The candidate should appear to be an honest, forthright, and simple person who has substance in terms of knowledge and has done justice with the resources he got in his life. Who does not put up a facade. He wants to join the defense forces as a career and not for seeking a job.
Now coming to a bit of detail:
In his education has he done justice and got decent grades and is there consistency in it? If not what brought about that inconsistency?
For some of you, this is where your bunking classes, having a girlfriend/ boyfriend, or any other diversion becomes the cause of the drop in performance. If you think and say girls are meant to be enjoyed and used there is an issue but if you say you have had a girlfriend for say past two years and waiting to settle down and then marry that girl and it has not affected your grades negatively we have no issue. Interviewing officer is always smiling and you think he is friendly to you but he is not friendly but deadly
If your drop is justified it’s okay.
In your friends; how many friends and how many close friends you have. This is where you tend to give that you have 500 Facebook friends and then some go about saying making friends is your hobby. It becomes problematic once the question of keeping in touch with your friends is posed and it discloses precious time being wasted on Facebook. Qualities that you don’t like in your best friend? If you say that he attends all the classes in college or he participates in outdoor activities and thus is not able to spend time with you or he does not bunk classes with you then your priorities are misplaced. If these are like someone criticizing everything or losing their temper or they are into drinking and smoking and those are your strong points then it’s okay.
As regards teachers if you don’t like a teacher because he/she is partial (and you can give an example) or he does not come prepared in class and you have taken action to inform the principal about it, it’s okay. But if you’re saying that if the teacher is strict or gives too much work or doesn’t allow you to miss a class then you are at fault.
In your extracurricular co-curricular activities have you participated and know about what you did. If You say you did NSS or Scouts & Guides but don’t even know their mottos or have not done any of these and say you have the passion to join defense forces. Then I tend to see, you are saying something without supporting it. Any teachers that you didn’t like and the reasons for your dislike and what action did you take there.
Let’s cover a few questions about your family. Whatever information is given in the PIQ form is not required to be repeated because the IO knows. Explain a few qualities about your father that have impressed you. It can be his honesty or care for the family or the hardship in earning etc. Also, give your relationship with your father it may be formal or casual, or friendly. Most of the time fathers are normally away and boys tend to be close to their mothers which is okay. Explain your relationship with your mother also tell whom you approach when you are in a problem. Explain your relationship with your siblings. Give out those fights over the remote control you had at home as to who will see which TV channel:), explain the help rendered to you in doing your homework by your elder sibling or vice versa. And once anyone reaches the age where one has to leave the house these fights get converted into a fondness for each other. Explain how you help your mother in doing dishes or dusting the house or helping in getting groceries or doing bank work. They do not want parasites in the family but contributing members. At the end of your explanation about the family, they get a feeling that you belong to a well-knit happy family. But they want to know if you had an issue in your family like a divorce, maybe the death of some near and dear one, and has it affected you negatively or not.
Gentlemen use this explanation to improve yourself as a person and not to modify your answers.
If you get down to modifying your answers then you will go wrong and miss the point. If there is a drawback remove that drawback and do not try to change the answer. Grant it to the experience of IO you will be caught .Now let’s cover your hobbies and interests, reading, writing and internet surfing, and your daily routine.
Sports and games are normally not included in hobbies. Hobbies are more individual in nature. Hobbies can be reading, writing poems, playing an instrument, TV watching, Facebook, internet surfing, gardening, etc. Hobbies can be divided into two categories constructive and not-so-constructive. Like reading is a constructive hobby and TV watching (called the idiot box, actually it is only a box idiot is the one sitting in front) and Facebook is not constructive ones. Having mentioned a hobby do research and be prepared to be answering questions about it. If you say cooking (should not be that the only thing you can make is Maggie noodles) you should know various terms used in cooking like saute, shallow & deep frying, various types of gravies and how they are made, etc.
When you give your games and sports make sure that you know about that game inside out. Say I give football as one of the games. Then I should be aware of the dimensions of the field, the height of goal post, the number of players on the team, the various fouls, your position in the team, your favorite player, which club he plays for, and the difference between football and soccer. Why Indian football is not doing well etc. And similarly to other games.
Let’s move on to daily routine from the time you get up to the time you go to bed. Say this is the routine:
0700–0800 get up, get ready
0800–1600 college
1600–1700 rest
1700–1800 go out with friends
1800–2030 TV, Facebook
2030–2130 dinner
2130–2230 studies and sleep
In this routine other than the mandatory things there is no newspaper reading, hobby, physical fitness, or any fruitful activity.
Let us talk about reading and internet surfing habits. Internet surfing can be dicey in the sense with young minds one is never sure it is being used or abused. So see which sites you surf regularly and for what purpose. If Facebook is the place you spend your maximum time then I know that you have wasted that time if time spent on this is more than 15–20 mins. Even if you want to go over current affairs on the net I would recommend you to go over the actual version of any one newspaper on the net and not the headlines on an app. Reading, if you say is a hobby be prepared with a favorite author, books read, why you like the author, and some details about the author.
Let us discuss some common questions being asked. If you are appearing for the army know who is the Chief of the Army Staff, the latest equipment being purchased by the army, and any major thing like restructuring being thought of. Similarly, do your home work for the Navy and Air Force.
Our Prime Minister is very active and keeps visiting various countries to know what is happening, any financial aid is being given to these countries and important agreements are being signed. Know about the issues with our neighboring countries in relation to India.
At times the IO may ask a situation to see your situation handling or to confirm a particular aspect of your personality eg suppose you are going with your younger sister to market. One hefty-looking gunda stops you and ask you to give all the money and the watch you are wearing. What will you do?
Remember when you handle a situation you must cover all the essentials of the problem. Had you been alone possibly you may have run away after dodging him but you can’t do that as your little sister can’t run. If you are accompanied by your mother sister, wife, or girlfriend their safety and security is your responsibility. In such cases, you have to use “Saam, daam, dand, bhed” Remember giving the money and your wristwatch to that gunda may stop him but should he go beyond that you have no option but to fight. As long as you are there you won’t let anything happen to her, once you are not there just too bad. Also if you are alone that is without your younger sister then you may not even give her money or wrist watch. Say tomorrow you have a rifle without ammunition so will you give it away or not.
When you go for the interview have a decent haircut, preferably go cleanly shaven unless going for NDA SSB and your beard is yet to take off wear a formal outfit with matching formal shoes ( with laces) no tattoos, and no earrings ( for boys) after all this an important thing to wear is a nice smile!
This will help you a lot during the interview process of selection.
