SSB Interview – Officer Intelligence Rating Test or OIR Test | Useful Practice Set-1

The first test faced by every candidate during the SSB interview is Officer Intelligence Rating Test or OIR Test. This test is part of Stage 1 of the SSB Interview, also called a screening test. The screening test consists of 2 tests – Officer Intelligence and Rating (OIR) Test (Verbal & Non-Verbal Test) and Picture Perception and Description Test (PPDT). Candidates’ selection for the second stage is based on their performance in both these tests. All those candidates who are able to qualify for the screening stage or First Stage are retained for 4 more days for Stage Two assessment. Rest all candidates are sent back on the same day. Thus, the first hurdle of the SSB Interview is the OIR test and PPDT. In this article we, will try to understand what Officer Intelligence Rating Test or OIR Test is with Practice Sets of Non-Verbal Reasoning questions.

What is Officer Intelligence Rating Test or OIR Test?

OIR Test or Officers’ Intelligence Rating is the assessment of the competence and intelligence level of the candidate. This is a written test comprising of 2 sets of Question booklets consisting of 40-50 questions in each booklet.

Each booklet consists of easy linguistic, analytical, logical, and mathematical questions that test the common sense of the aspirants. The OIR test is a test of the verbal and non-verbal reasoning of a candidate. All the tests of SSB are designed in such a way that it gauges the Reasoning Ability & Effective Intelligence of a candidate.

The procedure for the OIR Test

On the first day of the SSB Interview after the document verification, all the candidates are assembled in a testing hall to conduct the Officer Intelligence Rating Test or OIR Test. The Instructor will welcome them and brief all the candidates about the test.
OIR test includes two tests for which two separate test booklets are given. Each booklet has around 40 or even 50 questions for which they will be given around 15-20 minutes time. The Level of questions in the test is simple and easy. Time limit is the only factor that matters, as you have to complete more than 2 questions in a minute.

Points to keep in mind while attempting the OIR Test

• The candidate must try to solve every question in the booklet within the given time.
• As watches are not permitted in any of the tests of SSB, you have to keep your speed and have a guard on time.
• You must listen to every instruction given by the Instructor who is conducting your test; before the actual test starts, they will also conduct a practice test to make you familiar with the test.
• Do not be in a hurry to start the test, as you will get ample time to complete it.
• Also, stop the test once the Instructor advises doing so.

Syllabus of OIR Test

OIR Test is a written test, which consists of two sections – 1. Verbal and 2. Non-verbal:

Verbal Section

The verbal section of the Intelligence Test consists of questions that are based on the following topic

• Jumbled words
• Direction Sense Test
• Spelling Correction
• Basic Grammar
• Antonym and synonym
• Analogies
• Reconstruction of sentence
• Verbal Deductions
• One-word substitution
• Critical Reasoning
• Odd one out
• Relationship Test
• Letter Series
• Problems on Ranks
• Coding-Decoding
• World Groups
• Arithmetic Quiz questions
• Sentence Completion

Non-Verbal Section

In the non-verbal section of the OIR Test, questions are based on the below topics

• Selecting Similar Figures
• Classification
• Which figure is different from the other
• Figure Analogies
• Grouping of Identical Figures
• Figure Matrix
• Spatial Ability
• Spotting the embedded Figure
• Completion of series
• Paper Cutting and Folding
• Locate the concealed figure
• Fill in the correct figure
• Problems on Cubes
• Problems on Dice
• Visualizing Pattern

Officer Intelligence Rating Test or OIR Test Preparation Strategy?

There is a common perception among the candidates that OIR Test does not carry much weightage in the screening assessment or selection marking. Candidates think that, in screening, PPDT is the only test that matters. However, they should understand one thing they have to clear the OIR test by scoring some minimum cut-off marks. If they score below the minimum marks, they will not be evaluated for their PPDT test.

Candidates should keep the below points to prepare for the OIR test

• Everyone must be thorough with the syllabus. They should pick the topics one by one at their convenience and start preparing for them,
• The difficulty level of questions asked in the Officer Intelligence Rating Test or OIR Test is very basic and can be learned by practicing them daily.
• During the test, never spend much time on difficult questions. The candidate should attempt the easier ones first.
• This test does not have any negative marking system, so try to attempt as many questions as possible.
• Avoid writing anything on the question set booklet, as you have to submit them back after the test.
• Practice, Practice, Practice. Practice a lot. The candidate should be aware of the commonly asked questions on topics like cube and dice, completing patterns, and odd one out.

Practice set – Non-verbal Reasoning Questions

Practicing the type of questions asked in the OIR test, will not only help you in understanding the type of questions asked but will also improve the speed of solving these types of questions.
These tests will also prepare you for other competitive exams also.
Below are the links for Practice set questions of Non-Verbal type questions asked at the Officer Intelligence Rating Test or OIR Test at the SSB Interview.

More articles on SSB Interview Preparation

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• Word Association Test (WAT) at SSB Interview (400+ New Words)
• Situation Reaction Test (SRT) at SSB Interview (60+ New Situations)
• 220+ Expected Lecturette Topics for SSB Interview Preparation

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