How can I train myself for SSB interview? A Complete SSB Guidance Article

How canI train myself for SSB interview?

Originally Answered: What are the steps in SSBinterview?

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR SSB by RajKumar
OVERALL TIPS
APPROACH TO SSB: A complete 5 days guidelinesENGLISH IS THE LANGUAGE OF THE DEFENSE SERVICES& IS IMPORTANT, NOT ONLY FOR SSB, BUT PROFESSIONAL ADVANCEMENT IN ANYFIELD.GOOD GENERAL KNOWLEDGE, GOOD EXPRESSION, AFRIENDLY & HELPFUL NATURE WILL HELP A CANDIDATE GET SELECTED IN SSB &ELSEWHERE.IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE SPEAKING IN ENGLISH,SPEAK FREELY IN HINDI OR HINGLISH. EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IS THE NEED, NOTENGLISH LANGUAGE. GENERALLY THE PROBLEM IS LACK OF SELF CONFIDENCE INDUCED BYLACK OF FLUENCY IN ENGLISH.GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR SSB

APPROACH TO SSB

Group behavior starts as soon as you meet othersat the SSB Centre.
Candidates assess each other for theircompetence, as well as sociability. This process is unrelated to the formalassessment, but influences it.
Please go for the SSB with the conviction ofbeing selected, without any self doubts. This will positively affect yourpersonality & influence others accordingly.
Do not consider others as rivals, who have to bebeaten, for you to be selected. Approach with a philosophy:“let us all performwell, & along with others, I should also get selected”. The usualphilosophy prevailing in the world, “I should get selected at the expense ofothers” is unsuited for selection in SSB.
Having good general knowledge, expression & afriendly nature positively impacts your social rating by peers, & willpositively impact your chances of selection as well. It will have an impact onthe tests as well. E.g In the group, before the tests, you start discussingsome current affairs topic. Most of the group will have superficial knowledge,based on TV headlines news or news paper headlines. One or two may have deeperanalytical knowledge based on their having read editorials on the topic.Naturally these candidates will be more respected by others.

5 DAYS SSB SCHEDULE

DAY 1 (REPORTING DAY)
As per the call letter, usually the reportingtime is in the afternoon& place is Movement Control Office (MCO), locatedat the Railway Station. You will not find it difficult as there will be manyother candidates who will be scheduled to report on the same day, & you arelikely to find some of them.
For some entries reporting day and Screening dayare same, so please follow your call letters for correct information. In suchcase reporting time is likely to be early morning, like 0700 hours.
On reporting day you are given a detailed briefabout the tests & instructions & timings for various things. PIQ(Personal Information Questionnaire) forms are to be filled (similar to the onewhich I get filled).
DAY 2. STAGE 1 TESTING OR SCREENING
Screening is the process designed to selectpotential candidates, from all those who have reported for the particularentry, for Stage 2 of testing, or complete SSB process. It comprises thefollowing:
OFFICER’S INTELLIGENCE RATING (OIR) TEST
It is similar to the intelligence tests ofreasoning (verbal & non-verbal) given in various competitive examinationspreparatory books & magazines. Reasoning ability, as well as speed ofreasoning is important. It is advisable to practice these to get a good score.

SCREENING TEST

PICTURE PERCEPTION & DESCRIPTION TEST (PPDT)

Requirement
It involves two aspects- first is writing astory, & second is a discussion on the story.
You will be shown a black & white, hazypicture for 30 secs.
You are required to write some particulars in theavailable box in the answer sheet, which includes No of Characters, their Age,Sex & Mood.
You have to identify the main character &build the story around him/her. It is convenient to name the character (helpsin discussion stage).
You are required to describe what the scene inthe picture depicts (what is going on).
You have to visualize & write, what led tothe present scene (what happened in the past).
You have to foresee the future & write it.(What will happen in the future).
The entire story has to be written in about 3mins & submitted.
Tips for Story Writing:
Avoid
Pre-prepared Story. Some coached candidates(generally ACC & SCO entries), come with a misconception that the time istoo less to make a story & hence come with a pre-prepared story & fitit there. Often the main character in such stories is narrated as a young manwho joins the Defence Services & also gets a decoration! There is nothingin the picture to suggest any of these things. There are several such “positive”coaching academy type stories which can be easily found out by the assessors.Such stories have an adverse impact on the clearance of the Stage 1 by thesubject candidate.
Stories Displaying Wrong Interpretation ofPositive Thinking. Experience shows that quite a few coached candidates areover enthusiastic about “positive thinking” & display it in an unnaturalmanner in their stories. E.g: In anobviously tragic scene such candidates will state that the mood of the maincharacter is positive. Such stories can be easily found out & have anadverse impact on the clearance of the Stage 1 by the subject candidate.
Abide
Write a natural & realistic story that comesto your mind on seeing the picture. The moods, etc of characters should bestated as observed.
POSITIVE THINKING MEANS THAT EVEN IF THE PICTURESHOWS SOMETHING ADVERSE, OR TRAGIC, THE CANDIDATE FORESEES THAT IN THE FUTURETHINGS WILL BECOME ALL RIGHT, WITH THE MAIN CHARACTER PLAYING A PROACTIVE PARTIN THE SAME.
THE MAIN CHARACTER SHOULD BE PROACTIVE & DOSOMETHING FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE EXISTING SITUATION.
Discussion Requirement
Candidates are organized in groups of 14-15 forgroup discussion. Each candidate is required to narrate his story by turn.After everyone has narrated his/her story the group is required to discuss thesame & arrive at a consensus story. The group is required to nominate aleader who has to narrate the story on behalf of the entire group.

Tips for Discussion:

Narrate your story confidently in a clear voicein about one minute.Remain confident about being selected, remainrelaxed & do not feel pressurized to force your views on others, in thefear that others will dominate you.Never look at the assessors while narrating thestory, or during the discussion.Listen to the speakers attentively.Be polite, give your ideas & views only,& do not argue with others.IN CASE THE ENTIRE GROUP IS SHOUTING, AS HAPPENSIN SOME REPEATER GROUPS, DO NOT TRY TO OUT SHOUT OTHERS, BUT AWAIT YOUR TURNPATIENTLY.Do not try to dominate the discussion by speakingmore. The quality of your views is more important than how much you speak.Do not repeat your views.Help the weak members to talk.If the story of the majority of the group issimilar to yours, it is easy to contribute to the discussion.In case your story is different from the entiregroup, it is sensible to change your views & help the group in forming aconsensus story, rather than trying to guide the group towards yourperspective. Resultsof Screening: After the completion ofPPDT, you will get a break of 2-3 hours. Screening results will be declaredafter it. Selected candidates are allotted with new chest numbers. Rest of thecandidates gets their TA and dropped backed to the railway station.
DAY 3 STAGE-2 OF TESTING

PSYCHOLOGY TESTS IN SSB

Understanding Psychology Tests in SSB
Personality assessment conducted in SSBs is basedon the science of Psychology. Psychology is not an absolute science, unlike thephysical sciences known to us. It implies that there are not always absolute& definite yes, or no answers to problems, or situations.
The battery of psychology tests conducted in SSBis based on Projective techniques.
Projective techniques work on the established fact that when we describeambiguous stimuli, we actually describe ourselves, & reveal ourpersonalities, the conscious part (of which we are well aware) & even theunconscious part (of which we are unaware)! The unconscious part of the brainis assessed by some as being 9/10
th
part & conscious only 1/10
th
part.
In Projective techniques, a person is shownambiguous stimuli (such as words, situations or pictures) and asked tointerpret them in some way. Such stimuli allow relative freedom in projectingone’s own interests and feelings into them, reacting in any way that seemsappropriate. Projective techniques are believed to be sensitive to unconsciousdimensions of personality. Defense mechanisms, latent impulses, and anxietiescan be inferred from data gathered from projective techniques by expertpsychologists. Assessment by expert psychologists is an art & not ascience.
Assessment of an individual is done based on theentire written tests & not piece meal, like separate assessment of WAT, TAT& SRT. Personality of an individualis one whole, the various inputs help to construct it.
HOW DOES IT AFFECT CANDIDATES?
PLEASE DO NOT WASTE UNNECESSARY TIME TO PRACTICEALL THESE TESTS. WORK TO GENUINELY IMPROVE YOUR PERSONALITY, LEAVE THEASSESSMENT TO THE EXPERTS!
Following Psychology tests are conducted:
ThematicApperception Test [TAT]

WordAssociation Test [WAT]

SituationReaction Test [SRT]

SelfDescription Test [SD]

TAT

You willbe shown 11 black & white pictures in which the last picture is a blankslide. Each picture will come just for 30 seconds and then disappear, afterthat you will get 4 minutes to write the story based on that picture. After 4mins another picture will come for 30 seconds and same process will be followedtill last slide {blank slide}. The tips for TAT are the same as for the storyof PPDT. Go prepared with the story for the blank slide.

WAT

You willbe shown 60 words back to back; each word will remain on the screen for 15secs.In 15secs you are required to write a sentence which comes to your mind firstafter reading that word. Likewise you have to write 60 sentences continuouslywithout any pause in between.
Tips:
It is not possible to go prepared with 60sentences, as some coached candidates try to do & in fact succeed inwriting quite a few such sentences. This does not help, because only thespontaneous response is consistent with the personality of the candidate. Thepsychologist analyses the complete responses to construct a holistic &consistent personality of the individual. Any prepared response will beinconsistent with the complete battery of answers & hence will get ignored.

SRT

You will get a booklet with 60 situations writtenon it. You are required to write your responses based on those 60 situations.Time allotted will be 30 mins.
Tips: Answer spontaneously. The main character inthe situations should be a leader, who should try to resolve the problemsproactively for the betterment of everyone & not wait for things to happen.

SD

You are required to write opinion about you fromyour parents, friends, teachers & yourself, and things which you would liketo develop in the future. Time allotted will be 15 mins.
Tips: You should go prepared. Write the truth.Opinions of others, as well as yourself about you are basically a brief aboutyour strong & weak points. The strong points should be more than the weakpoints. In case the reverse is true, it shows that you have not taken enoughaction to improve yourself, despite being aware of your weaknesses.

OVERALL TIPS FOR PSYCHOLOGY TESTS:

THINK FAST; WRITE FAST, LEGIBLY & IN CORRECTSEQUENCE.
IT IS NOT MANDATORY TO COMPLETE EVERYTHING, BUTTHE CANDIDATE WHO CAN COMPLETE EVERYTHING DEFINITELY THINKS FASTER & HASBETTER MENTAL STAMINA THAN THE ONE WHO DOES NOT.

DAYS 4 & 5: GTO TESTS

GTO tests are a series of outdoor tests, designedto judge your qualities during group performance. Remember most of the tasks inthis series are group tasks. You are required to support the group with thebest of your abilities and not to compete with them in any manner.
SERIES OF TESTS:

GD:

Discussion is on two topics, one is a debatabletopic from current affairs & the other is on a social issue.
Tips: Are same as for PPDT discussion.

GPE: GROUP PLANNING EXERCISE

It is an important test in the GTO series. Asituation is given to you. It is supported by a map. Invariably a group ofpersons has to go from one place to another, in a limited time & accomplishan important task. In between problems are confronted which need to beresolved, & in case a problem is unimportant & resolution willprevent you from accomplishing the maintask then it has to be ignored, or resolved to the extent that the main task isnot jeopardized. A written, individual, solution has to be submitted. The grouphas to discuss the plan, arrive at a consensus plan, and nominate a leader tonarrate the plan. It is a comprehensive test, which brings out the aspects oflogical thinking, ability to convince others with your views, accept ideas fromothers which are better than yours, or are more acceptable to others.
Tips: Concentrate to understand the situationwell. Submit a comprehensive & well written plan. Be prepared to acceptothers’ ideas. Do not try to resolve any intermediary problem which willprevent you from accomplishing the main task.

PGT

In Progressive Group Task, the group is requiredto cross some obstacles with the help of supporting materials like rope, plank,wooden log etc. Some rules are required to be followed during this task. It isa full group activity.

HGT

Half Group Task is similar to PGT but the numberof group members will be half, so you may get more chance to show yourpotential.

IOT

In Individual Obstacles Task, you are required toattempt 10 obstacles individually; each obstacle consists of some points from 1to 10.
Tips: It appears to be mainly a test of speed& strength, but is not so. Plan the sequence of crossing the obstacles witha view to score maximum marks earliest. If you are in doubt about clearing anobstacle attempt it towards the end. In case you have begun to cross anobstacle, then do not leave it in between, as this displays lack ofdetermination & self confidence.

COMMAND TASK

You willbe a commander in this task, & are required to cross some obstacles withthe help of 2-3 subordinates. You can choose 2-3 candidates from your own groupwhom you think can help you to clear the obstacles.
Tips: Choose subordinates based on competence,rather than friendship. In case you are stuck, ask ideas from subordinates. CTis assigned to each candidate based on his abilities. In case your CT is quitedifficult, then be happy, your IQ has been well rated.

SNAKE RACE/GROUP OBSTACLE RACE

All groupmembers will be competing with other groups. Members will be holding a snakelike rope; they are required to cross certain obstacles with the snake. Thereare certain rules like all other tasks. It is a kind of race among differentgroups.
Tips: Use your abilities to help the group finishthe race fastest.

INDIVIDUAL LECTURRETE

Each candidate has to speak for 3 mins on a topicselected by him/her out of 3-4 topics.

FGT: FINAL GROUP TASK

FGT is similar to PGT.
Tips for PGT, HGT, CT & FGT: Initially itwill be difficult to understand the use of the helping material in crossingobstacles. Do not worry, keep thinking & observing. Ideas utilized incrossing one obstacle will have relevance in others as well. After PGT you will have better ideas for latertasks. Each task has more than one solution. Please adhere to instructions.

PERSONAL INTERVIEW IN THE AFTERNOON OF DAY 4 OR 5

The Interviewing officer has your PersonalInformation Questionnaire (PIQ) form, which provides him the base for yourinterview. He starts talking in a relaxed manner to make you feel comfortable.He then asks you a series of questions to which you are expected to answer inthe same sequence. He keeps asking small questions in between. He again asksyou a series of questions, to be replied as earlier.
Tips: Be relaxed & confident of beingselected. Write only truth in the PIQ form, without exaggeration. Listencarefully to the questions, without getting excited. Answer the questions inthe sequence asked. Have good knowledge about your favorite subjects, sports,hobbies, etc. If you say that you have read a book, or seen a movie, or TVprogram, then you should know about it well.
Be prepared to explain organization of an eventfrom your hobbies, sports or extra -curricular activities, you have beeninvolved in.

DAY 6: CONFERENCE IN SSB

In the conference each candidate faces all theSSB assessors together. Decision about selection of candidates is taken in theconference by the assessors. Each caseis discussed in detail to take a deliberate decision. AS REGARDS YOU, IT ISJUST A FORMALITY, AS DECISIONS ARE TAKEN BASED ON TESTS CONDUCTED EARLIER &NOT CONFERENCE. Usually questions about food, experience & stay are askedby the Interviewing Officer. Only short answers are warranted.

Is this answer still relevant and up to date?
How can I change my SSB interview centre?

How should I prepare myself physically for an SSBinterview for TES and CES?

What should I carry with myself for my SSBinterview?

How can I make myself fit for the AFCAT SSB?

How different is INA SSB from IMA SSB? Are thereany tips for my SSB interview?

Originally Answered: How do I crack the SSB?

You qualify the SSB by being virtuous. SSB is agreat test of personality but I will not say that the personality cannot bemodified. Infact all that the coaching institutes do is mask your personalitywith a fake one and you are expected to wear the mask during the real testingat the SSB. It is not even wrong because afterall there is indeed a shortage ofofficers and they can be taught how to conduct themselves at the academyitself.
Coming to the basic question, as someone whocleared the SSB long back, I feel qualified to answer this one. I’ll bring outa few points. See if you can relate to them
1- Do not hesitate in doing stuff at the SSB-This means when you are at the station before heading for the Board, approachguys who you think are there for the same purpose. Similarly, at the SSB neverhesitate to talk. In the candidates line, in the Mess. Talk to your batch-matesat all points of time except when you are being tested. This comes in handy inbuilidng a rapport.
2- Have a gala time- Do not be a bore. Do no snubothers. Listen to fellows and go out with them. SSB is generally about makingfriends with like minded people. A few of them get the bonus of gettingrecommended to be an officer. But your main purpose should be to have some fun.
3- Be prepared, always- Prepared to Eat, preparedto go out, prepared to listen to instructions and prepared to give alecturette. Never, shy away from any one of these when the opportunity comes.
4- Less virtual social networking, more in reallife- Try to minimise the use of the internet. Skip talking to thecollege/school friends/ girlfriends/ boyfriends for a few days and instead giveattention to the people with whom you are spending the 5 days. I promise youshall not regret it ever.
5- Language is not a problem- It hardly mattersif your English is not good. People generally confuse Communication withproficiency in language. At SSB you are only required to communicate your ideasfreely. Language is never a barrier, English and Hindi are both acceptable (andsometimes even Hinglish, if it explains a word better).
6- Act confident, stay grounded- It must beimplemented in all situations and for all circumstances. Your conduct andconfidence at the SSB makes your case hard to beat. If you make sure that whatyou think and what you do is not wrong, logically and morally, then you do abig favour to your chances at the SSB.
All these above aspects help you in making apositive personality displaying the 15 OLQs gauged throughout the SSB. Read alot. No matter what you read. As long as you find it interesting. You must readit. It helps if you have good knowledge of some topic. It makes your thinkingrational and also helps in the personal interview.
Hope you find it helpful enough.I am feeling glad to represent myself… amRajkumar from haryana… i am also preparing myself for ssb interview which isgoing to held in Kapurthla on 25 february 2019. At last wish you all the bestfor bright future in defence Ministry

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