SSB Interview Process- Schedule of Each 5 Days Activities

Unlike other organization, the selection process in the armed forces is very elaborate and is done over five years. Three different assessors namely the interviewing officer, group testing officer and the psychologist test the same candidate on 3 different perspective and arrive at their respective decision. Thereafter, on the last day in the board conference, they all sit together and discuss each case to arrive at the final decision. The schedule of testing is described below.

Reporting Day-  

Normally, Candidates are made to report in the afternoon and are picked up by a bus from the railway station. On reporting, they are given an opening briefing by the duty GTO covering the testing schedule, dos and don’ts etc. After that the candidates are asked to fill up a personal Information Questionnaire (PIQ). The PIQ forms the basis of psychological testing and the interview. 

1. Day 1- Candidates are put through a screening test which compromises of Intelligence Tests followed by a Picture Perception and Discussion test. Based upon the performance in these tests, some of the candidates are retained for stage 2 testing and others are allowed to return home the same day. Hence, qualifying in this test is most important.
2. Day2- On day 2, candidates screened in on day 1 are put through psychological tests which comprise of Word Association Test (WAT), Thematic Appreciation Test (TAT) and Situation Reaction Test (SRT). In addition, the candidates are asked to describe themselves (Self Description). On completion of these tests, the interview starts.
3. Day 3- Candidates go through Group Testing on day 3 and 4. They are divided into groups of 6 to 10 candidates in each group depending upon the total candidates screened in. On day 3 group discussion (GD), Group Planning Exercise (GPE), progressive Group Task (PGT), Group Obstacle Race (GOR), Half Group Task (HGT) and Lecturrette and conducted in some cases, even the individual obstacle can be conducted on day 3 itself depending upon the weather and engagement of assessor. On completion of the GTO testing, the interviews of the remaining candidates are done.
4. Day 4- The remaining tasks of the Group Testing like individual obstacles, command task and final group task are conducted. On the completion of group testing, interview of the remaining candidates are done.
5. Day 5- Last day is the conference day wherein each candidate is called in one by one for final look and final decision is arrived at. The results are announced by afternoon and candidates not recommended are allowed to leave.
6. Day 6-10, Successful candidates are put through medicals in the nearest military hospital and on a average it takes five days to complete. Those who fail in the medicals are allowed to appeal to the nearest military hospital within 45 days.

How to Get a Job in Indian Defence- Entry Eligibility Criteria and Exams Details

Entry Eligibility Criteria in Indian Defence- SSB Interviews 

The entry level qualification ranges from 12^th class to post graduate. Some of the most common entries are describes as follow- 

NDA/Naval Academy Entry-

Boys who have passed 10+2 (Science PCM stream) can enter into the National Defence Academy/Naval Academy. At the National Defence Academy candidates are put through Graduation (BSc) whereas at the National Naval Academy candidates go through 4 years BTech program. The complete exposes towards lodging/boarding/education are borne by the government of India. In addition, the candidates get a stipend of 10000 per month. The aspiring candidates are required to go through an entrance test conducted by national Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) which are held twice a year and thereafter pass in the service commission board (SSB)

Graduate Entry Scheme-

Graduates of any stream can join the Indian Army. Whereas, in the Indian Navy and the Indian Air force, Science graduates are preferred for the main branches, however in ground duty/admin branches of the Air Force and Logistics branch of Indian Navy, Graduates of BBA, B.Com or BA (Economics) etc are preferred. The aspiring candidates are required to go through an entrance test conducted by UPSC which are held twice a year and thereafter pass in the SSB. For joining logistic branch in the Indian Navy, no entrance exam is required. Candidates with 60% marks in graduation are called for SSB Directly.

Technical Entry Scheme- 

There is a very high demand for technical officers in the armed forces. Candidates from any stream of engineering are eligible to join the armed forces. Engineering graduates do not have to appear in any entrance test but are required to pass in the SSB, In the case of Air Force, an engineering knowledge test in conductors prior and selling for SSB.

NCC Special Entry Scheme- 

NCC ‘C’ Certificate holders are eligible to join and do not have to go through the UPSC entrance examination. They just have to clear SSB.

Women Entry Scheme- 

Women candidates are also being inducted into some branches of the armed forces. In Indian Air force, they are also being inducted in flying arms. In the future, slowly and steadily, the armed forces will become an equal-opportunity employer offering greater role of women of India in serving the nation.