We get a lot of questions from candidates who ask us that will be right for them to drop a year and prepare for SSB. A lot of candidates form different age groups ask the same question, some ask about dropping after 12th, a year to prepare for exams after 10+2. Some candidates ask that should they take up a job or not after graduation, in order to prepare for SSB. Some are confused that whether they should continue with their job or take a break and prepare for SSB. Here we are trying to deal with such questions:
Is taking a break for SSB justified
- Should I drop a year to prepare for SSB? I would suggest you not to. You might think that if you
drop a year it’ll show your dedication towards your goal of getting into defense. But this decision is not logical and practical. If you take a break and still not succeed then that break will turn out to be a waste. A break after your education will raise some questions definitely in your interview for a job, or if you get through a good institute like IIM or any other decent college. I am not saying that you gap will be a cause of rejection in private sector, but you’ll have to face unnecessary questions. Also taking a gap for preparing for SSB is not a way to show your sincerity, it doesn’t impresses the board in any way.
- Won’t the preparation and job/study be hectic? Definitely it’ll be a little hectic, but do you think your job in defense will be easy? Certainly not. If you stick to a routine and make sure that you are doing continuous preparations it’ll never get out of control. The problem arises when things pile up, and then you’ll feel workload. Otherwise if you are sticking to you routine of preparing every day, even for say and hour, you’ll not feel much pressure.
- How can I manage frequent leaves to go for SSB’s? Another thing which candidates worry about is the leaves from their work or college. They say that since there are so many entries in the defense sector, hence they may find a chance to appear for a lot of them. How can they manage to get leaves so often. My suggestion here is that, in some cases you can schedule your SSB, so in that case schedule along with your leaves. Else you can try for absentee batches. Other option is to get paid leaves. You can also choose the SSB/entry which you find is best suited for you and go selectively for them. I have seen a lot of working people making it through.
- Will I get enough time to prepare? As mentioned it’ll be a little hectic, but you can find time. I have a friend who made it in navy. She was working for an MNC, and had to travel every day to her office for about 2 hours. She used to read SRT’s, TAT and GK on her way to office, and then in office too she used to read stuff as soon as she used to find time. So it depends on your determination. In fact it’ll cast a much better impression on the board to see that you are working also, and can perform well in SSB too.
