SSB INTERVIEW Questions

SSB is a mandatory pathway which each Defence aspirant has to travel in order to get admitted into Indian Armed Forces.

It is a perfect mix of all necessary parameters required to judge a candidate’s suitability for Indian Military, be it Indian Army, Indian Navy or Indian Air Force. The judging tests include TAT, WAT, SRT, SD, GD, PI, and various outdoor tasks. They all differ in their procedure, aim and methodology.

The concern of today’s article relates to the kind of questions asked in the Personal Interview round of SSB.  The Personal Interview is a direct, a face- to- face conversation between the candidate and the Interview Officer (IO). The questions are based on PIQ (Personal Information Questionnaire) form of the candidate which he filled during the very beginning of SSB session.

There is simply no reason to panic. Personal Interview is just a closer assessment of your personality, confidence, and general knowledge. The IO asks question in a rapid fire form wherein 8-10 questions are put up together. Here is the tricky part as you have to remember the questions as well as their order. In between the IO may interrupt and ask questions for clarification.

The level of SSB questions is such that first very general, basic questions followed up by real life situations, current affairs, social issues and lastly questions pertaining to your trade. Here is a collection of some of the most important questions asked in SSB Interview:

PERSONAL- What is your name? What are your parents; name? Where does your father/ mother work? Tell me something about your native place. Where did you do your schooling from? How many siblings do you have? Are you employed somewhere? Tell us about your job. What is the meaning of your name? What are your hobbies and interests? Which subject did you like the most? Who was your favorite teacher and why? Who is your best friend? Define the qualities of a good friend. Which is your favorite pass time activity? How do you spend your salary/ pocket money? When was the last time you did something for the society and how? Who is your role model in life?

PROFESSIONAL: Why do you want to join Indian Defence? What is your aim in life? Tell me about the three wings of Indian Armed Force. Since when have you been preparing for Indian Defence? Did you join any coaching for clearing this exam? What are the current 5 national and international news? List 5 recent developments in Indian Army. Give the most recent news in context to Indian sports. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Tell me about your achievements? Rate your performance in all the SSB tasks. Which SSB task did you find most difficult? What beliefs do you have regarding marriage? Why do you prefer Indian Army/ Indian Navy/ Indian Air Force over others? What is the role of Defence in our country? Who is the Chief of Indian Army/ Indian Navy/ Indian Air Force? What inspired you to join Indian Armed Forces?

TRICKY: Do you smoke? Do you drink alcohol? Tell us the name of your girlfriend/ boyfriend. Did you ever cheat in exams? What is the most scary incident of your life? What was the most challenging phase of your life in college? If your parents ask you to study abroad while you wish to stay here, what will you do? Whom do you love more, your father or mother? If your best friend ditches you, how are you going to deal with him/ her? If you fail in all your attempts to join Indian Defence, what will you do? If you are made Prime Minister of India what changes will you bring?

So that’s a rich and thick collection of some significant questions for SSB interview. Keep a few things in mind to answer in the desired manner:

Don’t go with the flow, the Interview Officer is not or your friend or relative hence don’t get over friendly with him;

Be honest in your answers because the person sitting in front of you is an expert and will catch you in seconds if you lie;

Be confident;

Be clear and audible because language and the words both matter a lot;

Try to depict your Officer like qualities as much as possible in your answers;

Lastly be realistic and logical, do not give heroic or out of the world answers.

SSB certainly has many levels and tasks but that is what gives it a special quality. SSB is a life time experience and Personal Interview, especially, will further enhance your exposure. Prepare well and don’t forget to add good amount of confidence to your performance.