To start with, you have to write 12 stories in 48 minutes. Which means you have 4 minutes for 1 story. You would be shown 11 pictures in a sequence and the last one would be a blank slide. On the blank slide, you can write a story of your choice. On the remaining 11, your story has to be in line with the image that is shown to you. Now, here are 5 most important points you must keep in mind while writing a story.
1. Time Management & Practice
You are not allowed to wear a watch during psychological testing which makes it difficult to plan. Plus 4 minutes is not a long time either. Hence, you have to be quick. Do not spend too much time in thinking about the plot. Look at the image carefully for 5 seconds. Then give yourself 10-15 seconds before you start writing the story. Organize your thoughts before you start writing. Never think about the plot while you have already started writing. This agility would only come with practice. You must write a lot of stories as per time limits before appearing for SSB. Evaluate your stories yourself. The ones where you feel you got it wrong, write those ones again. Think about multiple stories that you can write on the same image. This would sharpen your ability to come up with a plot in quick time.
2. Relevance Over Rehearsal
During your practice, you would come across or you would write 5-6 fantastic stories. Your inclination would be to force fit these stories against the images shown to you during SSB. Do not do that. Your story has to be in line with the image shown to you. For e.g. you came across a very good story during practice and you somehow force fit that story against image no. 3 during SSB. Now, image no. 7 is very similar to what you saw in practice. What would you do now, your actual story is already gone on a non-relevant image. Repeating similar stories is not advisable. However, you might see an exactly similar image twice during SSB. You have to write different stories there.
3. Handwriting Clarity
Handwriting is a very important aspect. It should be neat and easily readable. Handwriting easily portrays clarity of thoughts. In this age where computers have taken over, I see that most candidates have shabby handwritings. It may not be artistic or beautiful, but it has to be neat and clean. Avoid strikethroughs, give proper space between words, use full stops and commas appropriately.
4. Content of the Story
- Every story would have a HERO. HERO must be visible in the picture shown to you. It is not advisable to imagine the HERO as someone who is not visible in the picture. Unless the picture really demands it. Remember, Women are HEROes as well. They are equally good.
- Every story would have a problem that the HERO would solve. He would solve it using practical measures and with the help of resources which are evident from the image. HEROes also call the police, fire brigade, ambulances, doctors etc. They don’t do it all by themselves. HEROes give priority to saving of life, then to the safety of women and children, then the safety of the old and then the safety of public property.
- Every story would not have a problem like floods, fire, war, fight, earthquake, accident etc. Not doing well in an exam is also a problem. A broken relationship is also a problem. Planning a football match in limited time is also a problem. To summarize, its not about the gravity of the problem, it is how the HERO faces it and solves it.
- Elaborate the solution in your story. That’s what the psychologist is looking at.
- Write small sentences. That makes the story easy to read and write. Ram is a young boy. He is 20 years old. He lives in a village called Tarapur along with his parents. One day he saw some people fighting near the bus stand. He went there……. However, this doesn’t mean that the story should be too short. 10-12 lines are required.
- Lastly, HEROes don’t work for rewards or public acclaim. HEROes are socially responsible. After solving the problem, they just get on with their work. They would not wait to receive bravery award or a trophy from the MLA.
5. The Blank Slide
On the blank slide, I recommend that you write a story from your life. Something that you achieved in life. What was the problem, what did you do to solve it and what did you achieve. For e.g. being very weak in mathematics and still scoring 75 marks in 12th boards is also a good story to write. Provided, you can elaborate how did you achieve it.
Final Thoughts
Lastly, you can’t fool the psychologist and neither can you fake your personality during psychological testing. Whatever you write, has to be in line with your personality. The qualities of your HERO, must be the qualities in you. The way the HERO solves a problem, has to be the way in which you would approach it if in a similar situation.
If you have some pointed questions or doubts around TAT, please drop a note to the founder on this website. Would try and answer it. Else use the community here.
My only intention is to help candidates who can’t afford SSB coachings.
Hope this helps. All the best.