Story writing Tips

Few fellows said to me that i have put some example questions of story test but haven't given any tips as how to attempt them, what to write in those stories. Well what i can do is to give you some points to keep in mind while writing a story, here they are:

1. Take a while to actually think of a story before stating to write.5 to 10 sec are enough if you have practiced at your home. Those who dont practice sit idle for 30 sec but still cant come up with a plot for the story. "Practice makes a man perfect".

2. Do not write childish stories like " She was walking alone on a road at night when all of a sudden..... a lion came before her and she started screaming then superman came for her rescue" Try to make a little bit practical stories like "she saw an army jeep coming towards her, it stopped near her and a major came out, he asked what are you doing out so late, she told that her father is sick at home and all of the family is out of town, she couldn't find anyone to help so she took the courage and went on her own to go to near by Cantonment hospital, Major made a wireless call for an ambulance and took the girl to her home to her father. Ambulance came and took him to hospital and he recovered". This story although is quite short and does not satisfy the few rules ill mention but it makes a negative situation quite positive, clears any doubts, and shows courage and decision making ability.

3. I personally find sentence story more difficult then picture story. Because in picture story u can carve out anything.

4. In case of picture story you need to look at the picture, think of something relating to the situation. try to include each and every character in the picture and the surroundings.

5. Usually the following sequence is adopted... first 2 3 lines give an introduction of the main character and PAST. 2 3 lines tell about the PRESENT and what is happening in the picture and the last 2 3 lines tell about some positive future happening from this scene.

6. Six months back i had a similar psychology test and the pic showed a boy sitting on stairs. I made a story "Ali is in class 5, today he got his final result and he stood first in his class, he is very happy. He is now sitting on the stairs waiting for his father to come so that he can tell the good news to him. His father a laborer when came home in the evening was so delighted to hear the news. He was proud of his son's achievement. Ali continued his successful record and became an engineer"

7. You would have to write 5 to 6 stories in total, Do not include Army in all the stories. At max include army/navy /airforce in 3 stories. Like in above example you can write, he joined armed forces of Pakistan.

8. Try to include something of your past in the stories, to make them more real. Like i included 5th class because i got a scholarship and i did mention it in my bio data form, meaning that you have to relate your self to them.

9. Try to avoid accidents, tragedy, death, in the stories.

10. i remember in my ISSB we were shown a picture which was nothing but black background and on it were small dots(at least this is what i thought of it) I made a story that this is a photo copy of a painting by Gp Capt S M A Hussaini of attack on an Indian airbase by our Bomber at night. There is alot of anti aircraft fire in the dark.....

Group Discussion

• In group discussion these are the things you have to be careful about.
  Try to be calm, tension is there as it’s a very important task and you have a tough competition before you.
• Sit in a proper way, don’t look casual.
• When you are given a topic by GTO listen to it carefully, and for a second or two, revise what he said, in your mind to get a clear idea about the topic so that you can arrange your thoughts about the topic.
• Its written in many books and many people say that you should take initiative. That’s not a good idea. The initiator is always in trouble if he has not properly understood the topic, and if he has he would start the topic and give a long speech, which is totally a wrong approach.
• You keep quiet for a while and see if someone other tries to start the discussion, in the mean time keep your mind busy thinking about the topic.
• If everyone is looking at each other like idiots for 3 4 seconds then start and take the initiative.
• When you initiate you should explain the topic don’t say that I agree or disagree and jump to conclusions, save it for the second turn which you would get.
• If the topic is simple then you can give your views as well when you initiate.
• Don’t take too much time it might irritate other members and GTO.
• Don’t say “I agree with chest no. 123…” do not make another guy look good, it would give an impression that you take him as your leader. You should use words like “I agree with the argument that………..”
• While talking don’t look at the GTO, keep your neck on the move, look at all the members “sab per nazar doraani hay” giving the impression that you are addressing all of the members. Some people look down other look at the wall or ceiling or just one of the group members, don’t ever do that, it would have a very negative impression.
• Don’t get aggressive if someone constantly goes against you, just be calm and have a slight smile.

When you see some member is not getting a chance to talk , while others are in argument, just break them by saying “ Gentlemen I think we should give a chance to chest no./….. to express his views”. This would have a superb impact on your image.

Group Discussion (Example)

Example:
Topic : “Basant should be banned or not”

(This topic has many dimensions, a very controversial topic and people would have a lot of fights while having discussion, some of the main points are:

• Some would say that Basant is non Islamic, its said that hindus celebrate in remembrance for some bad thing done by someone.(cant recall the history).
• Other would say that it’s a cultural event to celebrate the start of spring, has nothing to do with Islamic teachings.
• Someone might say that we have a lot of loss of life because of kites and chords.
• Some would argue that because of kite industry a lot of people earn money who would suffer if a ban is implemented.

So what is the right answer to this topic that would make others say “yes I agree with chest no…….” ??? The answer to this problem is to be diplomatic, neutral and give middle a solution rather then fight to convince others. Here is a possible answer.
“Bismillah Alrahman Alraheem. Gentlemen the topic that we have been given to us has been in debate for quite some time, that is the basant which is celebrated as a festival be banned or not.(this is a easy topic so you can go on with your views). As far as the religious issue is concerned it depends on thinking of people, The intention of people while celebrating basant is not to adobt some values of Hinduism, but to enjoy and to have some fun with their families and get some time off from their hectic life. But It has been seen that when ever basant is celebrated the society has to face a lot of troubles, many kids fall from roofs while chasing kites, people get cut because of chord, we have power fluctuation because of the electric wire that is used to fly kites. This festival brings nothing but problems for the society. Its history may not be good but its now a cultural thing especially for Lahore and we have seen that when it was celebrated on official level it attracted a lot of tourism.
What should be done is that Basant should be celebrated with responsibility, rather then flying kites on roof tops, public parks should be used where people can fly safely, and it would be a controlled environment so it would be easy to see that people use harmless chord not plastic or metal wire. By doing so no harm would be done to public and this festival would be enjoyed by all.”

What happens in this discussion is that

• you explain the topic,
• Highlight the key issues.
• Give proper solution for those issues.

This makes the discussion complete.

Command Task (1)

Command task is one of the most important tasks you have with your GTO. After seeing your performance in the Discussions, GTO by now has made a judgment about you and would like to check you more and verify his decision whether you are to be recommended by him or now.

First of all your whole group would be called for fall in, meaning you would be ask to stand in a straight line. Then GTO would ask who would like to become the first commander. It has been seen that almost all the candidates raise their hand. But its up to GTO to select one among you all. Usually he picks the candidates based on his assumption that guy no 1 is the best among the rest according to his performance in discussion and should be tested first. But this is not a hard and fast rule. He might pick anyone.

Now comes a tricky part. He selects one candidate and takes him to the Command task. During that walk he asks the candidates some questions. He says that this is an "informal discussion and has nothing to do with ISSB" but in reality its also an assessment. He asks you questions like "aj kal kia ker rahay ho?" and other question in very polite and friendly manner as if he is your close friend. Thats a trick to get an insight. BE CAUTIOUS.

When you reach the task, he gives you a briefing, telling you about the time you have, which items you can use like drum, ropes, planks etc. He would tell you which points are "out of bound" marked red , which are "in bound" which are "out of bound for you but in bound for your items" marked with red and yellow strips. Ground is usually out of bound. Out of bound means that if you touch that point it would be a foul and you would have to do it again. More over, some times even jumping and throwing are also declared foul.

NOTE: Listen to his briefing clearly and remember the position of how the items(drums ropes planks) are placed before the task, as you have to put them back in the same position and order after the task. After hearing the entire briefing, call your group and then the you start the task.... (how you start the task would be told in part 2)... Continued...

Command Task (2)

After getting the briefing from the GTO , he would give you some seconds to think of a plan as how you would get the people across. After that time you have to call your group. Once they arrive you have to give them briefing as given to you by the GTO. Usually in Command tasks the main objective is to transport the material and the group across a certain piece of land which has some ditches, some ( pi ) shaped wooden stands on which you have to put the plank and cross that particular piece of land.

After giving the briefing to the group you have to ask them if they have any questions. If they say NO, then you should tell them your plan as how you want to get the things done. If some one gives a valuable advise then consider it other wise if some one in your group tries to show efficiency and act as a "smart ass" ignore his points and make the people concentrate on your plan. You should only change your plan if its not working and there is a strong opposition of the group.

In my case the group wanted to opt for a path which I didnt. But when they all said no we should go for their choice I let them. But they failed. So i moved forward my self and showed them what I was planning was actually right, and when i executed my plan my self I actually did it what others could not do.

When your task is over then try to perform well in other's task, dont try to show off efficiency, but actually perform efficiently. GTO will be monitoring each and everyone. And when others would see that you give valuable suggestions, and act efficiently they would even rely on you and that makes a great impression before the GTO.

Some words of Advice and caution:

1. When you are a commander dont think that you are just to give orders and others will execute. When your help is needed, you should work with the group.
2. Avoid using the words "difficult" "impossible" "no" " not" "never" etc. Instead of saying "doing this would be difficult" you can say "doing this would be more TIME CONSUMING".
3. Call everyone with their chest number not by their name. Its a foul to call them by their name.
4. Use the people in your group wisely. Those who are trouble makers , keep them behind or away from the critical work. Those who are physically strong, make them lift loads like drums and planks. Those who are slim, to climb up the plank. Those who are thin and tall are good for jumping. In other words you should use your human resource efficiently.
5. In other's command task when you have a suggestion you should convey it first to Commander "Sir if we do this it would save alot of time" or "it would help us greatly". THis would catch the attention of GTO.
6. Always try to remain at the most critical point of the Task from where u can get the task done.
7. Its not compulsory that the task gets completed in the time alloted, when the GTO sees that the task would get completed or there is no way it would get done in time, he usually tells to stop and finishes it to save time. In my own task just 1st step was done in time and the whole task was still to be done, but when GTO saw that i can do it, he said "your time is up". GTO just wants to check your nerves , your ability to command others, your ability to come up with instant plans to solve some problem or challenge.
8. When the time is UP, put all the planks drums and other stuff back to their original place where they were at the start of the task. In exactly the same order.

Individual Tasks (1)

When it comes to individual tasks people think the more tasks they do the better impression they will make, but thats just a myth. I have seen people crossing 17 obstacles and getting rejected and those who did only 4 5 got recommended. The game is not about the number of tasks, the game is of how you cross those tasks, whether you showed reluctance before jumping or going up any obstacle.

The most difficult tasks are tarzen swing, monkey bridge, zig zag, and last but not the least, climbing rope. The main difficulty in these tasks is the fear of height, and the fear that if u fall you will get hurt and thats exactly what they are looking for in you. if you show that your out.

Tasks mainly are arranged in an improper manner and there is no particular sequence which u can adopt, you are told to go from which ever direction you like, GTO keenly observes the way you go through these tasks and sees if you go via proper pattern or haphazardly do those tasks. if you stop when ur about to jump or show any sort of fear that can create bad impression.

here are a few tips

1. if u get some scratches dont worry, and dont sit there and cry, infact if u get little injured and still carry on this shows ur determination.

2. try to go for the tasks in a sequence.

3. if u fail to cross an obstacle once try again and again but if u cant do it in the third attempt, then leave it and go for next.

4. try to practice climbing rope if you can find some facility.

5. Monkey bridge is not that difficult but people do feel scared while swinging on the tarzan swing. They can let go the rope fearing that they would fall.

6. High jump is not an issue if u takes a long run up.

7. Remember if you make a foul, by touching areas marked red on obstacles then attempt the obstacle again, don’t think you would be able to deceive the GTO or he might have not seen it.

Individual Task (2)

Individual tasks are considered by many as the most important test of ISSB. I have seen many aspirants who are "not recommended" evaluating their ISSB performance on the number of Individual tasks they have done and saying that they performed very good but still were not recommended.

The thing is, Individual tasks are not the ONLY test on which you are evaluated. Its just a part of a bigger test, in which your ability to tackle physical hurdles and you courage is evaluated along with your honesty.

When am saying courage i mean physical courage. Fear of height, fear of falling, fear of getting injured and fear of not accomplishing a task are some of the things evaluated.

The real courage and power lies in the brain, not in arms and legs. If you have the will "I CAN DO IT" you can do almost everything. If you get a thought "NO, THIS IS TOO HIGH, I CANNOT JUMP" or "I MAY FALL AND HURT MY SELF" then you will clearly show your cowardliness and hesitation. GTO will see that instantly and mark that point of yours.

Individual tasks comprise of

1. Hanging Bridge
2. High Jump
3. Ditch Jump
4. Zig Zag
5. Going through a hanging Tier
6. Monkey Bridge
7. Tarzan Swing
8. Boxing Ring
9. Rope Climbing


They are arranged in a small size ground and are placed randomly, meaning there is no pattern as which task should be done first and which at the end. You can start from one side and complete tasks which come before you. Usually all obstacles are arranged in circular manner with 2 or 3 tasks in the center.

Each obstacle has certain points which are calculated when candidate crosses them. If your body touches any part marked red it is considered a foul. You have to do that task all over again. Usually if some one has committed a foul he should try to cross that obstacle again, if again same foul is made then try it for the third time. If even on the third time you can’t clear it then move forward to the next obstacle. By trying to clear the obstacle 3 times you give 2 impressions.

1. You are determined to complete the job that is why you are trying again and again.
2. If you can’t clear 3 times you move on and try to complete other jobs rather then wasting your time on just one.

Interview Questions

Often candidates are asked a simple question during interview,

"why do you want to join army/navy/air force?"

Guys always get confused and give silly replies like

"Sir: To serve my nation"

or

"I have a passion to join armed forces.."

Although these answers might be your true motives for joining the armed forces and are very noble, but these answers are not appropriate when it comes to ISSB. You have to give a bit more mature and logical answer. Because these questions can result in counter questions like you can serve the nation many other ways...... or you have good marks you can become an engineer and serve the nation...etc

The rule of all the answers should be "give clear and complete answers which would satisfy all his queries."

Here are some of the answers which would be more appropriate:

    * Sir, its a good career, with a lot of grace, it can give me great opportunities to rise in ranks based on my abilities, it is a respectable profession,

    * Sir, its a dynamic job with lots of field work, not a desk job where you spend rest of your life.in other words its an exciting job, which would polish my abilities and help me learn alot.

My answer was

    * "Sir i read a book about Air force "pak fizaya ke dastan e shujaat" which had the compete story of the Halwara Mission of Sarfarz Rafique Shaeed, he is my inspiration for whom i am joining air force."

(Note: These examples are just to give you an idea, its highly discouraged that you use them as they are, as your answers, try to think of your answers in the same lines as these...Be original)

Interview: Sex related questions

Candidates who go for issb have to face strange situation when they are asked sex related questions during interview.
Candidates get confused as what to answer to such questions. Time and again they are told to be natural and normal but this situation creates problem as they usually dont discuss or are encountered with such questions especially when the interview decides if you get the job or not stress level increases greatly.

Here are a few tips in this regard.

1. If asked have you seen bp(blue print movie)

These days indian movies have so many partially nude scenes that its seems a lie to say that you dont know anything about it. You may say that you have never seen such a movie if you really havent but you can say that you know whats in it.

2.question regarding girlfriend or boy friend.

It depends on your back ground. If you have been in co education then naturally you must have had interaction with opposite gender. But you can say that they are just friends like anyother classfellow. Others well try to show naturally that its not the case.if he insists you can say that you like some cousin or anyone but you know that you should have a career and work hard for it to be eligible to send formal proposal. It will give a more mature and responsible image.

In short you should know that these questions are not to explore your personal but to know if you are being true to them or have a fake image. Or the candidate has pre prepared answers. Try not to hesitate and give awkward gestures. Dont be too open giving a negative impression.

Here are some questions:

Did you ever have sex?

The answer is obviously NO.

If you are with the girl you love alone, what will you do with her?
(Try to answer this question by your self, try to think over it, use your mind and come up with an answer and post here).

Remember as i said earlier, these questions are just to check if you tell the truth. This topic is also dealt in the story writing and sentence completion tests where questions like "Larki ke tangain .................." What ever a person will write in these sentences will tell about his/her thinking and personality. Interviewer will ask sex related questions to confirm if that candidate gives the same kind of answer during interview or hides his true self by answering a safe question. In other words he writes some vulgar answer in sentence completion and acts like a pious molvi in interview. This contradiction would prove that the candidate is not being honest with the interviewer.

What you need to do is make a clear mindset. Think about it and work on it as what stance you will adopt for such questions in all types of tests and then stick to it. You should have a persistent attitude and set of answers for these sort of questions.

Don't be shy. Be bold. Interestingly sometimes such questions are not asked from many candidates altogether, and some are given real tough time. The reason is same "Contradiction" in their previous test answers.

Although its not hard and fast rule, but it is a myth that usually candidates who go to Kohat are asked such questions more frequently then those who go to Gujerawala. But i say better be prepared then sorry.