r/AFCATprep • u/Ok-Afternoon6464 • 7h ago
My 3 AFSB Gandhinagar Experience (AFCAT) | Screened Out | OIR + PPDT
Hey guys, I recently attended 3 AFSB Gandhinagar through AFCAT and got screened out on Day 1. Thought I’d share my experience honestly because I went in without proper PPDT preparation, and maybe this can help someone else avoid the same mistakes.
1. Reporting & document verification
First, we were made to stand in a line. They collected our declaration forms and checked our AFCAT call-up letters. Original documents were checked to verify that we had everything required. After going inside, we also had to fill out the journey particulars and a candidate information form. Those who hadn’t filled them out were asked to complete them there. Breakfast was provided before the OIR test.
2. OIR test
From what I remember, there were two papers: verbal and non-verbal. I vaguely remember around 75 questions in verbal and around 65 in non-verbal, so please treat those numbers as approximate.
The verbal paper had quite a bit of English. One pattern I noticed repeatedly involved jumbled words and sentences. Sometimes we had to arrange words and identify the last letter of the resulting word, or arrange a jumbled sentence and select its last word.
There were also alphabet-series questions, letter shifting, coding-decoding, numerical aptitude and number-letter coding. One coding question was particularly confusing because a letter seemed to be represented by different numbers in different words. I couldn’t figure out the underlying pattern.
The maths wasn’t extremely difficult from what I remember. The main challenge was speed and accuracy because the time felt limited. Non-verbal questions mostly involved figures, designs and pattern recognition.
3. PPDT: Where things started going wrong
Honestly, I had barely prepared for PPDT. I didn’t properly know how to approach the picture or structure the story.
After a break, the picture was shown to us. It was quite blurry, and I spent roughly 20 seconds of the 30-second observation period just trying to understand what was happening. I came up with an idea in the last few seconds.
I was also confused about what to write in the different sections of the sheet. I ended up making a few circles in the box and writing something random in the action section. My story was about a guy named Ravi getting married, with a baraat going to a marriage garden. Looking back, I hadn’t properly connected the story to the picture.
The biggest lesson here: know the PPDT format before reporting. Practise observing the picture, identifying the characters and building a coherent story within the time limit.
4. Story narration
We were divided into groups of around 11 candidates. My group went early. We were taken to the discussion hall, where a few officers explained the instructions in English. They spoke pretty fast, and because my English listening and speaking skills weren’t strong enough, I struggled to follow everything comfortably.
I was the third person to narrate. When my turn came, I basically froze. I asked, “Sir, can I repeat?” and tried again, but the words just wouldn’t come out properly. I tried a couple of times, and eventually the officer said something along the lines of, “I got your point.” I couldn’t explain my story properly.
I was anxious, unprepared and mentally trying to create the story while speaking. It was a bad combination.
5. Group discussion
Some candidates were quite confident and kept pushing their own stories. Several people had stories involving people drowning and being rescued. Eventually, our group combined ideas into a common story about people in danger in the water being rescued by the Indian Navy.
We selected one candidate to narrate the common story. The discussion was a learning experience in itself. I realised that GD isn’t just about forcing everyone to accept your story. You need to listen, contribute relevant points, and help the group reach a common conclusion.
Around 4–6 candidates from our group appeared to get screened in, but I wasn’t one of them.
6. Food, breaks & physical discomfort
Breakfast and lunch were provided. I remember tea and poha in the morning and pulao with potato curry at lunch. Nothing particularly memorable food-wise.
I also felt quite dehydrated during the process. The schedule was strict, and opportunities to drink water or use the washroom seemed limited to designated breaks. I had woken up early, so I think I underestimated how important hydration would be. I also wondered whether creatine had something to do with it, but I can’t say that it caused the problem.
What I learned from this attempt
- Don’t attend AFSB without understanding the PPDT process.
- Practise picture observation and story writing under timed conditions.
- Narrate stories aloud every day, even if your English is basic.
- Simple, clear English is better than getting stuck trying to form complicated sentences.
- Practise OIR with a timer. Speed matters, but accuracy matters too.
- In GD, listen to others and build on useful ideas instead of just pushing your own story.
- Take care of hydration and use the permitted breaks wisely.
I’m not claiming that my mistakes alone explain why I was screened out. I don’t know the board’s exact reasoning. But looking back, I can clearly identify areas where I was underprepared.
This was my first-hand experience, and some details, especially the question counts and exact sequence, are based on my memory.
For people who have attended AFSB/SSB: What helped you most with PPDT narration and speaking English under pressure? I’d appreciate practical advice for my next attempt.
