The A to Z of being an officer

A new series which examines at length the Services Selection Board's selection procedure to the armed forces. We start with an introduction to the basic selection protocol.

OFFICERS IN THE MAKING: National Defence Academy graduates march during a passingout parade. Graduates who complete the three-year course in NDA will join the Indian Army, the Navy and the Air Force after one more year of specialised military training in different institutes. DEFENCE GETS the topmost priority in the governance of any country, since its very survival depends on its security and the protection of its territorial integrity. There can be no compromise on alertness or quality of service assured by the armed forces that should effectively swing into action at the shortest notice. India with her long coastline and borders should necessarily have a strong defence system to protect herself. The quality of the defence system depends primarily on the competence of the men in charge of the diverse responsibilities in the armed forces. In order to ensure the best human resources are available to the system, an effective mechanism for the selection of officers with appropriate qualities has been evolved. This is known as the Services Selection Interview (SSB), which is not just an interview in the usual parlance. The Services Selection Board effectively makes a comprehensive assessment of the personal attributes, usually referred to as `officer-like qualities.' The exercise is elaborate. It is spread over four to five days.

Qualities
The Army, the Navy, and the Air Force should have officers with qualities such as: Ability to influence groups; Ability to keep secrets; Alertness; Capacity for right and quick decision; Cheerfulness; Communication skills; Cooperation; Courage; Determination; Discipline; Discrimination; Energy; Fairness; Grit for facing challenges; Honesty; Initiative; Innovative mind; Integrity; Intellectual curiosity; Intelligence; Justice and fairness; Liveliness; Loyalty; Maturity; Optimism; Organisational ability; Originality; Physical health; Positive mental attitude; Reasoning ability; Resourcefulness; Self-confidence; Selflessness; Sense of responsibility; Social adaptability; Stamina; Team spirit; Willingness to delegate responsibility; Willingness to face criticism cheerfully. These are officer like qualities of leadership required in the defence forces.

Opportunities

There are different types of entries such as the National Defence Academy and the Naval Academy for Plus Two boys, Combined Defence Services Examination for graduates, University Entry, Direct Entry in various branches of the Navy and the Air Force. If you go for the SSB interview with a thorough knowledge of its contents and style, you have bright chances of success.

Schedule of tests
The selection process has the following components. - Psychological / intelligent tests - Group Testing Officer's (GTO's) tests. - Personal interview. - Medical examination.

First day
Reception, roll call, allotment of chest numbers, filling up of forms, including personal resume. In addition to these, some intelligence/aptitude tests may be conducted. Those who perform very poorly at this stage may be sent back and cannot proceed further.

Second day
- Intelligence tests: verbal and non-verbal/matrices items. - Word association test - Thematic apperception test - Situation test - Self-description test

Third/fourth days
The Group Testing Officer will be in charge of conducting the tests.

Indoor exercises Group discussion Group planning Short speech Outdoor exercises Progressive group task Group obstacle race (Snake race) Half group task Individual obstacles Command task Final group task

Fifth day
Conference: Each faces the President and other officers The President / Deputy President / GTO speaks to the candidates Announcement of results You will be interviewed personally on any one of the days. There could be slight changes in the schedule. For selection of pilots, there will be the Pilot's Aptitude Test also. During the actual tests or otherwise, you would be under constant watch at the SSB interview centre. Every movement of yours should be made with care and caution.

Patterns of tests
Soon after the introductory address by the President or an officer, you will be given a questionnaire to be filled up. Be honest in what you write. The psychologist, the GTO, and the President would go through it. The following points may appear in the questionnaire. 1. Name of the candidate (in block capitals) 2. Batch No. 3. Chest No. 4. Place and State you belong to 5. Father's name 6. Father' age 7. Father's occupation (Mention the last occupation, if he is no more) 8. Father's income 9. Mother's age and nationality 10. Your date of birth, and age in years and days 11. Number of brothers - elder/younger 12. Number of sisters - elder/younger 13. Number of sisters - married/unmarried 14. Your education, starting from matriculation: Name of the examination, university/board/college /school, division/honours/subjects, year of passing 15. Places where you have stayed for more than one year during the last 10 years 16. Extracurricular activities, with positions you have held 17. Scholarships/awards/trophies you have won 18. Games you play 19. Books you have read during the last one year (apart from textbooks) and their authors 20. Newspapers and periodicals you read 21. Your hobbies

22. History of your diseases and ailments 23. Your choice of arms in Services (with preferences) 24. Types of school/college you have attended (whether boarder or day scholar) 25. Details of NCC training 26. Record of service, if any 27. The most interesting/depressing/exciting event in your life 28. What would your best friend tell about you? 29. What are the reasons for your desire to join the armed forces? 30. Briefly describe the happiest day in your life. Do not blow your trumpet. The books that you indicate should not be textbooks, comics or any trivial ones. If you have philately or photography as your hobby, you should be able to answer a couple of questions on them. If you happen to show some preference to a specific `corps,' you should be able to substantiate your statements with reasons.

Intelligence tests
The SSB interview will have both verbal and non-verbal types of tests in reasoning. There would be time constraint. You will have to answer the questions as quickly as possible. Prepare well for this.