Page 14 - Failure to Triumph - Journey of A Student

been provided. In addition, the Dos and Don'ts have also been explained.

Section 5 deals with the Conference Procedure. Typically at the SSB, the assessment is three-
dimensional and is done by the Psychologist, Group Testing Officer (GTO) and the Interviewing
Officer (IO). It is only during the board conference that these assessors discuss each case carefully
and arrive at a final decision. This section of the book elaborates on the conference procedures in

detail.

The last part of the book includes service-related information, topics on geo-politics and national
issues.

General Guidelines

It is often noted that candidates upon receiving a call letter rush to the nearest coaching centre to do a
crash course, or pick up any book on SSB and try to mug up ideas and views given in them. This
leads to definite failure as assessors are experts in discriminating between candidates who are
genuinely good and those who are superficial. A word of caution therefore, is that there are no

shortcuts to success. It calls for dedicated and systematic preparation. To start with, one must firstly,
build awareness about what is going on in the environment. Selectors are not interested in knowing
the dates, numbers, statistics etc that are straight from books on general knowledge. The general
expectation is awareness about what is happening in the country and its neighbourhood. This calls for
reading newspaper regularly and may be supplementing it with a good magazine. Alternatively, listen
to any good English news channel to keep yourself abreast of the latest developments. In addition, it

is recommended to watch popular TV shows like ‘We the People’, ‘Big Fight' etc on NDTV 24 × 7
where current topics are debated by eminent personalities of the society.

Secondly, it may also be a good idea to start speaking in English with friends and family members.
It is unfortunate but true that the medium of communication is English and many candidates hesitate
and hence do not express themselves adequately and thus fail in the initial screening itself. Hence, it
is important to develop English language skills and it is possible provided you practice regularly by
speaking with friends and family members. Towards this, reading newspaper and listening to news
will also help build your vocabulary.

Thirdly, build knowledge of the service/arm that you are aspiring to join. For example, if you have
opted for the Executive Branch of the Indian Navy or Technical Branch of the Indian Army, find out
details of the service, the various arms, their roles, your likely job profile etc. More often it is seen
that candidates do not even know what they have applied for and this is a sure case for rejection.

Fourthly, you must exercise regularly and keep fit. Simple exercises like jogging, situps, pullups
and pushups will help to build strength and stamina. This will come handy in the physical tasks.

Fifthly, remember the old adage, "First Impression is the Last Impression". The way you present
yourself will matter a lot to the assessors. While it may be normal to have a pony tail and a tattoo in

the civil world, understand the likes and dislikes of officers of the armed forces. Though you are not
expected to take a zero cut, any abnormal dressing or accessories will draw everyone’s attention