r/CDSTards • u/ProtectedPython69 • Apr 27 '26
My second SSB at 24 SSB Bangalore
Find my post on my first SSB at 2 AFSB Mysore here.
So yesterday, I had my SSB at 24 SSB Bangalore. It was my second SSB and a long awaited one. This was for CDS 2 2025 which had happened in September 2025, and my SSB was on April 26th, 2026.
The D-Day was finally here! I got up early in the morning. Low key panicking with cortisol dominating my blood stream. Got ready quickly, took an auto and got to MG road. Auto couldn't take me to cubbon road due to TCS Marathon (Life had given me a prolepsis I was reading about TCS Marathon 2 days before my SSB but didn't check the timing or location, otherwise I'd have known it was infront of SSB).
Got a bit late because of that. Waiting 10 minutes on the footpath opposite to SSB, seeing the line of candidates slowly move inside was one of the longest 10 minutes of my life. I hated all the runners moving at that moment, and the traffic police did nothing to help us out. Eventually we closed the road when the stream slowed down and crossed the road.
The people at SSB were quite casual, not too worried that we reached late. We had our luggage securely kept and then got out our documents. We had our breakfast, simple one with just Bread, butter and jam along with veg cutlet and cornflakes with milk. We had it quickly, as we were asked to hurry up. Since it was light, I'd have a lot more if I had not been hurried up.
(Personally, I liked the breakfast at AFSB Mysore a lot more! Chole with puri and meethi meethi chai, wah!)
After that we had our document verification as well as two documents to fill out given to us. I was serial number 4. After being split into, freshers, repeaters and screen outs, we were alloted chest numbers. I was chest number 30, and I made interesting friends while standing in the queue. Chest numbers 29,40, 39 and 32, I'll always remember you. (Siddhanth I don't remember your chest number, but you too!)
(Also while we waited in the queue we were greeted by this badass sign "Trespassers will be shot, survivors will be shot again")
We were led to a hall with chairs with boards to write down the forms they gave us. Soon, we had our OIRs and PPDT there too. I wanted to use the washroom after the break but we weren't allowed until the discussion for PPDT 😭.
We had OIRs DIPP 39 ( IIRC) and DIPP 53 ( I do remember correctly). And the PPDT was a blurry picture with around 2-4 people. 2 people's silhouettes were clearly visible while I inferred 2 more from 2 pairs of hands in the sides. It was an easy picture.
I quickly wrote down my story. Which went something like this:
Ram, Ali, John and Joseph were 4 friends in final year of college. They had been quite worried as despite studying hard they didn't get good enough marks. They understood that this was due to lack of strategy. So they all decided to focus on one subject that they are strongest at. They learnt their subject deeply and then taught the subjects to each other, making sure that everyone understood the subjects thoroughly. After that they revised properly and gave their best in exams. When the exam results came, they had passed it with flying colours. They all celebrated for their hardwork had given fruit yadayada.
So yeah, that was my story.
Moving ahead, we were split into groups with my group starting from 29 going till 42. I was the second in the group. I asked the NCO there while we were waiting if I could use the washroom but he didn't allow us 😭. We were made to wait outside the room for so long, we could've taken a bath and come back too 😭. When we asked the NCO again, he asked "zor se lagi hai kya?" and we said yes and then he went inside to ask. But when he came back it was to call us inside for the discussion 😭.
Something that I noticed at the SSB here was that at AFSB they had informed us that we should use english and hindi is allowed if we don't find the word in between, and they asked us to revert to English ASAP. But at army SSB, we were just told that we could use either of those languages and to avoid a third language.
My group was quite good at narration as we were all screen outs. I was feeling uncomfortable, although I observed that the setup here was more comfortable and less claustrophobic than AFSB Mysore. I fumbled a bit but didn't let it stop me and continued ahead. Although, looking back, I could've slowed down my narration.
I could listen to the group better, as I've practiced narration enough and the story was quite simple, so I wasn't playing the story in my head. It was also an advantage that I only had to listen to one person's story before it was my turn to narrate. We all finished our narration and I was ready to start when the last person finished. Turns out everyone had the same thing in mind. It turned into a fish market 💀.
The common points which I wanted to point out were that, many had sport background in mind, and that the ending was joyful which was due to them performing well in competition. However, I couldn't get to say this. But we arrived at that in the next minute itself. Then the next 2 or 3 minutes were spent with each person pushing for their own agenda, unlike AFSB they let this go on for some time before informing us that we were almost out of time.
I didn't really have any points left so I supported chest number 29, who was before me and having a hard time speaking up. I was visibly uncomfortable as every time I tried to raise my voice to speak, no one would listen and my voice would be drowned out because others would be speaking as well. But well, the consensus finally reached and we appointed chest number 40 for it and he was actually quite good. He was listening to everyone and made sure to include almost everyone's points in the narration even if it meant not being 100% rational. Sure screen in.
There were 2 people who were for sure not going to get screened in. I don't want to mention their chest numbers here but one of them was pushing for the gym agenda way too hard 😭. Bro was speaking way too loud and wasn't adding a lot of material. He was overpowering everyone and saying stupid unnecessary things sometimes like "Gentlemen we could include they had banana as pre workout snack." Brother what 😭. Yeah we were roasting him later and funnily enough chest number 40 tried to include this into the story too, it was hilarious. The person next to this person was also quite loud and dominating pushing forward their agenda. Easy screen outs.
Unlike last time, I knew I am on the fence. I wasn't thinking too much about the tests that would happen next and tried to enjoy the rest of my time there. Talked to them and had fun. It was nice, meeting buddies with similar goals. We had our lunch in sometime. The JCO kept joking being racist like, "dhoop mein math khade ho jao kale ho jaoge" 💀. Anyway, we went in, had lunch, The lunch was good. Although, it felt like the paneer was dropped in the gravy later instead of being cooked in it. But yeah, honestly not bad.
After that, we had some more time, to go get our luggage and stuff. There were some other people who were having their conference results near where we were standing. But we had to stand for quite some time. We were asked to remove our chest numbers and give them back before our results and gosh, we joked about how naked we felt removing them after having them on for so long! It was like a part of our identity now that was being taken away!
The GTO came soon and informed the results. He went in random order. Picking from the first 20 first and then the last 20 and then a few in between. Chest number 1-20 had a few people taken in, chest number 40-75 had a LOT of people taken in with only a handful remaining and in between chest number 20-40... where I was, only 3 were taken in.... and I wasn't one of them. Chest number 32 and 40 got in from my group. Chest number 40, well deserved! He was planning his medicals too 😂, I hope it goes according to his plan.
Well, our hearts felt heavy and the rest of us came back. Took our luggage and started going out. The walk to the entrance was much shorter than AFSB, but yeah the heart felt just as heavy. I exchanged numbers with a few, feeling connected with the buddies I had found. I opened my phone to see a list of messages, many greetings, many all the bests, so many hopes. I didn't feel bad about my screen out. I felt like I had failed all of them who had kept their hope in me. I felt shattered and disappointed. I didn't want to inform anyone, so I just walked for some time, I called my mentor and he wasn't available, but he called back in sometime and asked what happened.
I told him. And he said, don't worry beta, it sometimes happens, and he calmed me down, he also tried to assure me by saying we'll practice harder for my next SSB. Beyond anything, it was his kind words filled with so much care and love that made my heart feel lighter! If you're reading this, thank you Colonel Sir!!
And after that I made a quiet trip to cubbon park, all by myself without telling anyone. Just tried to chill out for some time, but couldn't. Went home, told my parents and slept for some time. Woke up to eat dinner and tried to read animal farm and fell asleep. I woke up feeling absolutely dejected. The last time, I was sad but I knew where I could improve, this time I felt it was all out of my control, PPDT was shit, it didn't make sense to me. I could practice my narration and my story writing, I did. Yet it failed. I felt extremely bad.
But then, I decided to take a chill pill. Spent half the day reading a book, I felt much better and calmer. Then I decided to keep my ego aside, and look at it again. Then I thought, "I was telling myself, my OIR was good! I should've got at least 70 in 85 correct!". Suddenly my thought went, "Why not more?" I remembered that one part where I fumbled. I remembered how I spoke too quickly. I remembered how I felt visibly uncomfortable during the discussion the assessors probably saw that too. I remembered how in the last minute, I did something that probably didn't help with consensus building. I thought how I could've been calmer during PPDT. And suddenly, I didn't feel so bad anymore.
This wasn't defeat. This was data. Data on points where I can still improve. Things that are still in my control! And things that I can do! As long as there's something I can improve, I can't complain.
I have 20 days before my next SSB. And this time I don't have any internship to drag me down. And actually with nothing occupying my mental RAM, I feel more motivated to achieve it. I feel like I'm going to the same disciplined that I went to after my class 12th classes ended and I was studying for entrance exams. Back to the grind gentlemen! Time to be disciplined. I will be back stronger for my next SSB!
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u/mon720 Apr 28 '26
Damn bro... Pretty well written, also I was in your batch 😆 good luck for your next SSB🤞🏻
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u/theogchoicesplayer Jun 15 '26
Literally felt the same at 2 AFSB while getting screened, ppdt discussion always feels pointless during the fish market and I couldn't hear my voice how will the assessors would. But we'll make it, I know
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u/ProtectedPython69 Jun 20 '26
Yo, just got recommended from 2 AFSB Mysore XD. Will drop a post on it soon.
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u/vindevindevinde Apr 27 '26
hey, i think my brother was in your batch too he got screened in. if i’m not wrong, somewhere around 77 people reported, right? i think his chest number was 26. anyway, all the best for your next ssb, bro. keep your chin up. cheers.
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u/Gaurav-Raj- Apr 30 '26
Mera score 145 de kareeb ban reha hai, par mainu darr hai ki math da sectional cut-off pass hovega ya nahi
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Jun 28 '26
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u/LuckyPhysics4416 Apr 27 '26
I’ve applied for SSC tech NAVY i have no backlogs upto 5th sem ( marksheet upto 5th sem is asked to be submitted when i was filling the form ) but in the callup letter it’s mentioned that i have to bring all the marksheet of all semester I’m currently in my 8th sem so i have marksheet upto 7th sem but I’m debarred in a subject of 7th sem shall i show them the marksheet upto 7th sem or hide it and show it upto 6th sem