What is (TAT) Thematic Apperception Test?
Aspirants willing to join India Armed Forces as an officer apply for it through different types of entries but one thing that all these entries have in common is Service Selection Board (SSB) interview process, in SSB interview a candidate’s skills are tested intellectually, physically, psychologically and through group activities. Under psychological test, four tests are conducted:
- Thematic Apperception Test (TAT )
- Word Association Test (WAT)
- Situation Reaction Test (SRT)
- Self-Description Test (SD)
In this article we will discuss about Thematic Apperception Test in SSB.
Thematic Apperception Test in SSB:
Technically, Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is a projective psychological test. Proponents of this technique assert that a person’s responses reveal underlying motives, concerns, and the way they see the social world through the stories they make up about ambiguous pictures of people.
What is Thematic Apperception Test in SSB
Thematic Apperception Test in SSB consists of set of ambiguous pictures that will be shown to the candidate, while looking on these pictures candidates must create a theme like a story which requires a hero and a challenge, how the hero will overcome the crisis and succeed.
In TAT a candidate will be asked to write a story from his own based on the images shown. A candidate shouldn’t just use his memory blocks and start preparing a story, he/she needs to see that every third or fourth line there is different meanings are coming, try interpretation and analyze those meaning as third person because that meaning shows candidate’s state of mind.
There are 12 slides, continuously shown to the candidates with 4 minutes between each slide to see the image, perceive & put their first thoughts in the form of a story. 30 seconds are given to see the image & then the image is called off the projector. The last slide, i.e. 12th slide is a blank slide. The TAT is designed to test a candidate’s perception & thinking & contributes 60% weightage of the psychological tests.
Note: 12th slide/Blank slide story should reflect your nature & thus should revolve around you. It is designed so as the psychologist gets a better idea of you. As it is known that TAT consist of a blank slide, it is in the candidate’s interest to prepare it beforehand.
Tips on Thematic Apperception Test in SSB:
Consider these points while attempting TAT :
- What has led up to the situation.
- What the characters are feeling and thinking.
- What is happening at the moment.
- What is the final outcome of the story.
Characteristics of the Story in Thematic Apperception Test in SSB:
- Each story must have a chief character (Hero), it will be wise to use officer like qualities (OLQs) when creating the personality traits of the character.
- Choose the age and profession of the main lead of your story very carefully. The age should be exactly what is evident from the picture. And choose the profession according to the age.
- Avoid superficial base for the story, the practical a story sounds the positive will be the impression on assessors.
- Always give the story a successful ending.
- Keep a clean and calm thought process while writing story.
- Avoid tough and negative language, keep it understandable and less technical.
- Keep a keen eye when looking at picture, read every small detail.
Examples of Thematic Apperception Test in SSB:
The below TAT series are designed to give you a better idea of SSB interview & how the TAT is conducted. These TAT are designed similar to what you’ll face in the SSB interview.
Note: Click on the TAT Sets, automatically a ppt file will be downloaded. Open it & the test will start automatically. The tests are designed similar to the one in the SSB Interview. The TAT ppts are designed with an inbuilt timer & after every 4 minutes the slide will change automatically.
Write your stories in the comment box & we’ll review them.
(Please do mention the set number & slide number)
SSB School 