How to become an Indian Army Officer

Superheroes with superpowers are awesome, but the true heroes of our country are those who stand on the border safeguarding the entire nation and serving it with complete honesty and enthusiasm. 

You guessed it, those superheroes are individuals serving in the Armed Forces who have a more exciting lifestyle than everyone else.

If you are interested in serving our beautiful country, wearing the prestigious uniform, and enjoying an extraordinary life, then read the blog to learn how to become an Indian Army Officer, the salary, and much more.

Who is an Indian Army Officer

An army officer is a person who serves their country by planning operations, giving assignments, effectively interacting with subordinate personnel, commanding, training, and directing others, and overseeing the welfare and progress of new recruits.

The duties of an Army officer require the highest level of honesty and personal conduct. Depending on the job experience, a candidate’s career as an Army officer begins as a Lieutenant and advances to Colonel or General officer.

Learn more: How to Become an IPS Officer

How to become an Indian Army Officer

Step 1: Stream Selection

After the tenth grade, you can take any stream of your choice to complete your 10+2. You must successfully pass your 10+2 with a minimum of 60% aggregate marks. 

Step 2: Educational Qualification

(I) How to become an Indian Army Officer after 10th

As the major eligibility criterion for appearing in the defence exam is 10+2, following 10th you can choose any stream of your choice and score at least 60% aggregate. After finishing your tenth grade, you can begin studying for the NDA exam.

The NDA test pattern is broken into two parts: the written exam and the SSB interview. The NDA written exam is divided into two sections: Mathematics and General Ability Test. The written exam has a total score of 900. Candidates who pass the written exam will be invited to the SSB Interview for Psychological Aptitude and Intelligence. The SSB Interview is worth 900 points.

(II) How to become an Indian Army Officer after 12:

After 12th, you can join the Indian Army through the below-given entries.

1. NDA Entry 
   1. Take the NDA Entrance Exam.
   2. Candidates who pass the exam will be required to complete a four-year training program divided into three years at NDA and one year at IMA.

2. Admission to the Army Cadet College (ACC)
   1. Admission to ACC is based on a written test followed by a physical examination administered by SSB.
   2. Following selection, students must complete a three-year training program at ACC, followed by a one-year training program at IMA.

3. Technical Entry (TES)
   1. To be eligible for TES, aspirants must have completed their 10+2 with a minimum of 70% overall.
   2. Following selection, candidates must complete four years of pre-commission training and one year of post-commission training.

What is Service Selection Board(SSB)

Candidates who pass the exam or meet the direct entrance eligibility requirements will be invited to an SSB (service selection board) interview. The SSB is a 5-day personality interview process used to select officers. The army’s final selection is based on exam, SSB, and medical, which results in a final merit list.

The SSB interview consists of two phases and is a comprehensive examination of your personality. The first stage is divided into two parts: OIR and PPDT (officer intelligence rating) and (picture perception and description test).

Only those who pass the first step advance to the second stage, which includes interviews, group testing officer tasks, a psychology exam, and a conference. The full method is worth 900 points and takes five days to complete.

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DAY 1:

1. OIR: The day begins with verification of the call letter and paperwork at 6:00 a.m., followed by breakfast. The officer’s intelligence rating test, which contains both verbal and non-verbal questions, is next conducted for all applicants in a large testing hall. It’s a 30-minute multiple-choice test, with each candidate attempting two sets of the test.

Each candidate is assigned an OIR1 to OIR5 level based on accurate responses, with 1 being the highest and 5 being the lowest.

2. Picture Perception and Description test:

Following OIR, candidates are divided into groups and shown a hazy image on the screen for 30 seconds. In four minutes, you must compose a story based on your initial reaction to the image.

After you’ve finished your narrative, you’ll be taken to different rooms, where each person will tell their story to the group in presence of two or three testing officers. As soon as everyone’s narration is over, a discussion follows in which the entire group must come up with a single tale for the given photo through cooperative discussion.

Following the announcement of stage 1 results, only a few applicants are kept for the next four days of testing based on the combination of both exams.

The retained candidate spends the next few hours filling out a Personal Information Questionnaire (PIQ form) and other forms pertaining to their schooling, employment, extracurricular activities, background, and so on.

Day 2: Psychology Tests

A Psychologist will organize a series of written tests. These exams will assess a candidate’s psychological aptitude to serve as an officer. These examinations include:

• Thematic Apperception Test(TAT)
• Word Association Test(WAT)
• Situation Reaction Test(SRT)
• Self Description(SD)

Day 3 and 4:

1. These tests are used to assess a candidate’s mental and physical ability in both indoor and outdoor situations. All of them are listed below:

• Group Discussion Test
• Group Planning Exercise
• Progressive Group Task
• Half Group Task
• Individual Obstacle
• Command Task
• Lecturrete
• Final Group Task

2. Interview

The candidate’s interview will take place on the same day or the next day. A personal conversation with an Interviewing Officer is scheduled. This is a crucial period because it is the only time the officer will examine you individually, giving you the opportunity to shine. The SSB procedure puts your honesty, practicality, and intelligence to the test. Prepare thoroughly for any and all types of interview questions that may be asked.

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Day 5: Conference

On the final day, candidates and all SSB board members sit down and have a conversation with the candidates, asking them a few general questions. The conference aims to determine if you should be recommended as an officer in the Indian defence forces. Candidates must appear before the entire Board of Examiners, which includes the President, Vice President, all GTOs, all psychologists, and the Technical Officer.

After the board meeting, the SSB results will be announced within an hour. Selected individuals must go through a further three to five days of medical testing. The final merit list will be revealed after the qualifying candidates’ medical tests.

(III) How to become an Indian Army Officer after Undergraduate Course

You must have completed your undergraduate degree in any specialization in order to sit for the UPSC-CDS examination, which is followed by a physical examination.

The CDS Exam is divided into three sections, whereas the Officers’ Training Academy Exam is divided into two sections, each with 100 questions. Each question is worth one mark. For each incorrect answer, a third of the total mark is deducted. 

The written exam for the IMA is divided into three sections: English, General Knowledge, and Elementary Mathematics. The written paper for OTA is divided into two sections: English and General Knowledge.

You can also pursue an undergraduate degree in engineering from any specialization (preferably mechanical, civil, electrical, or computer science). As a result, you can sit for the SSB without passing the exam. The remaining SSB procedure and subsequent procedures remain unchanged.

You can enter the Indian Army through the below-given Entries:

1. SSC Technical Entry – (Men and Women)
   1. You must have an engineering degree in any specialization and pass the physical fitness assessment to be considered for this position.
   2. Selected candidates complete a 49-week training program in OTA.

2. Non-Technical SSC Entry – (Men and Women)
   1. To be eligible for this position, you must have a bachelor’s degree in any field and pass a physical examination.
   2. Selected candidates complete a 49-week training program in OTA.

3. Army Law Entry: 

Candidates interested in enlisting in the Indian Army as law graduates must have a law degree from an Indian university. The candidates are then shortlisted based on the number of open positions and their graduation grades. Following that, candidates must go through an SSB selection procedure. Candidates who pass the SSB interview are assigned to the Indian army’s law wing.

Step 3: Job Prep required

1. The major objective when preparing for the Indian Armed Forces is to start your preparation ahead of time depending on whatever entry you intend to join.

You should begin preparing for the NDA exam after 10th grade in order to earn good marks in the written examination, which will help you easily get into the merit. Similarly, you should begin preparing for the CDS exam in your final year of a degree college in order to score high marks for the same.

2. The next priority should be to excel in your SSB. It is a critical procedure that thoroughly tests your personality. Thus, building comprehensive individuality by involvement in school and college competitions, regular exercise, staying up to date on current events, and enhancing your personality to stand out is crucial.

3. You might also consider completing training from a recognized SSB institute, which usually consists of a two-week program that gives you real experience with SSB and helps you mould yourself into thinking like an officer.

Know about: How to become an IAS (Indian Administrative Services) Officer

Skills required to become an Indian Army Officer

• Communication Skills
• Judgment Skills
• Analytical Skills
• Research Skills
• Perseverance Skills
• People Skills
• Creativity

If you want to master such remarkable talents and stand out from the crowd, enroll in Clever Harvey’s JuniorMBA Technology program and build your personality to shine in the areas you prefer.

Salary of Indian Army Officers

Serving in the Armed Forces is a very respectable opportunity that takes a great deal of perseverance, hard work, a strong attitude, a great deal of sacrifice from comfort, and much more. Finally, the respect that comes from safeguarding your nation is worth the hardship.

We hope you have received enough information to properly begin your preparation and become responsible officers of which our country may very well be proud.

That’s all from us for now folks!! Keep coming back for more insights into every career.

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