Situation Reaction Test (SRT) at SSB Interview (60+ New Situations)

Situation Reaction Test (SRT) at SSB Interview forms the part of the psychological test, which is conducted on the second day of the SSB Interview. The other 3 tests under the battery of Psychological tests at the SSB Interview are

Self-Description Test (SD)

In this article, we will focus on Situation Reaction Test (SRT) at SSB Interview, as it is one of the main tests at the SSB Interview. There are certain aspects of SRT that every aspirant must know before appearing for an SSB Interview. So, let’s know the tips which will help in giving your best in Situation Reaction Test (SRT) at SSB Interview.

What & Why of the Situation Reaction Test (SRT) at SSB Interview

Every day in life we face some situations in which we have to make some decisions. You react to these situations subconsciously but by being conscious using all your senses. Your reaction to some specific situation is an outcome of your thinking pattern, earlier experiences, knowledge, and skills you have.

The various beliefs you developed and nourished so far in your life also play an important role in this decision-making. All these aspects together define who you are and shape your personality

Situation Reaction Test or SRT is a specially designed psychological test designated to test your responses to these day-to-day situations. Your responses show your personality and give the actual picture of your conscious and subconscious mind. Whether you can handle Odd situations with an alert mind.

These responses bring out the qualities of clear and logical thinking and quick decision-making. These qualities are very much required for being an Officer in the Indian defense forces. The main aim Situation Reaction Test (SRT) at SSB Interview is to evaluate those by virtue of which the candidates are able to solve the situational problem of day-to-day life.

What is the procedure of the Situation Reaction Test (SRT)?

The candidate is given a booklet containing 60 real-life situations which you have to answer in 30 minutes. This time limit has been intentionally shortened to ensure that the candidate doesn’t have much time to think over the situation and gives the first reaction which comes to his mind.

A candidate is asked to give his reactions to all 60 situations in 30 minutes. However, if the candidate does not understand any particular situation, they may leave that particular situation and proceed to the next situation without wasting any time.

A candidate is required to write only 2 or 3 lines in response to each situation. So, a speedy response within the specified time limit is very important. The candidates should avoid detailing the actions keeping the response brief and up to the point.

Tips for SRT

Think of simple and obvious actions.
The reaction should be as per your capacity and ability. Do not fabricate your responses as consistency is checked across all the psychological tests.
There is no, correct solution or book answer, for any situation.

Act smartly and clearly if the situation involves boys and girls.
Use short-length keywords to answer the situation as this saves time. Use a ‘;’ to separate an action.
Keep your responses as short as possible but do not compromise with quality. Vague answers are not desirable.

Candidates are supposed to respond to every type of situation. There are NO easy or hard situations.
Sometimes the same situation is asked in a different way to ensure your consistency of responses.
Do not forget that time is crucial, so be very fast to write your responses.

First, think of saving human life, then an animal’s life, and then plan for saving materials (prioritize your actions).

Don’ts for SRT

Do not write responses to the situation if you do not understand the situation or you do not know about it to avoid giving a wrong response.
Avoid a quick jump on the conclusion, providing different answers for a similar kind of situation will show the assessors that you are not confident in your views.

Avoid silly grammatical and spelling mistakes. Though it is not a test of your language, writing the wrong English will not create a good impression.
Do not skip a situation in between, it projects that you are trying to run away from that situation or you are indecisive.
Bear in mind that you are not being judged on right or wrong answers but you are being judged on your evaluation capability of a situation. This test is very different from your regular classroom tests which requires a different mindset.

The quality of response matters not the quality, but this does not give the freedom to think and write less.
Never permit yourself to be in the begging or pathetic state.
Avoid joining strikes and activities creating disharmony.

Do not give alternatives eg I will do this and if not then I will do that
Never write responses like –
- I will solve the situation,
- I will find out the problem,
- I will enquire about the problem
- I will plan the action as required
- I will be shocked
- I will be confused
- I will deal with the situation, etc.

Solve the problem as it is. Never make any assumption and aggravate the situation by adding anything from your side e.g.
- If the accident is there you add that he will have at least fractures,
- If someone comes in the dark you add that it has to be a lonely spot and you cannot raise an alarm or shout for help, etc.

Do not avoid the situation by writing that this cannot happen e.g.
- I do not have a younger sister or brother
- My parents are not there
- All my friends are very good etc.

Sample Situation Reaction Test

Below are some sample Situation Reaction Tests (SRT) that are asked in SSB Interview. Please understand that there is no correct answer to any situation. In the Below situations, the best answer is highlighted in Bold.

One day while traveling on a bus, it reaches your desired stop but still, you have not bought the ticket because of the heavy rush. What will you do?
- Jump out quickly to avoid embarrassment.
- Call the conductor and get the ticket by giving him the money
- Hand the money to someone sitting next to you and ask them to give it to the conductor
- Give the Ticket money to the driver
One day while traveling on a train, you observed that a few students were pulling the chain just to get down at their desired station. You would :
- Taking the help of co-passengers and stopping them from doing so
- Allow them to pull the chain but check them from getting down from the train
- Inform the guard as soon as the train halts
- Keep quiet and do nothing

You are in the parking area of a shopping mall. And, suddenly there is a power cut and it is completely black-out. You will
- Try and take help from someone around
- Crawl towards your vehicle
- Shout for help
- Wait till the lights come
One day you get to know that your sister’s marriage is fixed but she is not happy as the person whom she is marrying is not of her choice. You will…
- Leave the topic as it’s her life
- Talk with your sister and try to convince her
- Start preparing for the marriage
- Understand the situation, speaks to your parents, convince them of his sister’s choice, make them understand the consequences of the wrong marriage, and marry her accordingly as per her wishes
You are passing by a lake, you notice a boy drowning in the water and you don’t know swimming. You will…
- Ignore him as you don’t know how to swim
- Wait until someone else looks at him and helps him
- Inform the fire brigade about the situation
- Raises alarm and help from nearby people, rescues the boy, renders first aid medication and hospitalization, and informs the parents and relatives

You have lost your way in the jungle. You will…
- Wait there until anyone comes for a rescue
- Shout to get help
- Run here and there to get your way
- Try to find the north Direction, head towards the fire lane, and get out of the jungle
Your team was given the task of digging trenches, but your team members are not cooperating with you and are not helping you in digging them. You will…
- Dig the trenches yourself
- You complain about their behavior to your superiors
- You don’t do anything, as you can’t dig all the trenches yourself
- Motivate your colleagues, ensure they realize the essentials of digging trenches, and contribute effectively
While returning home after watching a late-night movie show, you found two people arguing loudly on the way. You will…
- You will ignore them and go your way
- Ask them not to shout in the mid-night
- Inform the police
- Intervene between them, find the main cause for the argument, settle the argument amicably and proceed to your home

You are going to attend an important meeting and you are already getting late. Suddenly the road is blocked due to a traffic jam. You will…
- Sit in the car and wait to get the traffic clear
- You return to your house
- Call your superior and inform them about the situation
- Gets down from the vehicle, runs the distance, clears the traffic jam, takes alternative means of communication, and attends the important meeting in time
While on an early morning walk, you find a person lying unconscious on the road. You will
- Drag him to one side of the road and go your way
- Cover his face with a piece of cloth if you can find it from somewhere
- Do not stop to look at him or you may be dragged unnecessarily in the case by the investigating team
- Rush him to the nearest hospital by stopping any passing vehicle to get the lift. If possible give him first aid and then inform the police and his next of kin by searching for his address in his pocket
You are very happy with your life partner, but there is someone else you fancy and the attention is mutual. You will
- Manipulate a way of keeping your life partner happy
- Avoid seeing her anymore and forget about her
- See her regularly, but keep it a secret in order not to hurt her feelings
- Flaunt the relationship openly

In a discussion with your colleague, when you find that you are losing ground, you will
- Accept the views of your opponents
- Try to convince the opponents about your views
- Leave the discussion
- Try to thrust your views by any means
You and your neighborhood friend are playing in the garden area and your friend was bitten by a snake.
- Hold your friend and try to set him free from the snake
- Use wood or plastic to kill the snake
- Rush to your parents and elaborate on what has happened. His parents will take him to the nearest hospital and you keep a watch on the snake
- Shout loudly
From the behavior of your younger brother, you think that he might have some bad friends.
- Immediately say your father about this
- Beat him with a stick
- Move him into a hostel
- Talk with him and realize the importance of good friends in one’s life

Your neighbor is constantly disturbing you relating to a boundary issue.
- Hire some men and threaten them
- Show your respective documents to them if they are not understanding anything then take the help of the police
- Scold them whenever you see them
- Try to make friends with them

Sample SRT for Practice

You get very limited time to answer the SRTs at SSB Interview. Practicing SRTs beforehand will give you a good experience about the type of situations that can be asked in the SSB Interview and will also save your time in thinking about reactions during the actual test.

Below are sample Situations for your practice.

While evening study, guests arrived at your home and your mother ordered to buy some snacks, on the way back it started raining heavily and water flooded the streets and guests are waiting in-home, You will.
After the September passing out parade from OTA Chennai, you are requested to report to Kashmir in December where your father has a heart operation on the same reporting day, You will.

After reporting to your Commanding Officer you come to know that he is tough to talk to, you feel so many things to change in the unit and You will.
You don’t know Hindi well while moving to a place where people know only Hindi, you found that you lost your wallet, You will.
You are a fresh graduate of MBA taking in charge of your father’s business and after you’re leading there is a sudden fall in business profits and You will.

You are in charge to release salary for your unit as they are going home for Diwali leave. On the way, the village is with several riots and you can’t move the vehicle inroads also chances for looting the money if you choose alternate shortcuts, You will.
You are going to get a train by 10.30 is, it’s already 10 am. The usual journey time is half an hour. On the way, you saw a person getting beaten by a group of bad elements. You will.
You are going to get a train by 10.30 is, it’s already 10 am. The usual journey time is half an hour. On the way, you saw an old lady getting fainted on the road while crossing it. You will.

You are in love with a girl while were studying your engineering and you both were good in your studies to get a good job with a good salary, later you came to know that her father was responsible to ruin your father’s business. You will.
You are studying for your 12th standard board exams and the tsunami smashed your coastal town. You will.
You are the newly appointed captain of a small ship and on the trail, you lose your communication with the coast and it’s about to lose whole steadiness because of the failure of the communication device. You will.

He has to go to the final round of interviews and the whole city is shut down without transportation as a big leader dies. You will.
Your team leader corners you many times before your group and while lunchtime discussions, everyone talks badly about the team leader in his absence by supporting you. You will.
Only three days are there for the final submission of the project, but the teammate who knows most of the modules left the team with some issues. You will.

You received conflicting orders from your two superior officers. You will.
You were appointed captain of the basketball team but other players revolted against your appointment. You will.
An epidemic spread in the village due to poor hygiene conditions. You will.

While you were discussing your viewpoints others were not listening to you carefully. You will.
A fellow passenger fell from a running train. You will.
Your parents wanted you to marry a wealthy and less educated girl, but you had already found a suitable educated girl for yourself. You will.

You made a silly mistake and your friend pointed it out. You will.
You heard your neighbor screaming ‘thief – thief’ at midnight. You will.
A fellow passenger on the train objected to his smoking being an offense in a public place. You will.

You reached home from the office and saw your house on fire. You will.
You are going to Delhi for an interview but realized after one hour that you have boarded the wrong train. You will.
While you were going up in a lift the electric power supply failed. You will.

While you were hosting dinner with your friends in a hotel you realize that you have forgotten your wallet at home. You will.
Your friends came to borrow the book from which you were preparing for the next morning’s paper. You will.
You were appointed to supervise evening games in the college but you are staying far away. You will.

You proposed to invite a political leader to preside over the annual day celebration but others are against it. You will.
You had undergone a major surgical operation but there was no one to look after. You will.
Your parents were insisting on your early marriage but you wanted to take up a job first. You will.

You realized that your seniors are giving step-motherly treatment to you. You will.
Hearing an unusual sound at night you woke up and found a thief jumping out of your window. You will.
While you were traveling on your scooter, someone at gunpoint demanded your purse. You will.
You went to college but rowdy students told you to boycott the class. You will.
Your father had a dispute with your uncle on landed property. You will.
You wanted to borrow money for your sister’s marriage. The relative who assured declined to lend the money at the time of marriage. You will.
You were going on a bicycle in a thick jungle. It was already dark and the destination was 10 Km away. Your cycle got punctured. You will.
You went to buy a ticket to travel by rail. On getting the ticket you found that your purse was missing. You will.
Your two school-going children frequently missed classes. You will.
You were going to the market and he noticed a car and a tonga collide with each other. You will.
You and your friends are boating and suddenly, the boat started to mishap and you are the only person to know about swimming and the other two don’t know. You will.
During the SSB stay, 4 days crossed and the next day is the conference and you were very sure about getting recommended. Suddenly you got a phone call about your grandfather’s demise. You will.
While waiting at the MCO, you were about to leave for the SSB bus and noticed that your bag was missing. You will.
You were about to land at Allahabad station for SSB and noticed that the bag was missing. You will.
Your parents left you and your younger sister at home and you are preparing for your practice, suddenly your sister was suffering from epilepsy. You will.
You were organizing a cricket match and the day before night it started heavily raining and the ground was full of water. As you were responsible for the event, You will.
You advise your roommate to study on a regular basis, but one day before the exam he comes to you with loads of doubts and you were on your serious revision. You will.
While traveling by train you went to the toilet. On your return to your seat, you found your baggage missing. You will.

You can also prepare for other psychological tests like TAT & WAT from our earlier post. The link to the post is below

Hope the article would have helped in getting more insights into the Situation Reaction Test (SRT) conducted at SSB Interview.

For any further queries, clarification or questions, do comment.

Jai Hind..!