When it comes to SSB interview tips, recommended candidates are the best source for guidance. The Services Selection Board (SSB) interview is a detailed test of a candidate’s personality and the presence of officer-like qualities (OLQs). Receiving a recommendation from the SSB is an essential requirement to join the armed forces as an officer. Candidates preparing for the SSB interview need holistic guidance to deliver a good performance. In this detailed blog, we will share the top 10 SSB interview tips by recommended candidates. These tips for the SSB interview are very useful for those who are going to appear for the SSB in the upcoming days. Read on to learn more about these 10 useful SSB tips from recommended candidates.

• Juee Rajendra Dhage (AIR 3 in Girls) was recommended from 20 SSB Bhopal for the NDA 150th Course

Sir, actually, the procedure lasts for five days, and each day has different activities. I never focused on the final recommendation. Instead, I concentrated on each step of the process. For instance, if it was day one and the screening test with the OIR (Officer Intelligence Rating), I only thought about the OIR and put my entire mind into it. Thinking ahead didn’t benefit me, so I gave each step its due importance and focused on the present moment. If I had thought about the future, half of my mind would have been engaged there, and I wouldn’t have been able to contribute my full 100% to each test.

So, whatever happened, if my OIR was good and I solved all the questions, I did my best in that. Then, for the PPDT, I always passed it. During my preparation, I have taken the PPDT four times, and each time I went through it successfully. When it came time for the narration in the PPDT, the assessor stopped me before the one-minute mark. For a second, I thought I had made a mistake, but then the discussion took place, and I realized he probably understood the theme of my story easily, which is why he stopped me there. So, Day One, the screening, was completed. I took each thing forward by focusing entirely on the present. Once the psych tests were done, I didn’t think about them anymore. I focused on the next task, always being in the present.

• Yuvraj Singh was recommended from 11 SSB Allahabad for the SSC Tech 63 Course

Your written journey is complete; now you have to face the SSB (Services Selection Board). The first thing you’ll face in the SSB is screening. The most important aspect of screening, which brings me to my second point, is communication skills. Your communication skills need to be very sharp. For that, you need to start working on them today. Reduce your screen time and increase your social environment. Develop your interpersonal personality. Talk to your friends and interact with your teachers because we can’t recognize our own shortcomings, but the people around us who observe us can know us very well, right? So, the first thing is self-study. The second thing is to expand your circle and work on your communication skills.

And the last thing, the third thing that I want to tell you all today, is to develop your hobbies very well. Your hobbies will be asked about in your interview, and they might be asked in the conference as well. They are very effective for your overall personality development. So, choose your hobbies wisely, work on them, and as you gradually grow, you will see that not only your communication and hobbies but your overall personality will be developing.

• Chandra Prakash Yadav was recommended from 14 SSB Allahabad for the NDA 149th Course 

I had heard from everyone that you should focus on the process and not the result. Initially, I thought I wouldn’t do that, but some things happen naturally. However, after not succeeding three times, I realized that I needed to give my best effort because the result was not in my hands anyway. So, I put in my best effort, using the guidance and resources I had, and moved forward without worrying about the results. In my three attempts, I included all the small things I had learned and applied them.

Luckily, I got screened this time. On the second day, we had our photographs taken as a batch before the psychology test. In the psychology test, we had the usual 12 pictures, 60 words, and 60 situations to respond to, along with the self-description, as you all know. This time, I made a slight change. After taking my tests, I didn’t discuss them much with anyone. I didn’t seek assurance from others. Instead, I focused on my next task. I kept thinking that whatever task came my way, I needed to give my best to it.

• Himanshu Sharma was recommended by 11 SSB Allahabad for the TGC-133 Course. Also, recommended for Air Force through AFCAT entry.

Since it was the Allahabad board and there were about 200 candidates, the size of our PPDT group was nearly 20 people. The picture we were given showed a kind of scene with a bed, a doctor, and someone lying down. I quickly observed the picture and thought about how I could bring in my points in such a large group. I thought of counterpoints for my story and for others’ stories as well. I observed that there was a cupboard but no instruments typically found in a hospital. So, I decided that if anyone suggested that the story was set in a hospital, I would have counterpoints ready.

As we completed our narration and started the group discussion, I was thankfully able to initiate it. When the discussion turned into a fish market situation, I addressed the most chaotic boy in our group, giving him the chance to speak by saying, “Friend, let him complete; we will speak after him. What’s the issue?” By allowing him to speak, I reduced the number of people I had to argue against from ten to just one.

This approach helped our group to be more organized, with only one or two people speaking at a time. Step by step, we discussed each point, and the arguments I had prepared came in very handy. This was one of the reasons why almost four people from our group got screened in.

• Aditya Maurya was recommended from 2 AFSB Mysore for NDA 150th Course

My interview was almost a replica of the one conducted here. The interview I had with Shishir sir and Colonel Sharma sir was very similar. Almost seven to eight questions were exactly the same as those asked here, so I became more confident that my interview was going well. As sir had mentioned, you need to highlight your qualities from your PIQ (Personal Information Questionnaire) indirectly. For example, instead of directly stating that you have convincing skills, you should explain it by saying that you can easily convince your sister in math problems, which indicates your convincing skills.

Similarly, if you attend the interview, it will be related to your PIQ. Sir also advised us to work on our military awareness, so I did. My military awareness was adequate, and the PIQ was well-prepared. As sir suggested, I created questions from my PIQ and understood them well. Sir even conducted a few mock interviews here, which helped me face the actual interview confidently without any trouble. Overall, the interview went well.

• Ayushi Patel cracked SSB from 22 SSB Bhopal for the NDA 149th Course

After qualifying for the written exam, I chose Centurion Defence Academy for SSB preparation as well because I had already experienced excellent cooperation here during the written exam preparation. When I prepared for the SSB, we all knew that psychology, GTO, and personal interview are the three main stages. The preparation for these stages at the academy is exceptionally good with different teachers for different aspects.

I definitely want to give full credit for psychology to Shishir sir. His book, “Ranneeti,” which he wrote himself, was incredibly helpful. It contains samples for TAT, WAT, SRT, and SDT, along with pictures for practice. I used the book thoroughly, and it was very, very helpful to me.

For GTO, I initially came for 21 days of preparation, but Sir extended my time, and I ended up preparing for almost two months. I went to the GTO ground five to six times, which is well-equipped. When I went to the SSB after practicing on the GTO ground here, I never felt any difference. I was as familiar and comfortable there as I was here. It was the best preparation.

I just want to say one thing: NDA is a very long process. It takes about a year from the start of preparation to joining. It requires a lot of patience. The more patience you have, the easier it will be to overcome all the challenges and stages. So, keep your patience and continue your preparation.

• Nikita Singh was recommended from 4 AFSB Varanasi through AFCAT Entry

For psychology, I didn’t apply any particular strategy because I had confidence from my previous attempt, so I knew how to approach it. The main issue before was my lack of practice. I wasn’t able to complete the stories within four minutes. During my previous attempt, what happened was that when the picture appeared, I would see it, but then the next picture would come before I could complete my previous story.

This time, I made sure to complete my story within four minutes, aiming for around three minutes and thirty seconds, and then revise my story for the remaining thirty seconds. This was my strategy for the psychology test. I completed all my 11 stories, and for the 12th story, which was a blank picture, I wrote about a personal life experience.

For the Word Association Test (WAT), I attempted all 60 words, except for one word whose meaning I didn’t understand. In the Situation Reaction Test (SRT), I completed around 48 or 49 situations. For the Self-Description (SD), Shishir Sir helped me prepare, so I had a fair idea of what to write about myself. I believe that you should prepare your SDT well because, in my opinion, SDT plays a major role. Therefore, it is important to prepare your self-description test thoroughly.

• Vanpreet Bansal cracked SSB from NSB Kolkata for INET 2022 Batch of Indian Navy

My message to you is simple: never lose hope. In life, there are times when I didn’t clear the exam on my first attempt, and my confidence was low. But from those experiences, I learned valuable lessons about my mistakes. Remember, every setback teaches you something. So, stay determined and always give your best effort. Learn from your failures, understand what went wrong, and use that knowledge to succeed wherever you go.

• Harikesh Yadav was recommended from 34 SSB Allahabad for the TGC 138th Course

During a mock interview, Shishir sir once asked me to prove that I am hard-working. Initially, I didn’t understand how to respond. Later, he pointed out on the second page of my PIQ that my involvement in sports, scouting, guiding, and receiving the President’s award showcased my dedication. This gave me a confidence boost, realizing that academic performance isn’t the sole indicator of diligence. It taught me that every aspect of life, including non-academic pursuits, contributes to personal growth.

If a candidate feels disheartened due to poor academic performance or any other setback, they should remember that it doesn’t define their capability. Through dedication and varied experiences, one can qualify and undergo transformation. Therefore, every opportunity should be approached seriously, as even minor achievements can have a significant impact.

• Suraj Singh was recommended from 32 SSB Kapurthala for IMA Dehradun through CDS Entry

I initially started my PIQ by writing what I should write in it. I made my PIQ very good and then I saw how I could improve it further. I wrote about being the school captain, which I actually was, but the duties varied between schools. For instance, in a convent school, the school captain has a lot of responsibilities. I researched thoroughly about these responsibilities and compared them to my own experience. I introspected about the challenges I faced as a school captain and how I resolved them. I prepared stories based on these experiences, so if I ever encounter similar challenges, I have stories to share.

During my interview, I had a very good experience. My interviewing officer was quite friendly and smiled throughout. I never felt like I was talking to a senior officer; it felt more like a conversation with a friend. Since my PIQ was well-prepared, the interview focused mainly on it. I did not face any difficulty in answering the questions because I was well-prepared for each one that was asked. All the questions were related to my PIQ, so I was prepared for everything.

Conclusion:

The SSB interview tips shared above are all from the recommended students of Centurion Defence Academy. These candidates prepared for their SSB interview under the guidance of Team Centurion, and they are all recommended and currently undergoing training in their respective training academies. Many of these students were part of Centurion’s Written + SSB courses. We hope their tips will help you succeed in your SSB interview. If you want to know more about their strategies, you can visit our official YouTube channel, where there are numerous videos shared by our students explaining their tips and strategies in detail.

If you also want to shine like them and earn a recommendation, Centurion Defence Academy is the ultimate source for the best SSB coaching in India. For more details about our courses, just call +91 9795977776 / +91 9795977779.