Complete 5 Days SSB Interview Procedure, All You Need to Know

Getting selected into the Indian defence services is one of the most prestigious and proud moments for any defence candidate. Although there are many hurdles in this way. Firstly, the candidate will have to clear the written exam such as CDS, NDA, AFCAT, TA, ACC, and other direct entries. Then, they will have to go through the difficult 5 days SSB interview process. 

Most candidates are aware of the process till the written exam but are clueless after that. Whereas, the real struggle starts with the SSB interview where they test the mental and physical ability of candidates. Here, we got you covered! In this article, we will provide you with every detail of 5 day SSB interview process. 

SSB interview procedure 

The candidates who crack the written exams like CDS, NDA, TA, INET, and AFCAT are invited for SSB interviews by their respective military boards. There are other exams as well through which candidates can get shortlisted for the SSB and these are TES, TGC, SSC Tech, UES etc.

The candidates then appear in front of the Staff Selection Board for intelligence and physical examination. All of this difficult process is carried out because the SSB wants candidates with officer-like qualities.

DAY(0) – Reporting 

• The candidates are supposed to reach the reporting place at the time prescribed. From there, an officer receives them and take them to their respective places.
• An “Opening Address” takes place after the settling of the aspirants where they are briefed about their 5-day stay.
• The process of document verification is carried out and the original documents of the candidates are checked.
• In some boards like the Air force, Day 0 is considered as the reporting day and the candidates go through testing the very day.

DAY(1) – Screening 

The first day starts with three tests:-

1. Officers Intelligence Rating Test (OIR test 1 and test 2)

This stage includes verbal and non-verbal tests. The aspirants will be given two booklets of 40 questions each. The time allotted for each booklet is 15-17 minutes

Picture perception and discussion test (PP&DT)

This test is divided into two parts:-

1. Picture perception:- In this, an image is displayed for 30 seconds, and the candidates need to note down the basic details of the picture. The candidates then create a story based on the image in 4 minutes.
2. Group discussion:- In this test, a group of 10-15 candidates is formed and they all need to narrate their stories and discuss in the group to reach a common consensus. 

The results of DAY1 is declared and the shortlisted candidates are moved to the next round also known as DAY 2.

DAY(2) – Psychology test 

There is a list of tests that take place on this day. These tests recognise the intelligence ability of the candidates.

1. Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

In this test, candidates are shown 12 images which include 1 blank image. they need to write a story on each for 4 minutes. The time limit is included to check the natural response for each aspirant.

2. Word Association Test(WAT)

In this test, 60 words are displayed in front of the candidates with a time duration of 15 minutes. The candidates are expected to write down a sentence that comes to their mind first seeing the image.

3. Situation Reaction Test (SRT)

A booklet of 60 real-life questions is given to the candidates to be answered in 30 minutes of time duration. This exercise is conducted to check the perception and natural response of the cadets. 

4. Self Description Test (SDT)

In this test, the aspirant is supposed to write about themselves, or the context that is given. The time allotted for this exercise is 15  minutes. 

 Now, we will move to Day 3.

DAY(3) – Group Testing-1

This day is dedicated to group testing. Various outdoor activities are conducted for the candidates. These activities are designed to see if the candidate is capable of working in a team or not. 

These group activities are as follows:-

• Group discussion
• Group planning exercise 
• Progressive group task 
• Group obstacle race 
• Half group task 

DAY (4) – Group testing 2

This day is again based on group testing. Several other activities are conducted to check the team working skills of the candidates. These activities are as follows: –

• Lecturette:– in this, each candidate is provided with 4 topics out of which he has to choose 1 and speak about it for 3 minutes. 
• Individual Obstacles:– each aspirant needs to clear 10 given obstacles in 3 minutes.
• Command task:- every candidate is made a commander once and provided an obstacle which he needs to overcome. 
• Final Group Task:-in In this, the entire group is reunited and given a task which they all need to do in the minimum time. 
• Personal interview:- one to one interview is taken for every candidate. The questions are related to the family, career and other aspects of the life of the candidate. 

Now, let us move to the final day of the SSB interview!

DAY (5) – Conference

It is the last day of the SSB interview process. Firstly, the assessor starts with a closing address and then the conference of the candidates starts.

• A board conference is conducted where all the officers who assessed the candidate are present. There goes the discussion among them regarding the suitability of the candidate. 
• Each aspirant has to appear individually where the whole narration of their past performance is narrated.
• The candidates who are near the borders to get selected are given some real-life situations. Based on the response, the board member decides whether to keep the candidate or not.
• A collective decision is taken for each candidate,

After this stage, the results are announced and shortlisted candidates are further moved to the medical examination stage.

This all happens in the SSB interview. It is undoubtedly a lengthy and difficult process but being selected as a defence officer makes it all worthy.

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