🚢SSB Vizag🚤

Visited Visakhapatnam for SSC IT entry batch 280840 30th September.
My first SSB and had an altogether different kind of experience there. First of all, I was Excited about it.

And giving an SSB is like you are just one step closer to becoming an officer. It is being said that SSB is not a centre of rejection but a centre of selection... they have a particular set of standards and if you full-fill that you are in.

It is said that you don't have to compete in SSB just work in as a team because there are cases where sometimes the complete batch gets selected and there are also cases where the complete batch gets washed out.

Well, People Come from all over India to give this exam from different regions, different background, different thinking and you have to stay with them for five days ,some might be intelligent, some might be smart, some over-smart, some might CONFUSED people like me who keep on asking questions for one or the other things, etc... in short, all kinds of people will be there...

Just co-operate with everyone and keep doing all your tasks effectively. Well, it is so easy to say right?. Well, you will be an officer if you clear this one... So that makes this SSB challenging in its own way.

Day 1:
Left home at 29th and reached by 30th morning directly started my test which was idiotic decision since if even if the train had delayed by half an hour I might have missed my interview... anyway it was on time.

Me Before SSB.

Dressing sharp has its own advantages, I had a formal dress code, had a proper military haircut and a military sack which intimidated candidates around me..there was even a guy who asked me are you a JCO(Junior Commissioned Officer)? Well, people judge you by your dress style no matter where you go...

Which was beneficial for me on this occasion... there was also a guy in SUIT after seeing him Meri faat gayi thi he looked like an officer I guess he was from military school.

 You will see many antique pieces in the interview...Just wait till the screenings you never know who gets selected.
Around 100 candidates had come. 

Many forms were to be filled.

I fucked up in that itself and made cuttings in that simple form. I thought this would be it everything is finished for me since it is said that cuttings in forms are the indication of less confidence and I had that abundance of it in me.

Later our test started I fucked up there also in that too I completed around 40,45 in Verbal and Non-Verbal tests respectively. Not that good performance since the test was simple but the time was less. Ha, a perfect reason of why you failed in the test.

Later we had PPDT(Picture Perception Description Test), in which a slide is shown to us, I saw in the slide a boy was standing on a rooftop somewhere near the coastal area. I wrote my story and started preparing my points for the group discussion.

I was with freshers batch since it was my first SSB. There were also candidates who were giving 5th attempt...some were in their 10th attempt... when we see them for a moment our morale goes down... bc will ever I clear this exam, by thinking candidates are not clearing these exams after so many attempts...

 But that is the challenge of it you might clear it at the first attempt itself our at the 10 attempt you never known just keep on going till you find the stars on your shoulder...

Ok lets come back to the screenings... I was pretty much sure that there will be a 2-second pause before the group discussion that is when everyone finishes their narrations. 

I had my point prepared first itself.

I initiated the discussion and placed my point and all of them agreed on it, this was a big relief since making everyone agree on a single point is quite a big thing, then all of them started discussing... I kept quiet after that since I did not want to fuck up my first impression which according to me was good.

The discussion was stopped after 2 minutes not enough time to make an impression, need be fast and more importantly sensible in what you are saying.

Later we were all seated together and the candidates selected were called by their Chest numbers... Forgot to mention, we are given chest number as soon as we enter the facility and that chest number is our identity, no one calls us by our name but chest number. That makes things easy right?.No name only number. 

In short, I fucked up in form fillings and my tests but made a good story and initiated the discussion with some logical points and I made through screenings.

Total of 19 was selected from 100 for rest the tests. By the way, the guy in SUIT didn't clear.

Day 2:
Breakfast was amazing you get two eggs bread butter jam, the one thing I liked the most in SSB centre of Vizag was food.

Then was the Psychology test... Thematic Apperception Test(TAT), Word Association Test(WAT) and Situation Reaction Test(SRT)... TAT and WAT went well but in SRT. I f****d up by attempting only 39/60.

After that the Psych asked anyone took coaching I raised my hand and she said good I like honest people... and we don't have a problem with coached people just make sure you bring your own personality in the paper.
Otherwise, sometimes we get dual personalities.

You get mentally exhausted after these test since you have to write around 12 stories in TAT, Make  50 sentences in WAT you get around 15 seconds to write each sentence and react to around 60 situations... but you can guess this was a different type of exam by its process.

My Condition After DAY 2 and 3

Day 3:

Was Group Task Officer(GTO) tasks

Three topics are given

 1. Fewer tourists coming in India 

  Is it due to the Indian policies 

  Is it due to the people attitude
2.The Indian economy
3.The requirement of Indian defence.

Then was the lecturette the worst one for me.

I fucked up I went blank while lecturing some of the topics where

1.Life of soldier

2.Highways in India

3.Bollywood actress 

4.Gorkhaland

5.The Economy in India etc.

I got 4 topics and I have to lecture on any of the ones

then was the progressive group task went well I suggested 2 to 4 ideas and one of them worked.

Group Planning Task
Were we were given a situation and we had to solve it as a team in that we have to discuss the different method to solve it and come out with a leader who will explain the solution to the GTO.

Before that, we were given a paper and a pen where we have to note down our solution ...one of my friends lied in the SSB that has not trained from any institute for SSB but the way he wrote his solution it proved that he was trained. I heard GTO saying to his colleague that "I think this guy is trained from somewhere".

 Just remember that no matter what you do you cannot fool these officers since they have seen thousands of candidates like us... anyhow they will find the real you within you. That's why it is a five-day assessment.

Half group task

went well suggested some ideas.

The time given for the group task very less so be quick and suggest ideas fast.

Then was the command task I fucked up completely... my ideas didn't work.

And there were instructions to be given to the subordinates.

All that GTO tasks were around 2 to 4 minutes only

Then was the steeplechase the whole group running with some long material in their hands and crossing all the obstacles something like that... it went really good I was first climbing the wall and helping others to cross.  Climbed down the last and joined the team... it went really good for me...

The night was fun for us we get a lot of spare time in these five days since you tests start at morning around 7 am and it gets over by 10 or 12 in the afternoon. Then for the complete day, you are free unless they have an interview scheduled for you. 

Day 4:

Individual obstacles

I completed 7 out of 10

Then was the full group task I fucked up again was just helping everyone to cross and try to suggest some ideas but nothing worked. But it was fun since was kind of game where you have to beat the other team and cross the finishing line before they do.

My interview took place I was the second last of all. Was nervous in all way the previous candidates were spending around 1 hour an interview I didn't know what exactly was going on. I was made wait around 15 minutes outside the room which was one of my life's longest 15 minutes.

First 50 minutes was about myself all about me and my parents then my hobbies spare time activities. extracurricular activities some

GK, it was like tell me some International and national news and then starts asking questions regarding the news you said to him.

The psychologist sits beside him and makes many actions like stretches his hands etc.. I was just looking at the IO and answering.

Overall my interview went 60 percent good.

I made some mistakes in the interview by giving some vague answers and some wrong answers also where I should have said that I don't know the exact answer. These are the areas where I felt that I lost my 40% of the interview.

Later that day we were allowed for an OutPass and we went out to R.K. Beach and luckily we got a chance to see the navy day celebration there. Tight security all around and the whole beach was crowded we had the opportunity to see many of the Indian navy ships. This was the first time I was seeing navy day celebrations which were awesome.

 Helicopters, planes flying all around us, Navy officers jumping from the sky with national flag and landing in front of us with help of parachutes was some kind of thing. The main objective of the navy day is to display the strength of the Indian navy to their people.

Day 5:
Early morning, we were instructed to pack our bags and get everything ready for the final conference interview. So that as soon as they call selected candidates the rest can leave, the bus was ready.
Every instructor was in uniform on Day 5.

Only the conference took place

At least 7 officers were sitting in front of me... And only one speaking to me ... I was literally shaking due to nervousness and obviously, they noticed.

Asked me how was your first SSB?

Which was your favourite test?

I said individual obstacles.

Ooooh, you just did that I guess, because you are shaking a lot.
I just smiled said nothing. Woh LEE Raha Tha meri...

Asked something about my college and that's it. It just took place around 4 to 5 minutes that's it.

In the end, the president of SSB Vizag called everyone and started telling some inspirational stories of non-Defence officers...

I was pretty much sure that this is it, they will announce results.

They said if you all were in 12th they might have selected a few of us,
now your mind's are working in different directions.

That as engineers your mind focuses on some other things and some months of training in INA(Indian Naval Academy) is not sufficient to change you.

Have some new experiences and please apply again.

CONCLUSION:
Hope you experienced my whole journey of SSB... Do attend it if you get a chance... You will be a whole different person after that.
Unfortunately, I was not recommended but had a Great experience in Vishakapatanam.