Why SSB Interview is India’s Toughest Interview. You must have read in many articles that Service Selection Board Interview is the trickiest interview. In some places you must have read that it is the toughest one. In fact, the candidates who appear in this interview also second this opinion, that SSB is India’s toughest interview. So we decided to dig into this point even more and thus this article talks about why SSB is India’s toughest interview.
SSB Interview Preparation Material [ 100% Recommended]
- Let’s Crack SSB Interview [Book]
- SSB Psychological Tests – Deep Dive [Book]
Why SSB Interview in India’s Toughest Interview
- Instead of ‘best’ fit, they want ‘right’ fit: Defence Forces are one such organization which doesn’t want the best people as officers, they want the right people. In other organizations if you go and there are ‘n’ number of people who have come here for interview, then they’ll select based on the number of posts. They’ll select amongst the lot, who they think is best for the job. Whereas in SSB they want the right fit. If they won’t find the right fit, they’ll simply reject all the other people, if they find the right fit in all, then they’ll recommend all. You must have read that there is a shortage of officers in the forces, this is the major reason for that. Since SSB is a very tough interview and they want the right fit and not the best one, hence the reason for the vacant seats.
- The three-pronged selection style: In SSB three people access you from three different perspectives. The psychologist accesses you from your mind, he/she makes sure that you have the necessary qualities that an officer must have, by putting you under several tests. The Interviewing officers talk to you one on one and draw his conclusion based on your answers. The GTO tests you for your group compatibility and other social qualities. If you are passed by any two (in some cases all three), then only you are recommended. The conclusions of these officers are independent and nobody interferes in other one’s deduction. They never discuss anything about any candidate except for the board conference.
 - Mansa, Karma, Vachan and the OLQ’s:It is said that in order to pass the SSB you must be the same person in all the three assessors’ conclusion. This means you must possess certain OLQ’s and these should be the same in all the three results. In other words what you write in the psychological tests papers should be in line with what you say to the interviewing officer and these should match with how you perform in the GT series. If you are not putting any fake reaction then generally the results of all three assessors must match, thus you get recommended.
- The secrecy of results (Self-Introspection): There is a common complaint amongst the candidates that in SSB nobody gets to know where he/she lacked. Thus the results are secret and you shortcomings are never told. It is entirely left on the candidate to think, introspect and derive the conclusion where they lacked; in which test they performed bad or what might be the possible reason for rejection. It just leaves you wondering, and is very difficult to guess where you lacked because sometimes your conclusion can be entirely different. So, all in all, you never really get to know the reason for your rejection.
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