One of the major set of SSB interview questions revolve around the journey from your home to the SSB centre. Candidates from all parts of the country travel long distances for their interview using different modes of transport. Hence, questions about your travel experience become inevitable during the personal interview.
Logic Behind Such Questions
One might wonder why the interviewing officer (IO) is interested in knowing about one’s journey so much. The truth lies in the fact that he is not. The two major reasons of asking these SSB interview questions are:
- Rapport building: Before the main interview begins, the IO tries to comfort the candidate by asking generic questions that build their confidence. This exercise releases stress, if any.
- Quality-check: Everything in SSB revolves around the 15 Officer Like Qualities (OLQs), and your answers reflect your overall qualities as an individual.
Your answers determine the course of your interview in the next 45 minutes or so. Hence, here are some obvious questions you must prepare beforehand.
15 Travel-Related SSB Interview Questions
Let us assume that your SSB interview is scheduled at 14 SSB Prayagraj. You may consider these SSB interview questions for preparation and change the name of the centre and relevant details in your answers:
I. Basic details about journey to SSB
Every interviewer will ask certain basic questions to comfort you before he moves to the tougher ones:
Q1 . Where are you coming from? Is this your first time in Prayagraj?
Sir, I am coming from Delhi and yes, this is my first time in the city.
Q2. How did you reach here and why did you choose this mode of transport?
I came here on 10th of July by the 22416 Vande Bharat Express. I chose this train because it was the fastest and most convenient option available from my city to Prayagraj.
Q3. What was the train number/coach number/platform number/seat number?
The train number was 22416, sir. It was parked at platform number 12 at the New Delhi Railway Station (NDLS). My coach number was C8 and I sat on seat number 43.
II. SSB interview questions about responsibility
Responsibility towards yourself and others is an essential OLQ. Hence, these questions follow:
Q4. How did you book your ticket?
I booked my ticket via the official website of IRCTC. I entered the boarding point and destination, along with the travel date. Once I had all the options on my screen, I chose the Vande Bharat Express after consulting my parents and paid the fare online.
Q5. What was the total cost of your journey from home to the centre?
Sir, I reached the railway station from my home via a taxi, which charged Rs. 450. On reaching the station, I navigated to platform number 12 and boarded the train for my journey. Its fare was about Rs. 1600, inclusive of evening snacks and dinner. Once I reached Prayagraj Junction, I hailed an auto to a nearby hotel and paid Rs. 100 to the auto driver. Living at a dormitory, I spent about Rs. 700 on the stay and meals, and the next day, I came to the centre through a sharing e-rickshaw. So, I spent about Rs. 3000 on this journey.
IIII. Question list on observation
Observational questions determine how alert you are while travelling:
Q6. Name some major cities or halt stations that you passed through.
Sir, the train journey to SSB started from NDLS at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon, and we passed through Ghaziabad, Aligarh, and Khurja Junction on the way. However, these were not halt stations. There was only one halt at Kanpur for about a minute.
Q7. Did you observe any geographical features on the way?
Yes, sir. I noticed a few waterbodies on my way. When we left Delhi, I saw the Yamuna river near the border. After this, we entered Uttar Pradesh, where there were large agricultural fields of wheat and other crops everywhere. These fields were surrounded by tall trees as shelter belts, and by the time we reached Kanpur, the Ganga river also came into the picture.
IV. Social interaction questions
These questions test your social skills during the personal interview:
Q8. Who was sitting next to you?
Sir, an old couple travelling to Kanpur was sitting next to me during my journey.
Q9. Did you speak to them? What did you talk about?
Yes, I interacted with the couple during the journey. They shared that they were travelling to their daughter’s home in Kanpur and were eager to meet her. The lady even offered me an orange to eat, and we spoke about the weather and the journey.
Q10. Tell me an incident during your journey when you helped someone.
Once the train halted at Kanpur, I helped the couple sitting next to me unload their luggage. I carefully got it off the luggage slab, and ensured that they did not miss anything. Finally, we said our goodbyes and I continued my journey.
V. Bonus SSB interview questions
Lastly, these are five SSB interview questions related to your journey to the centre:
Q11. How many kilometres did you travel by train and in what time?
Sir, from Delhi to Prayagraj, we travelled approximately 640 kilometres. The journey took about six hours to complete.
Q12. What was the speed of the train?
(The formula for speed is distance divided by time, and you can do this calculation even while sitting inside the room). The train travelled 640 km in six hours, so its speed was 107 km per hour.
Q13. If your train were cancelled, what would you do?
In this case, sir, I would take a bus to Prayagraj from Kashmere Gate at night and arrive the next morning. (Be prepared for a short SRT in this case, as the IO may test your presence of mind).
Q14. What did you have for dinner during the journey?
Sir, we were served an Indian thali for dinner aboard the train. It included shahi paneer, arhar dal, and mixed vegetables along with two chapatis and a bowl of rice. I also had curd with it, and for dessert we were all served vanilla ice cream.
Q15. Why is your train called so?
The name Vande Bharat translates to “Salute to India”, and it symbolises the Make in India roots of the train.
With this, the obvious 15 SSB interview questions about your journey to SSB finish. Each question carries a motive and answering these correctly will boost your confidence and perception in the interview room. Therefore, don’t forget to prepare these before reporting for your next SSB.
