Before talking about the procedure at SSB , lets first checkout what is SSB?
SSB (Service Selection Board) is among the toughest interviews in India. It is not a common interview unlike others , it tests the candidate personality,intelligence etc scientifically analyzing there ability to join armed forces of India .
not wasting anytime further . lets directly come upon procedure followed at SSB.
DAY 0 (REPORTING DAY)
You will be asked to arrive at the allocated railway station on given time.thereafter the "faujis" (Army) present there will take you to the SSB center after little document checking.after reaching the centre all candidates are given temporary chest no. depending on your time of reporting the 1st day (screening) procedure will take place i.e. if u are asked to report at early morning then the same day would be your screening day or else it would be tomorrow.
STAGE 1
DAY 1 (SCREENING)
There are 2 tests on this day.Intelligence test - it comprises of non-verbal and verbal test which checks basic intelligence level of candidate.
PPDT (Picture Perception and Discussion Test)
This have more weightage then int. test . in this test, all the candidates are made to sit in a hall and shown a picture through projector. after carefully analysing the picture for 30 seconds, they are told to tell the mood ,age and sex of the characters and write a story revolving around that picture in 4:30 min. as soon the time is over they are told to drop their pens.
thereafter, in a group of 12-15 they are made to sit in semi circular order . there they have to narrate their stories without reading and come upon a common story which whole group agrees to through a healthy discussion.
After 2-3 hours of rest and tasty lunch , results are announced . whose name are announced are give new chest number which they will have to wear for rest of ssb procedure and others are dropped back at railway station.
STAGE 2
DAY 2 (PSYCHOLOGY TEST)
It comprises of test-
1) TAT (Thematic Apperception Test)
In this test candidate is shown 11 pictures. Each picture is shown for 30 sec. After that the screen goes blank and candidate write the story revolving around the picture in next 4 minutes. At last a blank slide is shown as 12th picture in this the candidate has to write any story which he desires to write.
2) WAT (word association test)
In this test candidate is shown a 60 words one after another. for each word a span of 15 second is given, in which candidate has to write a sentence with that word (first thought that comes in mind after reading that word). example of word- trust,home etc3) SRT (situation reaction test)
In this test ,candidate is given a booklet with 60 situation whose solution he has to write in his answer sheet in time span of 30 min. example of situation given - your 2 bosses are given contradicting orders . he will__________________________
4) SD (self discription)
In this task you have to write down the opinions of your parents/guardian , friends ,teachers ,self opinions about your self. also, you have to write down the qualities you want to develop.
DAY 3 and 4 (GTO TASK)
As the name suggest , gto (group testing oficer) task are series of outdoor acivities to test candidate social adaptability and other OLQ's (officer like qualities)
It comprises of following tests :
1) GD (group discussion)
In this task, there is a discussion a 2 topics back to back. In first topic there is an option unlike second topics.
2) GPE(group planning exercise)
In this task, a goup of 8-12 candidates are shown a map and given a card on which there is a problem. each candidate write the solution to problem in 10 min. In the end the group as a whole after discussion has to come to a single solution.
3) PGT (Progressive Group Task)
In this task,the group has to cross the obstacle with the help of helping material like plank , rope , log etc. After competing one obstacle , there are more difficult obstacles. In total , there are 4 obstacle.
4) HGT (half group task)
This task is same like PGT but the group is divided into 2 parts this time. All the rules are same as that applied to PGT.
5) IOT (Individual Obstacles)
In this task, every candidate attempts obstacle (10) .Every obstacle is having points from 1-10. After attempting all obstacle, candidate can again attempt again.
6) Lecturette
Each candidate is given a card with 4 topics, From which he has to choose 1, after preparing for 3 min, he has to deliver a lecturette for 3 mins. Eg. Of-topic : bipolar unipolar world, poverty in india ,etc..
MOST OF THE TIME AFTER THIS THERE GTO 1 IS CONCLUDED.
7) Group Obstacles Race or Snake Race
Groups compete each other holding a thick rope (snake) and have to cross the obstacles. This is a type of race with some rules.
8) CT (command Task)
In this task every candidate is given a chance to become a commander and choose 2-3 subordinate to help cross the obstacle .this task is like PGT only but subordinate cant give the solution to cross obstacle.
9) FGT (final group task)
This is a last task for the candidates to show his leadership qualities. it is like PGT but with only 1 task.
PERSONAL INTERVIEW -
This is a vital deciding factor for you getting recommended. it take 30-45 minutes (on average) for one interviewing one candidate. the interview is based on the PIQ (Personal Information Questionnaire) which he fills after he clears screening test.
PABT (Pilot Aptitude Battery Test) - only in Airforce SSB
it is a type of game which is a test of candidates reflexes and aptitude to be trained as a pilot. one can only give take test ones in a life.on which his career a a flyboy depends.
PERSONAL INTERVIEW AND PABT TAKES PLACE ON EVENING OF 2ND, 3RD AND 4TH DAY (DEPENDING ON BOARD)
DAY-5 (CONFERENCE DAY)
This is a result day, Each candidate will face the panel of all testing officers at SSB board. he is asked simple question like stay at board etc but if he is a border line case for recommendation then he is asked serious questions. thus time of conference is from 2-8 minutes.
