Most asked Questions in the Personal Interview of SSB | Important Questions

Personal Interview of SSB Interview is one of the deciding factors and an important part of your SSB selection. The interview is conducted directly by the president or deputy president of the Selection Board. They are given the task of personally assessing you based on some questions which they form based on your PIQ. In this article, we will discuss some of the most asked questions in the Personal Interview of SSB with their sample answers. We will also know about its procedure and some tips to excel in a personal interview of SSB.

Personal Interview of SSB Interview is conducted after the screening test. Depending upon your chest number, it can happen on the 2nd, 3rd, or 4^th day of your SSB Interview. So, let us start with understanding the procedure of the Personal Interview of SSB.

The procedure for the Personal Interview of SSB

• On the first day of the SSB Interview, the Psychological test is conducted. At the end of which, the Instructor will announce the schedule of the Personal Interviews. It will be based on your Chest Numbers.
• Generally, the President or the Deputy President of the SSB Board conducts the Interview.
• It will be conducted on the second, third, or fourth day of your SSB Interview after all the daily tasks and tests are completed on that day.
• Questions of Personal Interview of SSB are formed on your PIQ form and responses on that form.
• The interview is generally a normal conversation between the candidate and the interviewer, in which they try to evaluate the candidate and their qualities.
• Normally, the Interview begins with some rapid-fire questions the Interviewer asks about the candidate.

Rapid Fire Questions of Personal Interview of SSB

In the majority of cases, the Interview starts with rapid-fire questions based on your personal information. There are 8-10 combined questions based on your personal information. Try to answer all of them in the same sequence in which they are asked. If you feel that, you forget to answer any of the questions, you may ask the interviewer to repeat the question.

Below are some of the same questions asked in rapid-fire:

Most asked Questions in the Personal Interview of SSB | Important Questions

Most asked Questions in the Interview of SSB

Why do you choose Defence as your career?

This question is asked to check how passionate you are about joining the defence forces. Whether defence forces is just another career option or more than that. You should answer this question honestly with practical and reasonable reasons.

Sample Answer: Sir, I consider that serving the defence forces is not just a job; but also a way to live and lead your life. You can live the most dignified life and serve the nation in its true sense simultaneously. In this job, you have an opportunity to visit different places on regular basis, filled with adventure. You can also perform the Job adventurous and sports activities, which is not possible in other job opportunities. The awards, honours, recognition, and privileges a defence person enjoys have always fascinated me since my childhood. Thus, I want to join the defence forces.

You should prepare this answer in your own way.

Which competitive exams you have attempted and what were their results in chronological order. Did you take any coaching for them?

The interviewer asks questions to assess your calibre and the fields in which you are interested. If you have faced any setbacks in exams, how you have handled them. They also ask for the reason, to know whether you have assessed your performance and worked on your weakness or not.

If not the armed forces, which other field or career you will pursue? Will you go for further studies?

Through this question, the interviewer wants to check how well prepared you are in your life. Do you have any other Backup plan apart from joining the defence forces? Having a backup plan is not bad, but make sure that you convince the interviewer that joining the defence forces is your first priority and you will not leave any stone unturned to join them.

To answer this question, be honest and tell the truth about your backup options. If you have not thought of it, choose an option, which bests suits you for this question.

Do you have a girlfriend/boyfriend? If not, then why?

The interviewer asks this question to check your priorities in life and how focused you are on your goal. You must be honest while answering this question. If you have a girlfriend, you can diplomatically tell them. For example, you can say yes, sir, I have a girlfriend, and she is very supportive and encourages me all the time.

If you do not have a girlfriend, you can deny it politely. Never try to show yourself as a “Shakht Londa” or a macho man that you do not need a girlfriend and all that.

A Sample Answer: Sir. I have many friends from school and college who are females. Some of them are very good friends. However, I do not have such a relationship with any girl. At present, my priority is joining the armed forces. For now, I am completely committed to it.

Who is closer to you, your father or mother? Why?

Through this question, the interviewer wants to assess your maturity, social and emotional intelligence and honesty. They also want to check how you tackle situations where you have to make tough choices. Your answer should be reasonable and justifiable with logical explanations.

A Sample Answer: Sir, it is hard to choose between them as I am close to both of them. We discuss and share everything that happens in our lives and I can approach both of them for any matter. However, since my father is out of town for work, I get more time to speak with my mother.

Tell me the name of your girlfriend/boyfriend, two best friends, and what are the three qualities you like/dislike in them?

The interviewing officer asks this question to see how your reaction when someone asks about your friends and about their characteristics. They will try to create an atmosphere where you criticise them for their qualities and behaviour. They may also ask you why you are still with them when they have these poor qualities. An Ideal friend must have all the qualities you want in a person. So we must be very careful while answering this question.

Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses. How are you doing with them?

One of the main objectives of the interviewer is to know how well aware you are of yourself. The strength and weaknesses of a person speak a lot about their character. If a person knows about their strong and weak points, only then they can work upon them to improve their overall character. This question also assesses your efforts to improve yourself. Also, there is no one on this earth without any weakness. So, you should answer this question very diplomatically – as you have to maintain the balance of your positives and negatives.

A Sample Answer: Sir, everyone has some talents and some restrictions. In my case, I think I’m good at handling computers and other technological things. I’m also a strong believer in punctuality and dedication and follow the same in my life. My limitations are, that sometimes I’m so much involved in my work that I forget about my surrounding. If I’m not able to complete that work, it remains in my mind unless I complete the same. Also, I think that I am a little weak in my English language, which my trying to improve by putting constant and dedicated efforts.

Some other points you can tell as your strengths are

1. I am a mature person who knows his/her responsibilities very well.
2. I can handle pressure very well and can work well under pressure.
3. I can motivate others through my thoughts and speeches. My friends reach out to me if they are feeling low or need some advice.
4. I have good management skills.

For weaknesses, you can say that-

1. Sometimes I procrastinate certain things, but I am making constant efforts to overcome them.
2. I am short-temped, but I am meditating on a regular basis, to overcome this habit.
3. Occasionally, I overthink. Now I am trying not to think about future possibilities and perform every task without worrying about its outcome.

What is your pocket money/salary, and how do you spend it?

Through this question, the interviewer wants to assess your ability to take responsibility and self-dependency. How wisely you are using your resources and whether you are doing something to become self-reliant. You should be true and logical in your response.

A Sample Answer: Sir, currently I am pursuing my graduation. As such, there is no major monthly expense of mine, so I don’t make pocket money from my parents. However, to cater for my personal expenses like mobile recharges or petrol expenses, I do a part-time job of taking tuition at one of the tuition classes near my home. I am earning around 4000 Rupees from there. I spend 1000 rupees on my petrol and mobile phone recharges, spend 1000 rupees on my gym fees. Out of the pending 2000 rupees, I keep 1000 as a contingency fund to buy something and save the rest 1000 rupees.

 Entry Specific Questions

If you are facing the SSB Interview through any specific entry, then be prepared to answer entry-specific questions.

For example, if you are attending SSB Interview through AFCAT Entry, then there will be some questions related to AIRFORCE. In the same way, if you are attending the SSB through NCC Special Entry, then the interviewer will definitely ask about your NCC battalion and some specific questions related to NCC. One must prepare these questions well in advance before attending the personal interview of SSB.

Other Frequently Asked Questions at SSB Interview

How to perform better in the SSB Interview

The personal Interview of SSB is not like all other Job Interviews. However, the type of questions asked are similar, but the overall experience of the SSB interview will be different. So, before attending the personal interview of SSB, you should be well prepared and keep some important points in mind mentioned below.

• Always be confident while facing the SSB interview. Think that it is just normal communication between you and the interviewer.
• You should be aware of yourself and your surroundings. You must show a strong sense of determination and responsibility. You should also be clear in your thoughts and have an aim in your life and what are you doing to achieve it.
• You must know in detail about your family, friends, teachers, bosses and sometimes even your enemies. You must be aware of your state, your city and the institutions you are associated with in your life.
• Always be logical and analytical in your responses supported by some reason.
• Be aware of your strengths and your weakness and what are you doing to improve yourself.
• Learn how to communicate with people and clearly express your thoughts.
• Be mature in your response.
• You must keep all your answers as original as possible. Never fake or fabricate any of your answers.
• Answer all the questions to the point and should be diplomatic in some specific responses.

Hope this article would have given you more insights into the Personal Interview of SSB and the questions asked in them. This would help you in your SSB Preparation. In case of any further clarification or doubt, feel free to give your feedback in the comment section or mail directly to [email protected].

If you liked this article, you would also learn a lot about your SSB preparation from the below posts.

• How to Start Your SSB Preparation at Home after Getting the SSB Call Letter
• PIQ Form at SSB Interview -Importance and Tips on How to Fill the Form
• How to prepare for a Lecturette in SSB Interview?
• How to write the best Self Description for SSB Interview

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