Chapter Six-How To Master Situation Reaction Test
This chapter explains the concept and science behind the situation reaction test.
Chapter 6-Situation Reaction Test-Understanding The Concept
(This is Chapter 6. To read Chapter 7, click on the button at the bottom of the page)
The situation reaction test, commonly known as SRT, is one of the four tests which are conducted on the very first day of the SSB interview process after the candidate gets screened-in. In the situation reaction test, a total of 60 situations are given on a printed sheet and along with it an answer sheet is given to write answers on. Candidates are given 30 minutes to complete the test.
In the second chapter where I have explained about how all the three main psychology tests are interlinked, I have also explained about how the situation reaction test is a mixed bag and has a balanced mix of situations belonging to all the four Factors.
In my experience of grooming candidates over the past 7 years, I have observed that most of the candidates appearing for SSB do not have any clue about what is the science behind the situation reaction test and how they should approach it. Each and every situation which comes in the situation reaction test is very carefully framed and is directly related to those qualities and personality traits which are extremely important and completely relevant to an officer’s role. As such, before we proceed further and get into the analysis of answers in reference to the situations on which they have been written, it is important that we first understand the scientific aspect and concept of situation reaction test. Without a detailed understanding of the concept of situation reaction test, no amount of practice will ever help the candidate perform well in it.
As mentioned earlier, the situations which come in the situation reaction test are extremely carefully framed and are directly connected to at least one of the aspects of the candidate’s personality which relates to the role of an officer.
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Let us understand in a little detail what I mean by this. If you ask someone who has been till conference multiple times, whether he was asked questions regarding his family during the personal interview, the answer will always be a yes. A repeater who has been till conference multiple times will confirm that during each of his personal interviews there were questions asked about his family. No personal interview in any of the SSB, regardless of age and entry, can ever be complete without adequate discussion around family. The reason behind this is very simple: one of most important criteria for a candidate to be considered worthy of recommendation is that he should be from a good family. Here, by good family, we are not talking about rich or highly qualified parents or family members. A girl like Aanchal Gangwal, who is a daughter of a tea seller, has got commissioned into the Flying Branch of the Indian Air Force. There are numerous similar examples we see every year.
So, what does it mean when we say good family? Very simple: good values and deep bonds within family. These two elements will be adequate to constitute a good family from the selection perspective and not whether the family is rich or highly educated/qualified. We have already seen in the previous section how all the tasks and tests in the SSB are gauging the same qualities in the candidate. During the interview the Interviewing Officer will make an effort to gauge what kind of a family the candidate comes from by asking him relevant questions about family. Similarly, in the situation reaction test too, the family aspect of the candidate will be checked by giving relevant situations like ‘You want to join army but your father wants you to join family business. You will’ and ‘Your parents are out of town and suddenly your younger brother falls unconscious. You will’. Each of these situations relates to the family aspect of the candidate at least partly and a few situations like these will be there in every set of the situation reaction test conducted by our boards regardless of age and entry.
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Any candidate who has been till conference once or multiple times, will confirm with absolute certainty that in each of the situation reaction test he gave, a few situations like these were there at different intervals during the test. What the candidate will write in response to these situations will help the board understand about the family aspect of the candidate’s life.
The way situations like these relate to one particular important aspect of family, there are other situations which relate to other important aspects of the candidate which are relevant to an officer’s role and work. Let us discuss a few examples of other situations and why they are a part of the situation reaction test.
The way it is important for the board to understand about a candidate’s family background, the same way it is equally important to understand what is the concept of an officer in the candidate’s mind. The reason behind this is very simple: it is believed that, if commissioned, the candidate will go on to become the type of officer which matches the concept of what an officer is in his mind. To check what the candidate’s thoughts are about what an officer is, situations like ‘He is the adjutant and he observes a jawan coming late for work every day. He will” and ‘He is the CO of a unit running short of manpower and a jawan comes and asks for leave on false pretext. He will’. What the candidate will write in response to these situations will help the board understand what kind of an officer the candidate will go on to become.
Now let us understand about another category of situations and why they come during the situation reaction test. Lot of candidates appear for SSB out of fascination. They are attracted to our armed forces because of the kind of public image our armed forces have. To general public, mainly the element of a life full of adventure is what armed forces are all about.
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The candidates who come for SSB with this fascinated kind of mindset are mainly wanting that life of adventure and thrill. We all see lot of youngsters posting videos in their WhatsApp status and on other social media platforms in which there are guns blazing and heroic songs playing in the background. This is the first sign of fascination. Since that is their main reason for attraction, most of them are not aware that our armed forces also have a lot of work to do. There are lot of responsibilities and all the three arms are short of manpower. It is common in units to see one officer doing work of three or four officers due to shortage of officers. Same is the case with Other Ranks and JCOs.
The main concern for the board is that if the candidate has come with a fascinated mind, he will be in for a rude shock when he will be given a lot of work and the element of adventure and thrill may not be as much as he dreamt of. In this eventuality, the possibility that the candidate will get badly disappointed and might not give his 100% to work is very high. As such the board will not feel comfortable and confident about recommending a candidate who has come with a fascinated mind.
The second category is the minority. It constitutes those who are mature, responsible and level headed individuals and appear for SSB, not out of fascination, but with the complete realization that life in our armed forces involves a lot of work and has challenges of it’s own. This kind of an individual is aware that the work may not always be pleasant or enjoyable but he is still willing to undertake it out of his/her own sense of maturity and understanding of life. It is extremely important for the board to understand whether the candidate is a fascinated youngster wanting to join our armed forces out of some pink and green notion in mind or whether he/she is a very mature individual and knows the magnitude and depth of the responsibilities involved in working as an officer.
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It is precisely to check whether the candidate is a fascinated person or a mature individual, that a situation like ‘Young men are not interested in joining our armed forces. What incentive will you offer them to attract them towards armed forces?’ is given to the candidate. What the candidate will write in response to this situation will clearly confirm what is the main motive of the candidate himself behind wanting to join our armed forces. For example, if the candidate wants to join our armed forces to experience thrill and adventure then he will talk about the same to others to encourage them to join our armed forces. The main thing he will discuss with others to entice and allure them will be how life in our armed forces is full of adventure and thrill. The candidate who wants to join our armed forces because of the benefits it offers like free medical treatment for self and dependent, furnished accommodation, nearly 3 month’s leave, canteen and Army Public School for children, will discuss the same with others to encourage them to join.
Similarly, if a candidate wants to join out of a sense of duty since he knows that our armed forces are running short of officers and we badly need people who will not only join but will also be ready to work in a very laborious manner, then the same will get reflected in how he will talk to others regarding why they should join our armed forces. He will honestly and clearly acknowledge that life in our armed forces isn’t easy and that there is a lot of work but then country needs good and hardworking officers right now and that is why they must join. This is how the candidate’s answer will clearly reflect what is attracting him to our armed forces. Naturally, the board will like the candidate who will be wanting to join out of a sense of duty.
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Let us take one more example of a category of situation which is an important part of the situation reaction test. It is very common to come across situations like ‘He was getting late for exam and he witnessed an accident. He will’. This is a perfect example of a Factor 3 situation. There is life at risk in this situation. What the candidate will write in response will clearly confirm whether his own Factor 3 is strong or weak. In the same way there will be situations related to Factor 4.
Since we have now got an adequate understanding about the concept of Situation Reaction Test, let us move towards our learning and start with our study of the situation reaction test.
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