Want to become an officer in the Indian Army, Navy or Airforce? Here’s how the SSB selection process works

There is nothing better than being an officer in the Indian Army, Navy or Airforce when it comes to joining the defence forces and commanding from the frontlines. SSB is the bridge that connects this dream of aspirants to reality.


The Ministry of Defence's Service Selection Board (SSB) conducts a 5-day Intelligence and Personality test every year of those candidates who have qualified written tests like CDS, NDA, TA, INET, and AFCAT. Shortlisted candidates from direct entries - TES, TGC, UES, SSC Tech, etc. – can also apply for the SSB Interview.


We spoke to Manik Sharma, who cleared the NDA in 2015 and later appeared for SSB in Bengaluru, on how the selection process works.


There are a total of 10 SSB centres across the country for all the services i.e., Army, Airforce and the Navy.

Procedure & key pointers

It all begins with a scheduled report to the selection centre. Candidates are briefed about their stay for the next 5 days by a board officer before the exam begins. Following that, document verification occurs, and testing begins the same day or the following day, depending on the time of reporting and the testing centre. It is important to read the instruction bulletin carefully beforehand that is mailed to the candidates by SSB, subject to their qualification for the intelligence and personality test. The aspirants should keep all documents ready to avoid any objections later.


The first day involves a screening test which is divided into Picture Perception & Discussion Test (PPDT) and Officer Intelligence Rating Test (OIR Test). One has to have a basic understanding of verbal and non-verbal reasoning along with constructive perception, which can be sharpened by practising different test papers available online on the concerning topics and themes.


Candidates who are recommended for stage II testing are kept, while those who are not recommended are sent back.


A Psychological Test is conducted on the second day of SSB. On this day, the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), Word Association Test (WAT), Situation Reaction Test (SRT), and Self-Description Test is conducted (SDT). The time limit is given to assess each candidate's natural response. These tests are used to determine a candidate's psychological suitability for the armed forces. One must introspect on their priorities to be clear in the head while appearing for these tests.


Group Testing takes place on days 3 and 4. Several outdoor tests are held under the command of the Group Testing Officer (GTO), in which candidates must participate in groups. Group Discussion (GD), Group Planning Exercise (GPE), Progressive Group Task (PGT), Group Obstacle Race (GOR), and Half Group Task (HGT) are all part of the third day's activities. Lecturette, Individual Obstacles (IO), Command Task (CT), and Final Group Task (FGT) are all conducted on the fourth day. It is always good to have mock training under the guidance of an ex-GTO before going for the real thing as it gives an insight into the task and prepares you for the challenges beforehand.


Personal interviews are often held on days 2, 3, and 4 following the completion of the daily assignments. Interviews are mainly on ordinary life, work, education, family, interests, academic achievements, general awareness, and so on. One must be honest while the interaction is ongoing because the interviewer is always keeping an eye on the body language and expression to assess you.


The assessor begins with a closing address on Day 5, after which the candidates' conference begins.


All of the officers who evaluated the candidates the previous days are invited to a board meeting. The board then hears each candidate's overall evaluation and grills them according to their performance in different tests and makes a recommendation based on that information.


Shortlisted candidates are kept for additional medical checks once the results are revealed. After passing the medicals and making the merit list, you are then eligible for further training in the defence/training academy before joining the elite service.


And last but not the least, you should enjoy yourself in the process because it will reflect in your personality and help you get an edge amongst the others.