The document provides guidance for candidates preparing for the Services Selection Board (SSB) interviews, including how to articulate motivations for joining the services and discussing interests and hobbies. It emphasizes the importance of a well-rounded character through extracurricular activities, personal insights, and self-description, illustrating key qualities to reflect upon in responses. Additionally, it addresses common questions with suggested answers related to academics, past experiences, and career aspirations.

1. Compiled by Col Mukteshwar Prasad(Retd),
Mtech(IITD),CE(I),FIE(I),FIETE,FISLE,FInstOD,AMCSI
Contact -9007224278, e-mail –
muktesh_prasad@yahoo.co.in
for book ”Decoding Services Selection Board” and SSB
guidance and training at Shivnandani Edu and Defence
Academy
Decoding IO’s question in SSB

2. Why do you want to join Services?
Answer should be 1 to 9 and explained in own language
 1.Good work and life balance
 2.Challenging work
 3.Culture that fits in to my personality
 4.Ability to make impact
 5. A place I would be proud to work
 6.Fairly strong career path
 7.Good relationship with superiors/peers/subordinates
 8.Strong development opportunity
 9.Long term vision of serving the nation
(Never mention about good pay and allowances
and status of Class 1 Gazt Officer)

3. Typical Response of a Candidate
 Q1- why do you want to join services?
 Sir, I have studied in sainik school and have seen
the officers closely. They have been my role
model and inspiration from the beginning .Want to
put on Uniform like them and be disciplined
,devoted ,trust worthy serving the nation like
them.Having put on uniform in school ,would be a
culture that fits into my personality. I would be
proud to work and be able to make an impact on
life of the people by serving the nation. Services
though challenging has a good work and life
balance. It offers great development
opportunity in terms ethics,morality,

4. Hobbies and interests
 An interest is the feeling of a person whose attention, concern, or
curiosity is particularly engaged by something, or
 Something that concerns, involves, draws the attention of, or arouses
the curiosity of a person.
 Basically, an interest is something one likes to do or something that one
has a feeling for.
 For example, she has an interest in poetry, or he is interested in watching
the game.
 Interest has a broad scope which includes hobbies.
 If one has an interest, they may or may not develop it into a hobby.
 If someone is somewhat interested in something, he may not pursue it
actively.
 For example, he is interested in sky diving, but he hasn’t gone even once.
 On the other hand, one will only pursue a hobby if he is interested in it.
 For example, she is interested in classic literature, her hobby is to
collect and read old books, or, he is interested in birds, his hobby is bird
watching
 A hobby is something one likes to do in his past time, a spare-time
recreational pursuit. It is an action, something one does.
 Usually, hobbies need devotion; it is something that has to be done
systematically.
 For example, stamp collection or playing an instrument.

5. Hobbies and interests
 Outdoor pursuits are the group of activities which occur outdoors.
 These hobbies include gardening, hill walking, hiking, backpacking,
cycling, canoeing, climbing, caving, fishing, wildlife viewing and
engaging in water sports and snow sports.
 Many hobbies involve performances by the hobbyist, such as
singing, acting, juggling, magic, dancing, playing a musical
instrument, martial arts and other performing arts.
 Creative hobbies
 Some hobbies result in an end product.
 Examples of this would be woodworking, photography,
moviemaking, jewelry making, software projects such as
Photoshopping and home music or video production, making
bracelets, artistic projects such as drawing, painting, writing, etc.,
 Model engineering refers to building functioning
machinery in metal, such as internal combustion
motors and live steam models or locomotives.

6. Typical response of a candidate
 Q2- tell me about your interest and
hobbies.
 My interest cover the areas of listening songs,
watching inspirational movies and then writing
my own opinion about that, collecting quotes,
learning new skills for instance swimming,
solving Rubik's cube, doing handstand.
 Hobby is writing articles, poems and trekking
and hiking. When ever I find opportunity I go
on trekking, exploring new places . I was one
of the two students selected forLadhak
mountaineering.

7. Extra curricular activities
 Debates
 Drama
 Organising functions in School/College/Locality
 Social Service

8. Games and sports
 Q.3- participation in games, sports, co curricular activities and
achievement thereof.
 Sir, being from a sainik School I have participated in various games
and sports up to Zonal level. Participation in games did contribute for
being selected as appointment. I play most of the sports available at
school like football, basketball, handball, Athletics (high jump, 4 ×
400 m relay race, 110m hurdle race ). I like football the most
primarily because it is team game and tests stamina and skill. I have
also represented my school in general competition in basketball and
went for competing in CBSE cluster competition in basketball as
well.
 I love mountain climbing and trekking. Was one of the two students
of my batch selected for All India level expedition to Ladakh peak
which was 5342 m high.
 Participated in cultural competition like extempore debate, master of
the ceremony for important events of school and house.
 Q.4- name five important football players and trophies ?
 Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Paul pogba , Pele
 FIFA world cup ,the UEFA European football championship trophy,
 Durand cup, Subroto cup ,Santosh trophy ,Hero super cup in India

9. Typical details of a day on Holidays
 Maintain disciplined and productive day schedule
 Do not Show you are sleeping, watching TV and gossiping
and enjoying Mummy’s hospitality
 Show your involvement in many house activity and your
contribution
 Remember you have to bring out your 15 OLQs
 Do show your involvement in helping your mother and
parents

10. Typical Response of a candidate
 Q.5- Tell me something about your reading habit.
 Sir, this is the section where I am working upon but I do read
on a daily basis and read novel, stories, as of now in the last
month I had finished reading crime and punishment by Foydor
Dostoevsky.Write about few books and auhors
 Q.6- TV and Internet usage.
 Sir, from childhood was a big fan of watching TV specially
sports . National Geography and EPIC channel interests me.
 But due to busy schedule and being away from home, I do not
get much time.
 Regarding the internet usage I do use internet for reading
news on mobile and some subjects related to our courses. It
also keeps me connected to friends and family, getting
information of college activities through group messages.
 But do not waste much time on FB and other Apps.

11. Typical interaction with Neighbour on
Holidays
 Q.7- Activities with friends in neighbourhood
?
 Sir, since we all grown up now. Finding old
friends in our neighbourhood is difficult except
one or two who have stayed back. Like me most
of my friends have gone out of the city for
study/job. Hence interaction with friends in my
home town is not that extensive as earlier in
childhood. But one common thread is Saraswati
puja,when any one who can manage do come
back in town do try and be present during that
time. Together we organise and celebrate this
event by collecting donations from locality, and
on other times we meet in the evening with
whatever 2-3 friends available go for evening

12. Teachers I like the best and those
who have not made impression
 Q.8- Teachers I like the most
 Mr PK Huzuri, Social Science teacher liked the
most. He was very caring and had been my
house master and felt like a father figure to me.
He used to make the subject quite interesting and
I also scored good marks in his subjects.
 Q.9-Teacher who did not make much
impression
 No teacher who made bad impression on me .
But Mrs Nithina mam ,who taught us Biology was
not very interesting because difficult biological
terms went over my head and even I was
nagged for bad marks in this paper.

13. Friends
 Q.10- Friends
 Togetherness from class 6th in Sainik Scholl to
class 12th left us all with many friends for life.But I
have some friends from my batch who right from
school till now are constantly in my touch and
would remain so ever .
 Aryan , Mayank , Kshitij
 Aryan:- He is a good human . When I was an
appointment he was on Beck and call. Could fall
back for anything on him. Honest views on the
subject, mentally good bonding.
 Mayank:- excellent in study. I used to take his
help. A good gymnast, as a result we click
together and still maintain contact

14. Education Qualification and details of family
members
 Q.11- education, qualification of family members
 Father- MA Pol Sc
 Mother- BA (Home Sc)
 Sister pursuing B.Sc (agriculture)
 My father is a paramedical staff and my mother is an LIC agent and she also works
as an aanganbadi sevika.
 My sister is 3 years younger to me and she is pursuing her education in Patiala.
 Q.12- candidates participation in activities at home ?
 Sir, from class 6th onwards I have stayed outside my hometown so I've
been to my home only in my vacations .Therefore I spend my time by
meeting relatives .After that whatever whenever I am at home I help my
parents by bringing vegetables are also household stuffs from market
and help my mother in morning hours for anganbadi works by
maintaining the data online of surveyed families, take my mother to her
clients who have got or are interested to buy any insurance policy.
 Q.13- difficulty in financing education ?
 My parents never let me feel this thing and I never felt as well that they
faced any difficulty in financing my education.
 Q.14- pocket money.
 Sir, I get on an average of 10000 to 12000 for my pocket money because
I stay of town and for my rental, transport ,books and other important

15.  Q.15- from whom does he discuss his
problems and in home does he confide.
 Sir, I mostly discuss my problems with my
mother and confide in her and do so with
father also but comparatively less, as father is
a very respected person in our family and I
don't feel like bothering him for each and
everything, since childhood its mother with
whom I have been very close, as father was
usually out for the office in the day.

16. General question from PIQ
 Q16- Why low marks in class 12th?
 Sir, I had my SSB interview in the last week of January and which was later
followed by medical which covered my important days of February .Just
after returning I had Practicals and interview which consumed my
considerable amount of time. Being an average student from the beginning
my marks in class 12 were affected .
 Q17- (choice of subjects) justify why arts?
 Sir, from my school days I was not very good in Science including Maths. In
12th I managed to score only 60% in Maths where as in English I had 84
marks. From beginning I had my interest in English literature and had been
scoring fairly good marks . Besides I love and enjoy creativity and
inspiration from variety of good books and authors. It’s demand in Global
environment and even in State like Bihar ,where I come from is
considerably large.
 I do enjoy expressing my thought through blogs ,poems , stories and
papers. Hence choosing English in graduation was an obvious choice .
 Even all competitive examination including CDS and Civil services demand
fair level of English. Hence the choice

17. General question from PIQ
 Q18- Why did you take admission in Open University?
 Sir, as I told you I had passed my passed my SSB in 2016,but I was
medical unfit . I asked for review ,which I was confident to clear and would
have been fairly up in merit list. I was so motivated to join Services and with
fair probability of joining, did not have time to apply in various Universities.
By the time I realized it was quite late. Hence I decided to join open
University at Delhi and avoided wasting 1 year.
 Q19- Why only 50.45% in graduation?
 Sir, being from open University of Delhi I was slightly at disadvantage, as
high marks are not forthcoming in Delhi University .For open University the
case is still worse. I am not trying to blame but that is the trend . In my first
year was on my learning curve to understand nuance of writing papers at
University level which is quite different from Schools. Hence low marks in 1st
year had to be compensated by good marks subsequently which I did and
passed out with fair percentage from DU stand point of view . Heighest
marks in DU are around 60 to 65 %. I remained above the mean level ,
because of which I also got admission in MA English from regular college of
du after clearing my entrance exam. Graduation percentage also helped

18. General question from PIQ
 Q20- Career options after MA English ?
 Sir, given a choice 1st option is Armed Forces where scoring marks in
English is important. Then I have other competitions where it will be useful.
Career in Education as a Lecturer is another options. Various other options
are also like, anchor, magazine or newspaper editor, writer, PR, copywriter,
librarian.
 Q21- career options ?
 Sir,Being from Sainik School 1st choice is and would remain Services .
Having passed SSB once , gives me sufficient motivation to retry through
other entries like CDS/TG etc till my age permits. I will try other options if I
am unsuccessful.

19. Self Description Useful for Psychological Test and IO
 **SELF DESCRIPTION TEST**
 1) opinion of parents :-
 *Responsible son who will bring glory to the family
 *Dependable for any task
 *Great human who cares for people and society
 * A team leader you can successfully achieve results
 * Should balance study and games
 2) Opinion of Teachers :-
 *Disciplined who never breaks rules
 * Hard working
 * Understakes all challenging tasks
 * Team man and a good leader who will always lead in right direction
 * A good sports man who keeps bringing laurels to the institution
 * Willingly shoulders any extra responsibility
 * Should balance studies and games
 * Needs to put in extra efforts maths and science

20. Self Description Useful for Psychological Test and IO
 **SELF DESCRIPTION TEST**
 3)Opinion of friends :-
 *Dependable and trustworthy who stands up for anything right
 *Helpful with great empathy
 *A born motivator and encourager who can enhance the performance of
all
 *Person with great character who is idol for all
 *Should save sufficient time for study in spite of engagement in social and
other activities
 4)Own opinion :-
 *Human at heart who is ready to help anyone in need
 *Dependable and responsible son who cares for family and society
 *Social man who undertakes and contributes extensively to social
upliftment and works
 *A good trekker and mountaineer
 *Need more concentration on study and balance with sports and
extracurricular activities

21. Self Description Useful for Psychological Test and IO
 **SELF DESCRIPTION TEST**
 5)Qualities which I would like to improve and imbibe upon :-
 • Need to improve my education standards further
 • Improve book reading habit
 • Fluency in communication
 • Heightened awareness of current happenings
 • Improved contribution to societal welfare