“Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” Hope you all are doing well. I am Almas Ahmad and with IMA’s motto “Veerta aur Vivek” I set out on a journey, whose outcome nobody can figure out. Reported at Selection Centre East Allahabad in July 2018 at 6 a.m. It was a technical entry, and I was screened out. While moving past that board “प्रथम पग” told myself “Recommend bhi honge to yahin se honge”. But, life had different plans, IMA-146 Entry. Travelled by train from Uttar Pradesh to Karnataka for 48 hrs to reach 24 SSB Bangalore. Screened in this time. Except for psychological tests, everything went well. Even my group was positive that chest no 14(me) and chest no 19 have a chance to make it. Yet, they were wrong both of us didn’t make it. 4 Were recommended.

When I was conferenced out for the first time, the idea of wearing that uniform became more adamant. When I returned home this time, my parents and relatives persuaded me to get a job and forget about the Army. In fact, I had to hear from a few relatives that Muslims are not granted this opportunity, which I always neglected. Only my girlfriend was there, who told me that Something big is waiting for you, that’s why you are getting so many failures.

IMA-147 entry. Reported at Allahabad MCO again in March 2019. The josh was even higher this time, having gone through the entire procedure once. Got 11 SSB’s additional officer as my IO. He cornered me at each step.

IO- “Your father’s monthly income is 8000rs and he owns a general merchant shop, yet even being a B.Tech. you are wasting your time at home.”

I had prepared so many answers yet I became silent. I was conferenced out again. This time I was so frustrated that I missed my train while returning back, I threw all my luggage and felt devastated. I felt like running away because I didn’t want to face my parents and those relatives again.

Returned back, and started searching for a job because that interview left a deep impact on me. Gave PO exam, failed was not even able to qualify Clerk exam. Because I had related every aspect of my life with SSB. This time I decided I won’t tell anyone that I’m writing the CDS exam. Got placed with an MNC in April and moved to Pune, while I was working, IMA-148 dates had come. I didn’t even tell at home that I was going for SSB again. Took a flight from Pune, stayed at a friend’s room in Delhi. Took a bus from Delhi, had to lie on the walking space, since the seats were full and I was not getting any conveyance.

IMA-148 Entry. Reported at Allahabad MCO on Aug 10, 2019, for the 3rd time. Got 34 SSB board, this time I had referred to The Hindu’s app and StudyIQ to remain updated and I had also taken a little guidance from one of my friends who got recommended for IAF. Since he was also working it helped me a lot for Psych as well as the interview. This time I was prepared for each and every question.

IO- “Why do you think you failed in your previous attempts?”

Me- “Sir, I felt like during previous attempts I had a desperation to get recommended which negatively hampered my performance. But, this time I already have a backup and this is going to help me a lot in SSB too.”

He asked a few questions about my job and felt a bit convinced. In PGT, I did not get much chance to give my ideas which I compensated for in FGT. In GOR, I focussed on helping my mates to cross each obstacle. One of the members got stuck at the last obstacle and fell 3 times but I decided unless and until he won’t cross I won’t reach the finish line. I made sure he crossed that obstacle. And, I was the last to reach. Did 14 Individual obstacles and was called by 3 members during Command Task. Felt confident about the conference for the first time.

15th August 2019 Conference Day. My discussion went on for 5-6 minutes only and was asked 4 general questions about the stay. Felt depressed again, I didn’t even take photographs and Xerox and had my return tickets booked as we always hear if the discussion is long, chances of getting recommended are high.

Technical Officer came with the results, asked us to shout out loud UPSC Roll No and Name after he calls out the Chest No.

“Chest No 8” I went numb. Last 1 and a half years flashed right in front of my eyes. All the taunts, the struggle, the entire journey came down to that moment. My batchmates rushed to hug me and Chest no 4 who was also recommended. I couldn’t control myself and with teary eyes asked them “Never Give Up”. 1S/O 2C/O, Got recommended in 4th attempt on Independence Day so Unless and until you don’t ratify your real-life mistakes, SSB is going to be difficult.

Got medically fit, will be joining IMA in January 2020. Hopefully, I’ll get merit in.

“Recommend hue to yahin se hue”

Jai Hind!

Hi all, I am Rohit Shende. I cleared SSB interview (AIR – 25) in 1^st attempt; joining Indian army through NCC special entry 46. Jai Hind to all, before I start with my story, I would like to thank my PARENTS efforts & sacrifices they made behind the scenes that helped me to climb this mountain of Success. And also, I would give credit to Dr CDR N.K. Natarajan sir, the founder of (AFPA) because through their GUIDANCE I got to know what right APPROACH for cracking SSB interview is.

Okay, I’ll begin with little BACKGROUND & INTRODUCTION;

As Sainik school pass-out, I was well aware of all the entries that I could avail to get the STARS ON SHOULDERS. I gave NDA exams but didn’t qualify for SSB; also, CDS exams didn’t get me in. Then I decided to join NCC, as it provides an opportunity to appear directly for SSB! I decided to take BSC (PCM) with NCC Airwing as extra-curricular activity (More than that it was my TICKET to become officer).

    And then my planned journey started, after Sainik school, NCC got me closer to Armed forces. I took every opportunity in NCC that could benefit me in achieving my aim. Did Few national camps and completed ‘C’ certificate as Senior Under Officer with A grade.

     Now, after a lot of commitment and hard work; finally, I will appear for my FIRST SSB interview. As I heard 1st SSB attempt is GOLDEN CHANCE, I decided to make my final attempt, by PERFORMING my best. One of my friend (who was already in INA), suggested me to Go through Dr. CMD N k Natarajan sir’s books (related to SSB) through their GUIDANCE I got to know numerous things. But I would HIGHLIGHT these two: 1st is, how to PROJECT myself before the accessors because I believe that Presentation skills matter a lot; 2nd is, Apart from OLQ’s how PRESENCE OF MIND plays a vital role in SSB. Even after reading the books and a few online tutorials, I felt I wasn’t completely READY for SSB. But I knew my strength lies in giving ON THE SPOT PERFORMANCE, and that’s what they say ” Be yourself “. My parents always told me to TRUST my preparations and not to bother about the PRIZE.!

Fast-forwarding to my reporting for SSB; as it was NCC entry, around 240 candidates reported in my batch! The environment for 1st timers feels quite horrifying but remember to keep CONFIDENCE from 1st day itself. Till the end of the day, Documentation was done, and we were allotted chest numbers for screening, I was (35). After settling down, I revised last moment Notes for PPDT (according to me once you clear ppdt, you have cleared 50% of chances for recommendations), NOTES in a sense some do’s and don’ts e.g., (attempting maximum verbal and nonverbal QTS, writing story depicting details given in pic, loud & clear narration, etc). During the narration, I completed my story, which wasn’t done while writing. During the discussion, I was carefully listening to everyone’s story [Please listen to everyone’s story & try to remember them, it helps a lot]. Later as the discussion proceeded, I tried to keep forth logical points based on observation [Therefore, it is important to observe picture carefully & remember it] Think Logically, Perform Freely. Have logical reasons to justify your statements; Do not hesitate in putting forward your points or speaking up/discussing. If you remain silent, the assessors cannot evaluate your OLQs. I spoke in a total of 3 times with valid points. End of the day. Out of 240 candidates, 30 were screened in. (I had a sigh of relief). That day I went back to the accommodation, you’ll find new people (even if you’re introvert I’ll suggest you start interacting with them, trust me in the due process it helps a lot)

The Psych Tests were scheduled for Day-2;

(Remember what I told you earlier, the NOTES, yes, I did that prior to every test). We were told to report at 6 am. (Don’t forget to enjoy the BREAKFAST) as Psych tests will be exhaustive for the brain! So, make sure you have the required energy (lol)]. I performed freely, and I avoided all the don’ts and showed my honest self. I wrote all the stories related to my life, even the blank one. (A Little tip here, try to write whatever comes to your mind once you see the picture. If you try to add more quality, you’ll run out of time, so let it be as SILLY, grounded as possible but try to provide a strong message through it). I could not manage the required number of 60 SRT; I could only do 38, be crisp and short (the best way to tackle SRT’s is to place yourself in that situation & don’t try to involve external technological help, e.g., using the phone to solve problems). I wrote 60 Wats’ (be fast enough).

The SSB expects you to be spontaneous, so I tried to be spontaneous. In SD again, I was spontaneous. Being spontaneous does not mean being careless or negative, I always kept in mind the guidelines like: be realistic, be positive, project your strengths, let them know how you are working on your weaknesses.

   GTO Day -3; (side by side interview conducted according to chest numbers on the same day, I had chest no 12 after screened in)

(In GTO, you cannot prepare anything and come because the tasks/obstacles would be requiring different ideas, or I would say common sense). The candidates from coaching academies have a fair idea related to that, but I remember some lessons that I learnt from N k Natarajan sirs (video lecture series). GTO part is fairly simple & easy. You will be good in GD if you are well rounded with current affairs. For GPE think logically, perform freely. Try to give an organised plan in your answer sheet by clearly mentioning your AIM, RESOURCES, SITUATIONS TO BE TACKLED IN PRIORITY. Individual Obstacles are simple if you have had a good practice (as I was from Sainik school, NCC it was a cakewalk for me, I did all ten and repeated 6). During obstacles, GTO (we had lady officer) will give some instructions, try to amend those carefully while performing (e.g. she told to shout our favourite actress name while doing commando walk).

In CT, I was called seven times by my team, and I was given two tasks to tackle (actually even 3rd task was lined up for me as I did first two very quickly, but she [GTO] said, okay Commander. Leave) lol. For lecture even if you don’t talk for 3 minutes trying to give more Data at that time. Overall, the whole GTO task was meant to have FUN and sense of COOPERATION. GTO Day-4 (Few GTO tasks like, FGT, HGT, etc. were conducted on this day, and I had an interview on the same day.)

Interview: – Day -4

This was the test I was worried before coming to SSB, but after performing so far so good, I went for an interview with above-average CONFIDENCE. My interview was taken by the deputy president. (During interview try to remember following points 😉

1. Always have a pleasant smile (Because the person taking your interview should get mindset that, interview going to be interactive)

2. Wait and answer (as chess player try to think what he can ask back related to your answer. So, answer in such a way that you possess plenty of knowledge regarding that ‘answer ‘ then the interview will turn according to you)

3. Go with a lot of GK (current affairs) (my interview was 80% GK, he made me run all around the globe, asked questions related to various defence deals, events, around the World and a LOT that I could not type here 😉

Do not lie in the interview; these guys are very experienced; they are trained to detect a lie and keep smiling. You won’t even know what they may have found out about you. The man on the other side of the desk is trained & smarter than you, accept that before you enter the room. Prepare for the interview like you would prepare for any job interview know deeply and in detail about the organisation, it’s assets, etc. And one question that will definitely appear is,

” Why you wanna join defence forces …?”

Well, answer to this is subjective and might differ from person to person. (but I would suggest, don’t only say for the sake of PATRIOTISM, or LOVE FOR UNIFORM you want to join!) Try something ” NEW ” …and I’ll explain what that new was in conference.

Yes, the D-Day (Conference):

Among 30 people, all were to go inside the conference hall number wise. (here few candidates have the ability to tell your FORTUNE, 😉 as they do that by the time taken by assessors with candidate inside the hall. lol) each had waiting time: 5-6 minutes (waiting outside the hall) and conference time: 5-6 minutes (inside the hall).

My turn came, I was waiting outside around 15 minutes, and I entered the room (Trust me your eyes will glitter by seeing the ROYALTY of the place … Adrenalin rush will take place automatically.) The board president was of MJ Gen rank. 1ST question he asked was ” what were you thinking while you were waiting outside the hall.”? I waited and replied (” I was thinking how should I best perform academy “)

   Thank god! That brought a smile to President’s face. The whole environment was delighted. Then he went on asking which questions you didn’t answer in an interview; can you list which questions you didn’t answer. I gave few questions, e.g. (1) Iran nuclear deal 2) president of Sri Lanka 3) capital of Syria 4) terrorist organisation around World (trust me there were lot high-level questions asked by the interviewer, these 1-4 I was knowing, but you should sound smarter than interviewer).

Okay, the President said okay Rohit, now tell me answers of this in reverse order! Lol 🙂

I answered confidently (went library that day that helped).

And finally, he asked, ” Why you wanna join defence forces.”? Can you recall above I told you to come up with something ‘ NEW’ to this question…! Yes. I replied with all those daily answers like patriotism, Sainik school dream, passion. But he wasn’t satisfied. He nodded his head and asked again the same. I replied (“who gets to wear sunglasses while working “.! Lol) and again there was a happy environment in the hall. I felt I did my part! And the conference was done. 

Finally, I would conclude SSB experience,

Don’t forget to enjoy the process; don’t take the burden of EXPECTATIONS. And most importantly, we all possess the OLQ’s in some way or other. But PRESENCE OF MIND is key to crack SSB interview; it doesn’t matter if it’s your 1^st or last SSB appearance all that Matters is CONFIDENCE.

I HOPE THIS EXPERIENCE WILL HELP YOU.

ALL THE BEST.

FUTURE WARRIORS.

All defence aspirants out there I hope my experience would be helpful to you. I was a screened-out candidate from the same place, board and entry just the months prior to my SSB (33 SSB Bhopal). Earlier I had a vague idea about SSB especially in GTO but as soon I joined AFPA (Armed Forces Preparatory Academy), my perception of SSB got cleared. I was not taught or cramped about anything at the academy. They believe in transforming the personality into a dynamic officer like a man with high trainability… All thanks to Cdr. Natarajan sir and the team. Mere coaching cannot get you recommended, you got to work hard, be motivated and improve yourself. This time I had full preparation as my only focus out there was cracking the SSB. I sat and wrote down every task and test and then analysed where I can show which OLQ and how. These simple introspections helped me a lot. When you think about it, you feel why these qualities are not in me naturally, try doing daily tasks which would depict such qualities in you. Slowly you will see the change in yourself. Being a screened out candidate, my first priority was getting screened in.

I got chest no. 51 at the beginning on reporting, on the first day, I solved OIR quickly both verbal and non-verbal, this time we were given apt time, and was perfect in PPDT. We got a hazy image with three characters in it. I made a story on blood donation. I gave a good and confident narration on the story and finished on time too. Although our common group story did not go so well, and everybody messed it up. Still I got screened in. I believed that this is the best opportunity I have got, seeing a recommended candidates chest no. gave me motivation, it read “one shot one kill, no luck only skill. Next day, at the psychology tests, I did all TAT, WAT and was able to finish 54 SRT, SD came to me naturally. Speed and thought process is a very helpful tool here. If you are a bibliophile like me, then it’s very naturally done.

I was fairly confident in psychology except for one TAT story where I felt my perception was wrong. I had my interview on the same day with no preparation. Just confidence and attitude made the difference. You must be thorough with your PIQ, Current Affairs, technical knowledge. I had a fair idea about the interview as we had a mock interview at AFPA. My interviewer was the director of the board, he evaluated almost everything he could get from me. Most of the interview revolved around my PIQ form, my sport “badminton”, questions on Article 370, questions on Navy, etc. He also put me through a series of questions and various cross questions to my answers.”  Never lie ” to them. Credits for interview performance to Col. Rahul Gowardhan.

Then comes the GTO for the next two days. You must understand that, there is no space for individual gladiators in the forces you must be cooperative in these tasks especially in the discussion. We were successful in having a healthy discussion, I added a few valuable plus factual points and also gave the opportunity to other group members to speak about it.  There is no sense in arguing. One of my groupmates possessed qualities of being recommended but he was not cooperative at the GPE.

During our individual obstacle run it was raining, so it was difficult, so I skipped a few obstacles, made blunder not going through commando walk but finally I did 7 obstacles. I led almost every group task with utter confidence and josh. With our cooperation we could complete every level at the PGT in time.  Keep your jugadu brain activated here you will surely get through it. For GTO Tasks, keep in mind Cantilever Principle watch Cdr Natarajan’s video course that’s available on Amazon.in. Apart from it the advice we were given is “Bindass Andar Ghuso, Daro Matt”. Do not hesitate in entering the Task. Credits for GTO: Cdr Natarajan, Col Ravi Nair.

My command task was one of the toughest one amongst all, I guess the GTO made every effort to bring me under pressure. He repeatedly asked for alternate solutions and kept on changing the colour code. I had a very good lecturette, I could observe it through the body language of my GTO and my group members. My topic was corruption in Indian politics. My narration was flawless, I tried voice modulations at few instances and also included current affairs into it, as recently the INX media corruption case was in news. I also concluded at a positive note. This point in my SSB was my best morale booster this made me believe I could make it. Leave no stone unturned, maintain your josh in every task, I made sure that I could be the leader in my group till the last FGT, which we did very quickly. My conference had a long waiting time. I was sure that these few minutes could break or make my future. I just nailed it out there with my confidence , the officer asked me a few cross questions which I gave very apt answers.

They asked me about the stay, accommodation and places I visited in Bhopal.

I replied ” upper lake “.

The officer asked whether I swam in the lake , I replied no, as it was out of binding for us , he asked instantly ” don’t you know swimming “.

I replied no, as I knew swimming, he asked me whether I am afraid of the lake, I replied this would be a blunder misadventure for me if I swim there without knowing about the lake, plus I did not see anybody swimming in there , the officer agreed to say yes there are crocodiles in there. Then they also verified my bonding with the other candidates asking about any new friend.

Then comes the moment when the chest no. 7 is being announced as a recommended candidate. All those efforts are finally transformed into my results.  An officer is a true example of no nonsense man. avoid mistakes, be motivated, confident, keep the josh high, you have to project yourself as you are (if you possess qualities) or you have to make them believe that you possess officer like qualities i.e. FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT. The uniform is waiting for you.