IS ENGLISH COMPULSORY FOR SSB INTERVIEW
SSB, quite a scary round for Defence aspirants! Clearing written exam is one thing but successfully cracking the SSB interview session to join any branch of Indian Armed Force is a completely different matter.
SSB is a 5 day procedure and is much versatile in nature. It is a mixture of different sorts of tests all aimed to check your Officer like qualities. Psychological tests, group tasks, outdoor tasks, personal interview, written and verbal tasks are all combined together in the lengthy SSB session to dig in deep into the candidate’s skills, abilities, intelligence and personality.
Without making it making boring for you any further let me directly jump to today’s main point. The often understood myth by Defence aspirants is that English is ultimate, English is extremely necessary, or more so English is compulsory for SSB interview. It’s time to get to the root of this myth.
Have you ever given a thought why English is given priority everywhere? Well the answer lies in the fact that English is a universal language, that is, it is commonly spoken all over the world. Hence a basic knowledge of English, be it in any sphere of life, personal or professional, is must.
Coming on to Indian Armed Forces, English is the language of this field. Not only communication but training imparted for Indian Armed Forces is carried out in English. However it has absolutely no relation to SSB because during the training you will automatically learn English and be fluent by the end of your term period.
Coming to SSB, well when talking to your batch mates you are free to use any language, the question of English usage arises only when engaging with the board members. No doubt English is given preference but at any point of time if a candidate does not feel comfortable he can switch to Hindi language. There is no restriction on switching to or using of Hindi language. More so, if a candidate is not at all fluent in English he can use Hindi from the very beginning of SSB interview session rounds. A third option lets the candidate use both Hindi and English language together.
You need to understand that SSB is an examination of one’s personality, psychology, behavior, intelligence and military aptitude not language. Language could be learnt in months hence don’t make it an issue of concern.
Speak whatever you speak with confidence, be truthful to the Board members and be genuine in your performance.
