Lady Aspirants Exclusive: A Few Tips for Lady Candidates

We all know that women and men are different, and so are their reactions on situations. While women are more associated with management, men are associated more with physical work. Though a lot of attributes associated by the society with men and women are more of gender sensitization, still the difference exists. SSB is no different and you as a lady candidate are expected to have a different reaction to that of a gentleman candidate.

Earlier there was no women entry in the defence forces of India, and thus no SSB for women. This started in around 1992, when women were inducted in the forces. So most of the materials we have for the SSB are generally male oriented, most of the pictures shown in psychological tests are also no different. Although with the passage of time many reforms have been made. The point here is that you as a lady candidate should perform in accordance. Key of course is to be genuine and be yourself. Given below are important points related to lady candidates in SSB:

1. Many of you get influenced by the answers which your male friends give for a certain SRT or anything, so you try to give the same reaction in your SSB, this is not correct. Psychologically every person thinks differently and definitely your male friend will give an answer in accordance to his surroundings. Please give your genuine reaction .
   
2. You may try to fake courage. In certain SRT’s the situation is such that you/your sister are surrounded by some miscreants, or there is a fire in vicinity, or a thief is running with somebody’s purse. Now you think that if you’ll take anybody’s help then that would be cowardly, but it is not so. Think honestly that will you do what you are writing, in real life situation; will it be possible for you to do so? What we fail to understand is that these situations demand a real life approach, then only your real personality can be judged.
3. In the pictures shown, we may see a dominant male character, but we don’t make him the hero thinking that we have to make a female hero. This is not the case, you can make anybody hero, the quality forms a basis of judgment not the gender of the hero.
4. We tend to avoid making stories related to sexual harassment even if it is quite evident from the picture. In this case you are completely denying the situation, which is wrong. Harassment now-a-days is very much there in the society, just make sure you are writing the story positively. Same applies to the words and situations of the same kind.
5. The Interviewing Officer might ask you very personal questions, might ask you about your boyfriend, your orientation etc., these have no specific meaning, they just check how comfortable you are working with men, because forces in general constitute of men.
6. In the GTO series it is okay to do only a few obstacles in Individual Obstacles. There are looking for officers not athletes. These are meant to just check your basic fitness level. There have been ladies doing only 3 obstacles and still getting recommended.

SSB is not about a single task. It is about your whole personality. Be genuine.

Also Read

• Getting Ready for the GTO Physical Tasks
• How To Prepare For Written Exams

 Tashi Mishra, Editorial Team

I am Tashi, basically from Varanasi, currently pursuing my Masters in Computer Science from Christ University, Bangalore. I am interested in reading and football. It has always been my dream to join the forces,so here I am to share my experience with all the aspiring faujis. Remember with determination you’ll be triumphant!