alone
o Company of friends and family removes loneliness.
 Avoid
o Proper planning and execution helps to avoid errors.
 Active
o Spontaneous and adaptive people are always active and alert.
 Admire
o Courageous and brave acts are always admired.
 Hard work: Always pays in life.
o Persistent hard work in right direction brings positive result.
 Duty: Duty and responsibility goes hand in hand.
o Duty implies responsibilities.
o To perform duty is always joyful.
How to Do Well in Situation Reaction Test

(SRT) of SSB
This is a very special test of second day psychology round which tests the various aspirants for the
normal happenings of the life and the situations that may arise suddenly in one’s life anytime.
Situations given in the series are such that can anytime happen with anyone suddenly. You are
provided with a booklet which has specially designed 60 questions. Each question depicts a situation
and has a blank which needs to be filled by the taker of the exam as to what would be his/her
reaction when such situation comes in the life.
The best formula to do such questions is to just write solution that you would opt for being a
responsible citizen of the country. The following can help in attempting such questions:
 Make a note of this that you cannot leave any situation unhandled but you have to provide a
solution that is feasible by a human being not by a super hero.
 Be realistic and practical with your answers
 Be truthful and don’t try to fake as you are being tested at various places for the same quality
or say that same quality should come out of your acts so never try to conceal anything.
 Be brief in your solutions.
 Also there might be some questions repeated to check consistency, just maintain that and
don’t show different solutions at such places which gives the essence of fakeness.
 Try to attempt as many questions as you want and don’t try to escape situations. That simply
means you are thinking too much and responding by faking results
 Read the situation properly before answering to understand the context of the place.
 Quality of response matters not the quality but this does not give the freedom to think and
write less. You score for more you right the answers rightly.
 Your solutions and qualities might be discussed at conference by all the officers when they
get together. So they should get the same person as it is when they go through the
personality assessment.
 Also it is suggested that you can refer books but should get your solutions assessed that
whether they match your personality or not. Books only provide sample solutions.
 Also answer for one individual might not be correct for one individual because you should
remember that through these answers you have to prove your qualities what you actually
have in you. So answers could be same but you should judge that you possess it or not.
Always keep trying and find a mentor who can help you individually to assess what you have
and how it can be shown in front of assessors at SSB. Still if any query is bothering you, drop
me a message on Facebook and add me. We will try to resolve it together.
Tips for Situation Reaction Test SRT

 Do not respond in detail, respond in a precise manner.
 To write fast, use punctuation marks in between your sentences. This will also enhance read
ability of your reply.
 Don’t jump from one question to another because an armed officer won’t switch from one
tough situation to another easy one.
 Some situations may be quite similar and here you should not give contradictory replies to
each of them.
 Keep your replies shorter as time runs out very quickly in this test.
 Make an assessment of probable resources at your disposal and analyze each situation as it
should be.
Situation Reaction Test Solved

Q.1. His sister’s marriage is fixed. His relative refused to give loan/money. He…
Ans. Raises money through the bank, performs the marriage, helps his parents and returns the loan
through Equated Monthly Installments.
Q.2. Marriage of your sister is fixed. He is not granted leave due to Administrative Inspection. He…
Ans. Inquires welfare telephonic, assist by raising sufficient funds and send money through online
transfer, request brothers, sisters and relatives to ensure that marriage ceremony is performed to the
best of the ability. He will visit his sister on getting leave.
Q.3. Bharat Bandh is likely to be declared while you are on leave. Your leave is to be finished after
two days of commencement of Bandh. He…
Ans. Get In touch with the unit via telephone, in view of Bharat Bandh, leaves his house in sufficient
time so that he is not late for duty.
Q.4. In a train journey, at mid-night certain sound disturbed your sleep. On being woken up, you
found someone trying to steal through the window. He…
Ans. immediately get up. Raise alarm, catch the intruder by hand, pull the chain apprehend the
culprit and handing over the police.
Q.5. He is going to attend an important meeting and he is already getting late. Suddenly the road is
blocked due to traffic jam. He...
Ans. gets down from the vehicle, runs the distance, clears the traffic jam, take alternative means of
communication and attend the important meeting in time.
Q.6. you have to go for patrolling duty in field. Your driver is having high fever. He…
Ans. Give medication to the driver suffering from high fever, take to wheels and drive the vehicle
personally and conduct the patrolling.
Q.7. You as a player of football team required to play the match. Suddenly, on the day of match you
have high fever. But your team captain does not allow you to leave the game. He…
Ans. Take medication, lot of fluids, contribute his best to the team and maintains high moral spirits.
Q.8. you are required to go for patrolling at higher in high altitude area. You do not have coat parka.
He…
Ans. Borrow from your friend, or use to jerseys underneath, make yourself comfortable and proceed
for patrolling as per the laid down schedule.
Q.9. While returning to home after watching cinema at mid-night, you found two persons quarreling
on the way. He…
Ans. Intervene, try to find the reason of quarrel, settle the issue amicably and proceed to your
destination.
Q.10. You are required to dig trenches, but your colleagues are not co-operating with you. He…
Ans. motivate your colleagues, ensure they realize the essentials of digging trenches, and contribute
effectively.
Q.11. While working in the kitchen garden, rain starts. He…
Ans. Enjoy the rain, complete the entire task because rain is essential for development of plants and
flowers.
Q.12. He is assigned a difficult task which he has not done earlier. He…
Ans. Learns the task through his friends develops interest, complete the task to the best of his ability
irrespective of the results.
Q.13. As a secretary of Student Union of his college. He will do the following…
Ans. Ensure high standard of discipline, regular attendance by the students, respects the teachers
and the colleagues, and help the staff in imparting best of education to the students in the college.
Q.14. which returning from market, three persons with knife stop him and ask him to hand over his
valuable possessions. He…
Ans. Tries to give resistance, if not, via telephone gets in touch with police helpline, gives the general
direction of the three persons and tries to help the police in nabbing the culprits.
Q.15. While patrolling at unit man gate, a terrorist fired at his leg and bleeding started badly and he
is snatching his rifle. He…
Ans. Raise and alarm, use his weapon in self-defense, over power the terrorist, catch and nab him
and hand him over the authorities.
Q.16. while on leave he heard radio and announcement about outbreak of WAR. He…
Ans. Immediately gets in touch with the unit, takes the train, reaches his regimental headquarters
and performs his best in the war.
Q.17. In field area, he was short of manpower; one of his jawans asks for the leave on wrong excuse
which he knows is false. He…
Ans. investigates the matter, if the excuse of the jawan is fabricated, takes disciplinary action against
the person.
Q.18. He is already late to complete his task. His colleges refund to co-operate with him. He…
Ans. Learns more about the task from his subordinates, complete the assigned task to the best of his
ability.
Q.19. While returning from picnic, it starts getting dark and he has lost his way. He…
Ans. Tries to check his location with the help of the locals/direction finding through stars/prismatic
compass and tries to re-locate his direction and join the group.
Q.20. When his Boss does not agree with his views. He...
Ans. Reviews his point more judicially and gives more convincing answers to his boss to satisfy him.
Q.21. He works hard because…
Ans. believes in zero error syndrome, sustained effort and success in any field of work.
Q.22. he considers that the most important thing in the world is…
Ans. Develop professional competence honesty loyalty integrity and sustained effort.
Q.23. He receives an order from your CO to do certain work, but he feels that he CO’s approach is
wrong. He…
Ans. Completes the assigned as given by the commanding officer and tries to convey his point of
view politely if considered.
Q.24.While travelling in a train, he came to know that someone has picked his pocket. He…
Ans. Try to alert the people, carry out a surprise check of the people and lodge an FIR with the
police boarding down the train.
Q.25. Due to financial difficulties, his parents find it difficult to give him further education. He…
Ans. Take of part time job during day, continue his evening classes, give financial support to his
parents and work towards his professional competence simultaneously.
Q.26. While he is waiting for a bus, an accident took place in front him. He…
Ans. Notes down the telephone no. Informs the police via telephone, arranges first aid medication
and hospitalization of the deceased person and inform their relatives and friends.
Q.27. He went on a mountain expedition which was a failure and of your friends died in the attempt.
He…
Ans. Learns to know the correct art of mountain expedition through sustained practical guidance and
climbing operations and ensure success in the subsequent mountain expedition.
Q.28. He felt that the work he is presently engaged is useless. He…
Ans. tries to develop interest in the job, take the job more seriously and enjoy the work.
Q.29. His friend lost his job and into financial difficulties. He…
Ans. Helps his friend to the best of his ability by giving financial and moral support and so that his
friend recover from the loss.
Q.30. O finding that you are losing the ground in a discussion with your opponent. He…
Ans. Gives his point of view with more logic and depth and convinces the group during the
discussion.
Q.31. In his office staff is not working efficiently. He…
Ans. Motivates the staff by giving essentials of hard work, builds the staff both morally and socially
and ensure that the staff working and efficiently.
Q.32. He finds a task which is difficult. He…
Ans. Tries to know more of the task through the colleagues and his subordinates, completes
assigned task to the best of his knowledge and competence.
Q.33. His plan had failed in the very beginning. He...
Ans. Dies not get discouraged, make a detailed plan all over again and succeed in the mission.
Q.34. He is at home and dacoits have reached at his apartment and started looting. He…
Ans. Raises an alarm, informs police and seeks help through helpline, gives stiff resistance to the
dacoits till such time the police arrives and apprehends the culprits.
Q.35. He is asked to organize a variety show in the aid of jawan Welfare in his unit. He…
Ans. Accepts the responsibility, makes a detailed programme of the variety entertainment show,
carries out extensive rehearsals and ensures that the variety show I performed to the best.
Q.36. His Coy is camping in a jungle for training where shooting is prohibited. A leopard which may
prove a dangerous is seen close to the camp as a sentry on duty. He…
Ans. Raises an alarm, lights marshals, makes drum beats, fire in the air to frighten the animal till
such time they succeed in the mission.
Q.37. Emergency has declared in the city where his unit is located. He is the CO of the unit. He…
Ans. Alerts the unit, gives optimum support to the Deputy Commissioner of Police and discharges
his duty as per the laid down customs and traditions of the army.
Q.38. Whenever he is required to take new step. He…
Ans. Goes more about details, makes extensive efforts, does lot of reading and takes the right step
to succeed in the mission.
Q.39. While going to the office, he saw a man climbing on a house with the help of a rope. He…
Ans. Questioned the person of liming the house through the rope, if satisfied proceeds to the office if
not take the required action to dissuade the person from making unacceptable attempt of
approaching the house through the rope.
Q.40. He has to take group of all India tour. He…
Ans. Accepted the responsibility. Conducted the group well and everybody enjoyed the tour in his
command.
Q.41. He hears a cry of fire-fire from neighboring house. He…
Ans. immediately rushes to the neighbor’s house, attract attention of the people, and bring fire under
control and takes collective action to beat back the fire.
Q.42. He had a minor scooter accident on his way to office in which his scooter got slightly
damaged. He…
Ans. Did not worry about the accident, does introspection gets scooter fructified and became careful
in future.
Q.43. He has lost his way in the jungle. He…
Ans. Try to find the north Direction, head towards the fire lane and get out of the jungle.
Q.44. While travelling in a train, he found that his ticket is lost. He…
Ans. Looks around and check all over again to trace the ticket, if not bring to the notice of the ticket
collector and face the consequences.
Q.45. To check the growth of population, what will he suggest?
Ans. Make people aware about population control, importance of government policies and planning,
small family norm and healthy living.
Q.46. Electric light of his neighbor has gone off. He…
Ans. Immediately goes to the rescue of his neighbor, carries out a detailed check and tried to rectify
the fault, if the fault is major, lodge a report with authorities.
Q.47. He is travelling in a bus which suddenly caught fire. He…
Ans. Alerts the people, moves them out of bus, tries to extinguish the fire with the help of the
passengers and locals, gets in touch with the police and the fire brigade, and bring fire under control.
Q.48. He is come to his home after meeting a friend. Suddenly he has been attacked by some
miscreants with lathi. He…
Ans. Does not lose his cool, alerts the neighbors give tough resistance, get in touch with police and
rey to apprehend the miscreants.
Q.49. He is passing by a lake, he notices a boy drowning in the water and he does not know
swimming. He…
Ans. Gets into the water, raises alarm, rescues the boy, renders first aid medication and
hospitalization and inform the parents and relatives.
Q.50. He is passing by a Railway line and saw that the fish plates have been removed. Only 15
minutes are left for the train to reach and the Station is 1.5 km/s. away from the spot. He…
Ans. Immediately, run in the direction of the station, alerts the station master and helps to beat back
the likely accident which would have resulted in casualties.
Q.51. He is going to attend the SSB. When the train moves, lady falls down on the platform. He…
Ans. Tries to pull the chain, help the falling lady with the help of co-passengers and reaches the
destination
Q.52. He is on annual leave at his village. One day the dacoits started looting his village and also
killed a villager. He…
Ans. Formed a group, gave a befitting fight to the dacoits, lodged an FIR, and helped the deceased
family and ensured safety and security of the village.
Q.53. On his way, he saw a man suddenly falling down on the road. On reaching him he comes to
know that he is heart patient. He…
Ans. immediately took the person to hospital ensure his meditation and call his family and then
moved to his work.
Q.54. He is travelling in a train. At one of the stations he came down to buy some fruits and when he
turned back, the train had already left. He…
Ans. Keep cool, take alternative train, face consequences, reach destination. Thereafter train, face
consequences, reach destination. Thereafter does introspection to careful nest time in future.
Q.55. He has to organize a debate competition. He…
Ans. Checks the date, time, place, and venue, decide on the subject of discussion, participation by
the teams of the various colleges and ensure success in the mission.
Q.56. He was the captain of the football team and the performance of the team was not up to the
mark. He...
Ans. Does introspection, makes a strict routine, play friendly matches, motivate the team members
and ensure success in subsequent matches.
Q.57. It was a desert area and he lost his way being away from the team members. He…
Ans. Checks the direction of the north with the help of stars, magnetic compass, uses map direction
finding and hits the nearest place identified to the venue.
Q.58. He wants to join the Indian Army whereas his father wants him to become a software
professional. He…
Ans. Convinces his father of his interest in joining the Armed Forces and satisfies his queries and
ensures that he takes profession of his choice.
Q.59. His sister’s marriage is fixed but she is not happy to marry the person not being of her
choosing. He…
Ans. Rationalizes the situation, speaks to his parents, convince them of his sister choice and marries
her accordingly as per her wishes.
Q.60. He is the house captain and is required to make arrangements for entertainment programme
in the school. He…
Ans. Accepts the responsibility, works out the details, hunts the required talent, give extensive
practice to the participants and ensure success.
I am providing some examples for practice. Please mention your response below.
Situation Reaction Test SRT
1. He and his friends were coming from the school on bicycles, his friend fell from the bicycle
and his hand got fractured. He…………….
2. TT came to check his ticket but he found that his purse, containing the ticker and cash was
pickpocketed. He…………….
3. How was traveling in a train and some people started arguing with one another?
He…………….
4. He was sitting on the back seat of the bus and listening to music. His friends were sitting in
the front of the bus. He saw one person started arguing with his friends. He…………….
5. His friend was in love with a girl and he came to know that the girl was cheating on his friend.
He…………….
6. He was parking his new bike when a woman with whom his family had a fight started
shouting at him and asked him not to park at that place. He…………….
7. He has gone to a religious place and he found beggars harassing a young foreigner.
He…………….
8. His class teacher used to comment on his classmates and specially girls. He…………….
9. While he was having tea in a restaurant, some boys came up and started beating him.
He…………….
10. He was entering his lane when he found out that a child was playing inside and even the
windows were closed. He…………….
11. A function is to be organized in his school. On the last day the organizer has fallen sick. The
principal asks him to take the charge. He…………….
12. Because of the financial difficulties, his parents find it difficult to provide him further
education. He…………….
13. While returning to home after watching cinema at mid night, he found two people quarreling
on the way. He…………….
14. While on the picnic one of the students suddenly fainted, He…………….
15. His friend came to borrow the book, she was preparing from, for his exam next morning.
He…………….
16. He was going for an interview, but the bus broke down on the way, He…………….
17. In the cinema hall, where he is seeing the picture in last row, some bad elements are teasing
a girl in the front row. He…………….
18. His final degree exams are starting tomorrow and he came to know that his aunt got heart
attack. He…………….
19. He is going in a taxi to catch a train. The taxi moving ahead of him throw out a person and
runs away. He…………….
20. His marriage has been fixed but just one weak prior to the marriage the girl meets with an
accident and losses her leg. He…………….
21. While watching a movie, the picture house catches fire. He…………….
22. In the SSB he finds that no one is talking to him. Today is the first day. He…………….
23. You are asked to look after a sick relative. You have to prepare for your examination as well.
He…………….
24. While playing hockey match you were wounded by another player. You……………
25. His father wants him to prepare for IAS but he is interested towards CAT. He…………….
How to Excel In Self-Description in

Psychology Round
Though self-description is the last round of Psychology, but it has its own importance. It’s just a
simple exercise where the psychologist wants to know your perception about yourself along with
your closed ones. It’s very important for a person to realise that you should know yourself clearly. If
you are familiar with the grantha RAMAYAN, there was Hanuman who had lot of powers but had low
confidence on his capabilities. But once he was made to introspect about his capabilities he did
wonders. Jamwant made him realize his capabilities after which he crossed the sea and went to
Lanka to give the message to Sitaji. Having Capabilities is different but recognising them and using
them at the right time is demanded in an officer. This round focuses on that.
Time allotted to write is 15 minutes and you have to write the following:
 What do you think about yourself?

 What your parents think of you?
 What your friends/ colleagues think of you?
 What your boss/ teacher think of you?
 What limitations you feel in yourself?
 What kind of person you are?
 Or
 Write about your strength and weaknesses
 Write about your parents
 Or
 What your parents say about you?
 Write about your friends?
 Or
 What your friends say about you?
 Write about your teachers/ Employer
 Or
 What your teachers /employer say about
you?
The aim of this exercise is to assess the
maturity of the participants that whether he
knows of himself or not. Also you are the
best one who knows about yourself no one
else can access you in best way apart from
yourself. Hence through these exercises
you are made to write who you are and
then through other exams you are judged
whether you were right or wrong. In the
course of time, if a chirality / perfect
overlapping is found between what you say
and what you do, you are recommended.
How to prepare well for this exam?
 Since it’s like you already know

what to write, you should prepare beforehand and prepare a paragraph for each category.
 Keep track of time as it’s important to write something for each category. No category should
be left unanswered.
 Have knowledge of both positives and negatives about you. Because it gives a good
impression to the examiner that you have thorough knowledge about yourself.
 Don’t feel shame in consulting parents and teachers, colleagues, friends to know their
opinion about you. Since what they think needs to be mentioned this is the perfect
opportunity to know this. They will give some of the details which i am sure to your surprise
you might not know.
 Don’t even try to bluff or tell lies or else you will never be selected.
 Try to show your true character in this exercise. Or else it would be caught either by the
psychologist or the interviewer.
 Be ready with the list of how you going to remove your negative qualities. Do mention them
as no one is perfect and everyone has it.
Yeah it’s that much easy. Just follow these simple suggestions and it makes you prepare for a part of
Psychology round and for the PI too. Details of other parts of psychology round like WAT, TAT, SRT,
etc. will be covered separately. For any other help feel free to get in touch.
How to prepare for self-description

Self-description is nothing but a presentation of one’s personality his mind. If a person knows himself
well, he'll perform better in the test.
 As it is like a released question paper, ask your parents, friends, teachers about you and
write it in a paragraph.
 Try to write the correct information about you.
 Try to work on your weaknesses. Since the interviewer may ask you in the personal interview
that what are the things you are doing to overcome the same.
 Do not bluff and try to show your real personality.
 Think about the strengths and the weaknesses of your parents and your friends.
Questions to be asked in self-description
I hope this questions will help you in understanding interview self-description much better.
Write about your strength and weaknesses?
The answer totally depends upon your personality and presentation of one’s personality in his mind.
If one will have a good understanding about his personality, he will definitely perform better. The
most important thing for a personality test to be remembered is one should have a good
introspection of his/her personality to know and understand your strength and weakness much
better. When you are writing your strengths make sure you are mentioning all the strengths which
you think is most comparable to officer like qualities. Coming to your weakness, mention the
weakness on which you are working on. If you have some weakness that you think can be an
impediment in your selection, work on it. Try to talk to your parents, friends, and teachers and find
out more about your weaknesses and make them in your strengths.
OR
The most important thing for a personality test to be remembered is one should have a good
introspection of his/her personality to know and understand your strength and weakness much
better. But when it comes to written make sure that you write only those strengths which are most
comparable to officers like qualities. Think of how your personality will help you in your job. Now
coming to weaknesses, mention only those weaknesses that you are working on and never write
those weaknesses that can affect your selection. If you are a kind of person who works on his
weaknesses, its fine, but if you are a procrastinate type, who overlook his weaknesses and says to
work on his weakness but never does, then either work on it or otherwise don’t write it. Try to talk to
your parents, friends, and teachers and find out more about your weaknesses and make them in
your strength. For example- In my case, one of person in my peer circle said in his interview that
one of his strength is he always choose his friends wisely & cautiously because he believes that if he
chooses his friends wisely, he’ll not be getting into bad company and will be successful, Which
interprets him as opportunist, unfriendly, selfish.
What your friends say about you?
Now if you’ve friends you must have like them for most of their qualities and dislike them for their
mistakes. The same thing goes with your friends. Try to write the positive traits of your personality.
To elaborate more, you can give examples – How they helped in winning your battles of personal
failures to convert them into success? Why do you like them? How you help them in achieving their
aims. I would suggest that if you think that you are friendly in nature then you must remember names
of all the people in your group and their likes and dislikes. Give examples how you help during their
problem, during their ups and downs.
Write about your friends’ strengths and weaknesses?

Ans- Now if you’ve friends you must have like them for most of their qualities and dislike them for
their mistake, try to write as many positive qualities of your friends. To elaborate more, you can give
examples – How they helped in winning your battles of personal failures to convert them into
success? Why do you like them? How you help them in achieving their aims. I would suggest that if
you think that you are friendly in nature then you must remember names of all the people in your
group and their likes and dislikes. Give examples how you help during their problem, during their ups
and downs.
What your parents say about you?
What your teachers say about you?
What kind of person you want to be?

DAY-3
GTO Task in SSB Interview
GTO Tasks is the second set of tasks which is conducted after the psychological tests. The
GTO Tasks are designed to test the sociability speaking skills of a candidate. An officer has to
perform his duties along with his colleagues and hence this task is truly the most important test
of the entire ssb procedure.
The Group discussion and Progressive group task is used by the GTO to reach into a picture of
the personalities of candidates and other tasks like Half Group task, Individual obstacles, Inter
Group Obstacle Race , Group Lecturette are designed to confirm the earlier findings of the GTO
and also to change the assumption about a Candidate.
Command Task during (GTO)
G.D. – Group Discussion

This is the first task of the GTO Process and this test is designed to check the general speaking
skills of a candidate and as rightly said “The first impression is the best impression”, the
performance of a candidate in the GD is the first impression that the GTO forms of a candidate.
He later evaluates each and every candidate in the other tasks.
In GD, there is usually two rounds of discussion. In the first round, the GTO announces three
sets of topics and the candidates can select any one from among them. You will be amazed to
find that the first set of topics are really simple and each and every person can take part in it. But
the second round topic is quite difficult and a well-informed candidate only can take a lead in the
discussion. The GD generally lasts for 30 minutes.
Group Lecturette
This is one of the most important task of the GTO series. The candidates are made to sit in a
circle and every candidate are given a topic and he has to speak on it. The time allotted is three
minutes.
G.P.E. – Group Planning Exercise

Group Planning Exercise, each candidate has to write his planning for the mentioned problem and
map given, later group members are required to discuss on the problem and have to come with a
common plan with common consensus. Later one of the group member has to explain the common
planning with the help of pointer and map.
P.G.T – Progressive Group Task

The first outdoor task in GTO Tasks. PGT is about set of obstacles in ground in a specified area
in that you and your team members should cross each obstacle defined by set of rules. Also
while crossing those obstacles we should carry a load. To cross those obstacles, some helping
materials are given by the G.T.O. I.e. Balli (wooden log), Plank, and rope to tie these. The
difficulty of the task increases from one obstacle to another in a progressive manner. So it is
named as Progressive Group Task.
H.G.T. – Half Group Task

HGT is similar to PGT, but the difference is that the group is divided into two sets. I.e. if your
group contains totally 10 persons, then it is divided into 5 of two groups. Like this the GTO will
see the performance of the candidates in close. The rules are same for this like PGT.
IOT. – Individual Obstacles Task

You are required to attempt 10 obstacles individually, each obstacle consist of some points from 1 to
10.
C.T. – Command Task

The Command Task is held before the F.G.T. The aim of this task is to find the commanding
capability of the candidate. The candidates are allowed to choose two members from the
group. The candidate should have to cross an obstacle with the allotted men and the resources
available within allotted time.
Snake race/Group Obstacle –

Race all group members will be competing with other groups, members will be holding a snake like
rope, and they are required to cross certain obstacles with the snake. There are certain rules like all
other tasks. It is kind of race among different groups, it’s a fun.
F.G.T. – Final Group Task

The final task of SSB GTO outdoor tasks. The entire group is participated in this task and there
is only one obstacle.
Rules for PGT, HGT, CT, and FGT

The obstacles are painted in three colors namely
o White
o Black
o Red
Each one describes one rule.
White: - Both the candidate and the helping materials can touch the obstacle at this region.
Black: - Only the candidate can touch the obstacle in this region and not the helping materials.
Red: - Both the candidate and helping material should not touch the obstacles.
Group Discussion Topics and Tips

Friend Group Discussion G.D. is first test of the GTO series in SSB interview. It is an informal
discussion among group members on a current topic. Most important thing to keep in mind is IT IS
NOT A DEBATE. There are two discussions in first discussion candidates get choice and in second
discussion candidates don’t get any choice. Generally both the topics have 3 subtopics. For both
discussion 15 to 20 minutes are given to discuss.
A candidate is free to speak whatever he wants to speak and as many times he wants to speak. For
example
According to you which is the biggest problem our country is facing today:
o Illiteracy
o Poverty
o Population
Few tips: Things under observation are interpersonal skills, group behavior and knowledge. There
are certain Do’s and Don’ts which can help us to show our qualities in an effective manner. These
points are:
1. In 1st G.D. when a choice is available always try to give reasons for choice of particular topic to
group, generally group members jump to a topic skipping the discussion part in deciding the
topic. Giving your thoughts and helping the group to select a topic gives you an advantage.
Giving 2 to 3 reasons in favor of the topic of your choice is always beneficial.
2. Every time you speak you must speak for 25 to 30 seconds, giving one idea clearly.
3. Be active throughout the discussion and speak at regular intervals. For doing this you can
follow this technique after you finished a point, allow 2 or 3 members to speak and give next
point after that.
4. Giving positive ideas always.
5. And when the time is about to finish try to speak one point in favor of each sub topic.
6. A good body language is must to follow.
7. Never regulate and never indulge in 1 to 1 discussion.
8. Loud and clear voice give you advantage in discussion , when all are members are speaking at
same time or when someone is trying to interrupt you in between your point your voice will
support you if it is enough loud and clear.
9. Crux of the GTO is knowledge & communication skills. And good thing is that both can be
developed by working over it.
Role of Communication Skills in a GD

GD is a selection parameter for almost all good exams and this test judges a lot many things of the
candidates. Effectively GD judges 3-4 OLQ’s in one go for a candidate. So GD could be a good
opportunity to prove yourself and your qualities which no doubt would be tested through other tests in
the series. What and how should a GD be done has already been cleared in my previous articles. In
this article I will focus more on what is the role of effective communication.
Communication is really very important as it leads to a clear flow of data in the group and everybody
contributes to get the problem resolved or discuss the minute of the details for the topic given.
Communication does not simply means speaking good English, a lot more is needed for this. The
member having effective communication skill should have the clear idea of what the topic is all about
and what and how to represent the data for it. The data flow in a particular order is the most important
so that the clear information flows from one end to the other. Also in this manner his points would be
accepted by the group and more additions to the information could be done. The following could be
helpful:
1. Effective communication can lead to attention of the group and group member acceptance builds
in. This is a very essential quality of a person because during the time of crisis one should be radically
accepted by the group so that the team performs well in the same.
2. Also every time a person speaks there should be some valuable contribution to the discussion and
not just speaking skills are being shown. If value addition is felt, members will go along and this can
work in positive direction for the aspirants.
3. GD and debate are always different. There you can hold a motion and continuously speak for the
motion or against, but in GD a clear viewpoint needs to be established related to the topic.
4. Supplement points with examples and happenings of the world so that every member can relate to
it.
5. Even if you want to interfere or say something in between say using words like excuse- me or please
listen gentlemen or I agree with you, but.... Using these add an emotional value and works for your
advantage.
At the end, GTO would ask someone to conclude and the leader is chosen by the group consent, so
work accordingly so that you could be the one. Body language is very important and I would deal it in
a separate article.
Importance of Listening skills in a GD at SSB

This is second in series where I would be discussing the essential qualities one need to show in GD
(Group Discussion). As already told there might be many qualities that could be judged in a GD, so try
to prove all in one go only. Apart from good communication skills a person should be a good listener
also as he should know what he has in him and what others want to say so that whole set of data
could be collected and told to the whole group if conclusion is desired. Such a quality can be helpful
in times when you don’t have much knowledge about the provided topic and you have to perform at a
place. Assembling others point and mixing your own views on it can also help in getting success
sometimes. The following advantages a good listener would always get:
1. A good listener would always be accepted as a part of the group and unlike a person who always
want to speak himself; a good listener has the power of accumulating points of group members.
2. This quality of accumulating can also help enrich the discussion
3. Also the group members may always feel that a person who listens other people should always be
given chance, hence there is more probability of acceptance by the group and getting chance
automatically.
4. It has already been mentioned that never go for quantity of speaking and then blame the system
that you were not selected. Always go for the quality of matter that you add to the discussion and the
knowledge building of the group. So look how can you add value rather than waiting for more number
of turns.
5. If everyone waits for more number of turns then only the fish market situation arises in a GD. This
needs to be avoided as it has been seen that in many such cases whole group can be rejected and it
affects the performance of everyone.
Remember to supplement your points with an example which can clear the understanding of group
which may lead to your acceptance. This is why you are there to prove your worth. Imagine a similar
situation when you will face as an officer where your group accepts your idea and you also provide
opportunity to everyone for speaking their ideas based on their expertise.
Developing a Wonderful Speaking Skill

Having a good speaking skill will help you a lot throughout your SSB as well as your whole life. An
error free speech, with a good tone and a good pitch is not liked by whom? Speaking power will sail
your boat thoroughly through the storm of Lecturette, GD, Interview Conference and a lot of more
things very smoothly. Hence there are a lot many benefits of having a good speaking skill. Here are
some things which are essential for a good speaking skill and you must keep these things in mind to
have a winning speaking style.
 Watch Your Tone: Your tone that is the intensity of your voice plays a major role. If you are
having a very loud voice then you may appear rude and if you are having a very timid voice
then you might not be heard at all. Hence practice your tone well. You can ask any of your
close one to listen you speaking and then tell you whether you are sounding okay, loud or
weak.
 Maintain Your Posture: While giving Lecturette or interview or in GD your posture plays a
very important role. If you are using too much of hand gestures then it may look very
dramatic. Similarly your slouchy body will reflect your laziness and lack of confidence. If you
get up from your chair while arguing in GD may reflect your non-adjustable nature. Hence
maintain a firm and straight posture while speaking; this will automatically enhance your
speech.
 Go slow with the speed: While speaking it is very important that you go neither too slow nor
very fast. Hence make it a habit to speak in a proper speed neither fast nor slow. To achieve
this also you have to practice well before.
 Eye-Contact: Maintaining an eye contact while speaking is very important. Imagine when
somebody is speaking to you and looking somewhere else, how will you feel? Eye-contact
reflects your confidence. Make it habit to speak looking directly into the eye of the listener.
 Choice of word and content: Your choice of words should be appropriate and easy. If you
are using too fancy words and nobody is able to understand they’ll lose interest. Similarly the
content which you are speaking must also be appropriate and relevant. Like in GD or
Lecturette speak only on the thing you know well, speaking merely for the stake of speaking
is not advisable. One more important thing is that if you are choosing any word to be included
in what you are speaking, then be sure about the correct meaning of the word, especially in
interview.
 Smile: No it is not necessary to show all your 32 teeth while speaking that will look amusingly
funny, but maintain a calm and smiling face is necessary. It will raise your level of confidence
and also make you look good. Promise yourself to not frown even when the whole group is
against you in GD and even when the Interviewer is banging you!
Benefits of having a good speaking skill

A good speaking skill will help you in tackling GD and Lecturette very confidently. This something
which is in our hand and we can practice it well before, so if you are able to express yourself nicely
then it’ll give you an advantage over others. In the interview also you’ll feel confident. The best way
to improve your speech is to practice Lecturette daily.
How to Improve Your Speaking Skills for SSB

Aspirants, Group Lecturette are one of the most important GTO tasks. We all know that service
officers while commanding their troops have to address their men at a short notice or to give them
instructions in their day to day activities. The officer should be able to talk effectively and forcefully.
Thus, there is a need for a defense aspirant to be quite efficient in the art of speech –making. This
test is mainly to test whether the candidate has the proficiency in speech making and effective
speaking at a short notice.
Then aspirants, People are never born good speakers .If one lacks this skill, it can be cultivated by
constant practice. No need to worry Aspirants, You have the talent to be a good speaker .But most
of us never realize that. To be a good speaker, we must have these essential qualities-
o Mastery over Language
o Knowledge of current trends and affairs
o Proper pronunciation and clear voice
o No shyness and stammering
o NO NERVOUSNESS
o Correct gestures
Now we will look into each of them in detail-

o Mastery over language-For effective speaking, command over language is most essential .If
William Shakespeare, a half –literate man is able to master language, and it is possible for you
to do so. Every day, search for some new words from an Oxford Dictionary .Pay attention to
those words, which seems to be effective for powerful speech making. You should know the art
of twisting a word according to a situation. While addressing the people, try to use simple
words .Remember, your words should be of current use .Simplicity makes your speech more
interesting for your audience.
o Knowledge of current trends and mastery over facts: Command over facts and modern
trends is important as the mastery over language .If you are deficient in up to date knowledge
of facts and trends on a subject ,your speech will never impress your audience even if it has
bombastic words. It is of no use coming unprepared for Lecturette in SSB. Preparation for GD
will be enough for the knowledge of facts. Be cautious not to give any faulty information to your
audience .Such an attempt will only demoralize you. You should have mastery over facts
.Constant reading helps you to improve your knowledge.
o Proper pronunciation: You may be a word wizard with a good knowledge of facts, but it is of
no use if your pronunciation is bad. Your proper pronunciation will charm your speech.
Pronunciation can be improved by listening to English news in English channels like CNN IBN,
NDTV and listening AIR. Make it a habit .You will have mastered a number of good
pronunciations within a year. Cultivate friendship with a person who knows refined English with
good pronunciation. Often go and talk with such people.
o Correct gestures: You should have a correct style of delivering a speech .You have to keep
their interest till the end so that they listen to you attentively .Try to end and begin the speech
appropriately .First impression is the best impression .Also avoid sudden endings .Your
gestures should be natural and impressive .Avoid acting like a clown on the platform. Your
errors can be spotted by delivering your speech before your parents and ask them to note
down your faults .Next time you try to improve your speech. This will make a steady
improvement.
o No shyness and nervousness: Shyness is due to some hidden fears. Some Great
personalities were shy in their childhood but they overcome their shyness and achieved
greatness. Shyness may prove deadly for a public speaker. To remove shyness, you should
prepare well in advance and while speaking, keep yourself absorbed in the topic and do not
worry about the audience. Even if they do not encourage you, never mind it. Avail maximum
chances of coming on public meetings. This is the best way to remove shyness. Take part in
dramatic clubs and extracurricular activities. Your good speech may be tarnished, if you are in
the habit of stammering. It can be removed by certain exercises. Better consult an experienced
person.
o No nervousness: Some persons are prone to nervousness. Take 15 long breaths to overcome
nervousness.
o A good voice: You can never be a good speaker if you don’t have a good voice .Nobody like’s
harsh and rough voice .Try to copy some pleasant voice if you are possessing a rough voice.
Some exercises are found useful for improving voice. Moreover in the SSB, GTO doesn’t look
for how much you have spoken, but how you have spoken .Always try to give fresh and original
ideas before the group in your lecture. Please avoid sarcasm while speaking. Talk slowly but
steadily. Your voice should be neither high nor low. Maintain eye contact with your group
members.
o PRACTISE PAYS IN GOLD COINS. You should practice speech making and effective
speaking long before you come for SSB. Speak a lot and try to build up your store of
knowledge and pay special attention to the editorials written by Journalists. Take down notes if
necessary. Practice for GD will automatically improve your storehouse of knowledge.
Improving Communication Skills

SSB involves a lot of communication. You need to communicate your ideas, thoughts. You need
to interact with other candidates, be friendly with them and emerge as a leader in your group. For
doing any of these things you need to have good communication skills. Now communication skills
are not something which can be built in a day or two. You need to practice it continuously and
systematically for a long period of time. Here are a few tips on how to develop communication skill
for the SSB.
Voice and its tone
Your voice is what makes you different from the crowd. When 10 people are speaking
simultaneously then there is only one person who is listened to in the end, it’s like survival of the
bests. In order to be a good speaker/orator you first need to identify that at what level your voice
sounds the best. Of course while interacting with friends and the IO you must have a lower tone in
comparison to that which you’ll have in the GD. So identify that tone for yourself, and speak like that
only. If you have a shrill voice remember not to raise it much otherwise it’ll sound not that good.
Way and Manner

When you speak then you are either having a strong point to put or just making your presence felt.
This marks the difference between successful and unsuccessful candidates. In order to mark your
presence you must have a strong point to put in the GD’s or anywhere. So you need to organize
what you speak, to do this you must have a good knowledge about the general awareness type of
issues and things. Also while putting your point you must be capable enough to put the important
thing in beginning and less important one’s in the end.
Flow and command over language
You can attain a good flow only if you practice. Well command over language is the same thing the
more you speak the more fluent you get. Fluency is utmost important while communicating. If you
are fluent then your audience will have a certain level of interest. Especially in Lecturette, interview
and GD. Thus you need to practice a lot of speaking, stand in front of the mirror and practice or
catch a family member. Also you must be good and fluent in English if you have studied from an
English medium school. Many of you say that Officers communicate in Hindi with men and all these
things but let’s admit that, by being fluent in English you are at a certain level of advantage & you
can’t deny that. So instead of applying your brain and arguing so as to why English is considered
more important and not Hindi, it’s better to practice English and be fluent in it. You are not going
there to debate and protect Hindi, Hindi is our mother tongue and we all respect it but it is said
“When in Rome do what Romans do”. Your aim is to get recommended isn’t it?
Gestures and Eye Contact

These are two most important parts of effective communication. When you are speaking something
its power is enhanced if you are doing some hand gestures with it. Maintaining an eye contact with
the listeners makes them interested.
Body Language
You must maintain a respectful body language while speaking. Getting alarmed and rising up from
your chair while GD is not a sign of a good body language.
Be a good listener
You must be good listener in order to be good speaker. This is last but one of the most important
points of effective communication. Letting others speak makes you appear more adaptable and
respectful towards others. It gives an impression that you care enough to listen to them and are ready
to accept their views which makes you more adaptable.
How to be a Worthy Group Member at SSB

Interview
An armed forces officer has to work along with his seniors and juniors. It an officer lacks the quality
of association with group members, and then he can never effectively lead his men. He may prove to
be an unfit commander. This same quality is assessed by the GTO in various Group tasks. A
candidate who is a man of great talents when worked individually may cease to be so when he is
working with a group. An armed forces officer essentially requires a spirit of co-operation, team spirit
and self-assertiveness. This traits are tested by the GTO in group tasks.
Anyone who lacks the above qualities will have no say in the activities of the group and ceases to be
an active member. Here I have enumerated certain qualities which every candidate should
essentially cultivate before appearing SSB.
o Adaptability: Every group member has to adapt himself in such a way that he becomes an
active participant in the activities of the group and strives only for the achievement of his group
above his personal achievements.
o Constructive Approach: Every group member should cultivate the habit of constructive
thinking and co-operation.
o Ability to convince: A person should possess the ability to convince and persuade the group
with his power of voice. If you lack this quality, then it is better to be a worthy follower in the
group than trying to become a leader.
o Physical fitness and will power: You should possess physical fitness and stamina to bear
the stress of the activities of the group. A weak person will cease to be an active member of the
group. Also, a group member should never lack will power and self – control.
o Faith and hard work: A group member should realize dignity of labor. He must be dashing
and daring to undertake any sort of job entrusted to him by the group. He should improve his
practical intelligence, professional efficiency and ability to do his job effectively.
o Leadership: In a need, every group member should be able to provide a leadership to his
group. In a military operation, if the commander is injured, the next senior officer takes over the
command .In the same way, you should be able to provide a right direction to the group if they
are caught in a difficulty and must put forward constructive suggestions.
o Spirit of Appreciation: You should appreciate valuable, constructive suggestions put forth by
others and must have the courage to admit your mistakes. This quality helps you to be a
faithful, dependable member of your group.
o In short, show maximum spirit of “Spirit-de-Corps” and co-operation and have a logical way of
thinking and reasoning.
If you are able to possess or cultivate these qualities in yourself, then you will be able to be worthy
member of your group.
SSB Interview Group Discussion Topics
I have tried to recollect topics I and some of the aspirants like me and you have faced at various
selection centers; I hope these topics will help you to practice at home.
1. In past few decades it is seen that people from Indian villages are migrating to cities very fast.
According to you what is the reason behind this exodus:
o Better education in cities
o Better life style of cities, or
o Better employment opportunities available in cities
2. The corruption in public life is increased in India in past few years; this problem is growing day
by day. According to you what is driving factor for the corruption in our day today life.
o Greed
o Need
o Any other reason you find suitable
3. India has several states and some of them have progressed very fast, but at the same time
some states have shown slow pace in development. According to you what is the basic reason
for this disparity:
o Different governments at state and center
o Different level of availability of natural resources
o Any other reason
4. India has witnessed a sudden increase in divorce cases. What is the basic reason behind this:
o Western influence
o Effects of cinema
o Office romance
5. Educational institutes are growing at a breathless pace in India, even many big companies
have entered the education sector, but problem of unemployment is still growing ,what is major
cause of this growth in unemployment:
o Mismatch between jobs available and job required
o Education system is not able to train the students
o Expectation level of MNCs are high and student are not able to perform well
6. Which political party you think will be successful in upcoming Lok Sabha polls
o Congress
o BJP
o Third front
7. Public violence in our societies caused by various issues. Who is responsible for this outrage:
o Police
o Judiciary and Media.
8. Crime against women is at height in present days. What should be done to empower Indian
women:
o Education
o Entry of women in politics
o Strict laws and harsh punishment
9. Migration of Bangladeshi people to India has been a big problem for the border areas and
people living there. This also generates anger in people of India. What is solution to this
problem
o Deporting back the migrants to Bangladesh
o Deploying more forces to Indo-Bangladesh border
o Solving it with corporation of both the governments.
50 Group Discussion Topics

In this post we will be talking about 50 group discussion topics which you might face in SSB
interview or any other interview for that matter. These are the basic GD topics which are asked
frequently in Army, Navy and Air Force ssb interview during group tasks. Candidates can prepare
these group discussion topics to score good marks during group discussion.
1. Naxalism.
2. Nuclear reactors in India
3. Is it good to quit nuclear reactors in India like Germany?
4. Alternative source of energy other than nuclear reactors.
5. Nuclear agreement with U.S.
6. Nuclear agreement with Russia.
7. Does Nuclear head of Pakistan a threat to India?
8. World Peace.
9. Pros and Cons of Science.
10. Increase in technology increases life span of man's life
11. Compulsory Army training.
12. 33% reservation for Women.
13. Youth in politics
14. Unemployment in India
15. Alternative source of fuel.
16. Role of press in India
17. Permanent seat in UNO for India
18. Permanent seat in G8 for India
19. India the super power by Defense or Agriculture.
20. India in Space Research
21. Success rate of wind power and solar energy for power.
22. Computer and its pros and cons.
23. Internet and its pros and cons.
24. T-20 cricket changes the cricket style.
25. Which is best Test match of T-20
26. Important of Sex Education.
27. Common syllabus for School in India
28. Common Entrance test
29. Ragging in college good or bad.
30. Wearing helmet at road.
31. Should India improve its defense technology or not.
32. Who saves nation more Police or Army?
33. BPO jobs in India.
34. Love marriage or Arranged marriage.
35. Co-Education in India.
36. Number one state in India - The Gujarat.
37. Removal of Alcoholism is a revenue loss for India.
38. Government bars in states of India, good or bad?
39. Population of India.
40. Child growth is influenced by Friends, Teachers and Parents?
41. Joining of Rivers in India.
42. Construction of check dams to save river water is successful?
43. Inflation Rate of economy in India.
44. Quota system in India
45. Kashmir issue and LOC.
46. Terrorism.
47. Role of Communication in India.
48. Sports in India.
49. Hockey the national game.
50. Domination of cricket over hockey.

What Is Lecturette?
Hello friends this article is about lecturette. As each test in SSB is equally important same thing
applies here. Ultimately GTO wants to collect enough data about our personality, through all these
tests, and our aim must be to provide him the things he wants to see in a candidate to pass him. So
through a good lecturette you can show him some of the most important qualities of your personality.
As in this test no one is going to interrupt you while speaking, so your performance depends totally
upon you. Your self-confidence, stamina level, expression without hesitation and not to forget your
knowledge about the topic will be tested here.
Arrangements of the test: rest of your group will be sitting and 1st candidate will get up take a card
and walk away from the group, now this card has four topics example
Now in these topics you are free to select any topic. My advice is select average topic and be
confident about that. As 2 out of four will be average topics and one will be below and one will be
above average. If you have very good general awareness then you can also go for the tougher one.
Now you have to select one topic and prepare a lecturette on it in 3 mints. After three minutes the
first candidate will come, stand facing the group and will talk over the topic for next 3 min. when he
arrive next candidate will take his card and will do the same.
While communicating to an ex GTO I found some useful information which I am sharing here:
Knowledge Good Average Poor
Fluency Good speaker and Satisfactory Hesitation and

expressive stammering
Self Good Average Under confident
Confidence
Stamina 3 min Between 2 and 2.30 min Less than 2 min
Result pass Border line fail

Preparation of a Lecturette
An officer of the Armed Forces has to lead or command his men. He is called upon to address at
short notice the men he commands and he must be able to inspire confidence in his men-not
only by his action but by his word also. His speech must, therefore, be forceful and effective.
In preparing your lecturette, you have to collect your material from various sources as under:
1. Note down all ideas about the subject as they occur to you.
2. Consult reference books, journals, newspapers and take down any new points not covered
already.
3. Discuss the subjects with your colleagues and note down any new points not covered
already.
4. Go through all the above material and select materials of your liking which can fit in the
framework of your talk.
5. Arrange the material selected in a logical order.
6. Prepare a final draft of your speech.
7. Divide your speech in three parts as under:
o Introduction: It is to establish contact with the audience, to arouse their interest so

that they get ready for what is going to come by disclosing and clarifying your subject
and stating why the subject is important for them. Remember the maxim “Well begun
is half done".
o The body: This is the most important part as it carries the main message. Make it as
interesting as possible. A dull treatment loses its effectiveness. A touch of humor may
be helpful.
o Summary and conclusion: A summary serves to wrap up the material you have
presented. It is not only helpful at the end, but is useful in the beginning and at the
end of each phase of your talk.
8. Rehearse your lecture and limit it to the time allotted.
Lecturette isn't hard if you go with some preparation, topics in lecturette are very common and
general, always choose a convenient topic and prepare well in the given time.
How to Perform Well in Lecturette

In defence officers are expected to lead a large force and for its success its necessary that individual
should have a skill to communicate his or her thoughts properly to men and people around. The
same is simulated through the exercise that we are about to discuss now. The important thing here
is that it’s an individual assessment round where you need to perform all alone. Candidates should
emphasis especially on such rounds where GTO officer has full time to analyses the personality of
individual. Other such rounds are psychology, PI, GPE, IO, command task, at such places you
should perform with utmost perfection as full views and qualities are observed and confirmed at such
places. Unlike to say aspirant’s performance should be flawless in full process, but these rounds
need special care as in other rounds group and team performances are judges which can be
managed through other qualities.
Speaking is an art which every leader should have and communication skills should be good along
with it. Effective communication can spread confidence in team and everyone will have faith over the
effectiveness of the leader. Every aspirant would be asked to pick a card which has four topics to
select from. Time to think is given for about 2-3 minutes and then the aspirant is given 3 minutes to
express his /her views on the same. The following can help:
1. Clarity of thought, knowledge confidence and depth can fetch you extra marks. So prepare
accordingly beforehand by making reading your habit.
2. Public speaking needs to be developed and it needs time. Keep reading news dailies and be
updated.
3. Introduction, main body and conclusion should be the part of your script in those 3 minutes and it
should be beautifully structured.
4. Don’t ever try to look at the assessor, just look in to the participants eyes who are your fellow
mates. Eye contact should be proper with full audience sitting in the semi-circle manner.
5. A bell would be ringed when 30 seconds are remaining. Don’t just try to wrap immediately. Don’t
ever show sense of urgency to finish, once the bell is wrung. Always maintain the same flow during
your lecture.
6. Proper ending and a good show at this stage add a lot of value to your referral by the officer, so
keep self-prepared.
Techniques to improve your Lecturette
Most important thing is practice, more practice, and daily practice. And few others are:-
1. Friends make good reading habits, be updated, talk to your friends in English, make your
mastery on the common topics like Indo Pak relations, drug abuse, global warming, power of
press, Indian missile development program, etc. a list is available on SSB Crack so you can
follow that link also.
2. Be in touch with people whom you meet at different SSB and keep asking them about their all 4
Lecturette topics. Make writing habits.
3. Use camera or mobile phone to make video of yourself wear a short and t shirt and give
Lecturette on topic of your choice even try to give you introduction. And watch it carefully.
Because you can’t watch yourself while speaking. So how you will correct your mistakes.
Analyze your standing posture, facial expression, hand gestures and also listen if you are
hesitating in speaking. It will help you to introspect, remove your hesitation and also it is a fun
activity. You can judge yourself and can be more presentable and impressive.
Tips for Lecturette in SSB Interview

This is the last task of GTO 1 day and this is the most exhausting day. This task can be
considered outdoor but is actually a sitting indoor task. The task means to delivering a small
lecture on a topic to be selected from a chit on which 4 topics are written (topmost = most
difficult, next two = difficult and easy, last = easiest), for a span of 3 mints continuously and
fluently only in ENGLISH.
Tips for Lecturette in SSB Interview

1. Choose any of the topics but advised to select 2 or 3 for convenience.
2. Give a brief introduction , actual cause and nature of topic selected, deep mature thought
over its ascent over mankind, its +ve and -ve effects , a small example if possible to
explain clearly your perceived thought.
3. While giving your lecture, report your topic to the GTO and then proceed. Look into the
eyes of group members and not the GTO while giving lecturette.
4. While preparing make sure you have taken the above points in consideration.
5. Make a prior preparation of one topic which you like in case that you cannot speak on any
of the topics given then ask for permission from GTO to talk on your topic.
Just before the actual task starts the GTO asks for a brief introduction of all candidates one by
one in the following format,
o Name
o Father’s name
o Father’s occupation
o Family background
o Schooling and education
o Currently what are you doing
o Where are you from and hobbies?
Cover all these points in 45 seconds and do not stumble anywhere, have a good profound fluent
voice, look at your friends and do not make any hand gestures. Limited hand gestures can be
made at the time of lecture but not many
Don’t get tense and panic while delivering lecture instead keep a smiling face. Duration is per
candidate = 3 mints, total about 30 -35 mints.
Golden Tips for Lecturette

Lecturette is a task from the Group Testing/GTO series. In this a candidate is asked to deliver
a short talk on any one of the topic given to him/her out of the four topics. The GTO has as
much number of cards as there are candidates in a group. Each card has four topics written on
it. Each candidate is expected to pick up one card and give a short talk of about 3 minutes on
any one of the given topics.
The first candidate as per numerical sequence will come and pick up one card, go a little away
from the group, prepare for a maximum time of 3 minutes or less and when ready can come
back and return the card to the GTO and speak for maximum three minutes. As soon as the first
candidate is ready the second one can come pick up the card and start preparing.
What is Officers' Intelligence Rating Test?
As soon as two and half minutes

are over the GTO will a ring a bell.
This indicates that the candidate
must wind up soon. After three
minutes GTO rings two bells, with
this the first candidate sits down
and second stands up.
What is seen through Lecturette?
o Self Confidence.
o Ability to influence group.
o Power of expression.
o Clarity of thoughts.
o Determination to deliver under stress.
o General Awareness.
o Courage to speak in front of people.
o Command and power in your speaking style.
Tips for Lecturette Preparation

o Start practicing to speak in English.
o Speak with your friends, family members in English or talk to yourself only!
o Read newspapers and increase your general awareness about the most common things
which could be asked also which are of national and international importance.
o Take sample topics like UNO, Indo-Pak relations etc. and give yourself a preparation time
of three minutes, then mark with a clock or take anybody’s help to monitor three minutes
time and give a lecture on your chosen topic.
o If you feel shy in giving lecture in front of any family member, then simply stand in front of
the mirror and speak, trust me that help a lot!
o The topics given will be of different levels, like one will be of really high level, the other
being slightly lower and so on. So choose your topic wisely.
o Choose only the topic you are well aware and conversant with, choosing a high level topic
will not impress anybody if you’ll not speak well on it.
o Maintain a good posture while speaking, do not slouch or lean on the podium.
o Do not look unduly worried; remember it is only three minutes it will pass away ;)
o While lecturette the allotted three minutes seem to be the longest three minutes of our life,
so speak slowly and clearly.
o Never look at the GTO while speaking.
o Make an eye contact with your friends sitting there; speak as if you are teaching them
some topic.
o Divide your content so you’ll find easy to speak, keep your mind running all the time you
are speaking.
o Do not use your hands while speaking.
o Do not exceed your time and also do not finish very fast.
Bottom-Line
Lecturette is a test of your expressions and whether you are good in public speaking or not. Of
course you’ll speak well only if you know about a certain topic. So improve your English,
improve your General Awareness and you'll feel lecturette a cakewalk.
New Lecturette Topics in SSB Interview.

A lecturette is a short lecture. It is an important medium of passing information or imparting
knowledge. Its success depends on through preparation and good delivery and also sincerity of
the lecturer. It is, however, generally delivered extempore in the SSB interviews. But the
candidates can do justice to it only if they have sufficient practice in the preparation and delivery
of lecturer on a diverse variety of topics.
New and current topics in Lecturette in SSB Interview

 Call Center (18SB Allahabad/IMA 134th course)
 International Terrorism (18SB Allahabad/IMA 134th course)
 Indian Economy (18SB Allahabad/IMA 134th course)
 Status of Women in India(18 SSB Allahabad/38 Tech SSC )
 E governance(22 SSB, Bhopal/ssc(w) tech )
 Health tourism(22 ssb, bhopal/ssc(w) tech )
 Favorite Actress(22 ssb, bhopal/ssc(w) tech )
 India and USA changing world(20 SSB Bhopal)
 Criminalization in Politics(20 SSB Bhopal)
 Smart card(20 SSB Bhopal)
 G 8 Nations (24 SSB Bangalore)
 E-Commerce(11 SSB Allahabad; IMA-134th Course)
 Higher Education in India(33 SSB Bhopal)
 Social Effects in Pornography(33 SSB Bhopal)
 Gay Rights(34 SSB Allahabad)
 Instant Cricket(34 SSB Allahabad)
 Global Warming:Fact or Fiction(24 SSB Bangalore)
 Favorite Pass time(24 SSB Bangalore)
 Peace measures in J&K(24 SSB Bangalore)
 Right to Information Act and its fall out (22 SSB Bhopal)
 Privatization of Universities (24 SSB Bangalore)
 Inflation (21 SSB Bhopal)
 Same sex marriage(17 SSB Bangalore)
 Valentine day(17 SSB Bangalore)
 MANREGA (17 SSB Bangalore)
 Pulse polio(17 SSB Bangalore)
 Rajwardhan Rathore(17 SSB Bangalore)
 Ecological System (12SSB Allahabad)
 India Global Research and development Destination (12SSB Allahabad)
 Nano Technology (12SSB Allahabad)
 Media and its effects (12SSB Allahabad)
 Nano technology (18 SSB Allahabad/IMA 134th course)
 National Highway Authority of India (18SB Allahabad/IMA 134th course)
 Mobile Phones (18SB Allahabad/IMA 134th course)
 Energy Crisis (18SB Allahabad/IMA 134th course)
 MNC's (18SB Allahabad/IMA 134th course)
 Center - State Relations (18SB Allahabad/IMA 134th course)
 NSG (18SB Allahabad/IMA 134th course)
 Generation Gap (18SB Allahabad/IMA 134th course)
 Water bodies (22 SSB)
 India's foreign trade (22 SSB)
 Indo Pak relations- the future (22 SSB)
 Disaster management in india (22 SSB)
 Water resources (22 SSB)
 Girl Child (22 SSB)
 Health (22 SSB)
 Aviation industry in India (22 SSB)
 If there were no super powers in this world(4 AFSB Varanasi)
 Use of technology in agriculture(4 AFSB Varanasi)
 United we stand, divided we fall(4 AFSB Varanasi)
 Can India become self-sufficient in energy resources(4 AFSB Varanasi)
 Cybercrime(4 AFSB Varanasi)
 Sports in India(4 AFSB Varanasi)
 Role of opposition in Indian politics(4 AFSB Varanasi)
 BPO v/s KPO (NSB,Coimbatore)
 Why youth hesitate to Join defence forces (NSB,Coimbatore)
 Indian reservation Policy (18 SSB Allahabad)
 Sanjay Dutt (18SSB Allahabad)
 IT Industry (18SSB Allahabad)
 Your favorite Day (18SSB Allahabad)
 Role of Discipline in Life (19 SSB Allahabad, IMA 134)
 Peaceful use of Nuclear Energy (19 SSB Allahabad, IMA 134)
 Globalization (19 SSB Allahabad, IMA 134)
 India's Agricultural problem (19 SSB Allahabad, IMA 134)
 Role of Youth in Society (19 SSB Allahabad, IMA 134)
 Entry of foreign Universities in India (19 SSB Allahabad, IMA 134)
 Infrastructure of India.(21 SSB, BHOPAL)
 Rain water harvesting.(21 SSB, BHOPAL)
 Favorite Cricketer.(21 SSB, BHOPAL)
 Ambition in life.(21 SSB, BHOPAL)
 Adult Education(21 SSB, BHOPAL)
 Indo US relations(21 SSB, BHOPAL)
 Beauty pageants (2 AFSB Mysore)
 Cable TV(21 SSB, BHOPAL)
 Net Education(21 SSB, BHOPAL)
 Internet(21 SSB, BHOPAL)
 Terrorism in North Eastern India(21 SSB, BHOPAL)
 Doping in Sports (2 AFSB Mysore)
 Division Of States in India (2 AFSB Mysore)
 Role of NGO (4 AFSB Varanasi)
 E-Market(4 AFSB Varanasi)
 My Hobby(4 AFSB Varanasi)
 Role of media(4 AFSB Varanasi)
 Global Warning(1 AFSB DEHRADUN)
 Human Cloning(1 AFSB DEHRADUN)
 India as Superpower(1 AFSB DEHRADUN)
 Discoveries that changed the World(1 AFSB DEHRADUN)
 STRAY CATTLE MENACE (22 SSB BHOPAL TGC 115)
 GREEN HOUSE EFFECT (22 SSB BHOPAL TGC 115)
 CO-ED-EDUCATION (22 SSB BHOPAL TGC 115)
 AIDS (22 SSB BHOPAL TGC 115)
 NCTC(34 SSB)
 Information Technology(34 SSB)
 Medha patkar(34 SSB)
 Is India a soft country??(34 SSB)
 India's Nuclear policy (21 SSB, Bhopal)
 National anthem(17SSB)
 G 20(17SSB)
 Volcano(17SSB)
 Sachin tendulkar(17SSB)
 Secularism (17 SSB)
 Joint Family Vs Nuclear Family (22 SSB Bhopal)
 Naxalism (19 SSB Allahabad)
 Child Labour (19 SSB Allahabad)
 Wildlife protection (22SSB Bhopal)
 Global warming (22SSB Bhopal)
 Water Crisis (22SSB Bhopal)
 BPO in India (22SSB Bhopal)
 Reverse Brain drain (22SSB Bhopal)
 Naxalism (22SSB Bhopal)
 Professional education in India (22SSB Bhopal)
 National integration ( 11 SSB)
 India's architecture ( 11 SSB)
 Dog Man's best friend ( 11 SSB)
 Ragging ( 11 SSB)
 IT ( 11 SSB)
 students union ( 11 SSB)
 Alternate source of energy ( 11 SSB)
 Eye donation ( 11 SSB)
Terrorist problem in Kashmir (11 SSB)
All about Military Planning Exercise [Group
Planning Exercise]
Group planning exercise [GPE] or Military Planning Exercise [MPE] is done to check the
reaction of candidates when put under a series of stressful situation, in which decision making
ability and quick reactions of a candidate is checked.
Given below is what happens in the GPE/MPE.

o GTO explains the candidates a model on wooden plank, at the end of explanation
candidates are permitted to ask any question.
o Now GTO reads a story from the card, pay attention while he reads this.
o Now after reading the story GTO allows each candidate to read story for five minutes from
story cards placed on their chairs & co-relate it with the model. Make mental picture of
everything because after five minutes these story cards are taken away from you.
o Now candidates are asked to write their own solution to various problems on a sheet of
paper. Time allowed is ten minutes.
o After ten minutes the writing sheet is taken away and the group is expected to discuss and
arrive at a common plan for the problem and then nominate a person to say the group plan
to the GTO.
What is Officers' Intelligence Rating Test?
Points to be kept in mind

o Identify the problems and list them in priority you would like to solve them.
o Divide the groups logically, i.e. send more people in more serious problem and you should
always go in the most serious problem which you have ranked first.
o In solutions you should also make rough calculations of the distance and time it’ll take to
reach there.
o After solving problems also write that you’ll all gather at some point and proceed for the
work you were actually doing.
o In discussion be prepared for a heated discussion but do not lose your temper.
o Try to initiate the discussion if not possible then at least enter the discussion early.
o Cooperate with others and give fair chance to everybody to express their solution.
o Do not generalize by saying that all problems are equally important.
o If others oppose your view do not get discouraged, however if you find someone giving a
better solution do not hesitate to agree.
o Do not use your arms too much, keep a smile on your face, do not get excited, and do not
get up from your chair.
o Do not look at the GTO.
Structure of GPE problems

Generally there are four problems given in GPE. One is of a serious nature which involves
immediate reaction or is costing more life; such problem must be assigned first priority. Second
kind of problem is also of serious nature and has some time left to solve it, assign them second
priority; third problem is comparatively less serious. Also there will be one silly problem, assign it
least priority.
Group Planning Exercise [GPE]

This post is regarding GPE which is known as Group planning exercise conducted in GT
[Group task].
Group Planning Exercise 1 with Solution

GPE is one of the very important part in GTO series, it is conducted next after GD, so being an
initial test, GTO select particular candidates who shows there good planning abilities and a good
sense of decision making in GPE, those candidates are tested by GTO with more interest in
later part of test.
Here SSBCRACK presenting one more GPE for you, we got very less response in Last GPE
hope this time we will come out with more and more way to solve the exercise, this GPE is very
interesting hope you will like it.
Group Planning Exercise 1 Details

You are a group of students (as many as in the group) of Shyamgarh College returning from
Dinapur after winning the Dinapur District Volley Ball Championship. The victory celebrations in
your college are to start at 7.30 PM. As you mini -bus stopped at the petrol pump - cum –
garage to get the headlights of the minibus repaired, you saw the attendant lying in a pool of
blood. He told you that some anti - social elements had beaten him up and left him dead before
looting all the cash and cutting off the telephone wires. He had managed to overhear their
conversation. They planned to exchange large consignment of drugs in return for Arms from a
foreigner near the Rock at 6.45 PM. They had also removed the fish plates of both railway
tracks on the bridge. You know that an express train crosses the bridge at 6.30 PM. Also two of
their men were hiding near the ferry to kill Tota Ram of Badli Village who was a police informer.
The ferry has a motor boat with a speed of 20 Km/ph. which the two men have planned to use
for their escape later. After telling this the pump attendant falls unconscious. Just then one of
your friends comes running from the minibus and tells you that he has to take the mini – bus
back to the office of Dinapur College where you’re Silver Trophy and the medals have been left
behind. The time now is 5.30 PM. What will you do?
Group Planning Exercise 1 Map
Solution:
Take that you are a group of 9 people.
1. I will first give first-aid to the injured attendant (Since we are coming from a game
tournament we are likely to have first aid to stop bleeding). Then I’ll send the injured along
with my two group mates to Shyamgarh District in the minibus. They will admit him to the
hospital and then one of them will inform police about the whole incidence. They will take
about 20 minutes to reach there.
2. Next I along with my two other friends will go to the railway fish plate site, by taking any
motor vehicle from petrol pump, where one of us will go to the railway authority at Dinapur
railway station and inform them about the fish plate removal (Can go again by taking lift
from somebody or by any motor vehicle), will reach there in about 35 minutes. Other two
will stay at the fish plate site with red cloth to avoid any danger.
3. I’ll send three people to the coast guard, they will take a motor vehicle and go there and
help the coast guards to go to the rock and stop the act which they are going to do, can
reach to the coast guards in about 40 minutes and help them in further investigation.
4. I’ll send the remaining one person to the Badli village, he will inform Tota Ram about the
danger to his life and then he will go along with Tota Ram to inform police. Time allowing
we will go to Dinapur and collect the medals otherwise we will do it some other time. In this
way we all will assemble again at the petrol pump at around 7:00 pm and then proceed for
celebrations in our college in our mini bus. In this way I’ll solve all the problems.
Group Planning Exercise 2

Most of the candidates neglects GPE and do not make a planning seriously, as mentioned
earlier GPE is a test which shows your planning skills and if you make effective plan according
to the given situations then you will show your officers like qualities. GTO pay more attention
towards a candidate who shows his/her qualities in the initial tests like GPE. Do not write an
absurd planning, think according to the situation and plan it properly.
Check the group planning exercise situation and map below. Candidates can write their
responses in the comment box below.

Group Planning Exercise 2 Map


Time to use your mind and creative ideas, here comes the next and fourth GPE also known as
group planning exercise in SSB interview. Group planning exercise is literally a fun task to do,
you need better thinking and fast mind as well, and all you need to do is come out with the best
plan to reach your goal.
Group Planning Exercise Tips

1. Keep time limit in mind.
2. Prioritize the different tasks, don't just randomly do anything.
3. Try to assume hidden resource even if it is not mentioned (if there is a river, there must be
huge water and fish also-just an example).
4. Listen to other's plan as well, you are not alone, it’s a group task.
5. Divide the group logically for faster and safer accomplishment of tasks.
6. Try to use safe method, never put yourself in dangerous situation intentionally.
7. Read the situation carefully, note down the correct timings in your mind, all tasks must be
with respective to time taken and time left.
Group Planning Exercise-3 Map
Group Planning Exercise-3 Situation

You are 8 students from city Deer had gone for boating on the riverside. You had parked yourself
on the southern side of the river at a point A. While your friends were boating, you were going to
village Tiger to bring drinking water. While crossing the Railway line, you notice that one fish plate
of the Railway line has been found completely removed. A boy came running to inform you that
he overheard 5 terrorists planted a powerful road mine to kill the Chief Minister who will be passing
in one hour time. The terrorists were hiding in the nearby jungle. At the same time, one villager
came to inform you that a tigress has mauled 2 young girls and they are lying unconscious in the
jungle. Just then another man informs that his haystack was on fire and wanted your help. There
is a Police post and a PCO in Vill Lion. A messenger from PCO enquires your name and informs
that your mother is seriously ill and your presence is immediately required. When you start
moving, you see a young beautiful daughter of Pradhan of Vill Tiger, who was walking along with
you, just slips and falls in the ground well. But you do not know swimming. The Vill Pradhan has
got 5 guns with him. The train will pass through your location at 1600 hrs. A half an hour bus
service is available between cities Deer and Bear. A number of carts are available in Vill
Fox. There is a motor boat which can travel at a speed of 10 KM per hr. Time now is 1415
hrs. You have got a jeep with you, being a young and brave students what will you do?
Here is another unsolved GPE Group planning exercise sample for you. Candidates can look
for GPE map and sample situation details below, candidates can write their responses in the
comment box below and can also comment on other candidate’s solution. One should not take
more than 10 mints to write the full GPE solution.

You are group of 8 students of Kumarpur College returning from Lalbagh after winning a
Football Competition. As your mini bus stopped at the petrol pump-cum-garage to get the
headlights of the mini-bus repaired, you saw a person lying in a pool of blood. He told you that
he is a native of Rampur village and a communal crisis broke down in Rampur village. As he
came to the petrol pump to ask help of the attendant and call police some terrorists attacked the
pump and beaten him up and cut off the telephone wires. They also took the attendant with
them. He managed to hear their conversation. They planned to bomb the Dusshera Mela at 6.00
pm. They have also planned to kill the CM who is coming for the inauguration of Dusshera Mela
at the Helipad at 5.30pm. They have also removed the fish plates near Rampur village. The train
will pass Rampur village at 6.30 pm. After telling this the man fell unconscious. Just then a man
inquires about you and tells you that your mother got dengue. Jetty facility is available at Surya
canal from 4.00pm to 8.00pm. Police station and Army unit is there in Shyamli town. A PCO is
also available at Shyamli town. There
are some carts available at Ramte ram
village. Now the time is 4.00pm. You
have got a mini-bus with you, being a
young and brave students what will
you do?

Map
Group Planning Exercise 5 with Solution
Dear aspirants, this test basically designed to check our decision making capabilities i.e. how
quick and effective we are in making decision in time bounded environment. We are given a set
of problems all of the problems need to be solved in different time constraints. This test involves
few steps and according to mine experience, I would like to tell you what to be done in which
step.
Step 1: Brief introduction of the concerned area by GTO
Friend here you need to be very attentive because if you missed any place or misinterpreted
anything on map, it will hamper your performance. So be attentive, listen to every minute detail
meticulously and keep them in mind.
Step 2: In next step GTO is going to read out the problem in the concerned area to you. He has
the write up with him. In this test you need to co-relate the problem to the map, and while
listening pay attention to hidden resources, given resources, time constraints ,and total no.
of problems and what all problems are. So at the end of this step you must be able to answer
these questions to yourself.
o How many problems are there?
o What are the resources given and hidden?
o What are Time constraints of each problem?
o What are other constraints like no telephone is working, your vehicle broke down. Head
lights are not working and so on.
Step 3: Now GTO will give you 5 min. to read out the write up of the problem. Friend if you were
good in listening and were attentive in step 2 then in this step you will get advantage. Those five
minutes you can utilize in your planning. Now be quick and do the followings.
o Decide priorities of problems, and have always a reason for giving the particular priority to
a particular problem, it will help you in discussion.(keep loss and time available in mind
while doing this)
o As a problem can be solved in more than one ways. Start thinking for available solutions to
each problem and decide which one to follow and how many persons you need to solve
that problem. Friends whatever solution you follow have a reason for that. Most important
thing which I learned recently from 14ssb board GTO that whenever you have a choice
between possibility and certainty go for certainty. Example. You are on a road with an
injured person, you have two options one to take lift and at a short distance you have a
petrol pump or garage. Then it is certain that you will get vehicle at garage or pump, but
you may or may not get lift. So always select an option which is accessible to you and
which ensures you the solution.
o After you get a solution to each problem now you have a clear idea about how many
persons are needed in each problem. So now you can decide in how many sub groups you
will divide your team.
o Friends if you jump on dividing the group first before solution, you can get wrong in mid-
way. So do it at last.
Step 4:- in this step GTO will ask you write your individual solution on a paper. Let me clear my
friends everything is evaluated in ssb, nothing is just for time pass, so do not believe on rumors
that this copy will not be evaluated. For writing always follow a particular way so that you don’t
miss anything. Like this
“We group of _ friends, on our way to the ---encountered with some problems. According to
priority problems are:-
A:-
B:-
C:-
D:-
Write what you have (resources) quickly, and always mention hidden resources as it shows you
are practical and can think other options too.
Now write I will divide my group in _ sub groups of 3,2,2,3 (according to you)
Now attending each problem priority wise write down solution attending these points for each
Who, what, when, where, how, time- distance and action
Always mention distance according to scale given to you, you can go to the model or map and
measure it with you hand so that you can get a rough idea of distance and time needed to travel
that distance using the particular mode of transport.
After you finish this reassemble your group mates and move where you were going prior to the
problems.
Step 5:- group discussion to reach a common solution
Again it is a discussion so all the things which are tested in GDs, will be there. But this time one
more thing will be tested and this is your decision making ability and how you persuade others to
your decision. Presence of mind and listening are most important things. If you have made a
good plan then discuss reasons behind your particular choice of priority or particular path,
particular transport anything you say there have a reason for that and it is sufficient for a good
discussion. Other things are same as in group discussion. If you have strong reasons your
group mates will agree automatically. And keep in mind what group is deciding for common plan
so that if your group nominates you to give final plan. You don’t hesitate and can give it
confidently. And this is a fact that group will nominate you automatically if you were good and
active throughout the discussion.
Example for group planning exercise

You are a group of 10 students returning to your hostel at doper after a picnic at Rampur your
vehicle developed problem and you left it at garage near petrol pump and your group decided to
enjoy ferry as your jeep will be repaired by 6pm. You stopped at tea stall and having tea, one of
your friends found a rifle and accidently he fired a bullet which injured him in his shoulder. While
you were thinking about what to do, a boy came to you to seek your help as his father fell down
near wheat fields from his cart and broken his leg. As he finished a man came on cycle to you
and informed that miscreant who are hidden in shanty village, and they are going to remove fish
plates of train track and also will blast a train going from dholpur to Rampur which leaves at 4:45
and they plan to blow it at 5:30 over the bridge. And villagers are afraid of goons so they are not
informing police. just as he finished a woman came to you and asked for help as her cow was
stranded in marshy land and it is the only source if her livelihood as it 4pm now, and you need to
reach hostel before 7 pm you are also provided that a bus leaves from shampur to dholpur
leaves at 5 pm. boats are also available at ferry. No telephone or mobile is working. What you
will do in such a situation?
GPE MAP
Way to find GPE Solutions
Note that carefully I am suggesting ways to think solution not how to write solution.
Step 1 priority setting

1. Person injured with bullet: reason:-he needs immediate assistance as excessive bleeding
is dangerous for him.
2. Person with broken leg: - reason as we have enough time for train problem and the farmer
can’t go himself anywhere. And he also needs some medical assistance.
3. As train will leave at 4:45 and reach the bridge at 5:30 it is 4:00 now so we can give this
problem 3rd priority.
4. Cow stranded in marshy land. As human life is not involved
Step 2 Solution to each problem and assigning it to subgroups
Problem 1:- person injured with bullet
o First of all I will stop his blood using cloths now, (think solution in these 7 points)
o Who: 2 of us
o What: take the person to hospital
o When: start 4:15 as it will take some time to plan and take lift.
o Where: to the hospital
o How: we will take lift from passing vehicles.
o Time and distance: it will take near 15 min to cover the distance of 15km and additional 15
min to take him to hospital.
o Action: admitted the person to the hospital and treatment started. And sent a ambulance to
pick up the leg broken person and take him to hospital.
Problem 2: leg broken person
o Who: 2 of us + cycle +son of that person
o What: will go to wheat field and take him out so that ambulance can pick him up
o When: start at 4:15
o Where: we will move from tea stall to wheat field
o How: using cycle and cart
o Time & distance: to cover 4 km cycle will take near 10 minutes and we will take him out on
his cart in near 10 min.
o Action: we will take him to tea stall and wait for ambulance so that he can be taken to
hospital and can be treated.
Problem 3: train problem
o Who: 3 of us
o What: 1 will inform shanty village police and 2 will inform railway person at manned railway
crossing.
o When: at 4:15
o Where: police station in village and at manned crossing
o How: 1 will take help of villagers to reach police station using villagers motor cycle or cycle.
And other two will reach ferry in running and take boat to reach the manned crossing near
temple.
o Time & distance: 1 man will use villager’s resources and in 20 minutes he can find the
police station .and 2 others will cover 3 km. in 10 min. and then reaming 8 km by boat and
it will take 10 minutes as speed of current will also support us.
o Action: informing the concerned person on time will resolve the issue till 4:50 pm.
Problem no. 4: cow in marshy land
o Who: 2 of us + lady + villager who informed us about miscreants
o What: will take the cow out of marshy land
o When: they will start at 4:15
o Where: will move to marshy land
o How: we will collect resources like rope, man power, some sticks, a wooden plank etc. and
using them we will pull the cow out
o Time & distance: it will take us 5 mints to cover 2 kilometer’s and then 10 mints to gather
resources. And near 30 mints to take cow out.
o Action: we will save the cow with help of villagers. Till 5:00.
After all problems are solved
All of us will gather at tea stall till 5:20 and catch the bus and reach garage and collect our jeep
and return to the hostel before 7:00 pm.
Progressive Group Task and How to tackle it

[PGT]
Progressive Group Task PGT, consists of a number of obstacles which are generally four in
number which progressively become difficult. PGT is about set of obstacles in ground in a specified
area in that you and your team members should cross each obstacle defined by set of rules. Also
while crossing those obstacles we should carry a load. To cross those obstacles, some helping
materials are given by the G.T.O. I.e. Balli (wooden log), Plank, and rope to tie these. The difficulty
of the task increases from one obstacle to another in a progressive manner. So it is named as
Progressive Group Task.
Aim of PGT
It is to test the practical ability and intelligence of a candidate in negotiating simple obstacles with a
group of persons within fixed time. It is a leaderless exercise. The GTO checks for three qualities
in PGT – ability to find out some quick solution using practical intelligence, secondly ability to make
constructive suggestions to influence the group and thirdly, ability of association with the group.
Each candidate’s leadership qualities, ability to carry on with his team, co-operation with team
members, planning ability and physical endurance is put to test in PGT.
PGT Rules:
o Group Rule: The entire group has to tackle the group obstacles before moving for the next
obstacle.
o The out of bounds area just as other Group tasks.
o Color Rule: Red is out of bound for both men and material, yellow color is out of bound for
material and white color is inbound for both.
Hints for Tackling PGT:

o Listen to the instructions of the GTO carefully.
o While the GTO is explaining the obstacle to the group, start planning in your mind.
o Must know how to make bridges with planks.
o Follow the out of bounds rule and Group rule strictly.
o If you have ample confidence that your plan works well, have the first opportunity to explain
your plan and put across your views firmly.
o If you have no idea of tackling the obstacle, be a faithful follower and if your group is caught in
an obstacle, make use of the Golden opportunity and explain a constructive plan to negotiate
the obstacle. Remember, never try to impose yourself to the group. Let the group be depended
on you.
o The GTO is not testing whether you can cross the obstacle alone. It is a group work and you
have to act as such. Show maximum team spirit and co-operation.
o It is for you to become the leader of the Group. An avenue for leadership is opened to you and
you must make use of it. Practical intelligence, dashing spirit, sociability, dominating nature and
of course your personal magnetism will make you the leader
o Most importantly, never look at the GTO while crossing the obstacles.
o Keep up your speed while crossing the obstacles .Race against time and finish the job at a
hurricane speed.
o Do not look fatigued. Crossing the obstacles should not make you tired .Look yourself fresh
.Show coolness. This shows that you are confident.
o PGT is a test where you can show your perseverance. If by trying an idea, you have not
succeeded, you may try another plan and negotiate the obstacle.
o Be gentle and polite while behaving with other group members.
o Always have a gentle smile at your face throughout the GTO Tasks which shows that you are
confident.
o Please keep the interest of the group above your own interest. It is always better to admit your
mistakes and never blame your group members for a shortcoming.
The GTO is testing the important OLQ’S in an officer and his eyes will be constantly observing every
candidates .Be yourself in the group tasks and show leadership qualities throughout the task and
your practical intelligence.
Half-Group Task [HGT]

Half Group Task also known as HGT is conducted after the PGT. HGT is similar to PGT, but
the difference is that the group is divided into two sets. I.e. if your group contains totally 10
persons, then it is divided into 5 of two groups. Like this the GTO will see the performance of the
candidates in close. The rules are same for this like PGT. It is also a leaderless exercise.
Rules of Half Group Task

Color Rule: The obstacles are painted in three colors namely
o White
o Black
o Red
Each one describes one rule.
o White: - Both the candidate and the helping materials can touch the obstacle at this region.
o Black: - Only the candidate can touch the obstacle in this region and not the helping
materials.
o Red : - Both the candidate and helping material should not touch the obstacles.
Out of Bound Rule

These areas include the mud surfaces inside the task area and some color codes as described
above.
Importance of Half-Group Task

The HGT can be considered as the most important task of GTO Outdoor tasks. After the GD
and PGT, some of the candidates might have assumed the role of a leader and some of the
candidates may not have been able to express themselves or put forth their views because of
the presence of brilliant candidates in his group. After the PGT and GD, the GTO might have
formed an assessment about each candidate and he observes every candidate minutely in HGT
to conclude or to change his former assessment.
As the number of candidates is reduced to half, GTO can minutely observe the leadership
qualities of every candidate. Also in HGT, every candidate has a wider opportunity to show his
various character traits and leadership qualities if in case he failed to do so in PGT. So you must
give importance to HGT as this test will mark your leadership qualities. After the HGT, the GTO
will form a clear cut assessment about every candidate and he assesses the candidates further
in the following tests to confirm his earlier findings.
Tips to Tackle Half-Group Task

1. Never look at the G.T.O while doing the tasks.
2. Give a good idea to the group if you don't know any idea just helps the idea givers
truthfully.
3. Never violate the rules it is the basis of G.T.O tasks, and in case if you violate the rule, just
repeat the task.
4. Be an active participant in the team by giving your full cooperation.
5. Be positive in your views i.e. take consideration about other member ideas if it is finer than
yours.
6. It is for you to become the leader of the Group .An avenue for leadership is opened to you
and you must make use of it. Practical intelligence, dashing spirit, sociability, dominating
nature and of course your personal magnetism will make you the leader.
7. Always have a gentle smile at your face throughout the GTO Tasks which shows that you
are confident.
8. Be gentle and polite while behaving with other group members
9. If you have no idea of tackling the obstacle, be a faithful follower and if your group is
caught in an obstacle, make use of the Golden opportunity and explain a constructive plan
to negotiate the obstacle. Remember, never try to impose yourself to the group. Let the
group be depended on you.
Individual Obstacles Tasks (IOT)

Individual Obstacles Tasks (IOT) These outdoor tasks are carried out on the second day of
GTO. Overall this is the individual performance assessing day for each candidate except the
Final Group Task which is a group task. The individual task consists of 10 obstacles laid in a
typical fashion. The 10 obstacles are numbered and the same marks are assigned to the
respective task. A minimum of all tasks should be performed in a span of 3 mints. And if time is
left any other task can be gone over again.
It is not necessary to start the tasks from 1st, but it is left to the wish of the candidate where he
does
Want to start from.
Try to obtain 74 points, that is, one round = 55 +9+10 = 74
The obstacles are
1. Difficult jump. (Jump over a small slide from the opposite side.)
2. Long jump. (Jump across a 6 ft.* 3ft. drum.)
3. Zig - Zag Balance (walk over a zig-zag balance and complete I and land properly.)
4. High Screen jump (jump over a slide and over a screen placed on it and land properly.)
5. Burma bridge (walk across a structure of rope tied between two ends of post carefully. Climb
form
Any side and climb down from other side.)
6. Tarzan swing (While taking the leap fold your body and legs and leave the rope at the instant
where
You feel it would be accurate for you to jump and cross the line.)
7. Monkey Jump (Climb on a big staircase structure and jump on the land safely.)
8. Double Ditch 8ft.*3ft. and 4ft.*3ft (Cross the 1st ditch with the help of a rope and the second
one with ease, just by proper leg work...)
9. Commando walk (walk from any side up and down from another, maintain balance.)
10. Tiger leap (walk up a podium, leap and catch hold of a rope, count 1001,1002 and start coming
down, don’t come rushing down , but do it step by step.)
The best way of doing this is to follow this sequence:

10, 9, 8, 4, 6, 7, 1, 2, 5, 3.
Or if not possible make circular arrangement on seeing the placement of obstacles at the same
day itself, but do it fast.
A prior practice of climbing and running is necessary to enhance your performance.
Duration 3 mints. Per candidate, 35-40 mints. Overall.
Command Task
Friends command task is one of the outdoor tests from GTO series. It is conducted normally on 2nd
day of GTO testing. The test comprises a short talk with testing officer and one obstacle or problem
similar to PGT and HGT. As test part is similar to PGT hence same rules apply here. The only
difference is that you are the only candidate under GTO’s sharp observation now. Things tested
under this test are how you act as a leader of a team, how good you are in application of your mind
and quickness in making decision. Almost 10 minutes are given to each candidate to cross the
obstacle. GTO calls candidates one by one, in a random manner, when one candidate is performing
other will sit and wait.
In the command task each candidate has two roles to perform one is commander and other is
subordinate.
1. Role as a commander: this is the only time when you and the GTO will be all alone on the
ground. He may ask you questions relating to your introduction, PIQ or performance.
Answering him confidently will make a good impression. He also shakes hand with candidate.
He talks to candidate about what he is doing these days, about preparation of SSB, weakness;
family. But the talk will be short. He explains all structures and helping material, and asks you
to call two sub ordinates from your group. As soon as your subordinates reach, your time starts
and you can move to attend the task.
2. Role as a sub ordinate: here you need to be alert when candidates call your chest number
you need to be quick and reach to the task. You are also under observation; you must obey all
the orders of commander. Do not speak to commander when he speaks to you. You are
supposed to leave an impression of being an effective subordinate.
3. Important aspects of command task:
o Command task is pre-selected and different for almost every candidate.
o A good candidate will be given a difficult command task.
o GTO not only spends more time with good candidate but also asks him for more and
more ideas. Whenever GTO ask you for more ideas, or give you penalty during command
task. Do not take stress and be happy that it is the best time to show your skills.
o Your subordinates should be the one who are doing good in GTO tests.
o Always have your reasons ready for choice of particular candidates, officer always asks
reasons for your choices.
o Always brief your subordinates about your task and your idea to attend the task don’t
directly start working just after they reach you. Explain them idea and then move with
them to tackle the task.
Take this task as an opportunity as you also get idea from this test
how you performed in eyes of GTO. If you are interrogated here for
more and more ideas it is good for you. GTO sometime tells
candidate only 1 minute left while candidates have just started the
task, this is to test you under certain constraints, and if it happens to
you then take it as an opportunity and show your best performance
there.
Inter Group Obstacle Race or Snake Race
This test is basically a task of cooperation and team spirit. This is also a leaderless exercise. In
this task, each group has to carry a load in the form resembling a snake to a fixed place
crossing certain obstacles on the way to finish line. The finishing line has to be reached within
the minimum time. The load is to be held by a minimum of three persons and it should not fall on
the ground. The GTO explains the task to every candidate and you should listen to him
attentively and must clear the doubts on the spot before the commencement of the task.
No need to worry about GOR as a person with normal physical strength and stamina can easily
do it well. This test is basically designed to test team-spirit, cooperation and your physical
strength. This is a competition between the groups and you must try to win it.
Show maximum cooperation and team-spirit in this task. You must help a weak member of your
group to cross the obstacles. For e.g. If a person is not being able to cross the tire obstacle, give
him a helping hand by holding the tire in a stable position. Armed forces always operate in
specific groups and an armed forces aspirant must be a cooperative person. He should consider
the interest of his group rather than his gains.
The obstacles to be crossed in Snake Race are

o Spider web
o Parallel big size iron pipe painted with white, red alternatively, the candidate has to cross it
without touching the red lines and bend his body such that making the letter ‘8’.
o Balance Beam.
o 10 feet wall.
o Crossing parallel walls – In between these walls, a pipe is laid to cross.
The aim of Preparation for individual obstacle and snake race is for Physical Stamina. They will
see physical stamina and fearlessness in Individual Obstacles. Also in Snake Race they will see
our selfishness participation in group, rule following, team spirit etc.
General Preparation
Doing exercises like Pushups, Pull ups, Rope climbing etc. is really helpful for the Group
Obstacle race. Because in these exercises, we are lifting our own body weight.
For e.g. for climbing up 10 feet wall, we must have greater muscular strength in arms. Push-ups
and pull ups increase our ability to lift our own body weight.
DAY-4
Personal Interview
Personal Interview: It is a main key which decides your recommendation in the SSB
Interview, SSB Interview questions and answers plays vital role in the assessment of the
candidate. How to face the IO [Interviewing officer] in the SSB PI [SSB Personal Interview] is the
major concern here, one wrong move can tarnish your image and reduce your chances to get
recommend.
Why SSB Interview in India's Toughest
Interview
Why SSB Interview in India's Toughest Interview. You must have read in many articles that Service
Selection Board Interview is the trickiest interview. In some places you must have read that it is the
toughest one. In fact the candidates who appear in this interview also second this opinion, that SSB
is India’s toughest interview. So we decided to dig into this point even more and thus this article talks
about why SSB is India’s toughest interview.
o Instead of ‘best’ fit, they want ‘right’ fit: Defence Forces is one such organization which
doesn’t want the best people as officers, they want the right people. In other organizations if
you go and there are ‘n’ number of people who have come there for interview, then they’ll
select based on the number of posts. They’ll select amongst the lot, who they think is best for
the job. Where as in SSB they want the right fit. If they won’t find the right fit, they’ll simply
reject all the other people, if they find the right fit in all, then they’ll recommend all. You must
have read that there is a shortage of officers in the forces, this is the major reason for that.
Since SSB is a very tough interview and they want the right fit and not the best one, hence the
reason for the vacant seats.
o The three pronged selection style: In SSB three people access you from three different
perspectives. The psychologist accesses you from you mind, he/she makes sure that you have
the necessary qualities that an officer must have, by putting you under several tests. The
Interviewing officers talks to you one on one and draws his conclusion based on your answers.
The GTO tests you for your group compatibility and other social qualities. If you are passed by
any two (in some cases all three), then only you are recommended. The conclusions of these
officers are independent and nobody interferes in other one’s deduction. They never discuss
anything about any candidate accept for the board conference.
o Mansa, Karma, Vachan and the OLQ’s: It is said that in order to pass the SSB you must be
the same person in all the three assessors’ conclusion. This means you must possess certain
OLQ’s and these should be the same in all the three results. In other words what you write in
the psychological tests papers should be in line with what you say to the interviewing officer
and these should match with how you perform in the GT series. If you are not putting any fake
reaction then generally the results of all three assessors must match, thus you get
recommended.
o The secrecy of results (Self-Introspection): There is a common complain amongst the
candidates that in SSB nobody gets to know where he/she lacked. Thus the results are secret
and you shortcomings are never told. It is entirely left on the candidate to think, introspect and
derive the conclusion where they lacked; in which test they performed bad or what might be the
possible reason for rejection. It just leaves you wondering, and is very difficult to guess where
you lacked because sometimes your conclusion can be entirely different. So all in all you never
really get to know the reason of your rejection.
Special Questions Asked In SSB

Interviews
Interview is a purposive conversation between the candidate and interviewing officer. Majority of
questions in the interview are from the PIQ form. The ultimate aim of the interview is to assess the
leadership or OLQs of a candidate. The IO tries to evaluate the training potential of a candidate. As
interview lasts for 30to 45 minutes or more it is sufficient time to ask questions from various parts of
candidate life.
Most of the questions are prior known to us because of the material available to us and thanks to this
portal, but sometimes candidates face some spontaneous questions, I term these questions as
“special questions”. Sometime answering these quick questions appropriately can help in showing a
good presence of mind. I tried to collect this kind of questions from aspirants who have faced
interviews at different boards and as well as from my own experience. I have tried to enlist some of
them:
1. Which is your favorite state in south India? And when you name any of them next question is
give 5 recent news related to that state?
2. Which movie you watched last in theater with friends? Who were actor, director and actress?
3. How many Facebook friends you have? Do you know all of them personally?
4. Which magazine do you like? Tell me about most recent article you read from that magazine?
5. What is your routine during weekends?
6. If you don’t drink, how you adjust with your friends in parties? And in the profession you are opt
most of the officers drink, then how you will adjust? And if you drink which is your favorite
brand?
7. What are qualities that you have but your father don’t have?
8. Utilization of pocket money or salary, how much you spend on yourself?
9. Any disagreement you had with friends, and how did you solve it?
10. Any mischief you and your friends did in college? Describe.
11. What are dimensions of this room?
12. Give an example when you were in problem and your friends helped you?
Friends every SSB is a new opportunity to learn analyze and correct our approach. All such
questions are to check our observations and presence of mind. Any question can be handled if mind
is cool and calm at that time. Confidence, smile, being attentive and good command over language
is a key for making mind respond appropriately. Best way to achieve this is to inculcate these things
in day today life.
Defence Related Questions for SSB Interview

When we go to SSB, we see a lot of candidates having immense knowledge about the forces. That
gives us a complex, many times, as we are not having so much of knowledge. Many of you are from
a civilian background, many of you go there for getting a job and rather are not that passionate about
the forces. Many of yours’ childhood dream was probably not the forces. But then there are people
who have knowledge about everything in the forces, right from the trainers, to the fighters, from
squadrons to regiments, from the oldest weapons to the latest ones, from the historic wars to the war
heroes, practically everything. You on the other hand are awestruck. We’ll look into detail on what is
important and what not, and does having knowledge about the forces really help?
What is essential?
There are a few things which you are expected to know about the certain organization which you are
going to join. These things include:
1. Commands, headquarters. (Of the service you are going to join)
2. Ranks
3. A few aircrafts/guns/weapons/ships
4. Few missiles
5. Chief of staff
6. Information about anything related to defence, if you have in your city.
7. Recent Defence deals
8. Name of the defence minister
9. Major wars
10. What your job profile will be
If you are from a defence background or any of your family member/close friend is in defence you
need to know a few additional things:
Fine details about the work of the person you know.
Everything, about the unit/squadron the person works in.
Details about the aircraft/ship if associated.
You’ll be asked anything and everything related to the organization if you have your sibling or
parents in it.
Does it help?
As mentioned above, you are expected to know a few things about the organization you are going to
join. It shows that you are dedicated to join it and that you are sincere in your attempt. Whereas lack
of any knowledge shows that you are very casual about your attempt. If you are working and still
manage to get hold of a few information about the forces then that will definitely help you, as it’ll cast
a good impression that you are hardworking and found time out of your busy schedule to read about
the forces. Of course this will never form the basis of your selection, but it might form a basis of your
rejection, if you do not know anything. SSB is a collective test, the results depend on the collective
result of the small tasks which form a part of the whole testing. Interview is a major part of it and you
can be tricked around this part if you have not prepared well for it, in the interview.
For those of you having a defence background, you are expected to know a great deal, as you have
been living in that environment since childhood. If you fail to answer then that shows your lack of
awareness about your surroundings. So in order to be fully assured of your success, why not
prepare well for it in advance. After all if defence is your aim, you’ll not like to leave any stone
unturned to join it.
SSB Questions Related To Defence

Personal Interview in a SSB is the most important factor in the selection of a candidate. PI cannot be
predicted and the IO can ask you questions from any field. When it comes to the technical portion
then these questions are very basic in nature and somehow they are related to defence and science.
IO never goes in much deeper detail, but if you say that it is your childhood dream then IO will ask
you anything.
Some of these frequent asked questions at SSB are:
Q. How a Helicopter flies and what is the use of second rotor?
Ans: Rotor blades have an airfoil shape, like the wings of an aircraft. So as the rotor turns, the air
flows more over the top of the blades than does it below. This creates enough lift for flights.
Second rotor rotates vertically or nearly vertically. The tail rotor’s position and distance from the
center of gravity allow it to develop thrust in an opposite direction of the main rotor’s rotation to
counter the torque effect created by main rotor. It prevents the chopper from spinning out of control.
If it is not present, then the chopper will spin on its axis.
Q. What is RADAR?
Ans: RADAR stands of Radio Detection and Ranging. It is a system which uses radio-waves to
determine the range, altitude, direction or sped of objects. It can be used to detect aircrafts, ships,
missiles, vehicles, weather formations and terrain as well.
Transmitter emits radio waves called radio signals in predetermined directions. When these come
into contact with an object they are usually reflected or scattered in many directions and these
signals are reflected back towards the transmitter which makes the radar work. Time difference
between transmission of signal and reception of signals helps to calculate the distance.
Q. What is SONAR?
Ans: SONAR stands for Sound navigation and ranging it is system that uses sound propagation to
navigate, communicate and detect objects on or under the surface of water. Ultrasonic waves are
transmitted through water. When these waves come in contact with any object then these are
reflected by the object in the water which produces an echo signal. By noting the time interval
between the generation of the pulse and reception of the echo-signal, the distance of the object can
be easily calculated.
Q. Difference between Sound Waves and Radio Waves.
Ans: 1. SONAR uses sound waves whereas the RADAR uses radio waves
2. Sound waves can be heard because of high frequency but we need electronic devices to hear or
see the radio waves.
3. Radio waves travel greater distance because of longer wavelength.
4. Sound waves cannot travel in vacuum because there is no air foe the waves to oscillate in.
Whereas the radio waves can travel through vacuum.
Q. What is AEWCS? What is the difference between AEWCS & AWACS?
Ans: AEWCS stands for Airborne Earning Warning and Control System. It is a system designed to
detect aircrafts, ships and vehicles at long ranges. AEWCS is used at high altitude; the radars on the
aircraft allow distinguishing between friendly and hostile objects hundreds of miles away. It carries
surveillance and performs command and control of air battle space by directing fighter and attack
aircrafts strikes. AEWCS and AWACS are the same. AWACS stands for Airborne Warning and
Control System.
Q. What is the Working Mechanism of a Gun?
Ans: Cartridges have the gun powder, projectile and a mechanism to ignite gunpowder packed into
one unit. When the gun’s trigger is pulled then it strikes the primer which catches fire which ignites
the gunpowder and the projectile is forced out of the shell because of expanding gases.
Q. What is the difference between Ballistic Missiles and Cruise Missiles?
Ans: Ballistic missiles are big, heavy and expensive. It has warheads on the rocket. Ballistic missiles
reach heights beyond the atmosphere and re-enter atmosphere & deliver warheads to predetermine
multiple targets. Its detection is easy.
Cruise missiles are small, light but less powerful. These missiles do not go in the atmosphere but
rather it stays very close to ground to prevent detection and hit the selected targets. Cruise missiles
are difficult to detect as compared to ballistic missiles.
Q. What is the difference between Carbine and Assault Rifle?
Ans: A rifle has a long barrel and has grooves inside the barrel which in result produces spin of a
bullet which counters the effect of wind. Rifles are heavy and are more accurate of long barrel length
and spin produced. Bullet shots from rifle travel faster.
Carbines have small barrel length without any grooves. These are lighter than assault rifles but these
are not so accurate and bullet shots travel slower than the rifle. The carbines are made from the
rifles.
Rapid Fire Round in SSB Interview
Interview is the most important factor which plays a decisive role in the selection of a candidate in
SSB. The aim if this conversation is to assess the leadership qualities or officer like behavior. The
question in the interview is directed so as to allow the candidate to automatically portray his officer
like behavior. In the interview the interviewing officer looks for the training potential of the candidate.
In a SSB interview what matters is the candidate’s knowledge, common sense and power of
expression. In the interview the candidate who is able to speak fluently and express himself clearly
marks high. Cut at the same time your behavior should also fall within the OLQs.
Rapid Fire Questions is SSB

Generally the inception of the interview starts with the rapid fire round. As soon as you will enter the
interviewing room and will try to make yourself relax, the interviewing officer will fire a round of
questions on you and expect the candidate to answer all the question in one go. The questions will
be based on your PIQ and your responses in Psychology test.
I am posting some of the rapid fire question that will be asked by the interviewing officer during the
interview so that you can prepare yourself well in advance for the same.
1. Tell me about the place you come from, since when living at the same place, name and specialty,
a brief description about it namely its location, crowd, cultural and other heritages it carries.
2. What is your name, meaning of your name, meaning of other member’s name in your family,
compare yourself with them.
3. Tell me about yourself ,your hobbies and your interests, your educational qualification and your
personality, what you like to do and what you not like to do, what do you think your strengths and
your weakness, things you want to change in your personality, things you want to change in your
friends and family, your colleagues.
4. What type of friends you like, what type you do not like, where have you gone and where would
you like to go with your friends, why are these people your friends, what do you like in their
personality, describe your best friend, compare him with you, things they want to change in your
personality and thing you would like to change in their personality.
5. Institution where you had your education, since when, any achievements, any responsible post
held during your education at the institution, represented institution at what levels, subjects you liked
most and those you did not like at all, why, teachers you liked most and those which you did not like
at all, why (here include the teacher and subject till all these years of education and not only school),
name and specialty of institution where studied and a brief description about it namely its location,
crowd, cultural and other heritages it carries. What are you currently doing, where do you see in the
organization.
6. Family: How many members, since when living at the same place, description and sort of
relationship with each member, closer to whom, why closer, whom you admire. Compare yourself
with any of your brother/s or sister/s. If alone what would you prefer to have an elder/younger
brother/sister? Occupation of working members in the family, if you are working what is your job
profile, salary
7. Why do you want to join the defense forces, if not defense other options, how did you come to the
conclusion that you want to join the forces. Did you try for NDA, why not succeeded? Why not proper
efforts were given?
What Not to Do in Personal Interview?

Personal Interview is a part of SSB testing. We would call it one of the most important part because
it is generally taken by the board president, who is the senior most in the board or by any other fairly
senior officer. Personal Interview is an important part because you interact with the officer directly,
one on one. The questions asked in the personal interview generally revolve around your life, your
hobbies, the people in your life and the world around you. With a bit of care and preparation you can
do very well in your interview. However in this article we are telling you what not to do in the
interview:
1. Do not take your dress lightly. We are not asking you to wear Armani, but a decent pair of
formals. It should fit you well, neither too loose nor tight. It should be well ironed and your
shoe must be properly polished. You also need to comb your hair well.
2. If you are going there directly from your GTO, then don’t unnecessarily rush to change, it’ll
only create a situation of chaos for you. Rather wash your face, relax for five minutes and
take deep breaths. They only fixed your interview at that time, they know that you are coming
from GTO.
3. Do not slouch. It goes both for when you are walking and when you are sitting. The interview
is a long process; you have to sit on that chair for a long time. With time do not slouch, sit
smartly with a correct posture, it is not advised to cross your legs or sit cross hands. Walk
smartly when you get up. Your confidence is very well reflected through that.
4. You don’t need to go and shake your hands with the IO. If he initiates go ahead and shake
hands smartly. Never initiate a shake hand yourself.
5. Do not go and directly sit on the chair. Go wish him or if he initiates shake hand with him and
stand near your chair, do not sit until he asks you too.
6. Never get fooled by that smile he holds. They are trained to smile. They’ll smile, make you
comfortable and make you speak things you never want to tell. Never get too friendly with the
IO, there is a distance which you maintain with a teacher, your elders, same is the case with
him.
7. Do not deny the questions he is asking you, like for example situations. He might give you a
situation like, ‘what if I want to marry your sister’, if he said that situation that means he is
asking you to assume, answer accordingly, do not say that ‘I don’t have a sister’.
8. The biggest mistake that candidates do is denying the situation. If he is saying something
agree to it and think what you will do in that situation.
9. Never ask stupid questions to the officer that what your job will be, or some super smart
candidates ask, how your SSB sir was. It is better to say no questions than asking a foolish
one.
10. Never lose your confidence, they’ll put you under pressure but make sure you deliver.
Common Mistakes during SSB Interview

SSB Interviews are the most important part of the selection procedure. In this procedure the
candidates are interviewed by a high ranked Officer. The usual interviews duration ranges from
about forty-five minutes to one hour. In this interview, the officer asks many questions to the
candidates ranging from general knowledge to the candidates personal life. One must remain
confident and genuine throughout this process.
People make various mistakes which could be easily avoided. These mistakes include:
1. Your dressing sense: One must wear formal clothes during this process. Jeans and casual t-shirts
should be avoided. Preference should be given to formal pants and shirts. Low waist jeans and other
casual ‘stuff’ should be avoided. Wear clothes that reflect your stronger side not those which show
how ‘cool’ you are. Walk in smartly and wish the Office. DO NOT SIT DOWN unless the officer asks
you.
2. Nervousness: Avoid nervousness and remain calm in every situation. The officer wants to see
how you handle every question and sometimes sarcasm by the Interviewing Officer. Do not
breakdown or cry in front of the Officer. Do not be shy.
3. Extra Talkativeness: Do not be over talkative. Only answer those questions which the Officer
asks. Don’t tell your whole story in every question instead be precise and up to the point. I’ve heard
people being over friendly with the officer and asking him question about his journey in the forces
and how he got selected etc. Avoid such questions and behavior.
4. Be Genuine: This is the most important part. Always be true in whatever you answer to the officer.
People try to be fake in front of the officer by saying that they are involved in many activities like
taking tuitions or playing some sport. The problem arises when you are asked about your daily
routine, and your answer doesn’t include any such activity. So, don’t try to be someone you’re not
and answer the questions genuinely and with full confident. Try not to use bookish language or
idealistic thoughts any time. Be Practical.
5. Know about Yourself: There are many questions about your personal life and the life of people
around you. Know about the profession of your parents and your siblings. You shouldn’t insult your
parent’s profession. I knew a guy who, when asked about his father’s profession, replied in an
insulting manner that his father owned a small scale newspaper factory. Of course he was rejected.
6. Speaking: You should always use English language. You must be fluent in English speaking and
your voice should be always easily audible. Your tone and manner of speaking should be correct
and should never be insulting. Don’t use foreign or fake accent. People sometimes do use fake
accent but it sound really bad.
7. Body posture: Sit straight in the chair with your palms resting on your thighs. Don’t be sluggish
and don’t bend forward or backwards. Don’t always look towards the door. The officer may shake
hands with you; give him a tight and cheerful handshake. Always wear a smile on your face and
don’t show signs of nervousness on your face and always remain calm and composed.
10 Major Points Fresher’s must know about
SSB Interview
A fresher’s mind is filled with anticipation and fear, when he/she goes for SSB. They try to gather as
much information as they can before going to the interview, from various sources, both reliable and
unreliable. It is said that for fresher’s it is a golden opportunity to get through, which is not so true. If
you are good and deserving then some day or the other you’ll make it. But certainly it is the best
feeling to clear something in your first attempt. This article is especially for fresher’s, we have tried to
sum up ten major points which you must know before going for the SSB.
1. OIR test is important and you must practice well before going. It forms a major part for your
selection for the nest round, and you must be prepared to perform well in the OIR. In some
selection centers OIR is very difficult, so be prepared and do not take this lightly.
2. Clothes in the screening, I have seen people coming in jeans getting selected and those
coming in full formals getting rejected. You should be in decent clothes. It is suggested that you
wear formals, for women, salwar kurta would do. Wearing proper clothes shows that you are
sincere.
3. Hearing to their instructions is very important. It must be a practice to listen to others. Whatever
instructions they give contain half of the information of what they want in that test. If you can
follow them, you are sure to succeed.
4. In GD the amount of words you speak is not important, it is the quality that matters. Whatever
you speak should be substantial and must guide the discussion forward.
5. Interviewing officers are very friendly and sometimes would be very nice, but they are not
generous and they are not your friend! Be aware of them, do not speak your heart out, and say
whatever is necessary.
6. Speaking first in the discussion and being ahead in every task is never a guarantee for
success. A good leader is the one who is able to take out the group at the time of crisis. You
must be able to get along with the group well.
7. If they are pressurizing you, putting you under stress, then you are a compatible candidate and
they want to make sure that you are good. So do not get worried when you are put under
pressure in interview or in command task. Try to deliver the best.
8. There are no officers monitoring you in the mess, or at the station or when you book out. These
are juts common myths that they even grade you at these places. Grading is done only during
tasks, but you are expected to behave like a gentle person throughout, which is not much to
ask for.
9. Take your extracurricular certificates along with you. AT the time of interview they want the file
just before you enter. Preferably arrange all your certificates in a folder, from the most recent to
the last recent. Make sure that the achievements you are about to write in your PIQ (One more
point PIQ is very important, refer to our dedicated article on that), are seconded by a certificate.
10. This is the last point but is very important. Don’t forget to smile, breathe, it is not that hard, you
just tend to complicate anything when you take undue stress for that and even easy things
become difficult.
How to Improve Your Personality for SSB

Interview
It is rather difficult to define personality. Personality is the sum total of our habits – physical, mental &
emotional. It is that quality which makes a human different from an ape. Considering the above
definitions, we can say that personality is a wonderful quality .It is an essential part of a person which
makes him what he is.
It is something which distinguishes him from his fellow beings. Personality is neither biological nor
natural. It can be developed and improved. Environment plays a considerable role in shaping our
personality and attitude. Attitude is acquired in the early stages of life. As the time passes, they get
strengthened and are absorbed in the personality of man. For proper development of personality, it
is essential to have a proper attitude. Attitude which makes up the major part of a man’s personality
leads to success or failure in his life. It is seen that development of personality largely depends on
the development of attitude. If attitude is hazy, the personality will not be clear. If the attitude is
healthy and constructive, then the personality is also healthy.
A question generally arises as to whether we can change our attitude which hampers our progress.
This can be done, if we are able to counter the influences which developed our attitude, we can
overcome and correct our attitudes. To develop your personality, friends, try to develop a moral
character and of course a healthy body and mind. Try to have a good knowledge on the present
trends in social, technological and political fields. Extensive reading of books, journals and a wide
spectrum of newspapers helps to increase our knowledge which will help us to achieve confidence to
face the SSB. A candidate’s character traits are assessed throughout SSB Tests and it is essential
to have a good sparkling character for an officer to effectively command and coordinate his
subordinates. A man without a good character is like a flower without perfume.
Friends, Here I have enlisted certain hints to improve your personality for SSB
 Concentrate on one thing at a time.
 Do not blame others when things go wrong.
 Show an interest in what other people say.
 Cultivate a sense of wit and humor.
 Be optimistic and cheerful.
 Have a good moral character.
 Try to avoid making others fell inferior.
 Have a good and friendly smile.
 Talk about things that interest others.
 Remain cool in adverse conditions.
 Be always vigilant.
 Have a good, well-built body.
 Cultivate a habit of congratulating others in their success.
 Always look fresh and cheerful.
 Cultivate self-control and humility.
 Have sympathy for others.
 Have will power and determination.
 Think twice before doing or saying anything.
 Have a wide store of knowledge.
 Have some commonsense and practical intelligence.
 Actively participate in the activities of the organization or school you belong to.
 Cultivate a habit of accepting your mistakes and shortcomings and try to rectify and correct
them.
 Be impartial-Should not have extreme views on any subject.
 Be good in your dress and tress.
 Have good professional knowledge and always try to be active.
 Should not be lethargic.
 Always try to be friendly with others.
 Cultivate a habit of initiating conversations with others.
 Be Bold and courageous to face every difficulties.
 Think positively.
 Walk erect, swinging your arms, and breathe deep.
 Try to improve your voice and make it pleasant.
Friends, try to practice these tips in life. This would bring a great change in your personality
and sociability. If you are able to implement all these tips, then friends, you will be mentally fit
for Defense forces.
Personality Traits for an Army Officer

Each job has certain content with that content there are certain qualities which if a person has better
will be successfully in that job. Personality has its own quality and job has its own requirements. If a
person has qualities which are compatible to the job he will certainly get recommended for the job.
Type of candidates in SSB

1. The candidates which possess required officer like quality and has brought up in the same
environment. These candidates easily crack ssb as they don’t need to work on their personality
traits.
2. The candidates who possess required officer like quality but has been brought up in the
surrounding which has suppressed the OLQ’s as overcome by negative OLQ’s due to bad
environment factors.
3. The candidates who does not possess required officer like quality and has been brought up in the
surrounding which has suppressed the OLQ’s as an overcome by negative OLQ’s due to bad
environment factors.
The Personality Traits Necessary to be an Officers are

1. Effective Intelligence: Most of the jobs in armed forces are practical rather than analytic and the
main job of the officer is to follow the orders of his seniors’ orders. On the field all it requires is to be
practical, spontaneous and courageous.
2. Reasonability: To be reasonable means to be able to ask the question, i.e. why I am doing a
particular job.
3. Organizing: Use the resources to its maximum is one of the specialty of an armed force officer.
4. Power of Expression: Power of expression is a trait required for mobilizing people. Your orders
mean to the difference of life and death in war so it is very important for an officer to have a clear set
of vision.
5. Initiative: An officer is always enthusiastic, lively and optimistic. He has the courage to take
reasonable risk ion the field.
6. Self Confidence:
7. Progressive
8. Lerner
9. Confident of your abilities
10. Alert: To be Spontaneous, speed to make a decision, and adaptive as you never know what will
come across your way, so you always has to be prepared for any kind of situation.
11. Liveliness: Energetic, optimist about the future, always active and cool and relaxed person
always deal with a situation with a positive and an easy approach rather than a complex approach.
12. Influential: The best quality of a leader is that he has a clear vision and he motivates his followers
to move towards a bright future. He mobilize his team towards the objective and leave a positive
impact on them.
13. Determination: An officer is always cleat in his mind of what he wants and how he will get it. An
officer is always dedicated and determinant of his aim and he always put efforts to achieve his aims.
14. Courage: Courage is not the strength to carry on, rather it’s carrying on when you don’t have the
strength.
15. Stamina: Physical and mental health combination is stamina and it is very much required in the
war and on the field.
16. Social Adaptability
17. How will you connected with family, friends and society.
18. How well you are able to manage different situation so as to keep your surroundings stable
19. Cooperation: One should believe in give and take also with the law of nature.
5 Personality Traits Closely Observed By

SSB and Ways to Develop It
SSB is a test to minutely observe a person’s qualities and based on their observations they decide
whether a person has it in him/her or not. Here ‘It’ means personality characteristics. It’s very
important to develop those characteristics if you feel that you do not have them, this is because
everybody has qualities in them it’s just that some have them in abundance and thus are able to
show easily and some are having a little of it and hence are shy.
But the thing is my friends that you can do anything you want if you practice it well, the saying
“Practice makes a man (woman) perfect” is not said in vain. Here are few qualities that need to be
present in a ‘future officer’.
1. Good Physique: Well most of you will say that it is given by God but tell me sincerely are
you not impressed by a person who has a good physique instantly? Well by physique I don’t
mean you have be all tall, good looking and all, it just means that you should have a proper
body weight and must be fit, if you are taking healthy food and exercising or playing a sport
everyday you’ll be naturally fit. So you’ll be naturally confident!
2. Voice: Your voice should be impressive; I mean not very shrill not very heavy but
commanding. You should sound like an officer. It is definitely not possible to change your
voice but you can moderate a little bit if you like. If you sound very shrill then make sure while
putting point your pitch is maintained to an extent which sounds okay.
3. Leadership: Being a leader is not often something you can choose to be or not be. Each
officer becomes a leader in the performance of helping people to solve problems and work
through difficult situations. Leadership is something you can get by developing confidence.
You should have confidence on yourself. You must learn to take initiative to start with begin
with small things like taking part in school & college activities.
4. Body Language: Your body language matter a lot. Even if you have a good personality it
won’t help until you have a good body language. It means you must learn to walk firmly, sit
upright, stand erect etc. You should never slouch or drop your shoulder while walking or
sitting. Practice it in your daily life, walk firmly watch yourself in mirror while walking or sitting.
If become habitual to have a good body language you'll definitely make a mark.
Zeal for Defense: You must have a zeal for defense services. This means you must love adventure,
must be lively and ready to take part in any event. You can become lively by taking part in many
activities in your institution or in your vicinity. You must play some sport to improve your personality
because sports definitely enhances personality and induces discipline in life.
Physical and Mental Courage: An

Important Facet of Personality
We must have seen or met such people who we think have some qualities in abundance, those too
who don’t seem to have any and we consider ourselves one of those who have qualities yet we fail
to make it to what we desire to get. And this often happens because we lack courage. There are
certain qualities required for one to become a leader and one such very important quality is Courage.
Courage is the awareness of danger that exists, and the desire or at least the willingness to face
it. It is not the ignorance of the existence of danger and its implications. It recognizes fear of danger
or criticism, but enables the man to go ahead with calmness and firmness. It gives a man control
over him, enabling him to accept responsibility and to act properly in danger. It is the quality of a
man which forces him to marshal all his abilities and powers to overcome the hardships.
It is of two types:
o Physical
o Mental
Physical courage is concerned with danger to the person, in physical terms while mental courage
comes into being when one does something which one thinks must be done due to his
conscientiousness even at the cost of accepting losses / initial adversities. It is difficult to imagine
military leaders without physical and mental courage. A commander has to lead his men willingly
into the battle-field full of danger. He has to display calmness, firmness and self-control in the face
of heavy odds. He cannot turn back from his mission because of danger or hardship. He must gain
full control over his emotions. Even the slightest sign of fear in a leader will force the men he
commands to suspect the leaders ability to lead form the front and dilute his leadership. Therefore,
courage is an essential quality to face dangers and win the war.
It can be acquired by exposing oneself to harder life and doing what one thinks is correct. Courage
can be developed to some extent by ambition and inspiration.
Steps to Improve Physical and Mental

Courage:
1. Lay out Goals: Keep body, mind and soul spiritually tuned up by daily periods of exercise and
keep faith in God. Visualize health and wholeness and entertain no negative thoughts about
yourself. Work towards being physically fit and mentally alert in solving problems arising in
college, at work or in society.
2. Composure: Relaxation / meditation and regular exercise keeps one composed.
3. Get Inspired: Sports, travel, music, art, stimulating friends, good books and nature contribute
to inspirational living. Participate in adventure activities and rejuvenate yourself.
4. Overcome Fear: Picture yourself as boldly attacking and overcoming your fears. Perseverance
pays. The very moment you decide that nothing shall defeat you, from that instant NOTHING
CAN DEFEAT YOU.
5. Believe: As you train your mind to believe, everything tends to move out of the area of the
impossible into that of possible. Think, believe, and visualize success.
6. Enthusiasm can do wonders for you: Look for interest and romance in the simplest things
about you. Enthusiasm will drown fear of failure and lift up performance.
Does Appearance Make A Difference in
SSB Interview?
Who so ever it may be, a male or female candidate, looks matter even in SSB interviews! Nobody
ever pays attention or talks about it so, let's understand how looks matter in SSB? When I talk about
looks, I don't mean that girls and boys should look beautiful and handsome respectively. What I
mean is, look "Smart." It's psychological that when your IO and GTO will see you for the first time,
they will form an impression of you. The way you are dressed, you are standing, you have made
your hair, your body language is, you look, is a 30% analysis of your personality and forthcoming
process is somewhere based on it. Here are few tips on how to maintain your looks for IO, GTO and
conference.
1. Formals: - Keep this word in mind. From your dress to your behavior, keep everything formal.
Don't make it too much else it'll look show off. But when you are talking to any officer, sitting in
front of IO, lecturing in group task, or answering in conference, Be formal!
2. Dress: - For group task, you are given options to choose among track suit, pants, shorts,
trousers, etc. Why so? So that you are comfortable. Girls can choose in between western and
Indian formals. Don't hesitate in choosing either. Always choose what you are more
comfortable in. One more thing, whatever you choose, it should be of fitting. It should not be
too loose or too tight. Same for length. Generally, we don't pay this much attention while
choosing, and later repent too.
3. Hair: - Boys are advised to get a haircut in advance. Have short hair. Girls, hair bangs/fringes
are common in us. But at SSB, tie them properly in bun, pony or braid. Your hair should not
come on your face. Use proper pins.
4. Jewelry: - Take of all studs, earrings, rings, pendants and even small fancy items. Girls don't
use fancy accessories in hair. Use simple black pins.
5. Posture: - Keep it thoroughly straight. Always sit straight. While standing, stand at ease and
don't lean on anything. Don't stand loose, be active!
6. Nail: - No doubt Officers will notice it. Cut them properly. And girls, no nail paints. Not even
light colored.
7. Behavior: - Officers there are very highly superior to you. Respect them. Never come in any
argument. Even if you are right, explain your points in short and politely. Wearing a smile on
face will show your confidence and optimistic nature. Even your body language should be polite
and respectful.
8. Facial expressions: - When you are asked anything personal or annoying, don't make faces.
Be expressive with body language but don't react too much, especially girls. You might even be
subjected to question related to your partner, physical relations and all, which girls often react
to in a very awkward manner. He's not flirting, he is checking how you maintain a balance in
frank mindedness/boldness and emotions while speaking.
9. Emotional stability: - It has been seen that people get disturbed when mocked or made fun by
officers. Don't deviate. Give a polite yet witty answer. When he annoys you, show patience!
When he makes you emotional, take things to a little funny side and show him you are strong.
When he gets angry, behave very polite. When he makes you angry, smile and hold on.
Remember, he's not a fool that he does not know how to behave with the candidates. He is
doing it intentionally, to test you. Be emotionally stable.
Here's all you need to take care of! When you meet a person for the first time or when you see a
stranger, how do you judge the person? By smartness of Looks! When we folks do the same why the
Officers won’t be doing the alike tasks? And why just in interviews? Always look smart! Always be
presentable, confident and emotionally stable. It's worth following. After all, first impression is the last
impression.
Clothes You Will Need for SSB Interview

We get a lot of queries from our aspirants regarding the dress they require for SSB. So we decided
to come up with a dedicated article on that. There is a particular dress code which you are supposed
to follow while you are in your interview. In fact that is why everything is clearly mentioned in your
call up letter. However we have tried to give you event by event dress code here so that you might
get some help.
o Screening Day: Men need to wear a formal attire. Of course there is no compulsion but still it’ll
make you look more sincere as this is the first instance you’ll appear in front of the board.
Similarly for the lady candidates also, you are also advised to wear either western formals or
simple salwarkurta. Men can wear dark trousers with light shirt and formal shoes.
o Psychology Test: for this test you can wear anything decent enough.
o Interview: For interview you need a formal pair of clothes. Both for the ladies and the men.
Though sometimes you might be called for the interview immediately after your GTO but make
sure to change your clothes if you even have a few minutes time. Here also, men can wear
formal trouser and shirt and ladies can wear either shirt-trouser or salwar-kurta.
o GTO: For your GT series you need to have a white t shirt. Apart from it ladies can wear either
shorts or track pants which should again be in white color. Men can wear white track pants. A
white track suit will also be suitable. If you have a problem finding pure white clothes get the
ones with around 90% white content. Ladies are allowed to wear white colored salwarkurta as
well.
o Conference: For conference you have wear formal clothes just like interview. You have to
appear in front of the whole board so you need to look presentable and formal.
o General purpose: Carry a night clothing or a suitable night dress for room. For mess premises
also you have to go in decent preferably formal clothes.
o Shoes: Wear formal clothes with formal dress. Wear white sports shoes (if not then shoes with
maximum white content) for GTO. You can’t roam in slippers so carry appropriate shoes to
roam around in the premises.
Some important points:
1. You can carry a pair of jeans and two t shirts for traveling and book out purposes.
2. Not much casual clothing is required as you won’t get chance to wear it so carry clothes
appropriately.
3. You are not required to carry pillow or blanket but do carry one thin sheet for night.
4. In mess you are expected to be in formal clothes so please follow that.
5. Wear decent, mostly semi-formal or formal clothes in the campus all the time.
Lessons from Sports: Creating Chances
The Football fever is on and there might be hardly one who doesn’t watch the football match.
Football is the most energetic game and almost everyone likes to play as well as watch it but did you
ever try to get a message that it delivers? While analyzing the statistics of a football match, there are
a few crucial statistics one must focus on. First and foremost is obviously the score of the match.
Secondly the possession of the ball- which team is in more control of the game? And lastly, how
many opportunities to score goals did each team have? There is very simple correlation between
these statistics that delivers a meaningful message- ‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take’.
This message is so true not only in football, basketball or any other sport, but also in many aspects
of our lives. If we don’t take chances or initiatives, we won’t be successful. In order for us to score
and win in life, don’t we (like footballers in a match) need to create those goal-scoring opportunities?
Don’t we need to actively create situations that will pave our way towards victory? Of course YES!
Let’s suppose that you are job hunting and you expect to get a job by sending your CV or resume to
a few companies and expect them to offer you your dream job, Know that it is highly unlikely. On the
other hand, if you actively put yourself in situations where you increase your employability –by
attending a specific course or thoroughly researching a company-before sending your application to
them, aren’t you giving yourself a greater chance to bag that job you aspire to? In essence, you must
ask yourself, “Am I putting myself in a position to win and achieve my targets?”
Here are a few questions that you can ask yourself that may help you put yourself in a better position
to achieve your goals, be it for a job promotion or anything you wish to achieve in life. These are all
questions that sport coaches ask players to think about:
o Can I improve upon my individual skills?
o Can I improve communication with other people?
o Do I have enough strength to beat my opponents?
o Am I able to tackle the situations that make me panic?
o Am I associating with the right people?
o Am I confident in my skills?
If the answer for these questions is YES, then reinforce those actions and don’t let them go. But if
the answer is NO, then there is a chance for you to work on yourself and keep on growing and get
into a good position.
Always remember, if you create zero opportunities to score, you will never win. And you can still win
the game even if you are not in full control of it as long as you are effective. So, focus on increasing
your odds of scoring, create chances and succeed!
Essential Pre Interview Preparations at SSB

Interview is an important process and a sort of compulsory process everywhere in every organization
selection process. This process is assumed to be a fool proof process and it is believed that it would
capture and help in judgment of all what an assessor is looking in a candidate for his particular
needs as per organization specifications. For SSB also the same process has been kept to assess
the aspirants and judge their OLQ’s and in this way the interview at SSB becomes slightly different
from the other organizations. Here things are judged psychologically and the intention is the search
of OLQ’s.
My other articles have clearly defined what should be the dos and don’ts for the PI and what are the
various OLQ’s that are being looked in the candidate. So it’s better to go with a little bit of
preparation which can save and make the day of aspirant. Many aspirants requested to share this
hence writing this article. The following tips could be useful before entering the Interview hall:
1. Winning SSB has simple mantra of revealing yourself truthfully and this mantra applies here
as well. Just go through your resume to see what have been your achievements and keep it
in your mind.
2. PIQ filling is an art. I ensure in my mentorship program and always tell my mentees also that
filling PIQ is something that should be done with utmost care and needs full attention so that
you don’t miss on any important points. Revise your PIQ also as this would form the very
base of the questions that could most probably be asked to you.
3. General awareness should be descent if not good and it is expected that a future officer
would know what is happening in his/her surroundings.
4. Officers that assess aspirants at SSB have a habit of cross verifying things so just remember
that everything matches. What you fill in SD test of Psychology should have similar qualities
as you want to reveal in PI because the same person cannot have different images.
5. Your dress will cast the very first impression on officer so it should be proper.
6. Carry a pen preferably so that in case you need you don’t end up getting nervous and asking
it with the IO, which looks very bad for future aspiring officer.
7. Drink sufficient water, and prepare yourself mentally. Don’t think that you will have water
inside and you can drink there. These are basic things and should be followed diligently.
8. Don’t ever wear wrist watch, carry mobile or other unnecessary things that can disturb you or
would break the rules of the place.
Secret of Success in Personal Interview at

SSB
Interview is a simple process where two or more than two people interact to come to a conclusion of
the presence of certain traits that one assessor looks in to the other person who is the interviewee
and the aspirant in the case of SSB process. Every organization has this type of testing done before
selecting someone to become part of the organization. PI is a time tested method which surely
judges the person in terms of knowledge, communication, confidence and many other qualities that
are very specific to organizational roles for which the interviews are organized.
SSB process has many interviews in different forms but one big interview would be with the officer
who would be either the President or deputy President of the board. Such people are really senior
and have a vast knowledge to judge people at different levels. Many OLQ’s are being judged but
apart from that there are several other things that have impact in PI and if such things are taken care
of, it could lead to wonders.
1. Intelligence, power of expression
2. Body language, gestures and eye moments
3. Planning and delegating
4. Social adjustment,
5. Dynamic workout
6. Courage, stamina, hard work and determination
7. Appropriate assessment of others
8. True behavior to the image portrayed on papers
Please remember that the officer is trying to revisit your full life with the intention of just to analyze
what’s your background and what impact all your surroundings had on your personality. So be true
to whatever you fill in PIQ and don’t take it lightly. Also ensure you do not miss on something
important including your extracurricular, achievements (however small or big it might be) Position of
responsibilities etc.
1. Interviewer will welcome you with a smile don’t just get afraid of it and he might offer a handshake
which should be immediately and warmly accepted by the candidate.
2. Don’t sit without permission of officer. He might delay the orders in order to test something but
don’t worry he might not make you stand for long. Just don’t hide the chair and stand in front of it.
Ideal way is to stand at side.
3. be confident and get along with the officer when he tries to build a comfortable environment by
asking about you. There are specific things that should be told in such questions and this also
decides your fate for future questions so design it in your comfortable way beforehand by practicing
it well.
Be true to whatever he tries to get from you whether it’s of your personal life or your professional life.
At the end all the images formed by three assessors should match which leads to recommendation.
OTHER IMPORTANT POINTS TO BE REMEMBER.
o Do not give contradictory or confusing answers

o Do not mess up things
o Be very clear and confident
o Keep up a bright smiling face throughout
o Give your answers in brief composed manner if you know it, else politely confess and say that
you will check it later
o Be absolutely to the point
o Do NOT speak extra or less than that is required
o Always give closed-ended answers that have proper justification and reasoning to convince
and satisfy the IO, otherwise (s)he might ask chain of questions quoting points from your
responses and try to confuse you
o In rapid fire questions listen them carefully and answer them in order and at last politely ask if
anything is missed out
o All the answers should have resemblance with the PIQ form
o Always remember that you are a candidate and IO is assessing you so maintain decorum in
your body language and while you speak
o Speak as less as possible and/or when required
o Wherever you go take a quick note of your surroundings and keep yourself updated with
current happenings as questions can be asked about these things
o Do not be nervous or excited
o Enjoy the whole conversation
o Be honest and true to yourself while answering
o Dress up decently and formally with comfortable outfits so that you don’t get conscious or
diverted and you can properly concentrate in the interview.
Causes of Failure in SSB Interview

Interview is one of the trickiest and most important part of SSB, the same applies to GTO’s and
Psych Tests!! Well jokes apart what I mean to say is that nothing in SSB is of a less important hence
you should give your best in every sphere. But there are certain things in Interview which may for
sure chuck out your chances of recommendation. These are:
1. Bad Posture and Dress: Your way of walking into the room, sitting on the chair and your dress
matters. If you are walking stealthily, wearing an inappropriate dress and putting up a gloomy
face that will sure cast a bad impression You are supposed to walk confidently (not proudly), in
an erect and straight manner sit straight on the chair meant for you. You can wear a formal
dress in which you are comfortable mostly a light shirt and a dark trouser.
2. Lack of confidence: When you step in your face should gloom with confidence. If you are
looking unduly nervous or worried then it will create an adverse impact. Slight nervousness is
normal but not much. Remember you have got nothing to lose, hence chuck out all worries and
enjoy the interview.
3. Gullibility: This means that you are bad in defending your opinions; the IO can easily mold
your views to his own desire. This is a case of rejection. Firstly you should be logical in your
opinion and once you are sure then you must stick to your ideas however if you find that you
have chosen a wrong side then you can agree with the IO but you must firstly choose a right
opinion which can come only if you are logical.
4. Lack of self-knowledge: If you don’t know much about yourself that is about your marks,
achievements or hobbies and sports which you have filled in PIQ then bye-bye! You are
expected to match what you wrote in PIQ and have good knowledge about your hobbies,
sports etc.
5. Blank about Family: If a candidate doesn't know about the work or occupation of parents or
siblings then he/she is definitely not passable. You must be aware about your parents and
siblings’ jobs, studies etc. Also you must have the knowledge about positive and negative
qualities of you family and friends. This you can prepare in advance.
6. Unaware about the Force you have applied for: When going for a job in defense you are
expected to have knowledge about the strengths of defense this includes aircraft, missiles,
tanks, submarines and latest news about them. Also read about the ranks and commands etc.
Especially about the force (Army, Navy or Air force) you have applied for.
7. Poor General Awareness: Having a poor general awareness doesn't qualifies you to be an
officer you must be at least aware about recent happening in our country and around the world.
If not detail then too at least a little bit however it is advisable that you have knowledge in depth
about anything you are going to speak in front of the interviewer.
Not following instructions: If you are bad in following instructions your chances of getting in are
screwed. If you are asked comprehensive type lengthy questions then you must have such a grasp
that you can remember most of the questions and answer them in order
Self-Grooming for SSB

INTRODUCTION
SSB adopts personality evaluation techniques to gauge the personality attributes of the aspiring
candidates. It may be clearly understood that they definitely desire high caliber, well informed and
well groomed candidates. A good leader must always be knowledgeable and group effective. The
same can only happen if you are a well groomed and a well-rounded personality.
 Have a good daily routine.i.e., get up early, exercise daily( Run 4-5 km, 30-40 Sit up/Push up each
and 10-12 Pull ups), have fixed timings for everything and sleep early.
 Ensure that you shave every day, have a smart short haircut and take pride in the way you dress up.
Do not wear slippers or casual dresses as a habit.
 Improve your knowledge base by reading a lot. You could divide the subjects under the following
main heads: Political issues, Environment, Science and Technology, Sports, Economic issues,
Foreign Affairs, You must definitely know all about live issues pertaining to India and its neighbors.
Download information from internet and also make newspaper/magazine cuttings to revise the topics
frequently.
 Improve your confidence level by every day discussing some current topics with a group of friends
who are preparing for some competitive exam.
 Be more vocal and improve your communication skills. Try and get to the center stage whenever an
opportunity comes your way while interacting with your friends or family.
 Carry out introspection every evening and see how you could have responded differently to certain
difficult situations. Make self-corrections in your future behavior.
 Improve your bearing and social graces by being conscious of the way you walk, talk or discuss
issues with others.
 Be sensitive, warm and friendly while dealing with the others. Never let down friends and become a
trustworthy person.
 Practice psych tests always under a professional mentor who is able to calibrate your thought
process to the desired conditioning. If these tests are not analyzed correctly, it can do you more
harm than good.
 Fill up your Personal Information Questionnaire (PIQ) Form and see what kind of questions the
Interviewing Officer can ask you during the interview and discuss your answers with your mentor.
DAY-5
Conference
Conference in SSB interview happens on the 5th day of SSB testing, in conference, all the
assessors of a particular board including the president and deputy president, meet each other to
discuss and prepare the results of candidates on 5 days testing. There are few rumors and doubts
among candidates regarding the conference, lets discuss them one by one.
Candidates will be called one by one according to increasing or decreasing order of their Chest No.
there will be a bell and a display board indicating a chest number just to inform the candidates about
their turn to go inside conference hall.
Generally Conference lasts for 30 Seconds to 60 Seconds for most of the candidates, few
candidates may take more time up to 5 -10 mints or 30 mints sometimes, such cases are rare and
they are generally a doubt case. There are few questions which are generally asked:
o How are you? How were your stay, food and accommodation here in last 5 days?
o Rate your performance out of 10?
o How do you rate your performance of three tests?
o How many friends you made in these last five days?
o Any changes which you felt in yourself in these 5 days.
o Why you were not selected in your previous attempts? (For Repeaters).
o What you will do if you are not selected this time?
o Rate yourself in you group?
o What is your next plan?
o Which test you enjoyed most in SSB?
o In which test you think you could have done better?
o Have you been out with friends? What all places you visited of the city in which your Board is
Located.
o Compare your performance with previous ssb attempt?
o Some SRTs if you are boarder line case?
o Any suggestion for improvement in SSB?
DAY – 6
Medical Examination Procedure at

Services Selection Board [SSB]
Recommended candidates appear before the medical board for carrying out their medical board
after the SSB results. It takes 4 to 5 days’ time for the concerned Military Hospital to complete
the medical checkup and after that the candidates are dispersed. NDA candidates are examined
both for Army and Navy unless otherwise instructed and endorsement of fitness status will be made
accordingly. President of the medical board will guide the candidates for Appeal/Review Medical
Board procedures. Candidates may seek the advice of President of Special Medical Board for
review/appeal in case they have been declared unfit.
Procedure of Appeal Medical Board:
The Appeal Medical Board will be held at one of the following hospitals
1. Base Hospital, Delhi Cantt.

2. Command Hospital, Southern Command, Pune.
3. Command Hospital, Eastern Command, Kolkata.
4. Command Hospital, Central Command, Lucknow.
5. Command Hospital, Western Command, Chandimandir.
6. Command Hospital, Air Force, Bangalore.
7. Command Hospital, Northern Command, C/o 56 APO.
8. INHS, Ashvini, Mumbai.
The candidates will report for medical examination within the stipulated period i.e., 42 days from the
date last examined by the Special Medical Board for re-examination along with the receipted copy of
the MRO/TR as directed by the President Medical Board. The Endeavour will be to complete the
Medical checkup in one day.
Review Medical Board
In case of candidate being declared unfit by the Appeal Medical Board, he/she may challenge the
proceedings and may be granted review of medical proceedings based on the merit of the
case. Any candidate desiring for a review should address the request to Recruiting Directorate
(Personnel & Cord), Army Headquarters, West Block III, RK Puram, New Delhi with a copy to the
President of Appeal, Medical Board, within one day of the holding of Appeal to Medical Board. The
application for RMB is routed through DG, AFMS. The decision for grant of RMB is with DG, AFMS,
and is not a matter of right. RMBs are conducted at R&R Hospital Delhi Cantt and AFMC, Pune.
Stay During the Medical Examination
The recommended candidates after the declaration of SSB results will stay in the Selection Centre’s
in the lines earmarked for the recommended candidates for their medical examination by the Military
Hospital. The candidates will be allotted fresh medical chest numbers for the purpose. Candidates
who go for Appeal Medical Board or have to get their medical examination done at a later date due to
some unavoidable reasons will do so under their own arrangements.
Discipline during Medical Examination
It is utmost important that recommended candidates maintain proper discipline during their stay in
Selection Centre’s during their conduct of medical examination. The candidates are required to put
on their medical Chest Number (with Red Cross) whenever they are present in the campus of Selection
Centre’s.
PHYSICAL FITNESS STANDARD AT IMA/OTA
 Running : 2.4 KM in 15 minutes

 Pushups: 30 Nos
 Sit ups: 25 Nos
 Chin ups: 6 Nos
 Rope climbing: 3-4 meters
Candidates are advised to build themselves up by physical training, sports, running, swimming etc, so
that they meet the training goals successfully.
Ideal Age, Height and Weight for Male: It should be within permissible limits (±10%) of the ideal
weight as per correlation table between age, height and average weight given below in recording
fraction lower than 0.5 kg will be noted and 0.5 kg above will be recorded as 1 kg:
Medical Standards
 The candidate should be free from wax (EARS), DNS, Hyrocele/Phimosis. Defective Color
Vision, LASIK Surgery, Over/Under Weight, Under Chest, Piles, Gynecomastia, Tonsillitis,
Veri-Cocele and Aids.
 You should be able to read 6/6 in a Distant Vision Chart
 Color Vision Standard should be CP-III
 Minimum 14 Dental Points With Sound Teeth
Physical standards Minimum Height Minimum Weight
Women 152 CM 42 KG
NDA & 10+2 TES

(Under Graduate 152 CM 43 KG
Entry Men)
CDSE, TGC, UES, NCC

SPL AMC, RVC ETC. 157 CM 45 KG
(Graduate Entry Men)
Height and Weight Standard Ratio for Indian

Armed Forces
Dear all Defense aspirants, In this article I have discussed the medical standards of Indian Armed
forces with respect to height and weight ratio for both male and female candidates. If you are going
to SSB then first read it also and maintains yourself fit according to the standards of Indian Armed
Forces. The height and weight ratio is shown as below
Height and Weight Standards for Men:-
Height Weight in KG (Age Range in

in Cm Years)
Age 15-17 18-22 23-27 28-32
152 – 158 46 – 49 47 – 50 50 – 54 54 – 58
159 – 165 50 – 53 51 – 55 55 – 59 59 – 63
166 – 171 54 – 56 56 – 59 60 – 64 63 – 66
172 - 178 57 – 60 59 – 63 64 - 69 67 – 71
179 – 183 61 – 63 64 – 66 69 – 72 72 – 74
184 – 185 64 67 – 68 73 – 74 75
Height and Weight Standards for Women:-

Height in Cm Weight in KG (Age Range in

Years)
Age 20-25 26-30
148 – 151 43 – 45 46 – 48
152 – 155 46 – 48 49 – 51
156 – 160 49 – 51 52 – 55
161 – 165 52 – 54 55 – 58
166 – 171 55 – 58 59 – 62
172 – 176 59 – 61 63 – 66
177 – 178 62 – 63
Note: The Medical board permits +/- 10% of the candidate’s weight (i.e. if a candidate is 21 year old
with height 167 then boards will pass him if his weight in between 50.4 and 616).
How to Gain Weight before SSB Interview

Medical Examination
"Patla papad" "lakdi" " X Ray" and what not. You have heard these disgusting words many times, but
you don't know what to do. You really stuff yourself up to the brim, but remain the same. You have
become habitual of the offensive and scornful remarks by the people of your entourage. Well, it’s
time to get over the period of haplessness. For most of us, losing weight is an uphill task. However,
gaining weight is much difficult than losing the same. It takes a disciplined and concentrated effort to
achieve the desired weight.
Having a well-controlled and fit body is very important for the point of view of the SSB interview. The
medical guidelines for the selection in the forces are sacrosanct. Therefore, one must be within the
range of the height-weight chart in order to be deemed fit for services. We will discuss certain diet
and exercise tips which would enable you to gain weight in a healthy and safe manner.
DIET for Underweight
Being underweight is in no way a license to gorge on unhealthy fast foods like pizzas, burgers, puffs,
pastries, noodles etc. Although you require more calories, these calories should be from a healthy
source.
1. Eat at least SIX times a day. Yes I am right, eating heavily 3 times won't just do.
2. Include milk shakes, peanut butter, bananas, mangoes, dry fruits in your diet.
3. Snack on healthy items such as energy bars, fruit juices, vegetable sandwiches, pastas, etc.
4. Cheese and Paneer is a good source of nutrition for the vegetarians. While red meat, fish and
eggs are an excellent and fecund source of calories for the carnivorous people.
5. You should be eating something every 2 to 2.5 hours.
Note: Don't take any supplement without consulting a renowned physician.
EXERCISE for Underweight

Diet alone will never lead to propitious outcomes. Your success is hinged upon the correct
combination of diet and exercise.
1. Professional gym is the best place to be in order to gain weight. Strength training exercises are
very important to give you muscle and volumes to your overall weight
2. If you can't go to a gym, perform strength training exercises like surya namaskar, pushups, and
sit-ups at home.
3. Contrary to the existing belief, cardio is also a must to keep the balance of the body intact. 30
mints of slow walking or cycling (slow cardio) 3-4 times a week is recommended.
4. Focus on full body exercises than individual muscle groups.
5. It is advised not to club cardio and muscle training together. If you are doing muscle training in the
evening, do some cardio in the morning and vice versa.
Just keep calm. Gaining weight is not that difficult as it seems to be. It is just a matter of few days
and you will be able to see genuine results. Multitudes have been benefited by this regime and now
it is your turn.
Physical and Medical Standards for Joining Indian Army

After a candidate clears the SSB Interview, he/she is expected to undergo a Medical Examination
held at the medical boards. Only the candidates who are declared fit by the medical authorities are
eligible to join the Training Academy. However you can appeal in the medical board again if you are
declared unfit, also temporary rejections are given to candidates who have curable problems like,
overweight, underweight etc.
Let us have a look on the standards of Indian Army
1. The candidate must be in good physical and mental health and free from any
disease/disability which is likely to interfere with the efficient performance of duties.
2. There should be no evidence of weak constitution, bodily defects or over weight.
3. The minimum acceptable height for Male candidate is 157.5 cm. For women candidate’s
minimum acceptable height is 152 centimeters. For Gorkhas and individuals belonging to hills
of North Eastern region of India, Garhwali and Kumaon, the Minimum acceptable height will
be 5 cm less. In case of candidates from Lakshadweep, the minimum acceptable height can
be reduced by 2 cm for males and females candidates.
4. Chest should be healthy. For males the minimum range of expansion after full inspiration
should be 5 cm. In recording the measurements, fraction of less than 0.5 cm will be ignored,
0.5 cm will be recorded as such and 0.6 cm and above will be recorded as 1 cm. X-Ray of
the chest is compulsory and will be taken to rule out any disease of the chest.
5. There should be no disease of bones and joints of the body.
6. A candidate should have no past history of mental breakdown or fits.
7. The hearing should be normal. A candidate should be able to hear a forced whisper with
each ear at a distance of 610 cm. In a quiet room. There should be no evidence of present or
past disease of the ear, nose and throat.
8. There should be no sign of functional or organic disease of the heart and blood vessel. Blood
pressure should be normal.
9. The muscles of abdomen should be well developed and there should be no enlargement of
liver or spleen. Any evidence of disease of internal organs of the abdomen will be a cause for
rejection.
10. Un-operated hernias will make a candidate unfit. If operated, this should have been done at
least 1 year prior to the present examination and healing is completed.
11. There should be no hydrocele, varicocele or piles.
12. Urine examination will be done and any abnormality, if detected will be a cause for rejection.
13. Any disease of the skin which is likely to cause disability or disfigurement will also be a cause
for rejection.
14. A candidate should be able to read 6/6 in a distant vision chart with each eye with or without
glasses. Myopia should not be more than 3.5D and hypermetropia not more than 3.5D
including Astigmatism. For women candidates the minimum acceptable visual acuity are:
Distant vision (corrected) better eye 6/6 worse 6/18, Myopia of not more than minus 5.5
including Astogination.
15. Internal examination of the eye will be done by means of ophthalmoscope to rule out any
disease of the eye. A candidate must have good binocular vision. The color vision standard
will be CP-III for Army A candidate should be able to recognize red and green colors.
16. Candidates who have undergone or have the evidence of having undergone Radial
Keratotomy, to improve the visual acuity, will be permanently rejected.
17. Candidates who have undergone LASER Surgery for correction of refractive error will be
considered for commission in Army if they fulfill following criteria :-
o Age more than 20 years.
o Uncomplicated stable LASIK/Excimer (PRK) laser procedure done for Myopia or
Hypermetropia, with stable refraction for a period of six months after the procedure.
o A healthy retina.
o Corrected vision should be 6/6 in better eye and 6/9 in worse eye, with maximum
residual refraction of + 1.50 in any meridian for myopia or hypermetropia.
o Axial length within permissible limits.
Note:
o All candidates recommended by SSB will have to undergo medicals as per extent
regulation.
o Tattoo. Permanent body tattoos are only permitted on inner face of the forearms i.e.
from inside of elbow to the wrist and on the reverse side of palm/back (dorsal) part of
the hand. Permanent body tattoos on any other part of the body are not acceptable
and candidates will be barred from further selection.
o The Medical standards for Executive (General Service) shall be same for PC & SSC
candidates.
The Right Time to Start SSB Preparations

What is the right time to start preparing for an SSB interview? This is a question which haunts in the
mind of every SSB Aspirant at one or the other time. Well so this article will help you in choosing the
right time for starting your SSB Preparations.
I have seen people who prepared for only a month succeeding and yet another class who have
prepared for years and not made it. So as such there is no time to start the preparation, this is what
you’ll think now. No but definitely there is a time. The earlier you start them the better. One more
thing the quantity of time never matters for preparations, what matters is the quality of time you put in
and how sincerely you are preparing. The OLQ’s which are the most important aspect of SSB can’t
be developed in a day. They can only be developed by putting in a good amount of quality time.
Observe-Analyze-Adopt
This is the mantra of getting success in SSB. You have to first observe the OLQ’s what they are and
how many of them and in what extent they are present in your personality. You have to observe the
Personality of an officer and compare yourself to his/her personality. Then comes the analysis part,
now you have to analyze that what is the amount of OLQ’s which are missing in you, and you have
to find out ways to develop them. Imagine yourself as an officer and then think what is missing in
you. Then comes the adopting part. Adopt these OLQ’s in your personality.
So the right time to prepare for SSB is the time when you get to know what your aim is, the time
when you decide that yes I have to be an Officer. Defense can’t be put as an option in career; you’ll
get in only if you have made it the first priority. Making it the topmost priority in your life will always
urge you to prepare well for it. Remember that even for a post of a very small private job there are a
hundred more that are there to compete, hence in SSB there are always a lot more people who have
put in all their efforts to get into it, so it is always the survival of the fittest.
You have to concentrate and prepare for SSB, from the day you decide what your aim is, i.e. Fauj.
Give ample amount of time to know yourself, and analyze your positives’ and negative’s. Remember
you can’t fake it in SSB so either you have the personality they want or you don’t. It is important to
become a kind of person who is suitable in reality instead of faking it. For e.g. if you are lazy and
have a habit of getting up late then you must try to change and be lively and active, because if you
are not and you are telling a lie in SSB that you are active and blah-blah then also you’ll be caught
by the Interviewer or the Psychologist. So it’s better to be the desired kind of person instead of lying
there
Start preparing now! It’s better to be late than never.
Recapitulation
Do I Really Require SSB Interview

Coaching?
Time and again people ask the same question. Today I would try to settle the debate once and for
all. There are mainly three types of candidates for SSB interview or any other exam. One, who are
very confident about themselves (sometimes too much confident) and have been the front runners at
various activities in their school & college. They have won many prizes in sports and cultural
activities. They are extrovert, and can easily befriend people. The second category candidates are
shy, meek and introvert. They find it very difficult to speak in public despite having adequate
knowledge. They are screened out more often than not.
The third category candidates lie in between the above two categories. They are neither good nor
bad. They are a bit confused more often than not.
Now the question arises, which category requires coaching and which doesn't.
Coaching v/s Training

There is a thin line of difference between these two words. Coaching is like working in a rigid and
concrete way as prescribed by the coaching institute. Whereas, training imparts basic and essential
knowledge about the process and lets you to develop your individual self-according to the
parameters. Remember, SSB interview is not like any other engineering or medical exam which can
be passed through coached ideas. You are an individual and your thoughts/responses must conform
to your individuality. Therefore, it is not about what type of people require coaching. It is about
whether the candidate understands the procedure or not. One must be thorough with the qualities
which are required by the forces.
CRUX
If you possess adequate communication skills, understand yourself, and have the finesse to deal
with various people, you do not require any external push. Whereas, if you are tad weak in any of
these attributes, then you may take up training to enhance your skills. Mind you, getting genuine
guidance about the SSB interview always puts you at ease. Therefore, it is about getting the basics
right and applying your own brain towards the right direction.
What You Need To Do To Be Successful In
SSB?
Even the predictions in the night during the last day at centre at the dormitory turns out wrong. It is
so because you are judged for certain OLQ’s only and the assessors are specially trained to do so.
They have a vast experience for judging the people from almost all the corners of country who come
and live their dream. Aspirants come there and go and they are from every state of India, hence
they have rich experience of judging vast family background, diversity and culture. I have thought of
few suggestions which might help to sustain the battle:
o Do not try to pose what you are not. Be truthful and be yourself. Else you will be caught
anyway/
o Be natural and don’t try to fake anything. Same things are tested so many times there that you
will not realize where to speak what
o Don’t be a parrot to rattle out things whenever not needed. Apply common sense and then
speak. Even if you speak less but whatever you say if it has quality no one can stop you from
clearing.
o Don’t try to over perform in GTO. Remember it’s not the place to prove individual potential, but
it’s something where you need to carry the group across and that will only provide you access
through the GTO rounds. SSB is such an exam where you are tested individually and i group
also. Perform equally well. An officer cannot be individualistic.
o In PI you will get sufficient chance to prove yourself as the interviews normally last for 45min to
1 hour and you will be judges on many aspects. You need to revisit your whole life in an interview
and after coming out you will realize how great you were in all the phases and what more could
be done to improve.
o The various psychological rounds will test how as a person you are and how you pursue things
in life. The family background, the values and moral you follow might also be tested as it has a
greater impact in your life. Psychology is not fixed and varies as per the situation and the phase
you are going through in life. The psychologist just suggests being a positive thinker in even the
harsh situations of life and excelling because such situations test the courage.
Tips to Crack SSB Interview

Aspirants, how many of you are going to clear SSB in 2014 and join the forces? I am sure all of you!
So what about doing some preparations. Tighten your seat belts and get ready to get the 15 Killer
tips which will come handy for you to clear the SSB interview in order to pave way for you to become
future officers in the armed forces:
1. Get that killer confidence: Confidence is an important part of an effective personality. If you
are a confident person you’ll be able to present yourself in an impressive way in front of others,
also you’ll be able to project the better things of your personality in an effective manner.
Confidence is important from SSB point of view as well. It helps you to perform well. Why else
do you think many of us are not able to speak well in the GD or interview? So tell yourself every
day that yes you are the best and you are going to make it, anyhow!
2. You can’t know the world better until you know yourself: Self-introspection is very
important if you want to get through SSB. So introspect yourself, find out your strengths and
weaknesses, and then work on your strengths to enhance them and on your weakness to
diminish them. The person who knows you the best is yourself, so use this to your advantage
and find out your abilities.
3. Have a look around: In SSB’s you’ll be asked a lot questions related to your family, friends
and closed ones. So it is better to go prepared. The questions will range from their occupation
to what do they like/ dislike in you, what you like/dislike in them etc. Hence you are advised to
have a look around yourself and be prepared for such questions.
4. Presentation is the secret my friend: You might be having ample amount of knowledge but it
is of no use until you know the way to present it. To be able to present something in an orderly
way you must practice doing so. Now by practice I mean that try to write the points and practice
answering the expected interview questions. In this way you’ll be prepared thoroughly to
present your thoughts in the interview.
5. Channelize your thoughts: By channelizing here I mean that give your thoughts a rights
direction. You must be aware that the answers you are going to give or anything that you are
going to say in the SSB must have adequate proof to prove it. So for this you need to think in a
right direction. Keep on checking that whether the thing which you are thinking is correct, what
all cross questions can be raised from them and can you answer/tackle those questions.
6. Get set and Go: SSB is a test of five days, it involves long duration of testing. The days are
going to be tiring and you’ll be asked to do a lot of physical exercises as well (individual
obstacles, snake race) so for these thing you need stamina. Start going for a jog, or running in
order to build stamina.
7. North East West South: Yes! I am talking about the news. Knowing the current affairs and
what is going on in the national and international front will always keep you in an advantageous
state, so spare some time to listen to the news or read the newspaper.
8. Get a good essay book: A good essay book will help you to build knowledge about different
subjects. Now this knowledge will help you again in the GD and in the lecture in the GT Series.
9. Speak like a gentleman/lady: The way you speak tells volumes about you. Anybody who can
communicate well his/her thoughts will definitely cast a better impression. Speak slowly, in
proper tone, give pauses while you speak, speak calmly and not in a haste. In this way you’ll
develop a wonderful speaking style, so again it’ll help you to communicate your thoughts well to
others, in GD, interview etc.
10. Time yourself: The psychological testing the SSB is a time based test, there are many sample
SRT, WAT and TAT present on our website. Download them and time your responses.
11. The forces work on planning: Military planning or group planning is a very important exercise.
It checks not only your basic intelligence but also your ability to deploy proper resources, and
your ability to judge the importance and priority of any situation. The whole system of forces
works on planning, nothing in the forces is done in an unplanned or haste manner. So be very
logical and intelligent in the GPE.
12. Practice reasoning: The officers Intelligence and Rating test in SSB is held in the screening
part. You need to score well in it to get into stage two of the testing. While in some SSB OIR is
a cakewalk, in a few like in Selection Centre Central, Bhopal, it is a bit tricky and difficult. It’ll be
beneficial to go prepared for this test. You can check the details regarding this test on our
website.
13. Be friendly and Smile: Be friendly with the group mates. A good repo with your group will be
helpful to you in the group tasks, since GT series is the longest exercise and you have to do it
with your group, it is important that you guys gel well. Good co-operation in a group leads to
more number of selections, never forget this!
14. You are not a rebel: You are going in the SSB to get selected, and not become a rebel. Why I
am saying this is because I have seen many candidates giving stupid suggestions and
speaking illogical things in the conference when asked for suggestions. You are assigned to
somebody who constantly asks your problem every day, you are even asked to write
suggestions in the mess register, then what is the need to go and say that quality of food needs
to be improved in the conference. You are going to join the forces, that is the purpose you are
going for, never forget it. Moreover always remember that if you give any suggestion in the
conference, there are 15 officers sitting to answer it, read again, 15 officers!
15. Never forget your purpose: The reason why you want to join the forces, never forget it. Never
forget the purpose you have gone in the SSB with, i.e. to get selected. Take care of yourself,
perform well, eat and sleep on time, bound them to take you in!
Essential Tips to Crack SSB – Part 1

Clearing SSB is not an easy task but we all know for a soldier nothing is impossible too. The ones
who clear it and become officers are also human beings like us. They are not at all different but yes
the living way the way they feel and think about situations differs and that makes them different from
the crowd. They possess what is being searched in SSB, the officer like qualities which only few
have. But this simply does not mean you cannot inculcate them.
Everyone is unique and different in perusal of life, but at SSB they are looking for only certain
parameters where they check if you could be trained and molded in a way of officer’s life that is
ready to shed everything for the motherland. What to do if you are planning to go for SSB:
1. What is SSB? : If you are a fresher know the test in and out because now day’s people
prepare beforehand before going for the competition because of the severity and high reduction
rate at SSB. So don’t think you are going on a paid vacation as every attempt counts in your
account and then the elite tag of fresher also goes off and next visit if you plan for SSB would
be with repeaters. For repeaters also take the assessment of whether you are doing things
rightly or moving in wrong direction. If you have a good mentor who can judge your individual
personality you are really lucky. Because in classroom sessions and at places where many
people sit simultaneously it’s difficult to get the assessment done cumulatively.
2. Practice hard: If you have tentatively followed step 1, get ready to practice as it only makes a
man perfect and tell you where you stand in the crowd. If it is monitored and assessed nothing
better than that. Personality is something which needs time to change and it is more of
dependent on the environment or the conditions you are presently living in. It cannot be
changed suddenly, hence keep sufficient time for preparation. I have seen people waiting for
SSB letter, if you are confident start preparing now because once you receive a letter you have
hardly a month to prepare and it’s too short a duration to achieve a change if needed.
3. General awareness: If you are ready for becoming an officer, you cannot ignore the
happenings around you. Prepare well the general knowledge as it is a vast field and needs time
for improvement. Hence do not ignore it and smoothen it.
Essential Tips To Crack SSB – Part 2

This is in continuation of the previous part of this series where three important factors were
discussed to crack and prepare for SSB. Let’s discuss some more factors to climb the success
ladder.
Academics are also essential: Groom yourself in remembering about your academic knowledge as
people tend to forget things very soon. If you are applying for technical branch or entry and you don’t
know what you did in your final year project do you think you should be selected. Working
professionals who are dissatisfied with their job always look for reasons that now they have left the
academic knowledge far behind, why should they remember it? But this simply means that if you
have such a good memory then after some years of being officer you will tend to forget you military
training. It seems to be a joke and don’t ever dare to say it in front of officer while in interview else
you have no right for getting selected. I know it’s difficult but the basics can always be refreshed and
it should be the part of your strategy to do that before going to SSB.
1. Know something about the place you are going: I have often seen people while mentoring
them personally that when any question related to force they want to join comes they say that
they don’t have a clear picture. Now does it simply means that you want to go to a place and
you don’t know the way or what you goanna do there. Prepare some latest information about
the force you are interested in and don’t feel embarrassed in front of interviewer. It’s easy to
say sorry sir I don’t know the answer but not for some obvious questions. It will always be
counted negative.
2. PIQ is most important form: The PIQ form is the most important entity for SSB as it’s your
reflection in front of an interviewer and Psychologist. It should be filled as such it’s you
marketing yourself about your qualities and telling them, in fact forcing them to think about
you. Now In course of my mentorship I have seen candidates taking it lightly and filling
incomplete information in it. Hence I have made compulsory to spend some time and get it
filled properly. Remember you should not escape this process and take it seriously. At the
other end it would give a complete picture to assessors whether you are an officer material or
not, hence it increases your chances definitely. Rest lies with them that how they confirm on
those points and assess you for the qualities which should be left to them as they are experts
in getting things out even if you want to hide.
3. The two parts have sufficiently covered about the essentials, start following and practicing if
you seriously want to be an officer in Indian defence forces. Next and the last series of this
write up will have other essentials too.
Essential Tips To Crack SSB – Part 3

This is in continuation of the last two parts in this series. Some more things that form essential bas
for an individual to be followed and succeeding in SSB are:
o Have info from the place you hail: Know about the place you belong. It seems to be a less
important point but is very important in terms of Psychologist assessing your background and
finding a match with you written material and interviewer trying to match many things as your
values and few qualities are embedded in you and depend on the background you come from.
Hence they are assessed and these things are not in your hand to change. It all depends on
how you were brought up and how you prefer doings things. But
o Communication is important: Communication is essential and important nowadays. Do the
assessors provide freedom to move to Hindi and English but it should not be considered
essential to use this instruction of assessors? Moreover remember that you should know that
nowadays English is a sort of compulsory course and a must know thing. So reasons like I was
in a Hindi medium school or I am weak in it does not work. Prepare hard if you are weak and
then stand strong in telling your views at SSB as it’s a common language understood by all and
not at all a regional language. Body language and gestures depict many things in your
personality. I have made essential in my mentorship program that this should be given
importance by the candidates and they need to improve it.
o Maintain Fitness: Take care of your health and exercise regularly to maintain physical fitness
as it is need in the external GTO rounds and help performing better.
o Be yourself: this is the last pint in this series of SSB preparation but i think the most essential
point in one’s preparation. It’s very easy to fake and prove your superiority or to change
yourself as per others requirement. But an officer does not do that. He is always true to himself
and keeps his qualities intact. Also since the interview at SSB is different from other interviews
you should be ready to face it differently. It would be a long interview where you would be
revisiting your life from the birth to till date and also revisiting the people who have affected
your life in a positive or negative way. Try to speak truth and assemble your important parts of
life before going for interview as it’s in your hand where you navigate your interview and how
you do it.
These tips might be helpful in preparation or at least analyzing what
and how’s of SSB. There are many myths related to SSB in market
never listen to them and take experts suggestion before you start
believing in something. SSB is altogether a different world, face the
five day challenge and you will feel it.
10 Reasons Why Candidates Fail In SSB

SSB is one interview where it’s very difficult to make out the reason for your failure. Only a deep
introspection can give you a slight hint of the reason. With the responses we get from the candidates
we have tried to evaluate a few reasons for the failure of a candidate in SSB:
1. Lack of Preparation: This is a major reason for failure in any exam. SSB is no different and
lack of preparation can be a big reason for your failure in SSB. Through preparations bring
confidence in you.
2. Lack of Confidence: Being confident can take you to great heights in life. Confidence speaks
volumes about anybody’s personality. The candidates who are not confident often hesitate and
get under unnecessary pressure.
3. Not listening with an open ear: The instructions that are given before every test in SSB are
self-sufficient to describe what they are looking for there. If you listen to the instructions clearly
you’ll get a fair idea of what the test demands and on what criteria you’ll be marked.
4. Lack of honesty: This is one major reason why candidates fail in SSB. If you can’t be honest,
you are definitely not fit to join the forces. SSB is about being brutally honest.
5. Being over friendly with the interviewing officer: The interviewing officers are taught to
smile and be friendly with the candidates. They just want you to feel comfortable so that you
end up saying everything they want to know. There are things which you would not like to share
with the IO. Being over friendly will only land you in troubled waters.
6. No self-Knowledge: SSB is one such interview where the more you know about yourself, the
more chances of success are there. A person who is not aware of what his strengths,
weakness, happiest and saddest moments are, is much like to fail. When you don’t understand
and know yourself, you can’t know anything better.
7. No knowledge about the surrounding: The surrounding you live in deserves your attention
as well. If you are not aware about the strength, weakness of your near and dear ones, about
their work/studies or about what is happening in your surroundings, you will be considered
casual in your approach towards life.
8. Dullness, non-enthusiastic attitude: A person who is cheerful and enthusiastic is liked by all.
Being cheerful shows positivity, whereas if you are dull and non-enthusiastic about things, it’ll
reflect negativity. You need to be excited about the tasks, it should reflect from your attitude.
9. Bullying and overconfidence: Forces is not the place where you can bully people. You need
to understand that a good leader leads by example and motivates people instead of bullying
them. You need to encourage your group, and not dominate them in order to appear like a real
leader.
10. If you forget to smile: If you don’t smile you are taking unnecessary tension. People who
forget to smile are likely to get nervous and thus mess up the things in which they could have
performed well. So you need to take a break and smile.
Lakshya- A Journey
“Lakshya” a film from the Indian cinema showing incarnation of boy into a men. The movie inspires
a lot of defence aspirants towards their dream job………. sorry calling it just a job is the disregard
towards those martyrs who led down their life for the safety, security and Honour of their country
because no one can let down his life just for the sake of so called ‘job’. I don’t know how many times
I have watched the movie but every time it’s a new interest that makes me to watch the movie being
still.
The movie is all about a boy who have no future plans that what he will do in the future (or we can
say “aage kya karna hai”? In our parents language) and his answer is that right now I am going to
home and the evening with friends. It’s a story about a boy who just decides to do what his friends
decides for their future and even after deciding his aim or so called his friend’s aim he is in oscillatory
state.
Army is a life where a man turn into Gentle man

a Gentle man turn into a Soldier
a Soldier turn into a Warrior
a warrior turn into a Leader
a Leader turn into Savior
and
a Savior turn into a Real Hero.
The movie also lighten up the characters which a defence aspirant should have inside his soul. The
boy who supports his friends, the boy who is truthful, the boy with power of retention, the boy who
wants to be himself and not “Udesh”, the boy who had a lot of confidence(that for him is joining
INDIAN ARMY is just passing the exam, then one interview and yes one medical, select to ho hi
jaaunga!!)
“Lakshya” a word which decides that where you stand in the future.
As you are reading this article it is clear that what your lakshya is?? But just by deciding your lakshya
you can’t achieve it but definitely you have completed half of the journey and the rest of the journey
is all about your preparation to achieve your Lakshya.
For some of the aspirants, getting recommendation is a thing which is cut and dried but it is not
actually so. You should be totally devoted towards your lakshya and do everything possible to
achieve it.
Take it as a war (Jung) and always remember “jung mar ke nahi maar ke jeeti jaaati hai”, so don’t let
your dream die, kill the thoughts which pulls you away from your lakshya.
And always remember “LAKSHYA TOH HAR

HAAL MEIN PAANA HAI”!!
How to Be a Hero of Your SSB Interview

Group?
You must have heard people saying that SSB is more of a group thing than an individual thing.
Well this is neither true to 100% and nor even false to some extent. What I am trying to say is
that in SSB your group and how well you Gel with your group counts. However your group
is not totally responsible for your success or failure but it does matters. The simple reason for
this is that most of the tasks given to you in SSB are group oriented in fact the GTO series
tasks which are the maximum point gainers consist of maximum group tasks(GD’s, GPE, PGT,
HGT, GOR, Command task etc.)
Hence it is very important for you to make a good impression on your group mates and make
the best of friendships with them. Here are a few tips on how you can cast a good impression on
your group and take everybody in confidence.
1. Stop the “I don't know anything” pretension: Some of us think that if we try to pretend
as if we know nothing about the SSB and how things are done in SSB others will think that
we are innocent and take us lightly. Trust me I have seen candidates behaving that way. It
casts a negative impression on your mates. Avoid it.
2. Stop the “I know everything” showoff: Everybody knows that if you are in SSB you
ought to be intelligent and smart but don’t forget that so are they. Your mates are not fools
so stop answering every question that is being asked in your group. If person ‘x’ is asking
to person ‘y’ then tell me where do you stand to answer the question? Stop playing the
crow in between who tries to catch the ball every time it is thrown.
3. Pulling other person’s leg will make you fall eventually: If you find pulling legs and
talking sarcasm cool then surely your group mates will like you to remain aloof and retain
your coolness alone. Hence pulling leg of a weak member or talking sarcasm on anybody
is not an officer’s material.
4. Sharing is good but only to an extent: Asking for your group mate’s towel, cream,
shampoo etc. etc. will certainly make you look like a needy but not an officer.
5. Play polo: Here I don’t mean the horse polo, I simply mean the mint, and it can do
wonders! While you are sitting in the bus or waiting for the PPDT you can easily slide or
pass a polo to your group mates, trust me it is a good friendship starter! So the next time
you go for your SSB keep this wonder mint with you in a good stock.
6. Pamper them: While you go for an outing in the city, pamper them and give a treat to
them. A few samosas and a bottle of cold drink will cost nothing if you compare it with you
pay-band as an officer ;)
7. Be real: Don’t be a fake person, be real show your real self you are unique so don’t try to
copy anybody.
8. Lies are a big no-no: If you tell them that you are topper of your college and you lack the
basic General knowledge also then it’s worthless to mention the impression they’ll have of
you. Hence please don’t lie about anything, lying only makes you conscious.
The time you spend in an SSB is going to be golden time of your life. You will never forget the
things you did here and the friends you made hence enjoy it and make the best of it. SSB is like
a game where you can win only by remaining truthful and honest. I have seen deserving
candidates not being selected just because of a bad and quarrelsome group. Candidates
shouting in GD’s and fighting over ballis and ropes in PGT can never make it through.
Remember you are in SSB to become an Officer so behave like one!
There is No Greater Time to Act Rightly than

the Present
This article I’m writing down not to provide any tricks or mantra to crack ssb but just to boost up our
readers who never want to give up on failures. Guys, the present alone is the only time when we can
Work and Achieve, Gain and Gather, Give and Share. In the past we can now do nothing; in the
future, again, we can now accomplish nothing. These living dynamic present moments are the only
fields to be hammered at and wherein are all the glories of life, all the gains in existence. From the
future, time floods over our standing in the present, and gushes out to swirl with the continuous
echoes of the past. Delays are always dangerous, useless, and barren. Today is the only day to
attempt any great and worthy purpose. Opportunity comes to all of us, the diligent catch hold of it;
foolish let it pass.
Let not fear of failure or fear of obstacles that might come, slow you down even a bit. Don’t worry
about whether you are better than somebody else or not but keep giving your best. Success is
peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become
the best of which you are capable.
Guys, there is no greater time to act rightly than the present. When our vision is true and our goal is
divine, we need not hesitate at all in tumbling ourselves into action. It is unnecessary to brood over
our in capacities and inefficiencies. Bring the best that is in each and start the job at hand. The bright
beginning made each day can become the early dawn of the day of achievement.
Guys, today belongs to us. Yesterday was; tomorrow will be; but today is with us. Every day is
bursting with opportunities for us to do, to serve and to act. We must make use of these lush
chances and diligently make our life rich, fruitful and useful for others at all times. Do those things
necessary to bring forth your personal best and don’t lose sleep worrying about the competition but
let the competition lose sleep worrying about you.
Why there is No Shortcut to Success at

SSB?
In the fast moving life it has become the tendency of human to take short cut in life and achieve
success. If we exclude the adult population of our country and see the youth which forms the major
chunk of our young India, they are mostly influenced by this culture to gain success with shortcuts in
life. Some might achieve but believe me if the fundamentals are not strong, such success is not
stagnant for a long time. Success achieved with strong fundamentals and hard work is always
valued and lives long. We might be proud of young India but personally I am worries with this habit of
youngsters. I am more worried with people who want to dedicate themselves for serving our
motherland by joining defence forces and are habitual to such things.
Has any big personality is ever found saying that I achieved the position by shortcuts or in a small
town. There are few who are born with the silver spoon in their mouth. But remember you and I don’t
belong to that category. Why? Simple you are reading this article because you want to dedicate
yourself to motherland and I have written to it because this is something close to my heart and I have
done a lot of research in this area.
I want to propose the youth involved in preparing to dedicate their lives for motherland that at least
the factor of LUCK does not work for SSB. You have to prove your qualities to get recommendation
here and that’s it. Remember “SSB is a battle and you have to fight here bravely ~~ Jayendra Pratap
Singh” I coined this based on the experience with my mentees whom I mentor personally , studying
their personality , OLQ’s and events of life that might have affected their life at many stages and
believe me this introspection only helps in personality improvement. Once personality is improved
nothing can stop you from getting to win the battle. But what we do:
 We want short cut to success and start following the myths related to SSB which effects our
understanding of things.
 We start thinking TAT/PPDT as story writing completion and write same stories provided in
books which has a not match to our personality. Remember that if one story is good for a
particular personality it might not be good for other if it has no match with your personality so
you have to write accordingly.
 Taking assistance is not bad but in large chunks might not cause benefit because SSB is
something where you have to gauge your personality and I believe each and every individual
is different and needs different attention and treatment as per their persona. So try
assistance with an expert who can give you full time for yourself to understand what you are,
where you stand and where you could be taken.
You all will be surprised to know that everyone has all the qualities but the events and incidents in
life’s changes the degree in which they are present, and hence you have to understand that only and
work on it, success will surely be yours.
Your Enemies at SSB: Fear and Expectation
When you reach the station while reporting for SSB, many of your hearts are thumping with fear,
expectations, anticipation. But let me tell you, fear and expectation are the two things which are sure
to bring your performance level down in SSB. Anticipation is okay, it is quiet natural to anticipate
something which you have never been through, but for the repeaters even anticipation should not be
there, as you have already been through that process once, so you know what all is awaiting.
Causes of fear in SSB:
Okay so let us see what all are the causes of fear when you go to SSB. In most cases it is the
anticipation which turns into fear, as there is a very thin line between the two. So let’s say you reach
the station, where you had to report. You see so many candidates, some with typical formal attire,
and beaming confidence on their face, some with excellent communication skills, some with flaunting
Fauji background and some with tons of knowledge. Now think yourself, how long does it take us to
know somebody completely? A day, a month, a year & sometimes a lifetime. It is very difficult to
judge somebody in just few hours of conversation or observation; why else do you think SSB keeps
you for 6 days? So instead of getting affected from the people in your surrounding and thinking that
they are superior just concentrate on yourself. Mentally revise what all you need to do in the
upcoming task.
I can surely write an entire article on what are the causes of fear in SSB! Okay, so wait for that one!
Causes of expectation:
You have been this all-rounder student in your school/college. Everybody appreciates that way you
sincerely carry out everything, be it studies or extra-curricular. You have been the leader, class
representative, captain. You have excelled in studies. You are an example for your siblings. Your
parents and teachers have high expectations from you, in turn you have high expectations out of
yourself. Chances are you have failed in SSB a few times. It is very obvious to have expectations,
but rather than giving time in expecting something, give that time to prepare.
A real life example:
A friend of mine, now a serving officer in the forces, told me his state of mind in his SSB. He went for
NDA Entry, just out of school. Got demoralized at the station it, seeing that many candidates were so
confident, all by themselves there, and he had his father with him. He had been told that SSB people
start observing you from the
station itself, and only those
who keep the luggage on the
bus are selected. He got further
demoralized when he saw that
forget about other people’s
luggage, he couldn’t even keep
his own luggage on the bus, as
somebody else already
snatched it and kept. Then he
lost all hope, he said that there
was no fear left inside him after
that, and no expectations even.
He just thought to give his best
and didn’t think about the result.
And he got through.
I would conclude by saying that there is no place for fear and no place for expectation when you go
for SSB. Your focus should be on giving your best. Without any expectation or worry about the
result. SSB is looking for OLQ’s if you have them you’ll be there.
Fake It Till You Make It

Well, you can't agree more to this old age adage. You all (like me) must be visiting this insightful
page quite frequently. But when it comes to the starting point, we get a headache. In this post we
would like to point out various cardinals everyday habits which would not only enable you to be
successful in SSB but also in various other attributes of life.
1. SMILE FREQUENTLY: - That's right, though it might seem a hare brained idea but it is
scientifically proven that people who smile quite often are more likely to be happy and successful
than who do. And relax, you don't own all the problems in the world.
2. PLAN: - Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. Given this competitive world, one cannot afford to be
complacent. Procrastinators are a big NO- NO in the defence forces.
3. BE PHYSICALLY TOUGH: - I am not telling you to reprise the antics of Aamir khan in Ghajini and
flaunt your corporeal abilities but one ought to be fit enough to meet the required military standards.
4. READ NEWSPAPER: - Seems to be paltry and petty thing to do but it yields propitious results in
the longer run. You never know what piece of knowledge you acquire might impress the interviewing
officer. For Preparation of the GD and Lecturette having profound knowledge of current affairs is a
plus point.
5. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF: - Those who go on to become officers are in no aliens. They are people
just like us who believed in themselves and worked with dogged determination. If you don't have
faith in yourself then no one will.
6. ACT LIKE AN OFFICER:-Don’t you want OLQs to just emerge out when you are in action in the
SSB interview? Then one must learn to act like an officer in every situation in life. Before taking any
decision just think what would an officer do in such situation and then act accordingly.
7. FOCUS ON 'KARMA: This lesson from Mahabharata never back fires. It is imperative that we
keep doing the right things without thinking too much about the result. Success will be yours not
immediately but definitely.
8. RESPECT YOURSELF: - You have decided to take step which is not an ordinary one. You should
be proud of yourself for having the propensity and tenacity to serve the nation.
9. START TODAY: - Don't be of the assumption that you can change your natural behavior in the
SSB. Fake personality comes out conspicuously under the high pressure circumstances. Rather
start from today to behave like an officer.
We should start doing something different if we want something different from

our life. Rome wasn't built in a day. These tiny-tiny habits if inculcated properly
will pay high dividends in the future. So warriors let GET GOING!!!!
How to Emerge From the Shadows of
Failure?
It is very easy to say "try, try, and try till you succeed", but it is equally difficult to actually do it. I have
personally met many SSB aspirants who just couldn't take it anymore. Well, maybe they were not
suitable for the defence forces or they just bluntly gave up. Yes my dear friends, this article is
especially for those who gave up despite having few more chances up their sleeves.
You were so optimistic at your start, you thought you are the perfect officer material but as the day
went on, the optimism gradually transmogrified into pessimism and you eventually went in to
inordinate darkness.
Now let us understand why does this happen? What are the ways to overcome it?
1. CHECK YOUR MOTIVATION: - How motivated are you towards donning the coveted uniform.
Over a period of time, your motivation levels suffered a great diminution. Probably this was the
reason you gave up.
2. WHY DO WANT TO JOIN THE FORCES: - Was it just another dabbling attempt or you really wish
to serve the nation. We all have different reasons for joining the forces, if that reason is strong
enough you shouldn't be quitting any soon.
3. HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF: - Do you have enough faith in your abilities? Do you see
yourself as a winner or as a dilettante? An officer never thinks lowly of himself, he is filled with high
spirits all the time.
4. HAVE YOU GOT AFFECTED BY THE OPINIONS OF OTHERS: - Your friends, peers, family
members, all have started pulling your leg. You have become a butt of jokes. This is why you have
lost hope and surrendered. If this is the case, you have all the more reason to prove your detractors
wrong.
5. IT IS NOT YOUR CUP OF TEA: - Probably the officer who gave the closing address was right.
You are not suitable for the defence services. Suddenly you start thinking about Shah Rukh Khan,
Abdul Kalam and Rahul Dravid. They made a great career in their fields but were not suitable for the
forces. These are just soothing words, a religious defence enthusiast will never get flustered by
these euphemistic words, rather will go back, make amends and come back.
Yes, there is no denial of the fact that each one of us has different abilities and it is just about
identifying them. However, if you are crossing individual obstacles even in your dreams, then you are
a veritable defence aspirant.
Therefore, it all boils down to your determination towards achieving your goal. Listen to the voice of
your heart and take a final call. Whether to continue or to abscond midway. I am sure most of you
will continue.
How to Gather Ability to Be an Officer in

Indian Defense Forces?
“Ability is what you are capable of doing, motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines
how well you do it.” ~~ Lou Holtz. Joining Indian defense force is a dream which is lived by most but
fulfilled by very few. Not because people applying are not capable, but they lack motivation to
achieve. Some of them are dedicated, but lost and don’t know where to go to achieve their goals.
Some of them are there just for the sake of seeing the reality and check the myths that prevail while
others reach SSB center just because their friends might have filled the form and they are going. Do
you think such attitude works for life? When a person is thriving for success and knows where he
needs to reach and how to reach then only can he achieve it.
So before you make a decision of any consequence, make sure you are in your right and strongest
mind, feeling positive rather than sad, healthy not ill, full rather than empty, active rather than
tired. Motivation is highly needed
as it’s rightly said that even if you
have the ability but no motivation
you will feel the lack of internal
energy that pushes you to
achieve. Failures might be part of
your life, but they are necessary
to keep life moving ahead else life
would be monotonous with no
fear. People would stop working
hard if failure were not there. It’s
the fear of failure only that keeps
you motivated to achieve some
stand in life.
Attitude of looking at situations and reacting to them also determines how well you do and achieve
things. People look dreams and do not work accordingly. They think everything is easy to achieve,
but they are far from reality. In course of time when they lose then only they realise how much work
was needed and how much they did. If they might have filled this gap success would always be
theirs. So I believe every individual who dreams to clear SSB has the capability, but what misses is
the motivation to work and the attitude to perform. The panellist at SSB is a group of experts who
has the capability to judge with the blink of an eye. They are trained professionally and that’s why
who are selected is different from the world.
Please remember:
“My life is a constant battle of wanting to be alone and not wanting to be lonely”
Life is a battle and you should fight it bravely. Once you inculcate these qualities, I think no one can
stop you clearing the SSB as it is the only exam which judges you on various parameters for five
days and then selects you. It’s the beauty of this exam that wrong is caught and punished. The exam
is so pure that only the deserving candidates cross it. You are also the one, but believe in your
efforts and keep trying... Rest for any help related to the matter feel free to ping me.
How to Cultivate Qualities of Leadership for

SSB Interview
Dear Aspirants, to get through the SSB Interview is not an easy job. The candidate is cross
examined by three experienced persons. The armed force life requires both brain and brawn. The
candidates must essentially possess qualities of leadership. In the armed forces, sleepy, shy officers
are not required. They should be such that they can lead their men successfully in time of
emergency.
They should possess presence of mind and quickness of decision. The armed forces thus call for a
high degree of leadership. We should cultivate these qualities of leadership when we are studying in
colleges or in schools. Friends, here I have numerated some essential qualities that you must try to
cultivate in order to become a successful leader.
o Quickness of Mind
o Straight forwardness
o Practical intelligence
o Self-confidence
o Alertness
o Sociability
o Team-spirit and co-operation
o Optimism
o Positive thinking
o Physical fitness and will power
o Adaptability
o Courage
o Wit and sense of Humor
o Ability to convince others
o Considering other’s interests
o Discipline and frankness
o Organizational ability
o Initiative
o Logical and systematical approach to various problems
o Considering other’s views
o Being a Good speaker
o Enthusiasm
o Loyalty to your group or institution
o Up to date knowledge
o Humility
o Being a Personal example
o Moral fitness
o Tact
o Unselfishness
o Commonsense
Friends, if you are able to cultivate these qualities in yourself, then you will automatically be sworn in
as the leader of a group. I have marked some qualities in bold letters which are most important. That
doesn't mean others are less important. You must have all these qualities to be a good, inspiring
leader.
Where and How to Demonstrate Leadership

in SSB
Leadership is an important Officer like Quality (OLQ). An officer is expected to be good leader as
the responsibility of many people is on him/her and moreover as an officer you are expected to take
decisions and execute them at the spur of the moment. In SSB out of the various qualities which are
checked leadership hold great importance. So you have to project yourself as a true leader. Gone
are the days when leaders were born not made, each one of you is a leader, it’s just the matter of
projection. In this article I am penning down a few situations where you can project your leadership.
Before you read that, keep one thing in mind always, there is difference between being a leader and
being bossy, a leader leads by example, and a leader cares for his subordinates.
1. Progressive Group Task: Here you have a good chance to project yourself as a leader only
if you do the things rightly. As a leader you are required to give ideas and not only give but
execute them practically. Leadership here doesn’t means that you have to keep dictating
your ideas and expecting people to follow you, you have to practically execute it. Now if you
don’t have ideas then help the idea which is being executed. Many times candidates fight for
the helping material, shout at each other, which is not expected out of a good leader. Thus in
PGT you can demonstrate leadership by giving logical and worthy ideas, helping practically,
when the group is struck without any idea then trying and thinking for a solution, being calm
and cool with your group mates. Remember NEVER SHOUT on your group mates. Divide
the work, assign work to your group mates.
2. Group Discussion: You can demonstrate your leadership in GD by speaking only relevant
points. Be receptive to others views as well and respect their views. If you disagree with
somebody’s points then mention it politely. It is a discussion and is expected to be carried out
in a gentlemanly and lady-like manner. Don’t speak when other are shouting on the top of
their voice. Remember quality takes over quantity, hence speak less but speak solid things.
3. Military Planning Exercise: Planning is very important part of services. A good leader is
responsible enough to take his group in the direction of solution. When you plan keep in mind
that none of your resources are idea, that you are following the rules etc. Don’t give foolish or
childlike plans.
4. Command Task: As a commander you get the golden opportunity to demonstrate
leadership. Never leave any resource ideal, i.e. keep a track that all your subordinates are
doing something. Give clear instructions to them, explain them your plan of action and take
care of your subordinates that they have a way to cross the bridge you made. Take risk go
ahead and show how the work is to be done.
5. Snake Race: In this keep motivating your group, help the weaker members to cross the
obstacle, pay attention to the rules and make sure your group follows it.
6. PIQ Form: Fill it very carefully, there is a section of ‘Position of responsibility held’. This
section is your leadership section. You must fill it nicely, and remember it for your interview.
7. Psychological Tests: Make stories where the hero is doing something worthwhile for the
society. The hero must have a purpose in life. In your SRT write the reactions which
demonstrate leadership.
8. Interview: Be clear and confident. Have you views and knowledge on aspects and express
them clearly.
As a leader you are expected to follow every rule and take care that your group mates are also
following. If any rule is violated then politely remind your group mate to correct his/her mistake.
7 Ways to Be an Effective Leader!
Being a good leader involves more than simply bossing people around while great leaders are
sometimes born. But we all have the potential to lead by example. Here is what you need to keep in
mind if you want to strengthen your leadership muscle:
1. Fail big: Don’t be scared to fail big. Failure is okay and can be good, only as long as you are
able to fail forward and learn from each and every mistake. Each time you fail, you grow.
2. Banish self-doubt: A lack of confidence can stop you from taking charge. Feelings of anxiety or
doubt can distort your self-image. Focus on daily successes (no matter how small they are) in
order to keep self-doubt at bay. Celebrate your past accomplishments and keep your
confidence level high.
3. Focus on results: What really matters is that leaders are able to create enthusiasm, empower
their people, instill confidence and inspire others. Leaders come in all different forms-introvert,
extrovert, casual, formal, you name it. It’s the result that matters, not the style.
4. Keep improving: A third of what it takes to be a good leader is inherited, but that just means the
other two-thirds are up for grabs. Most traits can be improved, strengthened and reinforced with
practice and training.
5. Fake it: The world has never been altogether friendly to introverts. It is for this reason that the
most successful introverts have mastered the ability to act like extroverts, a reminder that
learning how to fake it is still an important tool in a leader’s arsenal.
6. Laugh: Why? Just think about the people you’re most likely to trust and get along with-
probably not those who take themselves too seriously. A leader who encourages laughter
tends to be less hierarchical and thus more innovative.
7. Be responsible: ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ This classic line from Spiderman
reinforces the idea that leaders must own their responsibility during the good times and the bad
times. Leaders, who step, generate more trust and respect.
Indian Army, Navy or the Air Force?
Greetings to all the gallant aspirants, we all just love our defence forces, be it the arduous army, the
noble navy or the awesome air force. However, when it comes to choosing a force amongst these
three, it becomes a cumbersome task. Today we will discuss about the nuances of the three forces
which would help you to decide which one is the most suitable for you.
HOW THE THEY ARE DIFFERENT?

Though the basic military training received by the officers is the same in all the three forces, they
differ in their operations.
The army is predominantly responsible to carry out land based military operations. An army officer
must be very agile and show grit and determination in testing times. He should be ready to serve the
nation in any type of climate (hot, dry, and humid).
The navy has the onus of safeguarding our oceans. India is blessed to have a feted coastline of
7517 km. An officer in the Indian navy should have the temerity to sail continuously for a long period
of time. He must possess adequate perspicacity to deal with marine life.
The air force is the guardian of our skies. Flying a fighter jet is a long cherished dream of many of us.
Becoming an air force officer is not a cup of tea; one must be audacious and courageous to fly the
planes at any height at any climate.
It also must be noted that all the three forces have engineers and pilots serving for them but their
work is quite different from the other.
SPECIALITIES
In the army you will get the privilege of getting posted at the entire country including very remote
locations like the Kashmiri valley and the north eastern states. In the navy you will discharge your
duties in the coastal states like Orissa, Goa, Kerala etc. In the air force you will be placed in very
strategic locations across the country like adampur (Punjab), Jamnagar (Gujarat). In addition to that
in the army you have the privilege to operate tanks, artillery, and certain delicate machinery. In the
navy you get to enjoy the opportunity to explore the marine life. You can become a diver, an
observer or a marine commando (MARCOS). Life in the air force is full of adventure, not only do you
get to soar on the skies; you also undergo special para training. Most importantly, the aviators on the
blue uniform just rock.
Indian Air force Pilots.
Indian Army young officers.

Indian Navy Woman Officer.
CONCLUSION
All three forces are the same in the eye of our nation. All of them work 24*7 to protect us from any
kind of threat. Though the selection procedure (SSB) is more or less the same for all of them, it
depends on the individual to choose the field of his interest. Before making a choice you must keep
in mind your likes, dislikes, physical and mental strength. It also must be noted that the medical
parameters of all the forces are different from each other. Hence, consider all the above mentioned
parameters and make a wise choice.
Important Operations of the Indian

Defense Forces
If you are going for SSB, you might be asked in your interview that what all you know about the
Indian Military. When you tell them that you know the ranks and commands your IO might say that
“Everybody knows it tell me something different”. So what is this different thing? You may tell him
about the arms, equipment’s of the military. You may even tell them about the operations of which
our military has been a part of.
Knowing about the operations helps you in other ways also. It gives you an additional knowledge
and as far as your written exams are concerned, it is beneficial in it also. Plus knowing about the
valor and bravery of the Indian soldiers and the three wings of the Military fills you with a feeling of
patriotism and pride. Hence in this article you will be made familiar with the operations of which our
Defense has been a part of.
To begin with I must tell you what defense operations are. In India the defense system consists of
the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force, the Indian Navy, the Indian Coast Guard and various other
inter-service institutions which have a responsibility of maintaining the integrity of India. They carry
out exercises in cases of wars or any such requirement and since they have a target to achieve they
call it an operation. Till now Indian Defense forces have been involved in a number of operations.
Here major of them are listed about which you should know.
Army Operations
o During First Kashmir War(1947)
o Operation Polo (1948) - Indian armed forces ended the rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad and led
to the incorporation of the princely state of Hyderabad in Southern India, into the Indian Union.
o Operation Vijay (1961) - the operation by the Military of India that led to the capture of Goa,
Daman and Diu and Anjidiv Islands from the Portuguese colonial holding in 1961.
o During Sino-Indian War (1962)
o During Second Kashmir War (1965)
o During Bangladesh Liberation War
o During Siachen conflict (1980)
o Operation Blue Star (1984)
o Operation Woodrose (1984)
o Operation Meghdoot (1984) — Indian military's capture of the majority of Siachen Glacier.
o Operation Pawan (1987) – Operations by the Indian Peace Keeping Force to take control of
Jaffna from the LTTE in late 1987 to enforce the disarmament of the LTTE as a part of the
Indo-Sri Lankan Accord.
o Operation Viraat (1988) – It was an anti-insurgency operation launched by the IPKF against the
LTTE in April 1988 in Northern Sri Lanka.
o Operation Trishul (1988) - Along with Operation Viraat, was an anti-insurgency operation
launched by the IPKF against the LTTE in April 1988 in Northern Sri Lanka.
o Operation Checkmate (1988) - It was an anti-insurgency operation carried out by the IPKF
against the LTTE in the Vadamarachi area of northern Sri Lanka in June 1988.
o Operation Cactus (1988) — Indian armed forces oust Tamil nationalist mercenaries of PLOTE
who instigated a coup in Malé in the Maldives.
o Operation Vijay (1999) - name of the successful Indian operation to push back the infiltrators
from the Kargil Sector, in the 1999 Kargil War.
o Operation Parakram (2001)
o Operation Black Tornado, and Operation Cyclone, (2008)
o Operation Goodwill- humanitarian tasks in J&K
o Operation Good Samaritan- humanitarian tasks in Manipur/Nagaland
Navy Operations
o Operation Vijay (1961)
o Operation Trident (1971)
o Operation Python (1971)
o Operation Cactus (1988)
o During Operation Restore Hope (1992–2003)
o Operation Parakram (2001)
o During Operation Enduring Freedom (2001)
o During 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake (Operation Madath, Operation Sea Waves, Operation
Castor, Operation Rainbow, Operation Gambhir & Operation Rahat-II)
o Operation Sukoon (2006)
Air Operations
o During First Kashmir War (1947)
o During Congo Crisis (1961)
o During Sino-Indian War (1962)
o During Second Kashmir War (1965)
o During Bangladesh Liberation War (1971)
o Meghna Heli Bridge (1971)
o Tangail Airdrop (1971)
o Operation Meghdoot (1984)
o Operation Poomalai (1987)
o Operation Cactus (1988)
o Operation Safed Sagar (1999)
o Atlantique Incident (1999)
Equivalent Officers Rank of Indian Armed
Forces
Dear Defence aspirants if you want to join Indian Armed Forces then it is necessary to aware the
all equivalent officers ranks of Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. I am going to discuss the all
ranks in the increasing order which is mention below one by one. These are:
o General – Chief of Army Staff

o Admiral – Chief of Naval Staff
o Air Chief Marshal – Chief of Air Staff
o Field Marshal – Highest rank in all armed force
In the above ranks the Field Marshal is only the rank which has held only by 2 persons of
Indian Army and one for Indian Air Force. Their names are:
o Field Marshal Kondandera Madappa Cariappa (1899–1993)
o Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw (1914–2008)
o Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh
Indian Army Officer's Pay Scale &

Allowances
Indian Army has a better life for you if you dare to join the Indian Army. After the 6th
pay commission, the pay scale of an Indian army officer has increased. Not only pay scale, there
are multiple allowances for Indian army officers. As a matter of fact, the CTC for a Lieutenant would
be approximately ₹s. 65000/- per month.
Being a Lieutenant in India army at the age of 21 is indeed a dream job for many. Let's have a look
at pay scale of Indian army officers.
RANK PAY BANDS/SCALE GRADE PAY MSP

LIEUTENANT PB-3/15600-39100 5400 6000
CAPTAIN PB-3/15600-39100 6100 6000
MAJOR PB-3/15600-39100 6600 6000
LT COLONEL PB-4/37400-67000 8000 6000
COLONEL PB-4/37400-67000 8700 6000
BRIGADIER PB-4/37400-67000 8900 6000
MAJOR GENERAL PB-4/37400-67000 10000 NIL
LT GENERAL / 67000 - (annual NIL NIL
HAG SCALE increment @ 3%) -
79000
HAG + Scale * 75500 - (annual NIL NIL

*Admissible to increment @ 3%) -
1/3rd of total 80000
strength of Lt Gens
VCOAS / Army 80000 (fixed) NIL NIL

Cdr / Lt Gen (NFSG)
COAS 90000 (fixed) NIL NIL

Indian Army Officer's Pay Scale & Allowances
The promotion from Lieutenant to Lieutenant Colonel is on time scale basis and thereafter on
selection basis subject to fulfillment of requisite service condition. The pay scale and promotion
criteria is as follows: -
Allowances To Whom Applicable Rates

Field Area Allowance Officers Posted to Fd Area Rs. 4200/-PM
High Altitude/ Uncongenial Officers Posted in High Rs. 11200
Climate Siachen Attitude/Uncongenial
Climate
Officers Posted in Siachen
Rs.14000/-PM
Flying Pay Officers Posted as Army 9000PM

Aviators
Parachute Pay Officers Posted in Active 1200PM
Parachute BNs/Regt
Special Forces Allowance Officers posted in Special 9000PM
Forces
Transport Allowance Officers Posted in Rs3200/-+DA PM
Peace Stations in A1/A cities and
Rs 1600+DA PM
at other places
House Rent Allowance To officers not provided 10-30% of Basic

Govt. Accommodation Pay (Pay Band +
Grade Pay + MSP)
Kit Maintenance Allowance All officers 400/-PM
Uniform Allowance All officers Initial 14000/- and

(Outfit Allowance) 3000/- every
Three Years
Qualification Pay/ Grant for All officers undergoing specified Rs 6000 to

Service Courses courses 20000/-
Instructional Allowance All Officers Posted as 1800/-
Instructors
Allowances as applicable
The rates of allowances applicable to officer are as under:
NOTE: In the case of allowances specific to Defence Forces, the rates of these allowance have been
further enhanced by 25% as Dearness allowance has gone up by 50%.
Cost to Company [CTC]: The CTC for a Lieutenant would be approximately Rs. 65000/- per month.
This includes Basic Pay, DA, Grade Pay, Military Service Pay, Tech Pay, House Rent Allowance and
Transport Allowance. These rates are not statutory and are subject to change.
Indian Air Force Officer's Pay & Allowance

Time is not the same, now Indian defence provides an excellent and bright future to young men and
women who dare to join forces. This post explains the payment and allowances applicable to an officer
of Indian Air Force.
Even before you are commissioned as an Air Force Officer you start earning a monthly stipend of
Rs. 21,000/- during last one year of your training period at any of the Air Force Training
Institutions.
Pay / Allowances to Flying Officers

1. Pay in Pay Band ( Common to all Branches ) - Rs 15,600 Per Month ( The officer will be placed
in PB 3 - 15600-39100 )
2. Grade Pay :- Rs 5400 PM
3. Military Service Pay :- Rs 6000 PM
4. Dearness Allowance @ 72 percent :- Rs 19440 PM
5. Kit Maintenance Allowance :- Rs 500 PM
6. Transport Allowance :- Rs 3200 + DA ( major cities) / 1600 + DA ( Other cities)
o In addition the following allowances are admissible to the newly Commissioned Officers in
Flying and Technical Branches
7. Flying Allowance @ Rs 11250 PM to Flying Branch Officers.
8. Technical Allowance @ Rs 2500 PM to Technical Branch Officers.
Gross Monthly Emoluments: The first monthly pay package of Flying Officers in all the branches
would be as under (This does not Include other allowances based on place of posting except
Transport Allowance of major cities which is included).
Flying Technical Ground Duty

Branch Branch Branch
Total Emoluments 63694/- 54944/- 52444/-

(in Rs)
As you grow in rank and stature in the Air Force, your income and other entitlements also increase in
harmony with your enhanced responsibilities.
All details may differ from the official information, please visit Indian Air Force official website for
latest information.
Indian Navy Promotions Pay Scale and

Allowances
If you want to join Indian navy as an officer and looking for information on Indian Navy salary, pay
scale, promotions and allowances, here you can find the details on what is the payment/ salary of an
Indian navy officer, how they get promotion and what are the different allowances they get.
Indian Navy Promotions and Pay Scale

Promotion from Sub-Lieutenant to Commander is on time scale basis subject to fulfillment of
requisite
service conditions. The Pay Scale and promotion criteria are as follows:
Indian Navy Allowances

The rates of allowances applicable to officers are as follows:
Indian Navy Terms and Conditions of Service
The selected candidates will be appointed in the rank of Sub Lieutenant on the date decided by the
Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Navy) [IHQ-MoD (N)]. The Officers will be on
probation for a period of two years or till completion of their initial training (whichever is later), during
which they are liable to be discharged if their performance is unsatisfactory. During the period from
date of appointment to reporting for training, the individual will be entitled to half the basic pay of the
rank, which will be payable as a lump-sum as stipend at the time of joining INA, Ezhimala for
training. The terms of SSC will be for a period of 10 yrs., extendable by a further period of 04 years
subject to service requirements and performance/ willingness of candidates. Officer inducted under
SSC scheme will not be given extension beyond 14 years and will not be eligible for permanent
commission. Candidates who fail to qualify
at the final graduation (aggregate 60%) will be discharged from service without any benefits.
Terms of Engagement and Age of

Retirement of Indian Army Officers
There are two type of commission in Indian army for officers, one is permanent commission and
another is short service commission, but there is more on which the terms of engagement and
retirement age differs. From this post you will come to know how long an officer can service in Indian
army. Terms of engagement in army differs for PC Officers, SS Officers, Special List Officers, and
Special Commissioned Officer and for women entry.
Indian Army Officers Terms of Engagement

PC Officers Commissioning to superannuation age of rank held
SS Officers Initial engagement for 10 years extendable to 14 years for
officers not granted PC
Special List Officers Superannuation as per rank held.
o Up to Col - 57 years
o Brig - 59 years
Special Commissioned For serving JCOs/NCOs (less AMC/ADC) commissioned at
Officer age between 28-35 yrs. Superannuation age 57 yrs.
Women Entry Age at entry should be between 19 and 25 years except for
entries into AEC, JAG and ASC (Food Scientist) for which
age at entry should be 21 to 27 years. Initial Engagement
for 10 years extendable up to 14 years for all. PC is now
being granted
To women officers in JAG and AEC.
Indian Army Officers Age of Retirement

Rank Arms Service Minor SL SCOs
Corps
Major & 52 54 57 57 57 years
Below in all
Lt Col 54 54 57 57 -
Col (TS) 54 54 57 57 -
Col 54 54 57 57 -
(Selection
)
Brig 56 56 58 59 -
Major Gen 58 58 59/60* - -
Lt Gen 60 60 60/61**/62 - -
***
Note: * AMC, ** DG RVC& Lt Gen AMC, *** DGAFMS.
Indian Army Rank Structure and
Promotions
Below you can find the rank structure and promotions of Indian army officers. Commissioned
officers of Indian army get promotions based on their years of reckonable commissioned services.
You can also check years of reckonable commissioned service for substantive promotion.
Types of Promotion
Acting Promotion in Peace and field concessional
Areas.
Substantive Time Scale (up to Lt Col), Selection Grade (Col and above)
Promotion
Local Rank Local ranks appropriate to the appointments held may be granted to the
officers if considered necessary in terms of DSR Para 88.
Years of Reckonable Commissioned Service for Acting

Promotion
Rank to Which Total Minimum Service Remarks
Acting as Commissioned Officer
Promotion is
Made
Captain 1 year -
Major 4 3 years in Field.

years
Lieutenant 7 years With minimum service of

Colonel one years in the rank of
substantive Major.
Colonel 8 years & 6 months With minimum service of two
years in the rank (s) of Major
and above.
Brigadier 12 years With minimum service of
three years in rank(s) of Lt.
Col and above.
Major General 20 years -
Lieutenant 25 years -
General
Note: Applicable for officers of all Arms and Service except AMC, RVC, ADC, MNS and APS.
Years of Reckonable Commissioned Service for

Substantive Promotion (Other than AMC/ADC).
Rank Major Vet MF SL
Arms/Service Officers
Captain 2 1 2 2
Major 6 7 6 6
Lt Col 13 17 13 13
Col(TS) 26 - 26 26
Col(Selection) 15 15 15 15
Brig 23(22)* - - -
Major Gen 25(24)* - - -
Lt Gen 28 - - -
Gen No restriction - - -
Note:
1. *for JAG Department Officers.

2. As per Army Rule 2(d)
3. Read with DSR Para 68, substantive promotion can be granted to those PC officers who have
the requisite reckonable commissioned service as given in DSR Para 67.
Formation and Structure of Indian Army

The Indian army has strength of about a million troops and fields 34 divisions. Its headquarters is located
in the Indian capital New Delhi and it is under the overall command of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS).
Formation and Structure of Indian Army

o Division: Each Division is headed by General Officer Commanding (GOC) in the rank of Major
General. It usually consists of
15,000 combat troops and 8,000
support elements. Currently, the
Indian Army has 37 Divisions
including; 4 RAPID (Re-
organized Army Plains Infantry
Divisions) Action Divisions, 18
Infantry Divisions, 10 Mountain
Divisions, 3 Armored Divisions
and 2 Artillery Divisions. Each
Division composes of several
Brigades.
o Brigade: A Brigade generally consists of around 3,000 combat troops with supporting
elements. An Infantry Brigade usually has 3 Infantry Battalions along with various Support
Arms & Services. It is headed by a Brigadier. In addition to the Brigades in various Army
Divisions, the Indian Army also has 5 Independent Armored Brigades, 15 Independent Artillery
Brigades, 7 Independent Infantry Brigades, 1 Independent Parachute Brigade,3 Independent
Air Defence Brigades, 2 Independent Air Defence Groups and 4 Independent Engineer
Brigades. These Independent Brigades operate directly under the Corps Commander (GOC
Corps).
o Battalion: A Battalion is commanded by a Colonel and is the Infantry's main fighting unit. It
consists of more than 900 combat personnel.
o Company: Headed by the Major or Captain, a company comprises 120 soldiers.
o Platoon: An intermediate between a company and section, a platoon is headed by a Captain or
Lieutenant, or depending on the availability of commissioned officers, even a junior
commissioned officer (Subedar). It has a total strength of about 32 troops.
o Section: Smallest military outfit with a strength of 10 personnel. Commanded by a non-
commissioned officer of the rank of Havildar or Sergeant.
Some Facts about Indian Army

We have collected some facts about India army which every defence aspirants must know. To every
man upon this earth, Death comes sooner or later. And how can a man die better Facing fearful
odds for the ashes of his father and the temple of his Gods” -Macaulay.
1. Indian Army ranks third in word. The first two positions are occupied by US and Chinese Army.
Also, Indian Army has 960,000 reserves which make Indian Army the world’s largest volunteer Army.
2. Param Veer Chakra is the highest military award in India. Only 21 people have received this
prestigious award till now, with Major Som Nath Sharma being the first recipient and Captain Vikram
Batra being the latest one. Fourteen of the awards were given posthumously.
3. Unlike any other institution in India, there is no reservation for any one on any basis. Everyone is
judged on the basis of their qualification and their merit.
4. Indian Army Day is celebrated every year on 15th of January.
5. There are 7 Gorkha Regiments serving in the Indian Army. Six regiments were transferred from
the British Indian Army, while one was formed after independence.
6. In the war of 1971, India engaged enemies on two fronts, West and East. Indian Army was so
effective that it was able to liberate a country Bangladesh. It only took Indian Army a time span of 13
days for that task. It also installed a democratic government in that country which functions till this
date.
7. Indian army fought 11 wars and bravely emerged victorious in all the wars except one. Indian
Army faced defeat against the PLA (People Liberation Army) of China in 1962. Although this failure
was not due to any lack in the Indian Army, but it was due to the wrong decisions made by the
central government. Though Indian Army lacked a lot of support from the center, it still left a lasting
impression on the Chinese Army.
8. The Indian Army Para Commandoes are among the best in the world and are feared by all kinds
of oppositions. They have successfully completed a lot many of operations in and outside of India.
They are extremely secretive.
9. The Special Operation Forces of India include: Para Commandoes, Special Frontier Force,
Ghatak Force, Force One, Marine Commandoes, Guard Commando Force, 51 Special Action
Group, National Security Guards, Special Protection Group, COBRA.
10. Assam Rifles, formed in 1835 is the oldest paramilitary force in India.
COUNTRIES BOUNDARY LINES

INFORMATION
* Boundary between Pakistan and
Afghanistan - Durand Line
* Boundary between India and
China - McMahon Line
* Line between India and
Pakistan
- Radcliff Line
* Line between North and South
Vietnam - 17th Parallel
* Line between North and South
Korea - 38th parallel
* Border between France and
Germany - Maginot Line
* The line which Pakistan claims
to be the boundary line between
*
* * * India and Pakistan (Not
acceptable to India) - 20th
parallel.
* The border between USA and
Canada - 49th Parallel
* the border between Germany
and
Poland - Oder–Neisse Line
* Boundary between Germany and
Poland - Hindenburg Line
* Boundary between Namibia and
Angola - 16th Parallel
* Boundary between Russia and
Finland - Mannerheim Line
Know Your Medals: Param Vir Chakra
Once I went Allahabad for my SSB interview and in my PI, the interviewing officer asked me “Why
you want to join the defence forces?” I replied: “Because I want to win the Param Vir Chakra.” and
after that there were lots of counter questions based on PVC which I was not able to answer
because I didn’t knew anything about it.
So if you are planning to answer something like that or you are planning to say I am passionate for
defence forces that then I would suggest you to do your homework. So I have written this article just
to give an insight about the highest military decoration of India. Though don’t forget to read about
other medals as well.
Param Vir Chakra is the highest military decoration awarded in India for displaying the highest
degree of bravery and courage in the presence of the enemy whether on Land, Sea or Air i.e. in a
war or a conflict. It can be awarded to posthumous soldiers as well as alive soldiers of all the three
branches of Indian Military i.e. Army, Navy and Air Force. It is equivalent to Victoria Cross of Britain
and it is the second highest award given by Government of India (first is Bharat Ratna).
Design of Param Vir Chakra:

The medal symbolizes Rishi Dadhichi, who had donated his bones to the Gods for making Vajra.
The medal was designed by Savitri Khanolkar who was married to an Indian Army officer. The medal
is in the shape of a circular bronze disc with a diameter of 1.375 inches (3.49 cm). The national
emblem lies in the center on a raised circle.
Four replicas of Indra's Vajra surround it. The medal is suspended from a straight swiveling
suspension bar. It is named on the edge. A purple ribbon, 32 millimeters (1.3 in) long, holds the
Param Vir Chakra. On the rear, around a plain center, are two legends separated by lotus flowers.
The words Param Vir Chakra are written in Hindi and English.
Recipients of Param Vir Chakra are mentioned below:
1. Major Som Nath Sharma (P): 4th Battalion Kumaon Regiment (1947, Kashmir)
2. Lance Naik Karam Singh: 1st Battalion Sikh regiment (1947, Kashmir)
3. 2nd Lieutenant Rama Raghoba Rane (P): Corps of Engineers (1948, Kashmir)
4. Naik Jadu Nath Singh (P): 1st Battalion, Rajput Regiment (1948, Kashmir)
5. Company Havildar Major Piru Singh Shekhawat (P): 6th Battalion, Rajputana Rifles (1948,
Kashmir)
6. Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria (P): 3rd Battalion, 1st Gorkha Rifles/ The Malaun Regiment
(1961, Congo)
7. Major Dhan Singh Thapa 1st Battalion, 8th Gorkha Rifles (1962, Ladakh)
8. Subedar Joginder Singh (P): 1st Battalion, Sikh Regiment (1962, Tongpen La)
9. Major Shaitan Singh (P) 13th Battalion, Kumaon Regiment (1962, Rezang La)
10. Company Quarter Master HavildarAbdul Hamid (P): 4th Battalion,The Grenadiers (1965,
Khemkaran)
11. Lieutenant-Colonel Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore (P): 17th Poona Horse (1965, Phillora)
12. Lance Naik Albert Ekka (P): 14th Battalion, Brigade of the Guards (1971, Gangasagar)
13. Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon (P): No.18 Squadron, Indian Air Force (1971,
Srinagar)
14. 2nd Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal (P)17th Poona Horse (1971, Jarpal)
15. Major Hoshiar Singh 3rd Battalion, The Grenadiers (1971, Basantar River)
16. Naib Subedar Bana Singh 8th Battalion, Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (1987, Siachen
Glacier)
17. Major Ramaswamy Parameshwaran (P) 8th Battalion, Mahar Regiment (1987, Sri Lanka)
18. Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey (P) 1st Battalion, 11th Gorkha Rifles (1999, Kargil)
19. Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav 18th Battalion, The Grenadiers (1999, Kargil)
20. Rifleman Sanjay Kumar13th Battalion, Jammu & Kashmir Rifles (1999, Kargil)
21. Captain Vikram Batra (P) 13th Battalion, Jammu & Kashmir Rifles (1999, Kargil)
Out of 21 recipients, 20 are from the Indian Army and one from the Indian Air Force. The Grenadiers
have received the most number of Param Vir Chakras, with 3 awards. 14 recipients have received it
posthumously.
Note:
 (P) Means Posthumous i.e. soldier laid down his life for his nation.
 The rank of second lieutenant is no longer used and all new officers are commissioned as
lieutenant.
SOMETHING
EXTRA FOR
YOUR
KNOWLEDGE.
Success Quote
SSB is a specialized exam where the applicant is tested thoroughly through scientifically designed
tests. Three testes are sufficient to make a sketch of the complete personality of a person. Each one
is tested on various parameters that gives the result of the all-round personality of an individual.
There could be no faking possible because different assessors are there to judge you.
The PIQ that is filled goes to psychologist and the interviewer to tell them about your personality and
then through tests they take a sketch of your personality which should match with the one shown by
you. The few success mantras as they strike me are:
1. Be yourself: If you learn to practice this then no one can stop you from cracking SSB. It’s just
that simple. Just portray you are unveiling yourself layer by layer in the SSB center. The
questions asked with you or the various tests that are conducted on you will simply let assessor
know more about the dynamics of your personality. You are the best teller of that and it’s
simple to this level only. Yes I agree you should also be aware of the surroundings too and that
happenings around in the world else if you only know about yourself you would be termed self-
centric and egoist and my officers are not that.
2. Always think of your dream and live it: daring to see a dream which everyone cannot even
think of this, it requires courage to do so. Since you achieved it now what’s bad in reminding
yourself that you need to achieve the task and do whatever is required for it. See believe me if
you start living your dream no power in the world can stop you from achieving it. You should be
pure at heart for your dream and dreaming for serving my motherland is not the work of
cowards. Only brave can do this. Keep thinking of how you can achieve that and what all
improvements are needed. Someone has rightly said: “Surround yourself with what you are
trying to become, not what you are trying to get away from” You should always see your target
of what you need to achieve, how far you are from that and how can the path be traversed.
3. Live life like an officer: I have seen people during my mentorship program that i run that they
tend to modify their living styles for some days but live differently otherwise. Remember the
officer is within you, whether you have a SSB call letter or not live originally like an officer, don’t
try to be disciplined, punctual for some days and then again come back to the original way of
living. Believe me you cannot do that and that’s cheating with yourself so whether you are
selected or planning to go to SSB always be the same and live healthy and rich.

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My Target Service Selection Board (SSB)

My Target Service Selection Board (SSB)

Officers like Qualities [OLQ] Explained

Tips to fill PIQ form:

5 Days SSB Schedule:

Tips for Screening Test

How to Achieve Success in PPDT?

How to Prepare for Psychology Round

Remember the following:

 Keep your mind tension free

 TAT: which means story writing based on your visualization

Psychology Testing: Don’t Mistake It as a

Why Thematic Apperception Test?

Glimpse into story’s character traits

Your story must have a strong, acceptable plot

Sample Pictures in TAT:

How to Write Stories in TAT

1. It is a test of your imagination and you

Line-wise Interpretation of the Above Story by the Psychologist

Here some TAT photos are given for your practice.

Ideas for Thematic Apperception Test Based on Picture

Golden Tips for writing stories in TAT

Points worth bearing in mind:

Points to remember while attempting WAT

Dos and Don'ts of WAT

How to tackle a Negative Word in WAT

1. Sentence- A brave man defeats his weakness.

Practice writing negative words, it will help you in

25 Most Common Words Comes in WAT:

Here are some examples for WAT:

 Atom: India uses her atomic energy for peace purpose.

How to write a positive sentence from a

Examples of Some WAT

ONE IMPORTANT THING YOU NEVER FORGET THAT

 Golden Tips for Word Association Test

How to Do Well in Situation Reaction Test

Tips for Situation Reaction Test SRT

Situation Reaction Test Solved

How to Excel In Self-Description in

 What do you think about yourself?

 Since it’s like you already know

How to prepare for self-description

Questions to be asked in self-description

What your friends say about you?

Write about your friends’ strengths and weaknesses?

What your parents say about you?

What your teachers say about you?

What kind of person you want to be?

Command Task during (GTO)

G.D. – Group Discussion

G.P.E. – Group Planning Exercise

P.G.T – Progressive Group Task

H.G.T. – Half Group Task

IOT. – Individual Obstacles Task

C.T. – Command Task

Snake race/Group Obstacle –

F.G.T. – Final Group Task

Rules for PGT, HGT, CT, and FGT

Group Discussion Topics and Tips