The National Defence Academy (NDA) exam is one of the toughest exams that assesses a candidate’s overall fitness, mental fitness, and ability to handle pressure while serving the country. The NDA Exam is conducted in two parts, first the written exam by UPSC followed by the Service Selection Board (SSB) for candidates qualified in the written exam. The Group Testing Officer (GTO) task is a crucial component of the SSB, where candidates are evaluated on different parameters. To know more about the GTO Tasks in SSB and how to be physical fit for SSB, scroll down the article.
NDA SSB 2025
The NDA 1 SSB interview for 2025 is scheduled from Jun to September 2025. Candidates who successfully pass the written exam will be directly called for the NDA 1 SSB interview.
The NDA 2 SSB interview for 2025 is scheduled from November to January 2026. Those candidates who succeed in the written exam, to be held in September, will be directly called for the NDA 2 SSB interview.
Whether you’re appearing for the NDA 1 SSB interview or NDA 2 SSB interview, it’s essential to know about the SSB GTO tasks, as they play a significant role in selecting future officers.
SSB GTO Tasks
GTO stands for Group Testing Officer. These tasks are a series of nine activities designed to assess a candidate’s skills and personality traits suitable to be an Armed Forces Officer.
These GTO tasks are part of the selection process and criteria in the SSB interview which holds 900 marks. This weightage of marks plays a very significant role to include a candidate name in the final merit.
The GTO tasks typically include:
1. Group Discussion (GD):
Candidates are required to discuss on two topics for around 20 minutes and the GT will assess their communication skills, leadership qualities and ability to work in a team etc among other qualities.
2. Group Planning Exercise (GPE):
In Group Planning Exercise (GPE), Candidates are given a hypothetical situation and asked to plan and execute a task, and the GTO will evaluate their problem-solving, practical intelligence, resourcefulness, organising ability, leadership, teamwork skills etc.
3. Progressive Group Task (PGT):
In progressive group tasks (PGT) candidates have to work in a group to complete a series of physical tasks, displaying their physical fitness, endurance, teamwork, problem-solving abilities etc.
4. Half Group Task (HGT):
In HGT, each group is divided into half and each half group is given an obstacle to negotiate. GTO takes a closer look on each candidate in this task.
5. Group Obstacle Race (GOR):
Candidates navigate through a series of physical obstacles that require physical fitness, courage, team work, camaraderie, physical stamina etc.
6. Command Task (CT):
Candidates are given a leadership role and asked to complete a task assigning few subordinates and helping material. GTO evaluates their leadership, decision-making, problem-solving skills, mental stamina, ability to handle stress etc.
7. Lecturette:
In Lecturette candidates are supposed to deliver a short speech of about 3 minutes on a topic with approximately 3 minutes for preparation. The knowledge on the subject, delivery, confidence, communication skills, stamina, etc are seen.
8. Individual Obstacles (IO)
Candidates are to negotiate a total of 10 obstacles arranged in a random manner within 3 minutes. The display their practical intelligence, physical fitness, endurance, courage, etc.
9. Final Group Task (FGT)
FGT is the last task in GTO test battery and it re unites all the candidates as a group again and a similar obstacle as PGT is negotiated. GTO now observes the changes happened within the group over the two days.
What are the top 5 physical fitness tips for SSB GTO tasks?
These are the top five physical fitness tips for SSB GTO tasks -:
1. Running
Running is a very important factor to excel in GTO tests as there are many tasks that require running and flexibility. A daily running habit will boost your stamina, endurance, flexibility, and overall physical fitness to excel at the SSB GTO tasks.
2. Strengthening Your Muscles
Exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and sit-ups will strengthen muscles. This habit of daily exercises will tone your muscles, and you can handle all the GTO tasks with perfection.
3. Extra-Curricular Activities and Sports
Engage in extracurricular activities and sports like basketball, football, cricket, volleyball, obstacle crossing, trekking, cycling and swimming to improve physical and mental fitness, team spirit, adaptability, handling stress and more.
4. Stretching Exercises for Flexibility
Stretching exercises are necessary to develop flexibility and gain a flexible body, allowing you to attempt multiple tasks simultaneously. Yoga is another method of keeping your body fit and flexible.
5. Healthy Diet and Hydration
A healthy diet is crucial to attempt these sports, and hydration is equally important. A healthy diet provides your body with the internal structure and fitness to generate energy for GTO tasks.
Conclusion
By constantly following the above physical fitness tips and maintaining a healthy diet, you can prepare yourself physically for the SSB interview. What’s impressive to a GTO is whether a candidate is able to perform the given tasks well and any candidate fails to complete a task which requires minimum physical standards are generally not recommended. With the positive approach towards GTO tasks you can excel in the SSB interview and showcase your leadership skills, teamwork abilities, and problem-solving capabilities, ultimately increasing your chances of selection.