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Territorial Army Officers notification was released recently and a large number of civil candidate had interest in it specially after the Operation Sindoor.
What makes this entry of Indian Army different from others is that it allows you to keep working in your primary profession without having to sacrifice your primary job and be a part of Indian Army as any other regular officer and serve for a minimum tenure of a 2 months in a year. The other interesting thing about this entry is that the age limit to join through this entry is 42 years as against 24 years for all other regular entries. Ministry of defence consider the age from the date of birth recorded in the Matriculation and Senior Secondary High School certificates. Graduate from any stream can appear for territorial Army Officer Entry.
The Indian Army includes Territorial Army under its “Other Arms” category, and it deploys the Territorial Army to support the forces as and when required. It also acts as a reserved force when such situation arises. Territorial Army has different battalions under it and there are regular soldiers who are part of TA. The Army posts regular officers to the TA. If you join the Indian Army through the TA Entry, Army will impart pre-commissioning training to you and attach you to a parent TA unit. There, you will serve alongside regular officers and soldiers as an Indian Army officer in uniform. The Army will grant you all the facilities, powers, and responsibilities like any other officer.
Selection Process of Territorial Army Officers Entry
Candidates have to apply for the entry in the application form available here. Army will conduct a written examination named CBT (Computer Based Test). This means that candidates will sit in a lab with individual computers and answer the test in a Multiple Choice Questions format. This is not a pen and paper examination but rough sheets will be provided for calculation
Structure of TA CBT Officers Exam
| Syllabus | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| English | 25 | 25 |
| General knowledge | 25 | 25 |
| Mathematics | 25 | 25 |
| Reasoning | 25 | 25 |
CBT is a 100-mark paper with a total duration of 2 hours. Candidates complete the CBT as a single paper in one sitting without individual time limits for each section. Further, there is no sectional cut-offs for the 4 sections.
There is 1/3rd Negative Marking for each incorrect answer. There is no negative marking for the questions not attempted. The TA officers examination usually has a cut-off of 40 marks, but officials may revise it based on candidates’ overall performance.
The Indian Army recently changed the TA Officers Entry syllabus in 2024. The closest books that cover the entire syllabus in depth and in the least possible time are CDS Maths Shortcut Tricks & AFCAT the first step Guide.
AFCAT the first step covers exact syllabus of English, General Knowledge and Reasoning while CDS Maths shortcut tricks cover the exact syllabus of Mathematics.
Both these books are available on Amazon and Flipkart and have been successful in their respective examination.
Candidates who clear the examination will attend the SSB Interview. The Service Selection Board Interview lasts 5 days, and you can watch the complete process in this video.
After candidates clear the interview and medical examination, the authorities will call them to join the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun or the Officer Training Academy in Chennai for 23 weeks of pre-commissioning training. Upon completion, they will promote the gentlemen cadets to the rank of lieutenant in the Indian Army
Now, let us talk about some of the most commonly asked doubts on Territorial Army Officers Entry
Territorial Army Officers Entry Common Doubts
1.) Can TA officer be promoted to General Rank?
TA officer is eligible to be promoted to the rank of Lt col with normal years in service. Promotion to the rank of Col and brigadier is based on selection process at that rank which is applicable for any other army officer too.
2.) Can TA Officer get benefits of pension?
TA officer is eligible for all facilities like canteen, medical and other privileges like regular officer . However, TA entry doesn’t guarantee pension and it is subject to 20 years of service in TA. Officer is also eligible for gratuity subject to a minimum of 4 years of aggregate embodied service.
3.) To serve longer can one get permanently embodied in Army and leave their civil profession?
Yes, TA officers can get permanently embodied based on the availability of appointment but doesn’t guarantee availability.
4.) Is there a minimum service required?
Yes, 2 months of annual training camp is compulsory in a year.
5.) Eligibility says gainfully employed. What is gainfully employed in Territorial Army Officers Entry
Since the authorities clearly mention that TA officer entry is a part-time commitment without requiring candidates to give up their primary profession, the applicant must hold a job before applying for the TA. This ensures that candidates do not remain unemployed during the rest of the year.. Hence, gainfully employed refers to the person primarily employed at private or public profession with no minimum salary but a standard pay. The details of pay will be verified though ITR, 26AS and other government data. Hence, unemployed individual is not eligible to appear
Additional preparation required on your personality
After clearing the TA CBT written examination candidate will appear for the SSB Interview. It is a personality based interview and the first test is on reasoning intelligence, perception and narration. Hence, it is highly recommended to go through these two books alongside.
SSB OIR will also help you in your reasoning section of CBT, Further PPDT is a very short book for your continuous personality evaluation and introspection
