SSB Full Form: The Service Selection Board (SSB) is an important organization that conducts detailed interviews as part of the officer selection process for the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. It includes specialists like Group Task Officers, Interviewing Officers, and Psychologists. There are 13 SSBs located across India for the Air Force, Navy, and Army. The SSB assessment takes place over five days to thoroughly evaluate candidates.
SSB Full Form
The Service Selection Board (SSB) is in charge of evaluating candidates who want to join the Indian Armed Forces. It’s a thorough process that checks mental and physical fitness, along with personality traits and intelligence, which are important for officer positions. The SSB panel, which includes a psychologist, interviewing officer, and group tasks officer, evaluates candidates together. The evaluation happens in two stages: Stage I involves a written test and a picture perception and description test (PP&DT), while Stage II includes psychological tests, group tasks, and an individual interview. The aim of the SSB is to assess leadership potential, decision-making abilities, and how well candidates can handle pressure.
SSB
The Service Selection Board (SSB) is not just a test; it’s a thorough evaluation of individuals who want to serve their country. This process uses various techniques over several days to examine a candidate’s personality from different perspectives. The aim is to make sure that selected candidates have the necessary qualities and traits to serve the nation effectively. The SSB process evaluates a candidate’s:
Aspect | Evaluation Method |
---|---|
Intelligence | OIR test: Measures general intelligence and reasoning |
Leadership | Group tasks and individual interview: Assess leadership, decision-making, and ability to work under pressure |
Personality | Psychological tests and interview: Evaluate personality traits, motivation, resilience, and emotional maturity |
Physical Fitness | Medical examination: Assess physical fitness and ability to withstand military training and service requirements |
The candidates who clear written exams such as CDS, NDA, TA, INET and AFCAT are then called by respective military boards for SSB Interview. One can also appear for SSB Interview by getting shortlisted direct entries – TES, TGC, UES, SSC Tech etc. The selected students then need to appear before a Service Selection Board for an Intelligence and Personality Test.
SSB Full Form Overview
SSB stands for Service Selection Board, and its job is to interview and choose candidates for the defence forces. These boards are spread out in different places across the country. After candidates pass the written exam in the selection process, they move on to the SSB Interview.
SSB Overview | |
Full Form | Service Selection Board |
Total SSB Boards | 13 |
Duration | 5 Days |
Covered Exams |
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SSB Direct Entry |
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Test Types | Physical Efficiency Tests – Personality Tests – Psychological Tests – Intelligence Tests |
SSB Interview Procedure
The SSB interviewer look for 15-character traits called “Officer Like Qualities”. The mechanism to check the done by the following procedure:
Day 0 (Reporting)
The candidates are usually received at the station by an officer(s) of the board and from there they are taken to the selection centre.
- After the candidates are settled in, an ‘Opening Address’ takes place where an officer of the board briefs the candidates of their stay for the next 5 days.
- Document Verification takes place after that where the original documents of the candidates are verified.
In some boards (esp. Air Force) the Reporting day is regarded as the Day 1 of SSB and the testing starts on the same day
Check: NSG Full Form
Day 1 (Screening)
The first day of SSB involves 3 tests:
- Picture Perception & Discussion Test (PP&DT)
- Officer Intelligence Rating Test (OIR Test)
Candidates are called for the Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) test in the morning. The OIR test is a multiple-choice reasoning test with 50 questions based on both verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Candidates have 40-45 minutes to complete the test. Based on their performance, they are ranked from OIR I (highest rank) to OUT 5 (lowest rank).
Picture Perception & Discussion Test (PP&DT): This test can be further categorized into:
Assessment Stage | Description |
---|---|
Picture Perception | An image is displayed for 30 seconds. |
Candidates note down details like sex, age, and mood of characters, and actions performed by them. | |
Candidates create a story based on the image within a time period of 4 minutes. | |
Group Discussion | A group of 10-15 candidates is formed. |
Each candidate narrates his/her story. | |
Group discusses individual stories to reach a common consensus. |
The results are declared after which the shortlisted candidates are retained for the subsequent round of testing.
Day 2 (Psychology Test)
On the second day of SSB, a Psychological Test is conducted. Following tests take place on this day:
Test Type | Description | Time Allotted |
---|---|---|
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) | Candidates view 12 images (including 1 blank). | 4 minutes per image |
Write a story on each image. | ||
Word Association Test (WAT) | 60 words are displayed for 15 seconds each. | 15 seconds per word |
Candidates write down a sentence for each word based on their immediate thoughts. | ||
Situation Reaction Test (SRT) | A booklet with 60 real-life situations is provided. | 30 minutes |
Candidates write their reactions to each situation. | ||
Self-Description Test (SDT) | Candidates write paragraphs covering their self-description. | 15 minutes |
Include opinions of parents, teachers, friends, and qualities candidates wish to develop. |
These tests are aimed to gauge the psychological suitability of a candidate for the defence forces.
Day 3 (Group Testing – I)
SSB Day 3 involves Group Testing. Here several outdoor tests are conducted where the candidates need to take part in groups. This day involves the following group tests:
Test Type | Description | Duration |
---|---|---|
Group Discussion | Two consecutive discussions on current events or social issues. | 20-30 minutes each |
Group Planning Exercise (GPE) | Candidates, in groups of 10-15, are given a story with issues. | Time not specified |
Identify issues and provide practical solutions. | ||
Progressive Group Task (PGT) | Overcome 4 obstacles in a group with provided helping material and rules. | Time not specified |
Group Obstacle Race (GOR) | Groups compete in a snake race, tackling 6 given obstacles. | Time not specified |
Half Group Task (HGT) | Similar to PGT but conducted with a smaller group over a single obstacle. | Time not specified |
Day 4 (Group Testing – II)
Day 4 is again dedicated to Group Testing. Following tests are conducted on this day:
Test Type | Description | Duration |
---|---|---|
Lecturette | Candidates choose one topic from 4 options and speak on it for 3 minutes. | 3 minutes |
Individual Obstacles (IO) | Candidates individually clear 10 obstacles within 3 minutes, marked for difficulty. | 3 minutes |
Command Task (CT) | Each candidate acts as a commander, given an obstacle similar to HGT to overcome with subordinates. | Time not specified |
Final Group Task (FGT) | The entire group reunites to complete a task similar to PGT within a stipulated time. | Time not specified |
Personal Interview | Conducted on Day 2, 3, and 4 after daily tasks. Questions cover everyday experiences, work, education, family, hobbies, etc. | Time not specified |
Day 5 (Conference)
Day 5 is the last day in which the assessor starts with a closing address, then the conference of candidates starts.
- A board conference is conducted where all the officers who assessed the candidates in the previous days are present. Each assessor discusses among themselves with respect to the suitability of a candidate.
- Each candidate then appears individually before the board where their total assessment is narrated, and the board makes a recommendation accordingly.
- The candidates who are borderline are given certain situations and then a collective decision is taken.
After the result is announced the shortlisted candidates are retained for further medical examinations. And once you clear the medicals and made it to merit list then you become worthy of wearing the stars of pride after the rigorous training process.
SSB Full Form in Hindi
हिंदी में इसका मतलब सेवा चयन बोर्ड है। यह सबसे कठिन और सबसे लंबे साक्षात्कार में से एक है, या हम कह सकते हैं कि यह आपको अच्छी तरह से स्कैन करता है, वैसे एसएसबी केवल एक परीक्षा नहीं है बल्कि एक प्रक्रिया है, 5 दिनों की प्रक्रिया है जहां आप अपने व्यक्तित्व का परीक्षण करने के विभिन्न तरीकों से गुजरते हैं।
सीडीएस, एनडीए, टीए, आईएनईटी और एएफसीएटी जैसी लिखित परीक्षाओं को पास करने वाले उम्मीदवारों को संबंधित सैन्य बोर्डों द्वारा एसएसबी साक्षात्कार के लिए बुलाया जाता है। शॉर्टलिस्ट की गई सीधी प्रविष्टियां – टीईएस, टीजीसी, यूईएस, एसएससी टेक आदि प्राप्त करके एसएसबी साक्षात्कार के लिए भी उपस्थित हो सकते हैं।
इसके बाद चयनित छात्रों को इंटेलिजेंस और पर्सनैलिटी टेस्ट के लिए सर्विस सेलेक्शन बोर्ड के सामने पेश होना होगा।