Answering SSB.

• To be an officer in the Indian ARMY you have to answer the SSB interview. SSB an acronym for ‘Service Selection Board’, I am no expert in giving you tips on how to crack the SSB but I give myself the right to advice people on it as I have answered it twice and have been recommended once. Like 90 percent of the kids I too wanted to be a pilot, join the air-force and fly fighter planes however like 98 percent of them I dint make it. That’s the only thing I have not achieved but I haven’t given up one day I will fly a plane.
  
  Frankly very few get into the army to serve the nation most go in for a secure job, good money, respect and of-course for what women think about army men. Believe me answering SSB is an adventure in itself. I keep telling people even if they are not interested in joining the army just go and answer the SSB interviews.
  
  I proudly say that I have cleared the SSB and was recommended for the army services as SSB interviews are the toughest nut to crack in India. I had answered these interviews once at Allahabad in UP and the second in Bangalore. One was a big disappointment in my life and the latter a sheer delight. Before I took the second interview in Bangalore I was not so keen into getting into the army as I had a good job offer in my hand. The time I wanted to get into it desperately I had to face disappointment. I answered it for the second time just to prove myself; that I too can clear the SSB.
  
  The main purpose of this blog is to share my experience and let you all know the procedure for the SSB. The SSB is a 5 day on the campus interview, more like the all expense paid grilling session, curtsey the Indian government.
  
  Army says that they test your leadership qualities and tries to find out if you can lead a group of soldiers whose life depends on your ability to make quick decisions on the battle field. I say they do it and do it very well. Not all the people who reach there remain for 5 days. Also its not just a 5 day interview if you are recommended then you have to go through another 4 days of medical… oh dear medicals.
  
  You just have to be yourself. You don’t have to worry about anything, all your expenses are met by the Government of India, from traveling to the rubber idly and boiled water which they call tea. You just have to carry minimum cash. All this does get you ready for something bigger, life. Yes, the government pays you the traveling fare only for your first attempt not the subsequent.
  
  First day.
  They give you a reporting date and they will arrange your pick up mostly from a station to the SSB center. The first day there is no much tension you will be asked to fill in some forms and then they allocate you a chest number. From now on you will be a number and always will be addressed by it. Once you reach the camp you will be given a bed to stay. The first days is hell, if you remain for the next four its get better and if you get recommended .. man you are treated with respect.
  
  Usually there are 200 in a batch which attends SSB. And all these people have to be accommodated in a hostel which can only house 50 people. Overall its fun.. however you wont be so fresh for the next day as 200 people have to get up and report to the canteen usually at 5 am next day, just think how we managed to brush, wash and appear in our best attire. At SSB the test times are always odd like 5 am or even 4 am somedays.
  
  Second day.
  You have to answer an aptitude test, write 2 or 3 (I cant remember) picture composition followed by a group discussion which is based on one of the picture compositions. The test starts at 6 am might be at 5 am too depend, but always before dawn. Depending on the results all those who are not considered good enough are fed lunch and packed for home. A bus waits for them and drops you at the station from there you are on your own. The number of people who are return on the second day is very high. The first time I was there, out of 190 only 40 remained and during my second attempt out of 200 only 33 remained.
  
  In the evening there is a briefing for the remaining interview, new chest numbers are allocated and some more paper work. That’s it for the day. Now on the life gets little better at the camp. Now you have a whole bed for your self and they provide you with mosquito-nets and bed sheets.
  
  Third and Fourth day.
  If you cant get up early in the morning you better not be in the army. The test starts very early in the morning. You are also allocated your time for breakfast ours I remember was 4:30 to 5 am for reporting at 5 am. Now one helper will be there at your hostel. He will help polish you shoes and help you around with other stuff mainly getting you boiled water which remotely tastes like tea early in the morning. At the end of your camp ask for bakshish.
  
  The third day you have a psychological tests (which are a set of 4 tests) followed by picture compositions and might be an interview taken by the SSB President or Deputy President (it might or might not happen on the day; it usually happens over the length of the interview). If you clear the second day you will have to answer all remaining 3 days of interview. Latter in the day every one in the group will be split in a group of 6 to 10 for:
  Group Planning Exercise (sometimes known as Military Planning Exercise)
  Progressive Group Tasks
  Half Group Tasks
  Individual Obstacles
  Group Obstacles Race
  Command Task
  Lecturette
  Final Group Task
  
  All the above tasks happen over the third and fourth day.
  
  Group Planning Exercise (sometimes known as Military Planning Exercise): A scenario is given to the group and a GTO (group testing officer) is assigned to each group. Generally the GTO is an army officer of rank major and above. You will have to write how you will go about the task and a GD follows it asking the group to come to a common action plan.
  
  Progressive Group Tasks: A battle field scenario is placed in front of you with props given to you and you are asked to cross from one point to another using these props. Here too the whole group has to cross the field within a given time. There are certain rules for doing this and you have to work in a group.
  
  Half Group Tasks: This is the same as progressive group tasks only with half the group.
  Team work is very important.
  
  Individual Obstacles: These are set of obstacles which each person has to do separately. This are numbered from 1 to 10 with 10 being the most complex and 1 being the simplest. You are asked to do these tasks in any order and complete them within a given time. The order you choose is important. e.g. of the tasks are tiger jump, cross a Burma bridge etc.
  
  Group Obstacles Race: It’s same as the individual obstacle but a bit more complex. You have to work as a group here as some tasks can’t be done without the help of others e.g. climbing a 10 feet wall.
  


• Command Task: This is same a half group task only difference is you are the commander and have to choose 3 others from the group. You have to give them a plan and help them cross to the other point. Here you are the boss.
  
  Lecturette: Few topics are given to you and you have to give a 2 minutes lecture to the group on any topic you like. It is like extemporary speaking.
  
  Final Group Task: It’s the same as the progressive group task. Only the scenario will be different.
  
  Interviews: All the candidates that are selected from the second round have to answer an interview. The interview is conducted by the SSB president or the deputy president. The interviews are general and can last anywhere up-to 45 minutes. Its all about you.
  
  This is generally the SSB interview.
  
  Fifth day.
  The results of the interview are declared on the fifth day. You have to dress in you best dress, eat you breakfast and wait for the final interview. You will be called one by one into a room. This room will have all the officers who conducted your tests with the SSB president seated in the center. You will be asked to stand at the end of the table where the SSB president will ask you some questions like, how was you stay? Are there any suggestion? Etc.
  
  After the interview, all are taken to a common room and the results are declared. All the candidates who are recommended are called out. A recommended candidate is a person who is considered fit for armed services or a person who can become an army officer. The rest have to pack the bags, sorry we are actually told to pack the bags and bring them along to the room. Those who are not recommended have to leave on the fifth day. A bus will be waiting outside. The recommended candidates are further allocated new barracks (better barracks) and have to go through a medical interview over the next 4 days.
  
  For the medical interview is not an interview but your full body checkup to see if you fit the army standards. You are checked for everything from your eyeballs to the hanging balls (for girls not the hanging…). All yours holes are checked… X-rays to blood tests everything is done.
  
  Frankly I dint prepare a bit for the SSB interview. Only once in my life I felt defeated and disappointed is when I wasn’t recommended after the 5 days of interview, the first time I answered SSB. I learned there that SSB interviews judges your character and attitude if you are fit for armed services. So just be yourself and let them decide if you fit in. The second time I answered it I was recommended, this time I was myself.
  
  Now you will have a question, why dint you join the army then? Many reasons, one being I thought I would do better in my life outside the armed forces. Mainly I answered SSB the second time just to prove to myself that I too can clear it. However I believe if I would have been recommended the first time I would have probably been in the ARMY now.
  
  There are no specific attempts to which you can answer, you can keep answering it n number of times.
  
  Everyone must answer the SSB once in their life, it teaches you a lot of things, gets you new friends and really helps you in your Life.
  
  So 'Do you have it in you?'

Life,

NiNaD DiGhE.