Reporting

The process of arrival and initial documentation of the candidate is called reporting. Reporting time defines how you will spend your reporting day. If you have been instructed to report at 6 am, you will have to undergo the procedure the same day before. However, if you’re being asked to report in the afternoon or afternoon, the process for your first day will begin the next day. Reporting is very important as it is like your first date with SSB centre.

Day 1: OIR test

The first stage in which you appear on the first day is called the Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) test. It involves testing verbal and non-verbal ability through basic reasoning questions. Shapes, numbers, patterns, series dice, images The questions chosen are of medium level and require a clear logical mind to solve them. The number of questions varies and the difficulty level varies from batch to batch.

PPDT
Part I Perception

Candidates are assembled in a hall and shown a blurry picture for about 30 seconds. This is followed by a time limit of 4 minutes to create a meaningful story. The story should have some connection to the picture and should be original. This activity helps in understanding the perception and thinking of a candidate.

Part 2 Description

The candidates are then brought to a common place and divided into groups of 18-20 for the next stage. Each group goes to an evaluation room and is evaluated by sitting in a semi-circular structure. They tell their stories one by one. The candidate has to express the story written by him fluently in Part I of the assessment.

Part 3 Discussion

As soon as the final candidate has finished narrating the story, the groups start discussing among themselves. The discussion goes on until a conclusion is reached. Observers examine how effective the group is in arriving at a common group story.

Screening Results

Candidates are shortlisted on the basis of combined performance in OIR Test and PPDT. Those who qualify stay there for the next four days, however, the rest of the candidates leave the SSB centre.

Day 2 (Psychology Test):

It is a series of written psychometric tests produced by a psychologist. These test officers check the psychological ability of the candidate to become a potential trainee for the rank.

Thematic Appropriation Test (TAT)

This is also very similar to PPDT. About 11 pictures have been shown in this test. Each picture is displayed for only 30 seconds, after which the candidates write a story based on the picture in 4 minutes. After 4 minutes another picture is displayed and the same process is followed until the last slide. The twelfth slide is displayed blank where the candidate has to write any story of his choice.

Word Association Test (WAT)

The next psychological test of the SSB selection process is the Word Association Test. In this test, 60 words are shown one after the other for a period of 15 seconds each. Candidates will have to write their first thought for the words that come to their mind.

Situation Response Test (SRT)

In this examination, candidates will get a booklet in which 60 situations will be written in detail. Candidates will have to write their responses based on those 60 situations. The time given for each position is really short. They get 60 seconds to try to answer a situation.

Self Description Test (SDT)

In this test, candidates have to write the opinion of their parents, friends and teachers about themselves. This is a really important exam and requires knowing things about yourself. There is a time limit of 15 minutes for this.

interview

The interview starts on the second day and some preliminary candidates attend it. The interview is conducted by the interview officer who can be called a “human lie detector” who interacts with the candidate for about 40-45 minutes. Various types of questions are put forward and the candidate is expected to answer them with clarity and confidence.

Day 3 and Day 4 

Group Testing Officer Job (GTO Work)

A lot of time is spent evaluating the candidates by the GTO. He stays with them on a long list of activities.

Group Discussion

 A situation or topic is given to a group. They are instructed to discuss various aspects of the subject. The Group Work Officer inspects each candidate during the group discussion. There are two group discussions of 10-15 minutes duration.

Group planning exercises (military planning exercises)

A model of real-life-like situations is placed in front of the group and they have to meet the expected goals. They need a way to complete all goal situations in a given amount of time individually and later as a group tool. They will also have to write the action plan individually.

Progressive Group Work (PGT)

In this activity, the target group of candidates has to overcome a series of obstacles with the help of supporting materials like rope, plank, wooden logs, etc.

Half Group Work

This round is similar to PGT but the number of group members is halved. Candidates get more chance to show their ability.

Personal Constraints

In this round, candidates have to attempt 10 obstacles individually.

Group obstacle race or snake race

All members of the group use their strength and compete with other groups. Candidates have to overcome certain obstacles with a snake made of bamboo wrapped in cloth and ropes.

Command Task

In this task, a candidate is made commander and is asked to choose 2-3 subordinates. He is required to overcome some obstacles with the help of 2-3 subordinates.

Lecturer

In this round, each person has to lecture for 3 minutes on the topic chosen by them.

Final Group Work

This is similar to progressive group work. Candidates have another chance to show their ability and teamwork.

Day 5 (Conference)

On the last day, all the members of the SSB board discuss each candidate and then interact with the candidates one by one. The conference is to confirm who is in and who is out. Candidates are required to appear before the entire examiner board, which includes the chairman, vice president, all GTOs, all psychological and technical officers. Each candidate is given an average of 5 minutes. The SSB result is declared within an hour of the process being over.

Medical

Each Recommended Candidate is thoroughly checked medically to ensure he meets all the basic qualifying criteria for SSB/NSB/AFSB Selections at board’s discretion. Please refer to the respective PDF document of announcements of SSB Entry on the Army/Navy/Airforce web links.