The group testing technique assesses candidates in a leaderless group subjected to physical and mental stress. Candidates adopt various roles like task roles to accomplish goals, and self-centered roles. The tasks are designed based on gestalt principles and involve different stages of group development from formation to discipline. Candidates are evaluated on their group effectiveness including task contribution, group cohesiveness, and stability under stress. The testing involves group discussions, planning tasks, obstacles races, and individual tasks to confirm behaviors. Candidates are advised to remain involved, think rationally, accept mistakes, and focus on group goals over self-interest.

1. By
Col Mukteshwar Prasad(Retd)

2. Group Testing Series
Group testing technique is an observational technique.
Candidates are assessed in the context of an experimental
group, which is subjected to considerable physical and mental
stress in a free for all environment.
These Tasks are conducted in a leaderless scenario.
Candidates choose their own roles, lay down priorities for action
and engage in collective group activity.
In a free association group a participant adopt several roles
such as Group Task Roles; Group building Roles and self
centred roles.

3. Group Task Roles.
Initiator- starts discussion, suggests new ideas & solutions.
Opinion seeker- Seeks information from group and tries to elicit
their opinion.
Opinion Giver- shares his opinion with group.
Clarifier- expands on ideas of others by giving examples.
Coordinator- helps in integrating and summarising the ideas of
other members.
Orienter- suggests the direction for further discussion and
defines the goals / objectives of discussion.

4. Group Building roles.
Supporter- Praise and agrees with others.
Harmoniser- helps in resolving disagreements and conflicts
within group.
Tension reliever- makes people feel relaxed by lightening the
environment.
Encourager- Encourages those who have not participated.

5. Self Centred Roles.
Blocker- Always raises objection and brings up the same topic after rest
of the group has discussed it.
Agressor- criticises others, expresses hostility and jealousy
Recognition seeker- Boasts and tries to seek attention of group and
superiors.
Clown- shows lack of involvement in the group by cracking jokes and
passing cynical remarks.
Dominator- Attempts to dominate group , interrupts others and
imposes his views.
GTO observes and evaluates an individual’s group effectiveness and
his/her contribution in the group.

6. Introduction
Rationale of Group testing technique
Man is gregarious by nature
All activities are group activity
Group is the most natural environment
His behaviour in the group will be his natural behaviour
The basic characteristics can best be observed when in a
group
Social interaction behaviour pattern emerging in a group
reveals personality traits
By varying the situation in controlled group, group
effectiveness can easily be evaluated
In this technique one observes a man in the group task to
determine group effectiveness

7. Introduction
Components of Group effectiveness
Effective level of functioning
Ability to contribute towards functional aspect of the task
Group cohesiveness
Ability to relate members emotionally to each other and to the
task
Stability
Ability to stand up to the resistance and frustration

8. Introduction
The nature of group task
It is tasks and not test
Tasks
Are leaderless
Situational
Action oriented
Role playing
Stressful
Simulated to job performance in service life

9. Principles of Group TestingGestalt
A German word meaning pattern or form
Pattern is
not a summation of its parts but an integration of its components where each part is
interlinked
interwind and
interdepenent
with the other parts and with the whole
It is an organised whole, not a sum total of constituent part
An item is perceived as a whole and then differentiated into parts with reference to each
other and the whole
What one perceives is a diversified whole
Perception is more than mere awareness of sense data present
It is
presentative aspect involving
sense data
representative aspect involving revival of
similar past experience
Relational aspect
Gestalt way of perceiving
Presents the phenomena of
Figure
Object of concentration at a given time
Ground
Environment in relation to the figure

10. Principles of Group Testing
Gestalt
Process of perception has three stages
Integration-perceiving the thing as a whole
Differentiation-attention on parts
Integration-relating parts to each other and to the whole
Application to Group testing
3 phase testing represents integration ,differentiation and
integration
Observation during testing represents figure and ground
Interpretation and evaluation is relational and holistic

11. Principles of Group Testing
Social Field
Human is an organism functioning in social field
Constantly interacts with the environment as if in the field of forces
Resultant is expressed as behaviour
Behaviour is therefore interaction between
Personality
Environment
Group of candidates are
made to function in social field by
Giving leaderless situational tasks subjected to controlled conditions
and stress.
Emerging behaviour pattern during interaction in group is indicative of
their personality traits
Concept of social Field is applicable in entirety in

12. Principles of Group Testing
Consistency
Change in situation bring variation in the performance level
Smaller the range of variability more consistent the individual will be
Consistency is also indicative of stability
Progressive rank rating indicates the performance level and the extent of consistency
Free association
Freudian method of allowing patient to speak without restraint and therapist being passive with
occasional interference for maintaining flow of words
Leaderless tasks provide a situation which is free for all
GTO role is that of an observer with purposive interference only to ensure flow of relevant data
Need for stress
Individual’s social contact is dependant on his basic attitude in relation to each other
Attitude is a product of social experience of individual
Superficial attitudes are superimposed on basic set because of
Convention
Social norms
Compensatory behaviour
Even conceit
Stress causes the facades to tear off or drop away and reveal one’s basic set
Stress is of performance ,time

13. Principles of Group Testing
Stress in Group Tasks. Calm, cool & composed
personality is assesed in crisis. It depends not only on
one’s capacity to resist the deteriorating effects of
stress but also to return to normal when these strees
have passed off. Three types of stress are working in a
group, these are:-
Internal; such as conflict, liability, frustration. These are
regulated in the group from within.
External; such as difficulty of the task, time limit,
interference by the GTO, his attitude and presence.
Intra-Psychic. Created due to desire of an individual to
excel and dominate/ lead the group.

14. Principles of Group Testing
Group development
Man is gregarious by nature
Man’s natural environment is group
Group is not merely collection of individuals but members bear with each other
Psychological relationship
Transformation from collection of individuals to well informed and fully developed group passes
through under mentioned overlapping stages
Formation
Physical proximity
Process of collecting individuals in an area for some purpose
Exploration
Takes place when each individual in a group tries to know others in relation to his own standing
Competition
When members vie with each other needs for recognition
Co-operation
Compromise ,reconciliation ,and co-operation comes in when individuals realise the need for collective effort in
accomplishing a common tasks
Discipline
When individual interests are submerged for larger good of the group
The tasks in phase -1 ,The Basic Series are designed and conducted in a definite order to promote smooth
development of group

15. Principles of Group Testing
Sociometry. Analyses individual’s understanding
and the group of which he is a member. Greater
the number of mutual choices, greater is the
cohesiveness of the group. Morale and choices of
the group leader is assessed by mutually agreed
positions in a group.

16. Essential features of GTO tasks
Tasks Group
Formatio
n stage
Time in
Min
Purpose Type How
Phase-1
Basic
Series
Group
Discussion
Exploratio
n Stage
45 To enable
GTO to get
a balanced
sample of
each
candidate’s
group
effectivene
ss in the
context of
his group
and make
evaluation
there from
Leaderless
group
tasks
•In a fixed
order
•Without
long
breaks
between
tests
Group
planning
Competiti
on stage
45-60
Progressiv
e group
task
Co-
operation
stage
45
Group
obstacle
race
Discipline
stage
No time
limit

17. Essential features of GTO tasks
Tasks Stages of
perception
based on
Geatalt
Ti
me
in
Mi
n
Purpose Type How
Phase-2
Confirm
atory
stage
Half
Group
Task
•Differentiati
on phase
•Differentiati
on of
candidate’s
behaviour
into
component
parts
15-
20
To enable
GTO to
concentra
te on
individual
’s ability
(g & s
factor)
outside
the group
Smalle
r group
or
individ
ual
tasks
•HGT to be first
test task after
Basic series and
to be
conducted
immediately
after it
•Other tasks to
be conducted
in any order
•May be breaks
in between
Individual
obstacles
3
eac
h
Lecturette 3
eac
h
Command
Task
15

18. Essential features of GTO tasks
Tasks Stages
of
percepti
on
based
on
Gestalt
Time
in
Min
Purpose Type How
Phase-3 Final
Group
Task
Re
integrati
on
•To resolve
GTO’s
residual
queries
from stage
2
•Confirm/r
ebut
provisional
finding on
the
candidate
•Leaderless
group test of
•wide entry
•with large
area so that
candidate
are spread
out
•easily
observed
and
•can
participate
By prolonging
the exposure of
the group to the
impasse of
stressful task
In a free
,relaxed and
easier mental
set both GTO,
the group
inhibited/imma
ture/slow
starter open up

19. Sequence of tasks
Day1-GTO
Group Discussion
Group planning
Progressive group task
Group obstacle race
Half Group Task
Lecturette
Day2-GTO
Individual obstacles
Command Task
Final Group Task

20. Discussion on tasks
Group Discussion
Carried out in two phases
2 topics are given to candidates to choose and discuss on one topic for 15-20 min
Only one topic given and candidates to discuss for 10-15 min
Sample topics
Which of the following is biggest threat to the world?
Population
Pollution
Nuke Arms
Why tourism is not earning in India?
Insecurity
Lack of infrastructure
Improper Govt policies
We are not successful in sports. What should be done?
Open more institutes
More pay ,perks and job security
Play only selected games
To be stronger on global level what should India do?
Go Nuclear
Become economically strong
Proper foreign policies and diplomatic relation
Indian youths are going astray
Inattention by parents
Western culture influence
Politics in education

21. Discussion on tasks
Sample topics…
To improve morale of Army
More pay
Good training
Welfare
Suitable political system for India
Presidential
2 party
Status quo
Best for Indian economy
Agriculture
Industry
Free trade
Our army as part of UN Force
To all over the world
Not go at all
Only too select countries
Best invention
Telephone
Aero plane
Nuke Power
Worst kind of pollution
Water
Air
Noise
India’s biggest problem
Population
Poverty
illiteracy

22. Discussion on tasks
Suggestions
Keep your mind open like a parachute and use logical thinking
Pickup a thread and maintain that through out the discussion do not change track inspite of your being
alone
Remain cool, composed in spite of pressure of performance
Be concise and confident while giving points
Be amongst first few to initiate discussion
Try and become moderator with your thread intact
Look straight in the eyes of the members
Do not repeat other’s point
Pick up threads from discussion going on
Participate actively in discussion
Behave like honey bee which gives honey of your thought to the group
Empathy in bringing those not participating acts as bonus
Remember Components of Group effectiveness
Effective level of functioning
Ability to contribute towards functional aspect of the task
Group cohesiveness
Ability to relate members emotionally to each other and to the task
Stability
Ability to stand up to the resistance and frustration

23. Discussion on tasks
• Group planning
Sequence
Introduction to model by GTO
GTO reads out narration
Candidates get 5 min to read narration
Candidates get 10min to write solution
15 min given for discussion and to formulate group plan
Problem nature
Some one heavily injured
Threat to masses like train accident/bomb explosion/Dam bursting/lake poisoning
Robbery/ kidnapping
One red herring(Small trivial problem to distract)
Candidate
Should be able to identify problems and allot priority
Identify and use resources available judiciously
Solution should be workable and practical
Give solution in
Problems
Priorities
Resources available
Time and space plan

24. Discussion on tasks
• Progressive group task
4 obstacles in a series starting with simple and becoming progressively difficult
Helping material
Plank
Balli
Rope
Main rules
Ground out of bound
Jump over 3-4 ft not allowed
Plank and balli can not be tied
Colour code
Red out of bound for all
White in bound for
One other colour(yellow/green/blue)in bound for men and out of bound for material
Basic Idea
Cantilever in various combination

25. Discussion on tasks
Suggestion
Be a sharp learner and learn from1st obstacle and apply in next stage
Remember group effectiveness
Keep your mind open
If you violated rules go back and start again
Don't work to show to GTO .He has sharp observational power and
nothing goes un noticed
Remain in fore front with suggestion and physical involvement
Even if your idea fails think about fresh idea learning from experience
gained
At least three tested solution exists
Even if you fail and group blames you remain cool and composed and
do not show exasperation on your failures
Use cantilever exploitation and length increase technique
Finally remain a group man

26. Discussion on tasks
• Group obstacle race
This is a competition between various groups
Has set of 6 obstacles
Rules are similar to PGT
Suggestion
Candidate to observe rules
Own up if rules are broken and asked by GTO
Volunteer for penalties given by GTO
Carry dummy snakes
Help others
Every one gets tired .Don’t give up .Keep pleasant face

27. Discussion on tasks
Half Group Task
Group divided in two halves
All rules and suggestion akin to PGT
Lecturette
3 min to prepare
3min delivery by individuals to the rest of group
Suggestion
Confidence
Knowledge
Rational thinking
Reason out views
Power of expression

28. Discussion on tasks
Individual obstacle
10 obstacles in 3 min
All obstacles have no/ weightage shown
Plan move
Be confident
Don’t show fear of height specially in Tarjon Jump and vertical walk which has purposely
been left shaky
Command Task
Here for the first time candidate has been nominated as leader.
He is permitted to select two colleagues from group
Structure is similar to PGT
Depending on calibre difficult/easy tasks are given
DON’T GET FRUSTRATED IF YOU HAVE NOT COMPLETED THE TASK ,it is the
approach that matters
Even if you have a solution GTO may close that option to put pressure and check your
standard
Don’t just order but participate with your ideas and not from two colleagues
Final Group task
All rules and suggestion similar to PGT

29. Points for candidates
Be natural and don’t project artificial image
Should be aware of surrounding, general awareness
Be confident without showing it
Be open minded to other’s idea and suggestion
Social intelligence and co-operation matters
Rational thinking of simple problem in abstract field
Work sense problem in practical field
Accept and correct mistake on your own
Physical fitness
Warm and whole hearted participation from GD to FGT
Motivation
Adjusting nature
Group effectiveness
Keenness in achieving group goal