decoding services selection board -carrer in armed forces as an officer
TRANSCRIPT
CAREER IN THE ARMED FORCES
AS AN OFFICER
DECODING THE
SERVICES SELECTION BOARD
By Col Mukteshwar Prasad(Retd)
M.Tech IIT-Delhi, C Engr, FIE(I), FIETE, Fins OD, F ISLE, AMCSEx-TO ( Psychologist) 24 SSB
Cmde C.S. Azad(Retd)M.Sc.(Defence Studies), MA (Strategic Studies, Deakin University, Australia)
Ex-IO 12 SSB
Published by Shivnandani Industries Pvt. Ltd.
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Preface It is an honour and pleasure to present this book as a reference and guide for assessors, trainers and SSB aspirants. is based on our experience in Defence as This book Officer ,as Assessors at SSB and as Teachers/Trainers for SSB, Personality development, Corporate Trainer and School Psychology. Book took its shape as training material developed in course of training which are already on the web.
www.authorstream.com/Mukteshwar/SSB.Services-Selection-Board
and
http://www.slideshare.net/ColMukteshwarPrasad/
with over 40000 hits during last 2 years. This is the beginning of training effort and dream which
we have undertaken as a mission to contribute to Services to which we owe our present status
and understanding of over decade under umbrella of Shivnandani Education and Defence
Academy , a joint venture of both of us.
The aims of the book are as follows
(i) firstly to meet current and futuristic need of SSB aspirants,
(ii) secondly to conceptualise the theory and practice of psychological consideration
behind all three techniques
(iii) To develop minimum personality and emotional theory for teachers, parents ,students
alike for guidance as precursor to SSB.
(iv) This book makes an attempt to futuristic SSB testing which are in offing and likely to
be implemented in future.
During the course of interaction with studentsour and, research of available books we
found big gap in rationale of assessment. Most of the books available have been written with bias
towards technique and are often misleading. It must be understood that all responses are human
responses based on which personality is assessed. There is no right or desirable response
especially in projective technique. Hence 2 plus 2 is not necessarily 4 in personality it can be 0 or if
nurtured well can be 22. Our experiences confirm that emphasis has to be on personality, values
and ethics rather than mere SSB techniques. Every aspirants of SSB should understand “why” of
each technique , then concentrate on “what” to be developed and how to develop it. Mushrooming
of SSB institutes with emphasis on rote technique of keep writing stories, WAT, SRT , Lecturretes,
preparing 5 broad questions is doing more damage than help. It is here this book is an attempt to
explain the rationale and logic behind selection.
In our thought process for NDA aspirants first exposure to development must be given in th th9 /10 in the form of Values/Ethics/School Psychology by professionals; followed by Personality
th thand SSB capsule in 11 /12 beginning so as to give time for conscious development and self-
monitoring. Similar approach is recommended for IMA/OTA /TGC/AFCAT entry with minimum two
capsule courses spread over and separated by at least 6 months. This model will be helpful not
only for SSB but for any selection right up IAS(CSAT-2) and should be undertaken by all schools
and colleges. It will at least make them better human beings.
We assume that this is the first book on the subject linking considerable and almost
exhaustive theoretical input of all three technique about which most of the candidates are not
aware interlinked with live examples from real world. This will motivate candidates to improve
their personality to meet the challenge.
.
How
this
book
can
help
you
Both of us have been from Sainik School Tilaiya and NDA to Army and Navy. We heard
many stories about Selection Process but with our exposure as Assessors we assure all
aspirants that it is the easiest and most difficult selection process. Easiest because also the
it does not require any training if you have requisite well rounded personality who can
become an average Officer after training and most difficult because there is hardly any
chance of error because you are assessed for the same qualities by three different
Assessors using different. This is the only selection process which looks at UPSC
qualified/Cognitively high candidates (TGC/Tech Entry.) for almost 5 days.
Attempt has been made to introduce futuristic Domain definition which is likely to
replace 15 OLQs presently being tested. We have also endeavoured to introduce
Sentence Completion and Situation Judgmental Test which are likely to replace WAT and
SRT.
Another new feature of this book is introduction to Comprehensive Battery of
Cognitive Assessment (CBCA) as a measure of a wider spectrum of cognition and
dimensions of recognition like attention, memory, problem solving, decision making,
reasoning, and concept formation. This test in its new format is being used in CSAT and
AFCAT. Papers of AFCAT have been introduced to help aspirants joining Air Force.
Though topics for Group discussion and Lecturrette has been given but
consciously we have avoided writing about these topics, because they are likely to change
.We are attempting to bring out these topics in separate book which will be published on
yearly basis to remain current.
This book is relevant for Coast Guard as except for continuous screening-out
instead of one screening at SSB everything remains same.
At the end we wish such book was available when we were undergoing Assessors
course and even doing assessment, our struggle of learning would have been easier
The book is basically in 5 Sections with 37 Chapters.
Section 1
Chapter 1 covers issues which a potential candidate may considers for joining service as an officer and deals with various entries including coastal guard. Chapter 2 goes in details about various events and testing. Chapter 3 deals with 15 Officer Like qualities being tested at SSB. Then exemplifies it with example from real world, animal, birds and finally with Lord Ganesh. Chapter 4 covers futuristic Domain definitions which are likely to replace OLQs in near future. This is being talked first time in any book/literature.
Section 2
Chapter 5 to chapter 15 starts with Introduction to personality and covers various personality theories and personality disorder in considerable details. We consider Emotional intelligence as an important consideration which must be understood by all to make a dent. Accordingly Goleman's construct has also been discussed .
Section 3
Psychological tests from PIQ filling to its interpretation, screening Test (PPDT),Intelligence test and TAT,WAT,SRT have been discussed with live examples. Three AFCAT papers have been given for those who wish to join AIR FORCE through AFCAT. This has been given to bring out some glimpse of futuristic testing at SSB. Chapter 25-26 covers Situation reaction test (SRT),Situation Judgment Test (SJT) and Sentence Completion Test with examples. These are probably going to be introduced in SSB soon.
Section 4
GTO Technique theoretical consideration has been discussed at length in Chapter 27. All tasks like Group discussion, Group Planning exercise, Progressive Group task, Group obstacle Race, Lecturrettee , Individual Obstacles have been discussed with meticulously making it as simple as possible from chapter 27-33.
Section 5
Finally all experience of CMDE C.S.Azad as IO has been put forth in simple language in Interview technique. Body language so vital for both GTO and IO has also been dealt at length in Chapter 34 and 37. Finally details of conference has been discussed.
Acknowlegments We record our sincere gra�tude to DIPR ,SSBs and all our Teachers,
assessor colleagues and students who have enabled us to understand and acquire
whatever li�le knowledge of Psychology we have today. But for them we would
remained at best an Officer.
Special thanks to Capt(IN) Rajvir Singh, Principal Sainik School, Gopal
Ganj who located us and almost forced us in SSB training. With his assistance all
our resources were generated and actual need iden�fied. GTO progressive group
task was erected at his insistence.
Now it is our turn to thank our wives (Nandan w/o Col Mukteshwar and
Kumkum w/o CMDE Azad) who had to put up with all our an�cs and le� us free to
devote �me on this book.
Sincere thanks to Ranjit Kumar Singh ( Director MistPlus) and his other
team members of MISTPlus, Jamshedpur who have voluntarily compiled the book
,type set and designed the cover. Such people who work for others are rare and
deserve our respect. Pray for his goodness and all the help.
Further we express our sincere gra�tude to all writers, bloggers and
others whose resources have been used par�ally or fully in wri�ng this book.
Contents
Section 1
Chapter 1 Career in the Armed Forces 01
Chapter 2 Introduction to SSB 06
Chapter 3 Officer Like qualities 08
Chapter 4 Domain definitions 17
Section 2
Chapter 5 Introduction to personality 26
Chapter 6 Personality theory 29
Chapter 7 Biological Theory of Personality 30
Chapter 8 Psychoanalytical Theory 34
Chapter 9 Neo- Freudian Theory 38
Chapter 10 Trait Theory 47
Chapter 11 Learning Theory 52
Chapter 12 Humanistic Theory 55
Chapter 13 Cognitive Theory 57
Chapter 14 Emotional Intelligence 59
Chapter 15 Personality Disorders 65
Section 3
Chapter 16 Personal Information questionnaire 67
Chapter 17 Screening Test 69
Chapter 18 Intelligence Test Theory 72
Chapter 19 Practice Intelligence Tests 76
Chapter 20 AFCAT (Air force Common 91
Admission test) Papers
Chapter 21 Psychological Tests 117
Chapter 22 Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) 125
Chapter 23 Word association test(WAT) 133
Chapter 24 Situation reaction test (SRT) 138
Chapter 25 Situation Judgment Test (SJT) 147
Chapter 26 Sentence Completion Test 164
Section 4
Chapter 27 Group Testing Technique 168
Chapter 28 Group discussion 172
Chapter 29 Group Planning exercise 180
Chapter 30 Progressive Group task 190
Chapter 31 Group obstacle Race 199
Chapter 32 Lecturrettee 201
Chapter 33 Individual Obstacles 203
Section 5
Chapter 34 Interview Technique 208
Chapter 35 Clues to Behaviour 216
Chapter 36 Body Language 220
Chapter 37 Conference 222