Page 13 - Failure to Triumph - Journey of A Student

the SSB because of bad coaching. Having been part of the selection system, I can say this is the
easiest route to becoming a first class gazetted officer of the Government of India.

The aim of this book is to present the entire procedure in a lucid and easy to comprehend manner
which will greatly help the candidates in gaining familiarity with the selection system and the various
tests that are conducted there. The tips offered by the author in each section are based on vast

experience and will come very handy in projecting your true personality in a better way.

This book has been arranged in a chronological sequence in which various tasks are conducted at
the SSB. Before going on to describe the various tests, one chapter (Chapter 2) has been dedicated to
provide detailed description of the various Officer Like Qualities (OLQs) that are seen at the SSBs.
A good understanding of these will help the candidates project these qualities better. The information
covered in each section is as follows:

Section 1 covers the stage 1 testing. In this stage there are three different tests that are conducted
namely Intelligence Test (Verbal), Intelligence Test (Non-Verbal) and Picture Perception and
Discussion Test (PP & DT). Using the results of the intelligence tests, both verbal and non-verbal, the

Intelligence rating of the candidate is deduced. Then the candidates are put through the PP & DT test
in which the candidates are shown a hazy/vague picture and asked to write a story. Thereafter they are
seated in a group of 15 to 18 and asked to narrate their respective story one by one and finally discuss
among themselves to arrive at a common story of the group. Using the intelligence rating and the
performance in the PP & DT roughly about 40 to 50% of the candidates are retained for stage 2

testing.

Section 2 deals with psychological testing. In this section, a total of four tests are conducted,
namely the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), Word Association Test (WAT), Situation Reaction
Test (SRT) and Self-Description Test (SDT). In the TAT, 11 hazy pictures plus one blank picture will
be shown one after the other and the candidate is asked to write a short story. In WAT 60 words are
flashed on the screen one after the other and candidates are asked to write a short sentence using the
word shown. In SRT, candidates are given 60 practical and commonly occurring situations in a
booklet form and asked to react to each of the situation. Finally, in the SDT, the candidates are asked

to write five short paragraphs. The first three paragraphs are about what his/her parents,
friends/colleagues and teachers think of him/her. The fourth paragraph is about what does he/she think
of himself/herself and the fifth paragraph is about what kind of person he/she wishes to become and
what improvements are needed. Based on the responses in these tests, the psychologist will arrive at
his assessment.

Section 3 deals with Group Testing. In this part of the test, a total of 9 different tests are conducted,
namely two rounds of Group Discussion (GD), Group Planning Exercise (GPE), Progressive Group

Task (PGT), Group Obstacle Race (GOR), Half Group Task (HGT), Lecturette, Individual Obstacles
(IOs), Command Task (CT) and Final Group Task (FGT). Each of these tests has been explained in
great detail in the relevant section of the book.

Section 4 deals with the Personal Interview. In this section of the test the Interviewing Officer, by
using six sets of Comprehensive Interview Questionnaires (CIQs) arrives at his assessment of the
candidate. All the six CIQs have been explained and a suggestive answer for each one of them has