SSB Interview Procedure

The interview spans for 4-5 days during which various tests are conducted to test the qualities and personality of the candidates. SSB interview has a pattern and procedure wherein the tests are conducted in a manner to reflect the actual personality and psychology of the candidate.

There are certainly established qualities in the Indian Armed Forces called the “Officer like qualities (OLQs)” which are usually looked for in a candidate during this interview. So the five-day procedure is an attempt by the Selection Board to observe the candidates and scrutinize their every quality to see if they have the required OLQs. The entire procedure as followed on different days is as follows :

SSB Interview: Day 1

On the very first day, the screening test is conducted consisting of an OIR (Officers Intelligence Rating) test and PPDT (Picture Perception & Description Test).

In the OIR test, candidates are given a set of 50 questions based on Quantitative Aptitude and Verbal & Non-verbal Reasoning. The time given to solve these questions will be 30 minutes. After that in PPDT, candidates will be shown a static picture on the projector for 30 seconds and they have to come up with a thoughtful story based on their perception. The candidates who do not perform well are sent back on the very first day.

SSB Interview: Day 2  

On this day, the candidate is called for psychological testing.

TAT (Thematic Appreciation Test) – In this test, the candidates are shown 11 hazy/blur pictures on the projector one by one and the candidates need to write a positive story on the shown pictures.  The 12th picture will be blank and the candidate needs to write a Self-Description on the same.

WAT (Word Association Test) – this test is to determine the candidate’s psychology. Candidates will be shown 60 words on a projector consecutively and they have to associate these words with some positive events.

SRT (Situation Reaction Test) – SRT is conducted after WAT and 10 minutes will be given to the candidate for answering these questions. The total number of questions will be 60 and the candidates have to write 2-3 sentences in each situation.

SSB Interview: Days 3 & 4

On the third and fourth days of the interview, GTO tasks are done to determine the suitable candidate. The Group Testing Officer (GTO) is the most powerful person in the SSB interview because he will spend 2 days testing your abilities. GTO testing comprises the following tasks-

Group Discussion (GD) –  the group will be given two topics for discussion.

Group Planning Exercise (GPE) – this test will consist of 5 parts.

–          Model explanation

–          Reading of narratives by GTO

–          5 minutes for self-reading

–          10 minutes for writing your plan

–          Finally, 20 minutes to discuss the common plan

Progressive Group Task (PGT)- PGT is a set of obstacles in a specified area in which the team members need to cross each obstacle complying with certain rules and regulations. The difficulty level of this task increases after every obstacle.

Group Obstacle Race- This is also known as the snake race. The group has to take part in a race of six obstacles. Here, the Group Testing Officer GTO wants to see the cooperation and team-leading quality in you.

Half Group Task (HGT) – HGT is almost similar to PGT, but the group is divided into two parts. Here, the Group Testing Officer wants to see the individual performance of the candidate. The rules for HGT will be the same as in PGT.

Lecturette- In this round, each candidate will be given 3 minutes to deliver a speech in front of the group. Scores depend upon your expressions, body language, fluency, confidence, and the knowledge you have.

Individual Obstacles- In this round, the candidate has to perform individually and needs to cross 10 obstacles. These obstacles are Single Ramp, Double Barrel, Screen Jump, Balancing Beam,  Tarzan Swing, Burma Bridge, Double Ditch, Double Platform Jump, Tiger Leap, and Commando Walk.

Command Task- this round is to find the commanding ability of a candidate and is conducted before the FGT. The candidates are allowed to choose any two members out of the group that they have been allotted. This task is like PGT and HGT.

Final Group Task (FGT)- this is the final task in testing. All group members are required to finish this task and all rules remain the same as in PGT and HGT. This task is tougher and time taking.

SSB Interview: Day 5

This is the D-day of the SSB interview. On this day, the candidate is called for the conference for verification by the panel and after this, results are announced.

Note: A personal interview round is also organized on any day between second to the fourth day. The interviewing officers are a top senior officer like Colonel or Brigadier. Personal Interview is an integral part of the SSB interview process in which the details in PIQ (Personal Information Questionnaire) form are matched with your personality so they need to be correct.

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