Thematic Apperception Test or TAT is the first test in SSB Psychological test series. It is the most effective way of getting the personality of a person. The pictures shown to candidate stimulate their thought process and he may reveal a many of his hidden qualities. The real intention of this test is to give an appreciation of you without being conscious of it.
TAT is a projection of our thoughts/imaginations, that a picture is shown to the candidate by a projector and the candidate are asked to write down a story that comes to their mind. In this it is not necessary to note down the age, sex, mood etc like as PPDT. But the TAT story should consist of a hero of same age and sex and a story with a positive ending. Like this we have to write 11 stories for various slides of pictures while the last one is the empty slide.
The pictures shown to the candidates are of various real life situations. So we have to choose the hero of the same age and sex. If there is no hero or central character in the story then create a central character of the same age and sex.
Essentials Of a TAT Story
- A hero or a heroine: Every story must have a hero or a heroine around whom the plot of the story revolves. It is always better to select who has the same age and sex of you.
- Secondary Characters: They form the part of the story or may help the hero in a situation.
- Plot of the Story: Your story must have a strong theme for your story. The hero must face every difficulty and there should be a introduction, Main Body and Conclusion for your story. Your theme should never be anti-national, anti-social.
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Tips to Tackle TAT
- Listen to the Psychologist well and follow his instructions while he is explaining the task.
- Observe the picture carefully. Some pictures may be really hazy. The candidate must try to observe each scene to form a brief idea of the situation.
- You must think of the past and future of the situation shown in the picture and should incorporate it in your story to make it perfect.
- The theme should be a simple one but it should be interesting,. You must try to write whatever thought that comes to your mind. Be natural in TAT. But your story should never be pessimistic and it should be vibrant of optimism.
- Always try to write story in past tense.
- Do not let the result of the story happen in future. Conclude the story by giving an optimistic ending.
- The story should neither be lengthy nor be too short. A story of 10-12 lines will be enough as you have to write within allotted time.
- Write in simple language and your handwriting must be legible.
- You have to race against time in this test. You have to write the story within 3 and half minutes. It is not acceptable if you leave a story although that rarely happens.
- You are warned that you should never write memorized stories at SSB as it would be easily detected by the Psychologist and it will surely reduce your chances of getting recommended.
- The plot of the story should be simple and do not involve yourself in complicated situations as you have just three and half minutes for writing a story.
Practice for TAT
Always keep a notebook, a wristwatch and a pen wherever you travel. You can see a number of people engaged in a number of different activities like reading, Working hard to make both ends meet, Telephoning, Chatting with each other etc. Try to think of their background and note it on the notebook. Note particulars like their age, sex, present state of mind etc. Then try to write a story based on their conclusions about their past, present and future and see that you are able to write it within allotted time( 3 Minutes). This will definitely improve your skills. But take care that you have to write the first thought that comes to your mind. Then analyse yourself that-
- Your story is natural and has a strong theme.
- Your hero has the same age, sex and other particulars like yours.
- Your story has no anti-social or anti-national content and it is vibrant of optimism.
- You are able to write within allotted time.
- Your story has an introduction, main body and conclusion.
- Your story has a past and the result should never happen in future.
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