Services Selection Board: Diluting Standards

Five DAY PROGRAMME
The candidates are called through “Call Letters” to appear in 5 days tests at SSB (Allahabad/Bhopal/Bangalore/Mysore/Varanasi/Dehradun)

Four categories of tests: A) Screening Test B) Psychological Test C) Group Testing Officers (GTO) Test D) Interview Screening Test (First Day). After the individual has filled in certain Forms and also the Bio Data forms known as “Personal Information Questionnaire” (PIQ), the candidates will undergo two types of tests as under.

a) Verbal and Non-Verbal tests
b) Picture story writing followed by discussion of the stories

Once the Screening Test is over, the results are declared within 1 hour of the completion of the test. Those who clear the test are required to stay back for the next 4 days and the remaining persons are dropped back at the Railway Station for their return journey.

Psychological Test (Second day). These tests are in four parts as under:-

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)- Commonly known as Picture Story writing.
Word Association Test(WAT)
Situation Reaction Test(SRT)
Self Description Test(SD)
Group Testing Officers (GTO) Test (Third and Fourth day)
The following tests are conducted in this caregory :-

Group discussion
Group Planning Exercise (sometimes known as Military Planning Exercise)
Progressive Group Tasks
Half Group Tasks
Individual Obstacles
Group Obstacles Race
Command Task
Lecturette
Final Group Task

Interview: (Held during afternoon/evening hours on 2nd/3rd/4th day)

Board Meeting (Fifth day)
The candidates are required to appear before the complete Board of Examiners comprising of President,Dy President, all the psychologists, all the GTO’s and Technical Officer. After the Board Meeting is over,the final result is declared within ½ an hour. Selected candidates are required to stay back for their medical examination (takes about 3 to 5 days) in the Military Hospital near by or at a different place and the remaining candidates are dropped at the Railway Station for their return journey.

NOTE: Candidates appearing for the first time for a particular type of entry are paid 2nd class return journey fare from the place of their residence to the place where they have come for the interview. Accommodation and messing are free for the entire duration of their stay while under going SSB Tests. The Air Force candidates are required to go to a different place for medical examination on the specified date. Air Force candidates who had applied for ‘Pilot Entry’ have to first appear in ‘Pilot Aptitude Battery Test (PABT)’. Those who are rejected in P.A.B.T cannot re-appear in this test subsequently.

Diluting the Selection Process
The Asian Age, 19 August 2008
General faces probe over Army selections
New Delhi: The Indian Army has ordered a court of inquiry against a senior officer of the rank of Major-General who had earlier headed one of the Service Selection Boards (SSBs) at Allahabad, Army sources have confirmed. The court of inquiry was set up after allegations that the officer had favoured a candidate for selection, sources said. "The findings of the court of enquiry are awaited," sources said. The Service Selection Board is the board which conducts personality and intelligence interviews to analyse the potential and capability of aspirants wanting to become officers in the Indian Army...
Diluting the selection process: OLQ debased!
SSB Guide