A Mirage 2000 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force landed successfully on the Agra Yamuna Expressway as part of a trial run on Thursday morning. This trial exercise was to test whether the national highways can be used for emergency landings.
Though time is the most precious commodity for everyone but for defence aspirants it’s the utmost. An officer should know how to manage time and how to plan things. This being a good quality is assessed at many places at SSB. Along with this planning and decision taking capability also becomes handy. All of these qualities are tested in every round of SSB because each and every round is conducted in strict supervision and time limit. The aspirants should thus know how to manage their time well. I have received many queries which prove that the aspirants are not able to manage time well either of their busy schedules with college, friends or their working lifestyle does not allow them to do so.
But still if you will calculate things you will analyse how much time we waste and that can be utilised properly. The people who get success differ mostly in this aspect and nothing else. They actually know how to respect time and plan it to their benefit. The secret is no more a secret so follow the simple tips given below and be your own master.
How to select ones back up option and how to develop personality will be covered in other articles. Still If you have any confusion or feel to take individual assessment of personality for OLQ’s or prepare from your place itself through one to one interaction through my mentoring / counselling program or need personality development assessment drop me a mail at [email protected] or add me on Fb and drop in a message. It would be a pleasure to help and resolve queries and clear doubts which are more often myths that are present in the mind of aspirants. SSB is all about representing yourself so the first phase of preparation should involve knowing yourself well.
In this episode of Jai Hind, Rocky & Mayur have marched into the 125 Helicopter Squadron, also known as Gladiators, which was formed on 01 Nov 83 as the designated squadron for Attack Helicopters also called helicopter gunships. They get to know about how the Gladiators undertake Counter Insurgency operations and Search and Rescue (SAR) operations, and witness how an Attack Helicopter Squadron lays down withering cover fire for ground troops.
Source: NDTV
Indian Navy Recruitment For Executive and Technical Branch THE INDIAN NAVY INVITES ENGINEERS TO JOIN THE INDIAN NAVY AS SHORT SERVICE COMMISSIONED OFFICERS IN EXECUTIVE BRANCH (GENERAL SERVICE/HYDRO CADRE) AND TECHNICAL BRANCH (SUBMARINE) JAN 2016 COURSE. Applicationsareinvitedfromunmarried Male candidates for grantofShort ServiceCommission in Executive Branch (General Services/Hydro Cadre) and Technical Branches (submarine) of the IndianNavy for Jan 2016 Course at Indian Naval Academy (INA) Ezhimala, Kerala. Candidates must fulfill conditions of nationality as laid down by the Government of India. Candidates already applied for the posts in the month of Mar 15 need not to apply again. Duplicate applications are liable to be rejected.
Note:-
PHYSICAL STANDARDS
The candidates should not be colour/night blind & must be physically fit according to following physical standards:-
Note:-
Allowances (as applicable). The rates of allowances applicable to officers are as follows:
SELECTION PROCEDURE
HOW TO APPLY
Filling up of e-application: – For filling up application Online visit our website www.joinindiannavy.gov.in and proceed as follows:-
Note:-
Hello friends, Its my pleasure to share my SSB experience in depth for all who are willing to be GC’s and LC’s. For sure this is going to help someone or the other and that is the main motive behind writing this. I will cover my eleven days journey in the following order –
– Day 0 – Arrival & Documentation
– Day 1 – Intelligence Test & PPDT
– Day 2 – Psychology Tests
– Day 3 – GTO 1
– Day 4 – GTO 2
– D-Day – Conference
– Medical Examination
As soon as the SSB Centre allocation list was uploaded on Indian Army website, like all the others I was eagerly waiting for the call letter and SMS to find out reporting date.
My college friends and I from the same college got Bangalore as our SSB centre and we were very excited as soon as we got our call letter, next challenge was to book a ticket and get a reserved seat within short period of time. Its was not at all easy. There is no direct train from Jammu to Bangalore. So I decided to go via air and booked a ticket with Indigo Airlines. The air travel is very much exciting, not because we are in the air but due to beautiful air hostess at ur service… heheheheh….
Day 0 – Arrival & Documentation – 05/01/2015
I reached Bangalore on 4 January and went to one of my cousins for a night. I slept till 8-9am and then had break-fast and around 12pm left for the railway station. After waiting for a half-hour or so finally the bus with the ‘SSB Bangalore’ written in front came, we all boarded the bus and within 15 minutes reached the centre.
As soon as we entered the Centre, our eyes were stuck on the chest number with a ‘+’ on them, medical candidates who were going to the mess for lunch and I thought in my mind…SARDAR can you get that…. We got down and kept our luggage in the waiting shed(I am sure this is the only time when all of us will happy take our luggage and keep it in waiting shed), as we were instructed so and made groups according to our roll numbers.
In our group, there were 78 candidates. we were sent to 24 SSB Board, which has a unique color like all boards – Red. After checking the call letters, ustad sent us to the 24SSB living area. We made our self-comfortable, went around looked here and there. Had our evening tea and then made arrangement for next day. We didn’t open our much of our luggage, just took out the necessary thing and kept it like that because next day we had to take it to the most hated place – waiting shed, keep it here & then go to Screening Test.
Day 1 – Intelligence Test & PPDT – 06/01/2015
Some of us woke up as early as 4:30am and started getting ready for the screening test. I got up around 5:00am and found people around me packing and getting ready. Its was quite cold in the morning, we had to report at 6:45am near waiting shed with our luggage after having breakfast by 6:00am. We had tea after finishing everything in the barrack and submitted blanket and bedsheet and checked out of the barrack.
By 7:10am the first test – Intelligence Test(Verbal) began and then second test – Non-Verbal began and got over soon. I found the paper easy and had attempted most of the questions except 4-5 questions. I expected dice question but not even a single dice question was there.
Then our psychologist came and briefed second test – PPDT began and we all wrote our stories, came out of the hall and as usual most of the candidates started asking the theme of their group mates’ story and began discussing each other’s story.. Some of them were trying to memorise their story by repeating it in their mind while walking front and back. That nervousness and fear were visible on everyone’s face.
PPDT Picture – A man with a gun at the left-bottom side of the picture looking at some people working in the field, It appears to me as farmers working in their fields near international border in a village at Jammu and the man is an army officer [That’s what I perceived it.]
After that one by one all the groups went in for the group discussion. Generally the discussion lasted for about 10-15 minutes for each group. We went inside sat on the chairs arranged in a semi-circle form in clockwise order but it was not a semi-circle at all, the chairs were kept in a more of straight line, we had difficulty in seeing each other’s face while addressing the group during discussion. After settling down, one of the four officers(I guess there were two Psychologist and one GTO and one IO) gave us instructions and asked us to start narration. One by one all of us narrated our stories. There were few candidates who couldn’t narrate a complete story in time. Though even I was little nervous but I used one minute properly and finished my narration in time in a calm and cool manner while maintaining the eye contact with my group mates. There were one or two candidates who were addressing the officers instead of the group. ( Always address the group, not the officers.)
As soon as the narration got over, without testing officer’s instruction some of my group-mates suddenly started SHOUTING. We were all amazed. I think he was in a hurry to finish the discussion and wanted to prove himself as a leader. While discussing he literally stopped others from speaking by placing his hand in front of his neighbor candidate’s chest and during the whole discussion he didn’t let those speak who wanted.It was a blunder. Other then him everyone was cooperative, we had a healthy discussion and decided to go with the combined theme of border vigilance + saving people from the flood, but we couldn’t come to a common story.
After all the group finished the discussion, we were asked to wait near 24 SSB Conference hall. After waiting for three hours or so, somewhere around 1:30pm results came. Only 24 candidates out of 78 were screened in. I was happy as well as sad. Sad because two of my friend got screened out.
Later on, we filled the PIQ forms and TA(traveling allowance) documents and submitted. Our CHM sir told us that interview will start from next day. So after filling forms, 5:30pm onwards we were completely free. We took our luggage, went to our living area, kept our luggage and then went to the canteen to eat because no lunch was provided to us that day.
After having dinner at 9:00pm, I slept.
Day 2 – Psychology Tests – 07/01/2015
It was 7:00am, after having breakfast all the lucky candidates gathered near Hall for psychology test. We all stood in line and then we were divided into 3 groups – one each for freshers, screened-out and repeaters. After settling into the hall, we went outside and had a group photograph. Soon after photograph test started.
TAT – I got sufficient time for writing all the stories and relax for 30sec. I found TAT easy. I wrote 3-4 stories on Army, 3 on adventure, 2 on organizing fest & picnic and the last one was based on personal life experience, but out of 12 stories 9 were directly linked to my life.
WAT – This test was mind blowing, during this test I had little problem in managing time because words were coming and going within fraction of seconds. But somehow I managed to attend all 58 out of 60 words. For every word I gave positive/neutral response. For two words I wrote… don’t know the meaning…..
SRT – I answered 36 SRTs in the given time, as far as I know all were positive response. I was satisfied with my performance but could have done better then that. I did not leave any situation blank in between. (Note: If you leave a situation in between its shows that you are running away from the problem. So always avoid skipping SRTs in between.)
SD – I had prepared my SD well in advance. I wrote all the five para’s (about myself, parents, teachers, friends and strength & weakness.) in time. I didn’t use any fancy words like hardwork, sincere, faithful, courageous, disciplined.. nothing like that. It was quite simple – in all the para’s I wrote 4 good qualities and 1 bad quality. All of us know – we are not perfect, all of us have some negative points. I suggest you that don’t hide your bad qualities. Present them in a good way.I was feeling very light after psychology test got over because I think I did well. Later that day some of us had interview and rest of us enjoyed moving in streets of Bangalore.
Day 3 – G.T.O 1 – 08/01/2015
Woke up early morning at 4:30am, the normal tap water was cold. Thanks to the hot water facility, took bath. Everyday by 5:30am bed tea use to come, after drinking that and arranging our bed, all of us went to eat breakfast at 6:30am and then to GTO ground by 6:55am. We were all lined up in different places, each group had different GTO. Our GTO was a very young officer. He was looking smart. In my group some of the guys were very cooperative.
GD – We were free to choose a topic from the given choice by GTO. We had a healthy discussion. I spoke for 3-4 times, allowed others to put forward there points. The second GD also went in a similar way like the 1st GD.
GPE – Second task in GTO was GPE, because of cold weather our hands freezed. I was very disappointed with the group as we couldn’t come to a common solution to the given problems. People had their own egos. No one was ready to listen to others. I started the discussion & gave some points but I think I could have done better, if the group had been more cooperative in GPE. Even the person who gave conclusion, he spoke just what he wanted – didn’t consider others’ solution at all and he was so slow that he couldn’t tell the final plan to GTO.
PGT – As usual four obstacles were given, till now we couldn’t create that bond between ourself. So we had problem in crossing the obstacle. Everyone was giving their own idea and those who had the helping material didn’t listen to others. They were just trying to apply their ideas. People were literally shouting on each other. In first task i gave ideas and we crossed it easily. In second obstacle it was hard because everyone was trying to go in a different way, so I took the plank and showed the way. After somehow crossing second one, third obstacle was not that hard, but as most of the workable ideas were given by me, GTO wanted to see what the others have in their mind, so while I was negotiating third PGT, he asked other group members that anybody who want to do this task plz come forward.. at that time I saw that there is only place for three people to stand there… so I quietly left that spot for the new guy and went to the starting line. We crossed it and . So in this task we only completed 3 out of 4 obstacles. I was happy with what happened in PGT.
SNAKE RACE – Our war cry was – “Chak De”… all of us were helping each other, during whole race I was shouting.. Shouting.. Shouting.. and made sure that minimum three person are holding the snake as I was either in front or in the end. We won!!(but the fact is each group’s GTO tells them that they won, so everyone is a winner in the end :P). Everyone was happy and appreciated each others efforts. It was overall good.
LECTURETTE – This was a one of the best tasks. I am used to perform theater, debates in college so its wasn’t hard at all. Initially everyone had to introduce them-self – Name, where are you from, what you doing/pursuing, about your hobbies in 30-40 Sec. I performed quite well. Topics were very easy, I spoke on 1st topic and within around 2min 50sec I concluded my lecture.
HGT – Before starting the task our GTO asked us – How we wanted the groups to be divided? So some of us told 50%-50%, some told odd-even, some told first 5 and last five. So GTO divided the sub group into 50-50. I was very happy with my new group, it was the best group. Before going to task itself we decided that we will not run after helping material and first we will take few minutes to make a plan and then go ahead. As we reached near our obstacle, GTO explained the rules and showed us the obstacle. The obstacle looked hard but it wasn’t. We started discussing, no one got any ideas as to how to approach but I got idea and explained it to the group, they agreed and within 3minutes or maybe less than that we finished the task with everyone’s help. There was very little resistance from the group about following my ideas, as they were workable. It was really a superb task.
INDIVIDUAL TASK – on our first day of GTO this was the last task,we were sitting in semi-circle. I was the last person to go. Before starting itself GTO briefed us about obstacles and rules. We were given 30 seconds to organise/make a plan for ourself. All of us went around and decided the best suitable sequence in which we will be doing the obstacles. Once again we settled down on our chairs. There were ten obstacles – Tiger leap, Burma bridge, Double ditch, Commando walk, Tarzan swing, Screen jump, Balancing beam(Zig-zag), Double platform jump, Double barrel jump and Single ramp. When my turn came, I tightened my shoe lace and on whistle I started with balancing beam, tiger leap, single ramp, screen jump, commando walk, Burma bridge, double platform jump.In total I did 7 obstacles only. After finishing the obstacles, I ran towards the waiting shed. I was completely breathless and my thighs gave up, I did little warm down exercise and took long breaths. That is where it ended. Now all of us did what we could, next thing we were thinking about what the three assessors will do. In-spite of all that, we planned to once again decided to visit the city. We visited Garuda mall, Vishveswariya Museum, and few other places. It was fun, we enjoyed our day and came back to the center. After having our dinner we all went to bed.
Day 4 – G.T.O 2 – 09/01/2015
I woke up at 5:00am, took bath. We all went to mess had breakfast, as usual bread and butter. Today it was bit cold. By 7:00am we were in the GTO ground. We waited for a long time and then GTO arrived, briefed us about the various task we were going to do today.
COMMAND TASK – We all sat in the waiting shed near GTO ground, we were called randomly by GTO. My group-mates called me four times as a subordinate during the whole task. When I went as a subordinate, I kept quite and followed what the commander said – In one case I knew that I will fall if I go forward but still I did because the commander asked me to. But GTO interrupted and asked the commander – “if anything was wrong with the idea”, so he said – “it was unstable”. When my turn came, initially GTO asked me few questions relating to my family background, hobbies etc. the obstacle had three paths from start line to finish line, GTO asked me to call your subordinates (I thought in my mind that each commander called most of us except chest no 9, he was a bit heavy guy and that must be the reason no one called him ,, but in my mind I thought that if it is my team then everyone should get the chance.. so I called chest no 9 and 14). As soon as my subordinates came I addressed them as a commander,(Hello friends I m your commander for this task, are you ready to help me…. Then I shake hands with them and told them to start helping me). I negotiated the structure within 3 mintues, then GTO said that okay commander the structure on which you were moving damaged now what will you do? I said I can use other structure nearby… then GTO said go to the start line again and use another structure… as I was negotiating the second structure.. GTO turned many things in red and blue, but still I was able to come out of it with my ideas. At last point as I was going to cross final line GTO said that okay commander as you were going to cross final line you came to know that there are landmines between you and your final line and you are left with only 30 seconds move fast . I quickly made a bridge and at this GTO interrupted me and said,” how you can make bridge over landmines, I said, sir landmines are under the ground not above it, I can make a bridge over them without touching that area.. he was convinced and said okay move out only 10seconds left.. I told my subordinates to move out first.. GTO again stopped me and said what are you doing.. I told you there are 10seconds left and you are making your men to move out… then I said , sir I m their commander it is my responsibility to take them out safely and at last I will come… he was happy and said well done commander.
FGT – By now our group was completely united and had mutual understanding. Through out the task I was in front, exchanging ideas and applying them. When two of us reached in middle of the task GTO asked me what was my plan. I told him my plan, he said – “Its workable, your task is complete. Keep the material and go.”
INTERVIEW – As soon as GTO task for day 2 was over, I had to report for my interview. I went to the 24 SSB Board where my interview was going to be held. One person was already inside the interviewer’s office.I waited in the room across the corridor. I sat there relaxed, took deep breaths, kicked everything out of my mind and was reading a magazine which was lying there on table. There was one another candidate (atul nalage) we started taking with each other and asked rapid fire questions to each other.I told myself that I am going to meet my friend and not a interviewer. My interview went on for 25-30 minutes. It was very good(90% on my PIQ and 10% on GK).
D-Day – Conference – 10/01/2015
Finally the day came, which all of us awaited eagerly. Previous day itself we were briefed about all the procedure of going in, coming out and saw the conference room also. Once again we packed our luggage and kept it in the waiting shed. Soon after that, somewhere around 9:30am conference started. When the first bell rang, it was scary.. I was little nervous & in a dilemma as to what is going to happen inside. While waiting I stopped thinking all that, took few deep breaths which helped me relax. The person before me came out within 5-10sec. Once again bell rang, I stood up, walked with all the confidence I had, pulled the door and went inside. Two officer’s were sitting in front. I stood in front of chair, wished good afternoon. I was asked to sit down. I thanked and sat.
These are the various question(with my reply) I was asked during my conference –
Q1. Tell me about your experience of 5 days here?
Ans. Sir it was very good , I enjoyed the testing process a lot.
Officer –“Tell us in detail..”
jaspal – sir GTO’s were good.
Officer – “GTO’s were good or GTO tasks were good( and everybody started laughing)?”
jaspal– “(with a smile on my face I said sir, both GTO tasks and GTO’s were good).”
Q2. Tell me in detail about the tasks you enjoyed most?
Ans. I said sir, snake race, command task, PGT HGT and lecturette were best.
Officer – “where you think you could have done better ?”
jaspal– “I could have done better in GPE. It wasn’t that good, though I gave some solutions, the group was not able to discuss all the problems properly. I wanted to give more ideas but couldn’t.”
Officer – “Why were you not able to give the ideas, was there something wrong with the group or something else stopped you?”
jaspal– “The whole group was discussing the problems very actively. So, I didn’t want to disturb the group that’s why I didn’t give more ideas.”
Q3. If I tell you to chose a best candidate from your team, whom you will chose?
Ans. I said, sorry sir I cant do that.. GTO is a team effort and each member play an important role… so as far as my group is concerned everybody was best.. it was a great team.
Q4. No no you have to name somebody who performed best among you( don’t worry we don’t tell anybody that you told his name)?
Ans. I again said sorry sir I cant do that.
Q5. He said why you cant do that?
Ans. I said Sir, board is the better judge.. it is the board, who will decide who is better or not… for me my team members were best…
Officer –(with a smile on his face), he said … good gentleman.. how was your stay and any suggestion.. “”.
jaspal– “I said no sir everything was fine… he said thank you jaspal (I said thank you and came out..)”.
During the whole conference there was a smile on my face. As far as I know it went on for approximately 3 minutes only. Before I went inside the conference room, assessors took 3-5 minutes. After coming out I was feeling very light. During conference I wasn’t asked much questions, no SRT’s.. So I got little idea as to what is going to be the result. After everyone’s conference was over, which took a lot of time. Everyone one was dying to hear the result. We were sitting in Hall, after waiting for a long time.. finally one officer came. He told us not to loose heart if some of us don’t make it and many other things to motivate us. At last he told that out of 24, only 4 candidates got selected. He started announcing chest numbers… and asked the selected candidates to come and stand in front.. First number announced..(he was atul kumar chest no 6).. second number announced..(the guy with whom I had rapid fire round at waiting room chest no 8).. third number announced..( Yes!! It was me.. CHEST NO 16)).. Next and final chest number announced..(he was mk ganesh chest no 20..)
While I was walking towards front, my mind completely went blank, my heart was filled with so much emotions that I felt like crying and shouting.. but I controlled myself. We all congratulated each others silently, rest of the candidates left the hall. Officer congratulated us and briefed us about the further proceedings… received our new(medical) chest numbers. It was completely a different feeling to wear that chest number with a ‘+’ mark on it. Even though I said so much about those last moments, but still I am not completely able to express that feeling.. of getting selected. You have to feel it yourself. After getting the medical chest number we were not even given few minutes to speak to say goodbye to rest of the buddies who couldn’t make it this time and inform our loved one. We were asked to keep our luggage in new medical candidate line and report back with our documents and then it started… filling up of forms.. OMG!! So many forms.. so many… Somehow all four of us filled the form. We were briefed about our medicals which will start next day.
Later while having dinner, all of us were looking at each other in amazement.. as to how this happened..” We all kept wondering.. Came back to our barracks and slept off by 10:00pm after chatting for a long time..
Medical Examination – 10 to 16/01/2015
We had to go for medical at 8:30am, so I woke up late. It was 8:00am but the weather outside was telling something else only.. As I looked out of the window, I saw nothing.. just fog.. more fog.. everywhere.. visibility was less than 8 meters. After getting ready we went to the Command Hospital Air Force..
Our medical was conducted in this order over next 4/5 days –
Day 1 – Blood test, Urine test, Chest x-ray, Ultrasound..
Day 2 – Ear, Nose & Tongue(ENT), Eye
Day 3 – Surgical
Day 4 – Eye, Dental
Day 5 – General Medical(Height, weight, blood pressure, heart beat) & Medical Conference
Once medical conference got over( declared medically Fit) we were free to go home. So, in the evening we said goodbye to SSB Selection Center, Bangalore and back to home.
Watch this inspirational Indian army short film to understand the history and present of the Indian army. This is wonderful video created by Youtube Channel Spunky Warriors. Spend some time to understand what it takes to serve the nation.
Air Force Selection Board, 2 AFSB Mysore, 16th – 22nd March, 2015. Batch # M/AFCAT/CDSE/NCC/204. Candidate Piyush Varshney. Chest # 63. Recommended and medically fit for Flying and Ground Duty (Admin).
To join the defence services is the ultimate dream of many. The same was the case with me. The dream had incubated in me for years. To realise that dream, I appeared in the AFCAT in the month of August. . For that, I thoroughly studied the Indian History, Geography, Political Science and current affairs and did practice for aptitude and reasoning. I cleared the test with a decent score of 158. Honestly, the exam is not at all tough. The real challenge is clearing the Air Force Selection Board or AFSB (or SSB in general). I opted for the AFSB on 16th March, 2015 at Mysore which was probably the last AFSB of the session. For AFSB, I mainly focused on the interview and psychological tests. I profoundly read daily newspapers like Hindu and magazines like Frontline. I ensured that I am well aware of the current issues going on in the world and especially related to India and the countries associated with India in one way or the other. I also apprised myself with the history of Indian Air Force and the aircrafts it possesses. I explored about myself and the people associated with me like my parents, friends, teachers which are very important aspect from psychology and interview point of view. And most imperatively I focused very strictly on my fitness. I used to go for running in the morning and to the gym in the evening for about 2 hours every day. I built up stamina and enhanced my strength.
Day 1- PPDT and Officer Intelligence Rating Test
Finally, the week came which changed my life forever. I was a trivial identity in the crowd of 257 students which had come with the same motive. I was quite nervous to see such a large number of students but I somehow consolidated the courage and decided to give my best in every possible way. The first day began with a briefing by the Warrant Officer followed by the document related formalities. After that we were headed to the conference hall for the PPDT and aptitude test. The picture shown for the PPDT was very uncertain. There seemed to be a boy going through a pile of some papers which appeared to be worn and torn. There was a portrait of a lady in the background. The time allotted was 30 seconds for comprehending the picture and 4 minutes to write the story. Though the time for writing the story was less than 4 minutes. The age, sex and mood of the character were required to be mentioned in the space given in the sheet. I related that picture with a scene of a movie and wrote the story on the pursuit of boy who want to become an actor and end up working in a movie which consists of a scene which is actually that picture. After the PPDT there was the aptitude test in two rounds. Each round consisted of 50 questions and time allotted was 20 minutes. I attempted about 46 questions each in both the rounds. Subsequently we were divided into a group of 15 candidates who were then sent to the GD rooms. There were 3 officers to assess the GD. Each candidate was given a chance to narrate their respective stories followed by a GD which was supposed to continue for 15-20 minutes. There was so much pandemonium in the GD that the group was not able to conclude the GD with a common story and the GD ended after 5 minutes only. The results of the screen-in were declared after an hour and out of 257 students, 115 students were screened-in.
My Advice- Even if you are not able to complete the story don’t worry, You can complete the story in meantime before you go for the GD. At the time of narration be clear and loud enough. This is the only chance when you will be heard in the best possible manner because in GD you don’t have any control. In GD try to be the first or the second person to speak. As more candidates will enter the discussion it will be difficult for you to put up your point. In OIR try to score more as they will be counted at the time of recommendation.
Day 2- Pilot Aptitude Battery Test and Psychology Test
PABT
The second day was even more challenging for me. Since I had applied for flying branch it was a once in a lifetime chance for me to clear the Pilot Aptitude Battery Test. In the morning all the candidates who had applied for the flying branch reported at the PABT facility. The PABT was in two rounds, one the pilot aptitude test which was an objective test. The first round also had two tests. The basics which were to be applied in the test were discussed in detail by the PABT moderator before the test began. So there is no need for the candidates to worry. No preliminary preparation is required. The candidates who qualified the first round were then sent to the pilot simulation facility. The candidates were made to sit in a cockpit where they were supposed to complete certain tasks in a definite time. The tasks were pretty stringent. Each task was given three trials. The best of three was counted for final assessment.. In every task, I created a mess in the first two trials. The third trial was taken very seriously. The final result of the PABT was a cumulative of the performance in both the rounds.
My Advice- The candidate has to be quite certain about the sensitivity of the controls. I would suggest them to take the first trial for apprising themselves about the sensitivity of the whole setup.
Psychology Test
PABT was followed by the Psychology Test which is the most important test in AFSB. The selection of a candidate is very much dependent on the psychology test. I was very much apprehensive for the psychology test as it was decisive phase of the AFSB. The psychology test began with Thematic Apperception Test in which we were supposed to write 12 stories back to back in the same way as we did in PPDT except the age, sex and mood of the characters. The 12th slide was a blank slide in which we had to think a picture of our own and write a story on that. The TAT were then followed by Word Association Test. The candidates were required to write the first thought that comes into their mind after seeing a particular word which flashed for 15 seconds. They had to observe the word and write the thought in the 15 seconds itself. 60 words were flashed back to back out of which I attempted 45 words. After WAT, then came the Situation Reaction Test which consisted of 60 situations of which we required to give our responses. The time allotted for 60 situations was 20 minutes. I could write responses for about 50 situations. The final test of the psychology phase was Self-Description Test. In SD test there 5 paragraphs to be written on what your parents, teachers, friends, enemies and you think about you respectively. These 5 paragraphs were to be written in 15 minutes.
My Advice- For TAT is that try to be diverse in approach for every picture. Don’t form the story on the same background or repetitive concepts. Make sure that from the stories your character and psychology is projected. Divide the stories in three phases viz. defining the central character and issue/objective/problem related to the picture, the course of action to achieve the result and the final result of the story. Try to be quite practical and realistic in writing the stories (Armed Forces don’t need Rajnikanths). Write stories which are somehow related to the situation you have faced in your life. A thumb rule for SRTs is that write only the responses which you would have actually done and not what you think is correct and most suitable for the situation. In SD a candidate should write exactly what is true about him and not something the psychologist would like to look for. The character of a candidate that comes out from the psychology test will be cross checked at various phases in AFSB. So a candidate should keep in mind that faking out is a very good option if he is looking out for a rejection.
Day 3-4 Group Tasks
On the third day, the candidates were grouped into 9. My group was the first to perform the group tasks. We were sent to a room where the GDs were to be done and for the Group Planning Exercise. The group tasks started with the GDs followed by the group planning exercise. The topics of the GD were very common and every member was able to speak on them. There were three candidates who were continuously dominating the group and were not allowing others to speak. In that scenario I ensured that if I am not the first person to speak, at least I am the second so that I am heard at least once. After that I tried to maintain the decorum of the GD whenever I found that the group was deviating from the topic. I think that worked in my favor and added to my points. In group planning exercise I tried to stay with the group no matter what my solution was. I ensured that I contribute towards coming up with a workable solution and not proving my solution to be correct. After the GDs and GPE we were sent to an open ground where there was complete setup for the remaining group tasks. Progressive Group Task was the first in the line. The GTO explained the rules of the tasks and the dos and don’ts to the group. The group started the tasks and as usual synergy lacked in the group to some extent. The GTOs are so observant that they could easily figure it out that who is contributing in the group and who is trying to impose the leadership which is leading nowhere. So the three guyz were doing the same thing as they did in the GDs. Not listening to other’s opinions and imposing their points. I was the working hand of the group. I basically didn’t give any suggestion because there was no point in wasting the energy, so I decided to be the machine of the group. I was implementing whatever suggestions were coming from the group. I tried to be the cohesive link of the group which paid off to me. Consequently we were able to complete the Progressive Group Task in the given time confinement. Similarly we completed the Half Group Task efficiently. Then came the Individual Obstacle Round which was very imperative in judging the candidate’s physical strength and stamina. Out of 10 tasks I completed 8 tasks. I focused on overcoming those obstacles which my other group members couldn’t complete or didn’t attempt, for instance the rope climbing obstacle which is the most difficult one but with the highest points. I successfully completed my IO round among other candidates. The Command Task followed the IO round. I was given to command a task objected to lift a load from a restricted area safely with the help of given materials. The GTO took a very brief introduction of mine and asked few questions like why I want to join Air Force. I began the task by briefing my subordinates in a very assertive manner. I was able to get the logic of the task in the second attempt as in my first attempt the strategy couldn’t work. What added to my points was that I maintained my calm and changed the perspective from which I was thinking earlier. My second strategy executed very well and the GTO was satisfied with the performance. The final round was the Final Group Task which was similar to the Progressive Group Task but with only one task to be done which we completed in no time. In this way our GT ended. The GTO was pretty satisfied with the performance of the group.
My Advice- GTO is looking for the candidates who can work in coordination with the team and also lead the team whenever required. They are not looking for the dominant elements who create nuisance. So while performing GT keep this in mind that don’t go with the mind set to prove yourself. Always be with the team and try to get to the final result. The GTOs are so adept that they will easily figure out who was the most contributing candidate and who was the inhibiting element in the group. Armed forces is all about team work and coordination and not about individuality. Respect each and every member in the group and their opinions. Don’t disregard their perspectives even If you don’t agree with their view points. Be with the group blindly no matter if the majority is going to the wrong direction.
Day 5- Interview
The interview slots were displayed and my interview was the last interview of the AFSB. I came to know that my interview will be taken by the Board’s President who was of the rank of Air Commodore. I had plenty amount of time to prepare for the interview as I had two days break. With the trend of questions that I came to know by the candidates who had went to the president, I concluded that there is no point of preparing. Finally the time came for the final obstacle and probably the most important one i.e the Personal Interview. Before going into the interview hall, my file went inside. I was called after 10 minutes. My game plan for the interview was that just be honest and straight forward and don’t let that subtle smile fade from your face. Speak liberally if you know and say No frankly if you don’t: simple. That was exactly what I wrote in my SD about myself; straight forward and blunt. So finally I was called to the interview hall. I entered the room, greeted the Interviewing Officer and sat by his permission. The ambience of the hall was very comforting. There was nothing scary about it. The IO was very friendly and was smiling throughout. That was exactly what I wanted. The course of the interview was completely about my personal life. He started the interview by asking me about my institution (Aligarh Muslim University). What I like about it, how many departments are there and what is the mode of entry into the institution for the various courses. He asked about my friends, family, girl-friend and about the people I don’t like. He interrogated very deeply about my love life. He asked me to compare myself with my friends. The question which perplexed me the most was when he asked me the qualities of the people I detest. He asked me some technical questions for which my answer was – “Sir I am not that technically sound, so I may not be able to answer in a very effective manner, you can even see my grade sheet which is full of C and D grades” (you see honest and straight forward) which he liked and smiled in an affirmative manner. From that point he didn’t touch the technical part. He was keen to know about my extra-curricular as my PIQ form was full of extra-ordinary achievements and events. So he asked numerous questions on that of which I gave answers quite convincingly. He asked about my ideas and opinions on various issues persisting in our country and the plausible solutions. He inquired about the Indian Air Force and its aircrafts to check how motivated and desperate I am to join the IAF. I just told him one thing that I have skipped my semester examinations just for the AFSB (which I really did). He was very excited to hear this and so was I. He asked me that why only Air Force and not the other division of Armed Forces. I quoted various instances which motivated me to join IAF. The first being when i was in 4th class. I had visited Palam Air Museum in Delhi. There i got an opportunity to get a photo clicked in the cockpit of Folland Gnat , the fighter planes of 1971 war, this was my very first acquaintance with planes. The second, when I visited Vayu Bhavan, the national headquarters of IAF with my uncle. There I saw the officers in the uniform and was so infatuated by the grace of the IAF dress that I started imagining myself in that uniform. The ultimate inspiration came from my college, where I spent 4 years just looking at the MIG-23 parked at the epicenter of the campus. The thought of being the first person from the family to become the pilot acted as the icing on the cake. He seemed to be convinced and with a broader smile he concluded the interview with a remark which left me amused. He said, “Piyush you really deserve to be in Air Force”. I came out of the hall with a winning face. I was that my chances of getting recommended are very high now.
My Advice- The interview is the phase having the highest marks among all the rounds. So it is to be taken very seriously like any other phase. Make sure you are confident enough and with a light mood when you enter the interview room. The IO will keep a check on every body movement you make to check what are you going through, are you nervous, are you confident or are you anxious. Don’t try to hold the nose the other way round. Be honest and straight forward in your answers. Answer to the point and convincingly. That shows how confident you are and have a clear cut idea of what you know and what you don’t. If don’t know anything just say Sir I don’t know. Be clear and assertive in answering, that’s it. Try to ensure that you look consistently into the eyes of the IO and not anywhere else. Sit relaxed, straight and breathe normally and keep a smile on your face.
Day 6- Conference and final result
The judgment day had come. The day of the final conference. I was the 63rd candidate to go inside. We were instructed to talk to only one officer who will be interacting with us and we were not supposed to look at the other officers sitting. I entered the conference room and I was terrified to see the 24 officers sitting at a semi-circular table. That was the perhaps the most terrifying situation I had faced in my life. But i don’t know how I kept my calm and looked extremely confident. I took about 10 seconds to figure out that who is talking to me. Eventually I spotted and greeted the officer interacting with me. He asked few questions to me like what my city is famous for, why I want to join the Air Force and how did I like the stay in Mysore. The conference was over and we were made to sit in the auditorium for the results. I think I had never been so nervous earlier in my life. Finally the list came and the one of the officers came to the podium and started to announce the results. He started with the results of those candidates who cleared PABT. Fortunately my number was there. Then came the turn of the list for which I was preparing from past one year. He started chest no 1, chest no 50, chest no 51, chest no 63…….wait! Did I hear 63, seriously? The biggest applause came up for me. I just wanted that walk to the podium to continue forever. The best moment of my life so far. There was a flashback of events running in my mind that happened in past one year, perhaps a very gloomy phase of my life when I was preparing for my ultimate dream. And now everything seemed so bright and colorful. My life changed from that moment. I controlled my tears anyhow. I was happy for only one thing, that now I could be the reason of pride for my parents. So finally 96 was announced and out of 117 or say 257, we were recommended. The rest were sent back with their luggage and we 5 were taken in for further formalities. And so in this way the pursuit to realize my ultimate dream continued for 7 days.
My Advice- Stay positive and believe in God. You did what you could have done. This is simply the judgment phase.
My experience and tips to the candidates
I enjoyed a lot there. The experience of being interviewed for continuously 2 hours was simply awesome. I spilled out everything about my personal life which I had not shared with anyone else earlier and was very relaxed at the end of the interview. The experience at the final conference round where I was briefly interviewed and observed by 24 officers of various ranks was unprecedented. It was a very learning and rejuvenating experience for lifetime. I got an opportunity to interact with the candidates of multifarious languages, culture and region and the best part was that initially we didn’t know each other and by the end of the AFSB, we were the best pals. The days I spent there were completely worth of skipping the Mid Semester examinations. Apart from the testing process, the rest of the time we used to spend playing TT, basketball and on a very unsuccessful attempt at playing lawn tennis. It was my first time staying in the hostel and i came to know what i have been missing throughout my life.
My advice to the aspiring candidates is to have positive mindset towards SSBs. People are generally apprehensive about the selection in SSB in the first attempt but a fresher has a very fair chance of getting selected. Obviously the selection ratio is very small, but if you have it in you, they will find you. You just don’t need to prove that you have the officer like qualities, they are adept enough to figure it out. You just need to be what you actually are. Honesty and the ability to carry other people with you in a team is what they are looking for in you. If you try to fake it out, you will be the first to be in their hit list. Subjective study should go side by side but most importantly develop yourself as a person. On the concluding note, I would like to say that don’t be afraid of dreaming big. That dream may not be in fashion or different from what majority aspires. You may find yourself alone in the pursuit or you may be required to isolate yourself from people around you, but that’s a very small price to buy your dream.
The much-awaited “one rank one pension” (OROP) for the armed forces is likely to be cleared in a few days, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said in Goa on Saturday. “OROP proposal is in final stage. The defence ministry has approved it and the finance ministry will clear it in a few days,” he added.
He said it is the first time that a clear proposal has been sent to finance ministry on OROP. An estimated Rs 8,000 crore is likely to be allocated by the government to fulfill its commitment to the over 25 lakh ex-servicemen, who have been demanding OROP for several years.
Source : TOI
Hope all aspirants have read the SSB interview experience of Sajal Roy recommended for the Indian army from SSB Bhopal. Sajal is one of the brightest aspirants we have every met, he is a real warrior, unfortunately, he was not able to clear the medical examination after SSB. Nonetheless, Sajal Roy grabbed the no. 1 position in SSC- tech merit list for instrumentation engineering. We got a chance to interview Sajal Roy where he is answering few questions from SSBCrack, hope this conversation would help all the future warriors.
The Indian Army’s Short Service Commission (SSC) will now be made longer in the hope of making it more attractive. The government is actively considering a proposal to give SSC officers the option of working for 18 years. The move is also aimed at addressing the problem of a shortage of officers, particularly in the lower ranks. The tenure of SSC officers at the moment is 10 years, which is extendable by four years. The army will now give these officers an option of re- employment for another four years. Through the new initiative, an SSC officer will have the choice to remain in service for 18 years.
After re- employment, the officer will continue to enjoy the same rank and respect but with a downgraded pay- scale as is the standard norm. Most of the Short Service Officers retire at the rank of lieutenant colonel. They are not eligible for post- retirement benefits, which can be availed only after completing 20 years of service. The shortage of officers has been a major problem in the armed forces. The Army was short of 8,544 officers as of January 1. The shortfall in the other ranks was 16,597 as on April 1, 2014. The shortage of officers has been decreasing steadily in the past four years because of the introduction of several measures. Extending the tenure of SSC officers from 10 to 14 years was one such move.
Most of the shortage of officers is in the junior ranks while the higher ranks are witnessing stagnation. Apart from extending the tenure of service to 18 years, the government is considering other proposals like granting post- retirement benefits to SSC officers. The SSC scheme had lost his sheen in the absence of post employment benefits. One measure in making the service more attractive is allowing women officers to command units. This is also a step in the direction of giving permanent commission to SSC officers.
Several SSC officers have struggled to get employment after leaving the army. The common refrain is that somebody who has given his prime years for the nation should be adequately compensated and rehabilitated. An officer usually has to start from scratch in the civil world after hanging up the uniform, which is not an easy task as most of the officers lack specialisation. Even within the army, there have been complaints that SSC officers face discrimination in day-to-day functioning and many commanding officers treat them differently.
The entire SSC scheme is on the verge of collapse and it was crucial to resurrect it, sources said.
Source: India Today
