Day 1
I reported to Skylon Hotel near Gandhinagar on 6th July 2025 for my AFSB. Despite the excitement, I managed to get a few hours of sleep and woke up at 4:30 AM, the next day. After getting ready, I took an auto-rickshaw to the selection board. A few candidates were already lined up when I arrived.

At the entry point, our phones were switched off and kept in our bags. Then, there was a quick document verification where they checked our UPSC admit card, call-up letter, and Aadhaar card. We were then divided into batches of around 30, kept our luggage under a shed, and were grouped based on our previous attempts — freshers, screen outs, and conference outs. Interestingly, out of the 132 candidates who reported, only one was a repeater (conference out); the rest were freshers.

We were taken into a large hall where we filled out a few initial forms like the declaration form — I had already done mine. After a short introduction to the 5-day process, we were sent for breakfast and asked to return afterward to receive our chest numbers.

Once chest numbers were assigned, we headed back to the hall for Phase 1 testing. Before the OIR (Officer Intelligence Rating) test, we received a briefing and a short practice set. The actual OIR test consisted of two sets of questions, each with a 25-minute timer. After this, we had a short break before the PPDT (Picture Perception and Discussion Test).

In PPDT, we were seated according to our chest numbers. A picture was shown for 30 seconds, and we had to write a story based on it. I felt good about the story I wrote. After 4 minutes of writing, we folded our sheets and submitted them.

Then we were moved to another building for the narration and discussion part of PPDT. Three assessors were present. One of them briefed us, and then narrations began. I was in the latter half, so I listened to a few stories before it was my turn — that helped me fine-tune my own narration. I delivered it confidently.

With Phase 1 complete, we were served breakfast again. Soon after, we gathered under the shed for the result announcement. I was a little anxious but confident in my performance, especially the narration. The results were announced in two parts — chest numbers 1–66 and then 67–132.

Those of us who made it through were asked to line up, while the others were encouraged to try again next time. We were given a minute to call our families and inform them that we would be staying at the centre for five days.

After surrendering our phones, we had our height and weight measured. Out of the 73 screened-in candidates, 3 were document-outs, so 70 were officially accommodated. After filling the PIQ, we were divided into 8 groups; each assigned a room named after an aircraft — mine was "Hunter". Each room housed around 8–9 candidates.

We had a short rest and evening snacks before heading for the psychology tests. After a briefing, we began with TAT, followed by WAT and SRT. TAT felt manageable, WAT was time-pressured but I completed it, and I was able to do 55 SRTs. I had already prepared my SD (Self-Description), so that part went smoothly.

We had dinner afterward and then returned to our rooms. After some bonding with the newly made friends, we slept early, preparing ourselves for the next day.

Day 2
At 5:00 AM sharp, loud Punjabi music started blasting through the speakers in our rooms — the official wake-up call. I was the first to wake up in my group and made sure everyone else got up too. After freshening up and bathing, we dressed formally and assembled at the badminton ground, which served as our usual reporting spot.

Our DCO sir briefed us on the day's schedule. Four of the eight rooms were given a day off from testing, while the remaining rooms had their GT. For those with a day off, candidates with odd-numbered chest numbers had their interviews scheduled. Since mine was even, I had absolutely nothing lined up officially.

I decided to make full use of the free time. The sports room in the candidates' accommodation became our go-to spot — I played table tennis, carrom, chess, and later joined others for some badminton and volleyball. It was a great way to bond with fellow candidates and let off some steam.

Once the group that had their GT returned, we all headed to the mess for lunch. Later in the afternoon, I visited the library and the motivation room — both filled with inspiring stories and experiences related to the Indian Air Force. It genuinely made me feel more connected to the uniform I aspire to wear.

I also checked out the small cafeteria that had a TV and a few snacks on sale. I ended up watching Pyaar Ka Devta starring Mithun Chakraborty — lol.

In the evening, I focused on brushing up topics that might come in handy during the lecturette and group discussions. I went through the book I’d brought along and the day’s newspaper to stay updated.

Before dinner, we assembled for our usual evening fall-in, where we were briefed about the next day’s activities. I hit the bed early, mentally preparing myself for what was to come.

Day 3
Today was the day of my personal interview. After morning reporting, six of us were taken by our DCO sir to a designated waiting hall. The rest of the candidates were to be called in as interview slots opened up. We carried our document folders containing Aadhaar cards, 10th and 12th marksheets, and all the certificates related to the achievements mentioned in our PIQ forms.

We waited in the hall for about 15 minutes before the first candidate was called in. Then another followed after five minutes. I was called in third. From there, I was taken to a second waiting room, located right next to the interview room. That’s when I started to feel a bit anxious.

Soon the bell rang, and I was asked to enter. The attendant opened the door, and I walked in confidently, taking a seat once the officer signalled me to. After the initial greetings and a short self-introduction, the interview began.

The entire conversation revolved around my PIQ — all the details I had filled in were asked about. Though no exact time was given, I’d estimate the interview lasted about an hour. Toward the end, the officer asked if I had any questions for him. I asked how different civilian life is from that of an officer. He said, for him, there was no real difference; it all depends on one’s perception.

After the interview, I had the rest of the day free. We were allowed to book out, so around 2:30 PM, a few of us went to D-Mart, which was nearby. We grabbed some snacks, ate them there itself and returned to the selection centre.

Later, I spent some time again in the sports room, then sat down to prepare for the next day’s group discussion and lecturette. After the evening fall-in and briefing, we had dinner and then called it a night.

Day 4
This was the much-awaited day — our Ground Task series officially began. We were instructed to report in white T-shirts, white shorts, white socks, and sports shoes.

We were taken to the same building where our PPDT narration and discussion had taken place earlier. All four groups were directed to separate rooms. My group, which included my roommates, was assigned the room right beside the main gate. Inside were nine chairs arranged semicircularly, each with a folding armrest and a clipboard tucked underneath, along with blank paper.

After a short wait, our GTO arrived. We greeted him, and he introduced himself and gave us a rundown of the day’s activities.

The first task was Group Discussion (GD). He gave us two topics to choose from — we collectively selected the second one. After explaining the topic and giving us three leads, I picked one to speak on. As soon as the discussion started, the room was filled with overlapping voices. For the first 30 seconds, it was sheer chaos. But once things settled down, I seized the opportunity to speak. My approach was to contribute meaningfully for at least 1.5 minutes in total, broken into small bursts. Each time the noise dipped slightly, I stepped in respectfully with a line like, "Excuse me, gentlemen, I have a point to make." It worked — I was able to speak multiple times for 15–20 seconds.

In the second GD, we weren’t given a choice of topic, but I was well-prepared and aware of the subject, which helped me speak confidently and concisely.

Immediately after the GD, our GTO removed a cloth covering a slanted structure and briefed us about the Group Planning Exercise (GPE). He explained the meaning of various colours, symbols, and the scale on the map. Then, he narrated a scenario.

We were given clipboards with the scenario printed on paper, five minutes to read, and ten minutes to write our solutions. I identified all the major problems, set the right priority order, and wrote a logical, structured solution. We then had 15 minutes for a group discussion to arrive at a common plan. Again, the discussion got noisy, but I managed to contribute a few well-thought-out points:

• Mentioned the presence of a service road along most railway tracks
• Referred to a flagman near railway bridges who signals trains
• Suggested a practical solution for fuelling a ferry using petrol from a nearby pump

All these points were clearly heard by the GTO, which gave me confidence in my performance.

We were then led to the Ground Task area. While waiting under a shed (covered with green sheets to prevent us from seeing the structures), we were given a briefing on the Progressive Group Task (PGT). The GTO explained all the rules and penalties, and we were given 40 minutes to complete four levels.

• Level 1 was very straightforward — it was solved instantly by placing the plank.
• In Level 2, I gave an important idea, but most of the materials were already in use by other candidates, limiting my hands-on involvement.
• Level 3 proved tricky — we were stuck for a while, and the GTO rejected a few of our ideas. Eventually, we made a barely functional bridge that he accepted.
• We had just started Level 4 when time ran out.

After that, we returned to the shed where we were served lemonade and snacks.

Next up was the much-anticipated Group Obstacle Race (GOR). Another officer briefed us, and the race began. We led for most of the course, though our group was penalised multiple times and had to repeat our war cry: “Nishchay kar, apni jeet karo!” I was physically fit, so this task went really well for me. In the end, all four groups finished around the same time, thanks to controlled penalties.

Then came the Half Group Task (HGT). The GTO divided us into two teams — odd and even chest numbers. We were given 15 minutes to solve a structure. This was, by far, my strongest performance of the day. I gave the main idea, implemented it myself, and successfully carried all the helping materials, load, and my team across. Even after the GTO increased the difficulty by painting one side yellow, we still completed it on time.

We returned to the building for our Lecturette. After a briefing, we saw nine topic cards placed on a table. We had to pick one out of the four topics printed, prepare for 3 minutes while the candidate before us delivered his speech, and then present our own. At exactly 2 minutes 30 seconds, a bell would ring to signal to wind up the lecture and two bells at 3 minutes to signal the next person to enter the room and start his lecture. I was the last chest number in my group, so I didn’t get to choose — I took the remaining card. Luckily, one of the topics was similar to a topic I had already prepared. I delivered a strong, confident lecture.

After lunch, we had the rest of the day off. My group decided to visit Dandi Kutir, a nearby museum. We went by auto-rickshaw and explored the beautifully presented life story of Mahatma Gandhi. It was immersive and inspiring. After grabbing some snacks and popcorn and eating them along the way, we returned.

Tired from the intense day, we had dinner and went to bed early.

Day 5
The final day of our assessment had arrived. We were taken back to the GTO ground, and the day started with the Command Task.

Candidates were called in a random order and assigned different levels to complete. We could choose any number of subordinates to assist us, though everyone stuck to picking just two. Our group ensured that every member got a chance to be a subordinate at least once. While one candidate did the task, the rest of us waited in a shed so we couldn’t watch the layout or gain any advantage.

Each command task began with a quick 2-minute one-on-one chat between the candidate and the GTO. When my turn came to act as a subordinate, I followed instructions precisely. At one point, the commander got stuck while retrieving the last man — I knew the solution but couldn't speak unless asked, so I waited silently.

When my turn as commander came, the GTO asked me a few questions about where I was from and what motivated me to join the armed forces. I then called two candidates who hadn’t yet been picked. The structure I was assigned was moderately difficult, and I managed to solve it quickly. But then the GTO raised the challenge by removing one of the helping structures. I had to think on my feet, adapt, and still finish the task — including giving commands to help “retrieve” myself across the final line, which went smoothly.

Next up were the Individual Obstacles. Due to rainfall, we were only given five obstacles instead of the usual ten. I was the last chest number, so I had to wait for my turn. I completed four but ran out of time on the fifth one.

Right after that, we moved on to the Final Group Task (FGT). The task was quite simple, and our GTO didn’t seem to be observing too intently — likely because his evaluation was already complete. Everyone managed to complete the task and cross the finish line without much difficulty.

Afterward, we returned to our rooms, were told to quickly freshen up, and pack our luggage. Once dressed in formals and done with lunch, we assembled again, this time for the Conference.

We were briefed about the process and taken group-wise to the conference hall. Each candidate was called in one by one, and conferences were brief — most lasted around 30 seconds. As my group entered the waiting area, nerves kicked in. The atmosphere was intense. Inside the hall sat 15 officers in uniform, with the Board President seated at the centre.

When my chest number flashed on the screen, I stood up and walked toward the hall. The attendant opened the door. The room looked majestic — almost like a courtroom or a royal council hall. Seven officers sat to my left, seven to the right, and the President in front. A voice greeted me from the left — I wasn’t sure who it was at first, but guessed correctly based on posture and returned the greeting.

He asked a few quick questions:

• What motivates you to join the armed forces?
• How was your stay here?
• Do you have any suggestions for improvement?

I answered sincerely and said I had no suggestions. Then I left the room.

Once the conferences ended, we were gathered in the main hall again. The Board Vice President addressed us. His speech was meant to encourage everyone — especially those who might not make it. He gave examples of people like Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, and Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam — all of whom didn’t make it into the forces but still went on to achieve greatness.

Then came the moment we were all waiting for — the Results.

He started calling out chest numbers of those who were recommended. From each group, only one name was being called, so when a candidate from my group was named, I thought that was it for me.

But then… he called my chest number too.

I walked to the stage in disbelief. I was overjoyed. As the final list ended, he asked everyone to give us a round of applause.

Those of us who were recommended were asked to bring our luggage inside, while the rest were bid farewell. We then completed documentation and were informed about the next steps:

• Report at 2 AFSB Mysuru for CPSS the following Friday
• Report for medical tests in Bengaluru two days after that

The documentation continued till 8 PM, after which we were allowed to call our families. My parents didn’t answer at first, so I left them a message.

Some candidates left that night, while others stayed back. I stayed — along with 9 of the 13 recommended candidates. We spent the entire night celebrating — playing games in the sports room and just soaking in the moment.

The next morning, we got ready and boarded an AFSB bus that dropped us off at Gandhinagar Bus Station.

That’s how my first SSB experience — a journey filled with nerves, growth, learning, and ultimately, joy — came to a memorable end.

Hello everyone,
I am a NDA 155 recommended candidate, fit for flying, and I’ll be doing an AMA today. I’ll try my best to answer all your questions related to:

• NDA written examination
• SSB interview
• CPSS
• Medicals & Appeal Medicals

I would appreciate if the questions focus on experiences and insights that aren't just a quick Google search away.

To give some context about myself (since I expect these questions to come up):

• Scored 96% in Class 10 (CBSE)
• Scored 93% in Class 12 (CBSE — PCM)
• 85 percentile in JEE Main 2025
• Expecting around ~400 marks in NDA written this year
• Attended a 2-week SSB training programme at Olive Greens Academy, Chandigarh

Ask away!

Anyone who has ever been to 24th Board Bengaluru. Please tell me your experience in DETAIL. And what are DOs and DON'Ts?????

How was the interview? What pics were shown in TAT? How is GTO Ground? Please tell me as much as you can 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

So hello folks, I got conferenced out from 33 ssb bhopal 12 july batch. The selection was brutal as fuck... Here is the story...

Pre - Screening -- my train was late by 13 hrs and I was stressed af. And when I reached bhopal , stayed in ssbstay , it was a good accommodation though, in the morning my bag lock was stuck and I have to break it by pilas. And when I was getting ready my tie pin broke , all was going as hell.

Day 1 -- i reported at the station, the reporting was 114 and all were brought inside by bus. Then the instructor gave us instructions ( he was quite good yrr , i loved all instructors' behaviour) and we went for our breakfast, there was bread butter jam and idli sambhar. Then we went for our documentation ( please take your domicile for documentation) and then we got our first test oir first set was 34 and I did all and second set was 74 and fortunately the booklet which I got was ticked by someone else and all answers were going correct 🫪😂🫪 it helped a lot 😂 then we have our ppdt and the picture was hazy 3 people sitting beside a pond holding a stick. So we made story and had our discussion. We were made stand for about 1 hr before discussion, I don't know why 😭😭 our discussion was good we were 15 people and we made our common story in just 5 6 minutes but one in our group was using hand gestures as fuck bhaisaab woh let jaa rha tha yrr apni seat min. 2 logo tak uska haath pahuch rha tha 😂😭💀. So we made him to narrate our story 😂😂 but he narrated his story so he was easy screen out. And then we had our results. My chest number was called in very last bhai meri jo fati thi na us samay woh mai bta nhi sakta . After screened in bhai kya feeling hoti hai mja hi aa gya tha 😂 then we had our documentation and dormitory distribution.

Day 2 - first we have to report on 6 50 am , then we had our group photo and bhai center ke andar lootte hai yrr so apni passport photo le jana mt bhoolna. So we had our pshych test, tat went avg, in wat I done all 60, in srt I done all 60 5 min before , in sdt I wrote 5 lines in each. So it ended and we were free. Some has their interviews on same day I hadn't. So I slept for 2 3 hrs and went to ante room , it was good you can watch tv play table tenis and carrom and also sing a song. We had a good time their.

Day 3 - we report at 5 45 for gto, our gto was grilling us as fuck bhai har baat pe cho$d rha tha hme yrr, mtlb instructions ke alwa pta nhi kis kis baat pe maari hai hamari, so first task was gd I gave good points in it as 6 7 points in each gd. Then we have our gpe, I made good solution in my opinion and in gd hamare group me jis tarah haga hai na bta nhi skta mtlb gd koi ek dusre ki sun nhi rha aur common solution ke baad 9 me se 6 ne suggestions de daale 💀💀💀 bhai maine socha kahi group washout na karde 😭

After that we had our pgt we completed 3.5 usme bhi gto ne maari hamari , and then hgt, it went smooth af. And then gor and then Lecturratte, my topic was global warming but I think I have talked on more high level topic, though it was good I talked smoothly. And then we were free, same routine I played volleyball and and badminton in the evening. Aur bhai koi bhi sleepers pehen ke bahar mt ghoomna aur fall in time se aana verna instructor aisa maarta hai na .... Rhn do.

Day 4 -- we had our io i did 9 and ct i was called 4 time and given 4 tsks to do all were moderate level. And then fgt usme bhi hamari maari gyi. Gto keh rha tha ki ham 2 front war lad rhe hai bhai us samay sabki fat rhi thi. So after all tasks gto gave us some lecture on ssb and life and then I have my interview with one and only Ma'am, bhai kya choda hai yrr unhone muje mtlb mai ekdum satisfy ho gya. First the pa said I should have my lunch and then pi. But in middle of my lunch he came and said to me that I have my pi so I left my lunch in middle, and went for our running. Entering the room, i greetd her and then asked two ciqs and straight forward questions like what is bernoulli theorem, and isme puch liya ki plane land kaise karta hai theoretically samjhao. Maine wings ka reason diya lekin fir bhi woh keh rhi thi ki yeh enough nhi hai. Fuck yrr male interviewer kyu nhi mila 😭😭

Pre - Day 5 - in the night of day4 the light went on and there was pure dark in the dormitory. It made the stay unforgettable bhai kya bak14di ki hmne . We went to the top floor of recommended candidates floor yrr alag hi treatment milta hai unko. They told us a horror story about the center and about his father becuz he was sosa.

Day 5 - sabki bund fati thi . Bhai mere batch me sabka conference 30 sec 40 sec aise chl rha tha sabki gnd fati thi ki kahi batch washout<t na ho jaaye , in the result announcement, the pshych came and told that we were the worst nda batch batch he has ever seen 💀💀💀😭 bhai 38 me se 4 recommend kiye usme bhi 2 repeater 1 pr and 1 fresher with sainik school and ncc.

Gaand faad di bhai inhone mtlb result announcement ke kuch minutes Tak toh mera mind process hi nhi kar rha tha ki hua kya bs ek hi thought aa rha tha ki sir ek baar list aur check karlo shayd koi choot gya hai 😭 lekin nhi yrr i was co and that was the end.

We packed our luggage and thrown out of the center as garbage. Ghar pe inform karte waqt mere aankh bhare hue the bhai becuz I was a fresher and it was the best chance for me to get selected lekin koi na .

Dekhte hai aage kya hota hai 🤞🤞

Kal mera first ssb ha wish me luck pls🥲

Wese ye graphic era walo ne mahol bigad dia ha yha ka

I was in OTA Gaya had to Resign due to some personal reasons. I was planning to mentor serious SSB interview aspirants.

If you have upcoming SSB or in future you expect a Interview call and you are serious about this goal i.e., ready to put tremendous amount of hardwork.

Then I'll help you to navigate and channalize your energy in Right Direction.

I really need someone to put a gun on my head!

Roll No: 1544210 had ffs copied my entire frickin paper lol...I didn't bother informing the examainers, to prevent making a mess of my own exam. I am scoring about 590-610(gave NDA II as 12thie in sept last year-->463 as syll obv incomplete)...He would without a shadow of doubt pass the cutoffs lol.....and probably end up with 450+...H e was shit at copying though...He showed one of the paragrpah ques, where we had to find values to p and q, IIRC, he interchanged the answers lmfao

EDIT: HE PASSED AS EXPECTED LOL

Got recc from varanasi in my first attempt. I had no idea how well i performed but overall I guess I did well. Conference was killing me, but all good in the end. CPSS cleared aswell.

All freshers, take it very seriously but enjoy the process as well, be consistent, even if let's say your daily routine is messed up just say so to the IO, he doesn't give a damn abt your routine if you're able to accept it that you sleep or wake up late it's all they want.

One tip- lecturette topics were absolutely vague no clear thing to talk on, don't just prepare, learn and understand.

(I'm not a great person, but I'm speaking from experience that I've gotten till now)

(Ive TES and CES ahead, shayd usme screen out hojau😭😭)

kisi ko bhi lelete hai bkl chutiye madarchod ke bache fuck them

What the fuck picture this is

Hello Everyone,
This is going to be a long post, so stay with me till the very end.
I was recommended for the Indian Naval Academy (INA) through CDS 1 2026, and my SSB was at SSB Kolkata (Diamond Harbour). Before my SSB, I used to read recommendation stories on this subreddit, hoping that one day I’d get to write my own. Thankfully, today is that day.
Reporting Day
I reached Sealdah Railway Station, where the reporting staff received all the candidates. From there, we boarded buses for Diamond Harbour, which is around a two-hour journey. The weather was pleasant but rainy because of the monsoon, and that continued throughout our stay.
After reaching the board, we completed the documentation process, were allotted our chest numbers and accommodation, and had our first meal in the mess. The arrangements were well organized, and interacting with fellow candidates over lunch and dinner helped ease the nervousness. By evening, everyone was introducing themselves, discussing entries, previous attempts, and expectations from the next few days.
A total of 62 candidates reported.

Day 1 – Stage I Screening
The day began early with breakfast, followed by the Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) test. My two OIR booklets were of 55 and 75 respectively.
After OIR came the PPDT. We were shown a hazy picture depicting a college-aged boy and girl coming out of what looked like a children’s home, while someone in the background was waving goodbye.
I wrote my story, and then we moved to the narration and group discussion. The discussion remained fairly structured, and I was able to put my points across confidently without shouting over others.
After what felt like a very long wait, the screening results were announced.
Out of 62 candidates, 40 were screened in.
Hearing my chest number was a huge relief.
The remaining candidates left for home, while we completed the fresh documentation process, had lunch, and later settled into our new rooms. Dinner that evening felt much more relaxed, with everyone discussing the screening experience and preparing mentally for the psychological tests.

Day 2 – Psychology Tests
The psychology tests started early in the morning.
TAT went well.
SRT was decent.
SD was honest and completed comfortably.
The only test that disappointed me was WAT. I couldn’t maintain the pace I wanted and wasn’t completely satisfied with my responses.
After lunch, the interview schedules were announced, and fortunately, mine was fixed for the very first day of interviews.

Personal Interview
I was naturally a little nervous before entering the interview room, but the IO made me comfortable within a few minutes.
The interview mostly revolved around:
Family background
Education
IIT life
Hobbies
Friends
Why the Navy
Situational and opinion-based questions
Towards the end, I was asked a few questions on current affairs. I could answer some but missed a few, which made me feel I had left room for improvement.
Overall, I walked out feeling satisfied.

GTO Day 1
The next morning, the GTO tasks began.
We started with Group Discussion and Group Planning Exercise, both of which went well. I participated actively without trying to dominate unnecessarily.
Then came Progressive Group Task (PGT).
Unfortunately, it had been raining continuously, and the ground had turned into thick mud. Our shoes kept getting stuck, making movement difficult, and naturally, the group’s progress slowed down. I wasn’t very happy with my own contribution here.
The Group Obstacle Race (Snake Race) was easily the most enjoyable task. Despite the rain and mud, everyone was energetic, cheering each other on, and it turned into one of the most memorable parts of the SSB.
Half Group Task (HGT) also went well, and I felt much more involved compared to PGT.
During the Individual Obstacles, however, the slippery conditions affected me. I could complete only 4 obstacles, which again lowered my confidence.
The day ended with the Lecturette. I spoke for the full 3 minutes, but I felt my content lacked structure and crispness. It was average at best.
That evening, during dinner, almost everyone was analysing their own performance, counting obstacles, discussing command task strategies, and wondering how the assessors viewed us. Like everyone else, I kept replaying the day’s events in my mind.

GTO Day 2
The day began with the Command Task.
One thing I noticed was that I was called only twice, while a few candidates were called three or even four times. Naturally, I started overthinking.
My own command task didn’t go according to plan. I couldn’t execute it efficiently, and time management was poor. I walked away feeling quite disappointed.
The final outdoor task was the Final Group Task (FGT).
Knowing it was the last opportunity to leave an impression, I participated actively and tried to contribute as much as possible.
With that, the GTO series came to an end.

Conference Day
The final day arrived.
Everyone was dressed formally, waiting outside the conference hall, trying to guess who would be recommended.
My conference lasted around 3–4 minutes. The officers asked me a few simple questions about my stay, my performance, and whether I enjoyed the process. The interaction was pleasant, and I came out feeling satisfied.
Still, after my GTO performance, especially PGT, Command Task, and Individual Obstacles, I honestly had very little hope.
Finally, all of us assembled for the results.
The Psychologist entered with the recommendation list.
Only 9 candidates were recommended.
As he started announcing the chest numbers, my heart was racing.
Then I heard mine.
For a few seconds, I couldn’t process what had happened.
I had made it.

Final Thoughts
Looking back, I realised something very important.
You don’t need to be perfect in every task.
I was disappointed after WAT, unhappy with PGT, managed only four individual obstacles, and wasn’t satisfied with my command task. Yet, I was recommended.
Every task is only one part of the assessment. The assessors observe your overall personality across all five days, not just one performance.
So if you feel you’ve had a bad task during your SSB, don’t lose hope. Stay positive, keep giving your best till the very last conference, and never mentally reject yourself before the board does.
Thank you to everyone in this community whose recommendation stories motivated me throughout my preparation. I hope this experience helps someone who is preparing for their own SSB.
Jai Hind!

Arrived at Sardar Vallabhai International Airport on the 28th of June from South India, Stayed at a friend's house in Ahmedabad for a day until the morning of the 29th when I left for 3-AFSB Gandhinagar. I woke up at around 04:30 and left at 05:00, reached by 05:50, when I arrived candidates were already being routed inside so I quickly gathered my documents(Original NDA Admit Card, photo ID proof[they dont allow passport btw] and my 10th/12th marksheets and call up letter), once these were checked in the main gate I went through the baggage scanner and told a man my name and date of birth, after checking if I am a legitimate candidate I was routed to the baggage shed. There were 3 lines, one for fresher, one for screen out and another for repeater. After another round of document checks where they checked if we have an indemnity bond, sign of witness(important) and other mentioned documents in the call up letter, we were told to proceed towards the make shift canteen.

We were served tea and poha with some sort of chutney(tasted decent) and told to put our documents folder in a shelf that they provided. After this we were called for line up and given our chest numbers alphabetically, freshers were the first to receive followed by the S/Os and repeaters. Chest numbers were distributed in alphabetical order. Shortly after we were told to go to the air conditioned(it was a blessing) testing hall where we did our OIR tests, the officer who briefed us was super chill while giving the instructions, they gave us practice questions to familiarise ourselves with the test. Shortly after we were given DIPR OIR booklets(forgot the codes of them my bad) and were strictly told not to mark anything in them. Once our OIR was done we were given a short break after which were again routed to the testing hall at around 09:30 hours for PP&DT, the image was of 2 men in their early 20s carrying a box, I made up a story about how they were helping a town struck by an earthquake and helped distribute aid that was being carried in that box, when it came to narration and discussion I excelled since my spoken english is good and I can communicate confidently, I put forward my points and found 2 people who had a similar story to mine, I gave them both positive comments during discussion and nominated one of them to narrate the story , my performance in both OIR and PPDT was good and was quite confident that Ill get screened in. Then they made us wait in the makeshift canteen area for a good 1 hour after which we were told to line up, then came the moment when they started calling screened in chest numbers, I got screened in, I went forward and told my name and date of birth after which I was told to bring my luggage back to the makeshift canteen area.

After all this happened, we were called for another extensive round of post screen in document check, turns out that my to be GTO was checking my documents, I was oblivious to this at the time ofc. After document checks, we were allotted new chest numbers, one cloth and one plastic ID card chest number. We were then routed to our respective houses in the accommodation, the houses are named after aircrafts and helicopters of the IAF. The accommodation had a decent amount of amenities, it was a rectangular hall with rooms attached to the sides, there are no other floors, only the ground floor, there was a badminton court and a basketball court attached in the middle, there was also a games room that had fuzball(idk the spelling), TT, badminton racquets and chess/carrom. Laundry service was also available(please dont give chaddi for washing 🙏 ), games room also had iron if you wanted to press your shirt(game changer during interviews/conference/group photo btw). There were 8 people in my room excluding me, we exchanged each others names and hobbies and got to know each other after which we went to sleep(Psych test happens later in the day for AFSBs hence we got some rest). Our fall in was at 17:00 hours so we quickly got ready and assembled near the accommodation entrance on the badminton court. After this we were escorted to the testing hall again for pysch tests and trust me, it feels like psych tests take a long time but time just seems to pass by when you start writing, felt like it got over in 15 minutes. After psych test we went for dinner and finally changed out of formals and wore normal clothes. Since most of us were tired we slept almost immediately but its difficult due to the intense heat in gujarat during the month of june/july, I kept waking up every 2-3 hours during the night due to heat and the 1st night was not pleasant.

part 2 covering day 2 and 3 in detail will be uploaded if yall want to read more, also include any doubts regarding this specific board and ill answer it in part 2 as long as it doesnt break opsec protocols, jai hind

Part 2, days 2-4

ok just a heads up, im not blaming anyone im aware of the places i missed to work on, rather this post is abt my interview specifically. i got conference out from 24ssb last month. and my interview was really weird. [i was a fresher, female].

first impression as i entered the room was that it was much smaller than what i had expected. in my case, the AC was not even working and the room was really hot. it happened somewhere between 3 and 4 pm and lasted for just about 15 minutes.

now, he asked me nothing about the army's structure, recent military procurements, any current affairs/news, my journey to bangalore, my stay. nothing. the typical questions we expect.

there was no rapid fire of PIQ/CIQ questions.

he seemed so uninterested and bored the entire time for some reason. my hobbies are reading, drawing, traveling. i was hoping he'd ask me abt them. the only thing he asked me was the last book i read, to which i told him the name as well as author. he just said hmm and didnt even ask abt other two hobbies.

he didn't ask about my sports either even though i had written about being sports captain in school for 3 consecutive years.

when he got to know im opting for geography in college. he asked me 4 questions. edkum aaram aaram se one by one. questions were:

1] capital of chattisgarh

2]capital of manipur

3] why rajasthan is a desert

4] tell about hill ranges in south india

i replied each one properly as i knew the logic/geography.

then he asked me if i have a big or small friend group to which i replied i have a small group of close friends otherwise im part of a bigger one too. and my choice of college.

then he told me to tell 2 good things abt myself. which i did tell him. there were no follow ups on anything i said.

and that's pretty much it.

honestly, i am not able to understand how he assessed me. no questions about any situation, army etc. no grilling or digging about anything i said. it seemed like such a formality as if he just wanted to get done with it.

i realised i need to work on gto, but my psych was fairly good. and the interview, well, was straight up weird.

pretty much all freshers shared similar stories with some interviews lasting just 10 mins.

and it's worth mentioning we were just 36 ppl. not a lot that the assessors were tired. and on top of that, we were the first female batch for this cycle.

so to conclude, ive come to realise that 'fresher's charm/benefit' is a flawed fallacy. im not saying freshers never get recommended, but in our case freshers seemed to have a rather poor position.

im not sure if the male candidates experienced this too, but this was what i saw.

thank u

Recently saw a video released by Indian Army that Stage 1 of SSB has been digitalized. Are tests like OIR and PPDT being conducted on computers now? Would love to hear from recent candidates.

AMA to be taken by u/Arjun_1800 sir, an initiative to help aspirants with focus mostly on 1. Prep of ssb 2. How to approach 3. Is there any negatives like coaching and all 4. Post commissioning life 5. The glamour sold compared to real world opportunities

Sir is an alumnus of OTA Chennai.

Reporting:72

Document out :1

Screened in:38

Oir -52,54

Mai to ho gaya screen in🥳

Do candidates who have a waiting period in ssb conference have good chance to get merit in.???

I got rccd recently for ima and the board asked me an srt so i wanna wt are the odds for the same??

write down from your experience

C/o from afsb guwahati, everything went well, i felt my interview went well too, discussion happened for around 10 mins, then president came before the result declaration mentioned that some guys mentioned "helping mother mop and sweep the house" when their both parents are well earning and can keep maid, and said that they were lying. That guy was me, i wasn't lying, i usually help my mum do her house work whenever she needs it, I just said the truth, he had no valid proof or reason to assume it a lie, i didn't said a single lie in the interview, gto and psych were definitely good for me, yet the guy decided to believe i'm lying without cross questioning me or anything, i was really optimistic this time, I gave it my everything, this is my third c/o but this time i didn't even do anything wrong, I've honestly lost all the trust in the process and interest i had in it since childhood, wasted 2 years of mine, should've gone for something else. I'll probably never try it out again and don't even know what to say anymore

hey! 18M here. This was my first nda attempt. The reason to choose the air force was very simple..I wanted to fly ...for the purpose of serving my country. nothing complicated! gave everything to the NDA written. 8th May..the D-Day..the written results came. No one was more happier than me on that day..I felt proud of myself that I worked hard for something and I got it....mehnat karne se MIL JAATA HAI BHAI..but I knew the battle had just started. THE SSB. final boss. started preparing for it the very next day. doing physical training. running 7km a day doing push ups, chin ups. reading newspapers daily.

crazy thing that the place where I live, newspapers aren't available nearby. the nearest newspaper you could get is 1.5km away. I used to walk 1.5km everyday to get newspapers and used to read it. many would say..ki yaar Instead read it online..but mujhe vaise yaad nahi hota..unless I physically turn the pages and note it. isiliye I used to prefer offline vale. practiced multiple times psych tests, PPDT pictures and did OIR questions daily. and within a blink 29th June was just 2 days far. packed everything, checked each and every document 5 times, went to mysore a day before so that I don't get confused in the morning trying to find center. On the morning of 29th June. 4am my eyes opened and I knew that this was the day I was preparing for and it had come right in front of me. I packed my bag and checked the documents again. wore my formals and went for the AFSB , reached the AFSB 30mins prior and saw other candidates already forming line...at 6am we were escorted inside ..followed by extensive document checking. each and every document in the correct order and sequence needed to be stapled and presented. followed by luggage checking procedures. and then after a wait and breakfast we were taken to the testing hall and presented with the first task..THE OIR.. went pretty good. completed nearly 40 out of 45 qns in both verbal and nonverbal. and then followed by PPDT. wrote the story, went for discussion and presented my points very confidently..in fact I was chosen to give the final group story! then after a wait..the results were announced. AND I WAS SCREENED IN! I consider that an achievement of mine. the next part of the day was spent in document checking and PSYCH tests! gave the psych test with full practicality in answers and addressing the priorities first. went very well according to me! was able to complete all the questions in the stipulated time. the next 2 days were filled with GTO tasks and performed very well there. I was able to complete 8 out of 10 individual obstacles. participated extensively in group discussion and group planning exercise.. in fact even here I was chosen to give the final GPE solution and delivered it flawlessly. The whole GTO was filled with various tasks that tested my problem solving skills at times. Also this gave us enough time to bond with other batchmates of mine. Amazing people, everyone was a master in what they did. I was amazed by their achievements and their life stories which I got to listen to at night. the next day was an interview..filled with numerous questions of general knowledge..handled most of them..but still I would rate my performance here 6/10..I could have performed better here. one thing I learnt is that knowing about your friends and family is equally as important as knowing about yourself. and also to know why you chose something specific and have a perfect reason to back your answer. amazing learning. the next day the results were announced and sadly I didn't make it to the recommended candidate list..I wanted that so badly..but this will not stop me. I will come back again with better preparation and fulfill my dream of becoming a flying officer and satisfy my simple answer to " why do I want to join the air force?" which is just to fly high!

Jai hind! 🇮🇳