The conference round is the last stage of the SSB interview process, in which all three interviewers—the Psychologist, Group Testing Officer (GTO), and Interviewing Officer (IO)—gather together to collectively make a recommendation for the candidate.

Contrary to popular belief, the conference round is not used to “test” the candidate again. It is used to conclude the interview process by comparing all the observations made at each stage of the interview process.

From the point of view of the interviewers, the conference round is the most critical stage of the SSB interview process, especially when the candidate’s performance is borderline or when clarification is required.

What happens during the conference round?

Before the candidates enter the conference room for the conference round, all interviewers have already completed their individual rounds of interviews.

During the conference round:

• Each of the interviewers presents their observations to the others.
• The strengths and weaknesses of the candidate are discussed.
• The behavior of the candidate is compared across all three rounds—psychology, GTO, and interview.
• A collective decision is made for the candidate.
• Each candidate is then called individually into the conference room for a brief interaction.

Why is the conference round important?

The SSB interview process is designed to test the candidate through individual rounds of interviews and then collectively verify their performance through the conference round.

The conference round is important because:

No individual interviewers make the recommendation decisions.
Each of their observations is verified and compared.
It ensures a fair and accurate recommendation decision is made for the candidate.

Role of consistency in the conference round

Consistency across all tests is the most critical factor in the conference round.

Each of the interviewers tries to match the observations of the other interviewers to see if there is:

Consistency in the thought process of the candidate (psychology test)?
Consistency in the behavior of the candidate (group testing officer test)?
Consistency in the personality and background of the candidate (interview test)?

For example:

A candidate showing responsibility in GTOs should also exhibit responsibility in psychology tests
The statements made during the interview should match the behaviour shown

If the candidate is showing clear and consistent OLQs, then the decision is easy.

How borderline cases are handled

The conference plays its most important role in borderline cases.

Borderline cases refer to those candidates:

Who perform well in some areas and not in others
Who show potential but lack consistency
Who create mixed impressions among the assessors

In such cases, the assessors discuss:

Whether the candidate is trainable
Whether the weaknesses shown can be improved
Whether the strengths overshadow the weaknesses

The final decision depends on whether the candidate shows overall potential for becoming an officer.

Purpose of questions asked in the conference

Sometimes, the candidates are asked a few questions during the conference. These questions may include:

How was your experience at SSB?
What tasks did you perform well in?
What tasks did you find difficult?
Any suggestions or feedback?

Sometimes, the questions asked may not be related to the tasks. In some cases, the questions asked may even seem unexpected.

These questions are not asked to test the knowledge of the candidate. They are asked:

To clear any doubts
To test the confidence and composure of the candidate
To assess the consistency of the statements made during the interview

For borderline cases, the behaviour shown during this interaction may have a major impact on the final decision.

Common misconceptions about the conference

Most candidates misunderstand the role of the conference.

Common misconceptions include:

The final decision is taken by the conference
If the conference is long, then the candidate must have been recommended
If the candidate gives the right answer during the conference, then he/she must be selected

In reality, the final decision is taken based on the overall performance during the entire selection days, not just the interaction during the conference.

What the assessor will look out for at this point

The assessor will look out for the following at the conference interaction:

• Confidence and composure
• Honesty of responses
• Clarity of self-assessment
• Consistency of behavior

A natural and composed behavior by the candidate will only serve to reinforce the overall assessment process positively.

How the candidates should approach the conference

The conference should be seen by the candidates as the end of the process. The candidates should not see it as an opportunity to impress. The candidates should:

Be natural and confident
Be honest and brief in their responses
Not overthink responses
Be the same as what was seen throughout the SSB

The assessor’s last point of consideration

The assessor will ask one question at the end of the conference. This question will be:

Does the candidate consistently show officer-like qualities and have the potential to be trained as an officer?

If the answer to this question is a resounding yes, then the candidate will be recommended. The conference process helps the candidate to understand what is happening. This will ensure that the right mindset is had by the candidates at all times. The right mindset will ensure that the candidates are able to perform well at all stages of the SSB process. This includes the conference.