Last verified: 14 October 2026 (Wednesday, afternoon). The 143-qualifier tally is CONFIRMED from our morning scoreboard. The SSB procedure is CONFIRMED from the Indian Army’s official call-up instructions. This cycle’s call-up dates are EXPECTED — the SSB schedule is announced service-wise after the written result.
Clearing the UPSC written felt like the finish line. For the 143 Sainik School and AFPI cadets who did it this week, it is closer to the halfway mark. The written paper tested knowledge. What comes next tests something harder to coach: personality, leadership instinct, and temperament under pressure. Here is the road ahead, stage by stage.
The Services Selection Board interview runs over five days, in two stages. This is CONFIRMED from the Indian Army’s official call-up instructions, which describe the procedure identically across selection centres.
Day 1 — Stage I: Screening. Testing starts early with an Intelligence Test and the Picture Perception and Discussion Test (PPDT): candidates see a picture, write a short story, narrate it to their group, and build a common group story. Those who don’t clear screening go home the same afternoon. No second chances.
Days 2–5 — Stage II. Survivors face psychological tests (story-writing, word association, situation-reaction, self-description), Group Testing Officer tasks (group discussions, planning exercises, obstacle courses, command tasks over two days), and a personal interview based on the Day 1 questionnaire. Day 5 ends with the conference, where assessors decide who gets “recommended”.
After recommendation: medicals, then merit. Recommended candidates undergo an intensive 4–5 day medical examination at a military hospital. Only then is the final merit list drawn, strictly against available vacancies — and being medically fit is extremely mandatory for the joining letter.
This is not just their story — it is the clearest preview of where the AISSEE road leads: entrance exam in January, six years of Sainik School, and then this exact five-day board. The real numbers on the Sainik School-to-NDA journey are sobering and inspiring in equal measure.
What is the SSB interview for NDA written qualifiers?
A five-day, two-stage personality assessment evaluating officer-like qualities. It follows the written exam and must be cleared before medicals and the final merit list.
What happens on each day of the five-day SSB?
Day 1 is Stage I screening — intelligence test and PPDT, with unsuccessful candidates sent home the same afternoon. Days 2–5 form Stage II: psychological tests, GTO group tasks, the personal interview, and the final conference.
Do women NDA qualifiers attend the same SSB?
Yes — same five days, same tests. The 17 Mai Bhago AFPI women qualifiers compete for the roughly 6 per cent of NDA seats earmarked for women (girls in NDA guide).
Does clearing the NDA written exam guarantee a seat?
No. Candidates must be recommended by the SSB, pass a 4–5 day medical, and rank high enough on the final merit list, drawn strictly against available vacancies.
Photo: Pexels
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