OIR Test in SSB - Officer Intelligence Rating

Upcoming change: The Indian Army has confirmed that the existing OIR test will be replaced by the CSS (Computerized Stage 1 Selection System) with an integrated OPAM (Objective Personality Assessment Measure). The rollout date will be announced on joinindianarmy.nic.in; the existing OIR system described on this page continues until that announcement. See our Computer-Based Stage 1 guide for what is changing and what stays the same.

The OIR is the most mechanical thing that happens in five days at the SSB. There is no assessor making notes, no group dynamic, no judgement about your character — only a printed booklet, a stopwatch, and an answer sheet. It is also the test most candidates over-prepare for in the wrong way: they read it as the cognitive gatekeeper of the selection board when, in practice, it is a single input into one decision (whether you stay for Days 2–5). The grade itself does not follow you any further. The IO will never see it. The Psychologist will never see it. The GTO will never see it. The OIR exists to filter, and once it has filtered, it is filed.

What is the OIR Test?

OIR stands for Officer Intelligence Rating. It is a standardised group-administered test of verbal and non-verbal reasoning ability. The test consists of two separate booklets administered in sequence:

• Booklet 1 — Verbal Reasoning: Tests reasoning ability through language-based problems. Common question types include analogies, classifications, odd-one-out, number series, and coding-decoding.
• Booklet 2 — Non-Verbal Reasoning: Tests reasoning ability through visual patterns and figures. Common question types include figure matrices, pattern completion, spatial reasoning, and hidden figures.

Each booklet is timed separately. Both are multiple-choice format. Speed is critical — the number of attempted and correctly answered questions within the time limit determines the raw score.

OIR Grade Table

OIR Grade	Meaning	Typical Outcome
OIR 1	Highest — well above average for the batch	Strong screen-in indicator. Intelligence concern is effectively eliminated from the screening equation.
OIR 2	Above average	Good screen-in indicator. PPDT performance remains important but OIR is not a concern.
OIR 3	Average for the batch	Neutral — does not help or hurt. PPDT performance becomes more decisive at this grade.
OIR 4	Below average	Concern flag. A strong PPDT performance can still result in screen-in but the bar is higher.
OIR 5	Significantly below average	High probability of screening out unless PPDT performance is unusually strong. The combination of OIR 5 + average PPDT almost always means screen-out.

Conduct of the OIR Test

Parameter	Detail
Booklets	Two — Verbal (Booklet 1) and Non-Verbal (Booklet 2)
Format	Multiple choice — 4 options per question
Duration per booklet	Approximately 17–20 minutes each
Total duration	35–45 minutes for both booklets
Questions per booklet	Approximately 40–50 questions
Marking	Correct answer = 1 mark. No negative marking in most OIR formats (confirm for your specific board).
Setting	Group-administered in the main hall; answer on the OMR-type answer sheet provided

Section Breakdown

Booklet	Section type	What it tests	Example
Verbal	Analogies	Ability to identify relationships between word pairs	Doctor : Hospital :: Teacher : ? (School)
Verbal	Classification / Odd one out	Identifying the item that does not share a common property with the rest	Apple, Mango, Carrot, Banana — Carrot is the odd one (not a fruit)
Verbal	Number / Letter series	Identifying the next term in a logical sequence	2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ? (42)
Verbal	Coding-Decoding	Applying a consistent rule to encode or decode words/numbers	If CAT = 3-1-20, then DOG = ?
Non-Verbal	Pattern completion	Identifying which option correctly completes a visual pattern with a missing piece	3x3 grid with one cell missing; choose the correct cell from 4 options
Non-Verbal	Figure matrix	Identifying the rule governing the transformation across a row/column of figures	Shapes change in a consistent rule across 3 cells; which option continues the rule?
Non-Verbal	Hidden figures	Identifying a simpler shape that is embedded within a more complex figure	A given triangle must be found within a more complex drawn figure
Non-Verbal	Mirror images / spatial rotation	Visualising how a figure appears when reflected or rotated	Given a shape, which option is its mirror image?

How OIR is Scored — Raw Score to Grade

The OIR grade is not calculated from a fixed pass mark. It is norm-referenced — your raw score is compared against the batch you are sitting with. The distribution of scores in the batch determines the grade cut-offs for that sitting.

This has an important implication: the same raw score can produce different OIR grades in different batches. A score of 68/100 in a batch of 40 candidates who average 50 may give OIR 2. The same score in a batch averaging 72 may give OIR 3. There is no single "target score" — the goal is to perform as well as possible relative to the batch.

What the OIR Grade Actually Controls

This is the most commonly miscommunicated fact on the SSB internet. Candidates are told the OIR grade matters for recommendation, for merit list, for the Psychologist's view of intelligence. It does not. The OIR grade is used for exactly one decision: in combination with the PPDT, whether you are screened in to Days 2–5. Once that decision is taken, the OIR booklet is filed and the grade does not travel.

• The IO does not see it. When you walk into the interview on Day 3 or Day 4, the Interviewing Officer's file contains your PIQ and Self Description — not your OIR grade. Their assessment of your Reasoning Ability and Effective Intelligence is built from how you answer questions and how you connect the dots in your own life, not from how you handled a number series.
• The Psychologist does not see it. Your TAT, WAT, SRT, and SD are evaluated against psychological criteria, not against your performance on a reasoning booklet a day earlier.
• The GTO does not see it. Group tasks are assessed on observable behaviour. The GTO has no need for and no access to your OIR band.
• The conference does not see it. At Day 5 the three assessors compare their OLQ profiles. The OIR is not part of that conversation.

What this means in practice: a candidate with OIR 4 who has been screened in (because their PPDT was strong enough to compensate) starts Day 2 with a clean slate. The OIR is not a continuing handicap. It is also not a continuing tailwind — an OIR 1 candidate who is screened in does not begin the rest of the assessment with credit in the bank. The four remaining days are assessed entirely on the four remaining days.

Pattern Recognition vs Speed — Which Matters More

Candidates spend disproportionate effort hunting for "trick" patterns and obscure question types. In a real OIR booklet, the question types are familiar: analogy, classification, series, coding-decoding, figure matrix, mirror image, paper folding, hidden figures. None of them are novel. What is novel is the time pressure — roughly 30 to 40 seconds per question, with no opportunity to circle back at leisure.

The honest answer to the question candidates keep asking is this: speed is the binding constraint, and once you have practised the patterns, novel patterns are rare. A candidate who has worked through 800–1,000 mixed reasoning questions over six to eight weeks has seen every type the booklet contains. What separates an OIR 1 from an OIR 3 in such a candidate is not pattern coverage; it is the half-second-per-question of decision time saved by familiarity with the structure. That half-second compounded across 90–100 questions is the entire difference between bands.

The implication for preparation is direct. Stop searching for new question types once you have seen each of the seven or eight standard ones. Start practising the ones you have seen, against the clock, until your decision time per question is shorter than you can articulate. The goal is not "I solved 45 out of 50" — it is "I never sat on a question for more than 35 seconds, including the ones I marked best-guess."

Does a Poor OIR Grade Eliminate You?

No — but it increases the burden on your PPDT performance. The SSB uses both OIR and PPDT to make the screening decision. The weighting is not publicly specified, but the pattern observed over many SSB sessions is:

• OIR 1–2 + Average PPDT: Usually screened in. Strong intelligence signal compensates for average narrative leadership.
• OIR 3 + Strong PPDT: Usually screened in. Compensatory balance.
• OIR 4 + Strong PPDT: Possible screen-in, but borderline. The PPDT has to be clearly strong.
• OIR 4–5 + Average or Weak PPDT: Almost always screened out. Neither measure shows the threshold level for officer commissioning.

25 Practice Questions (Mixed Verbal and Non-Verbal)

Practice these with a timer. Aim for 30 seconds per question or less.

#	Question	Answer
1	Eye : Vision :: Ear : ? (a) Sound   (b) Hearing   (c) Listening   (d) Drum	(b) Hearing
2	Which is the odd one out: Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Deer, Cheetah?	Deer (not a feline/carnivore)
3	2, 5, 10, 17, 26, ?	37 (differences: 3,5,7,9,11)
4	Book : Library :: Painting : ? (a) Artist   (b) Gallery   (c) Museum   (d) Canvas	(b) Gallery
5	If ARMY = 1-18-13-25, what is NAVY?	14-1-22-25
6	Odd one out: Rose, Jasmine, Tulip, Fern, Marigold	Fern (not a flowering plant)
7	3, 7, 15, 31, 63, ?	127 (each term = 2× previous +1)
8	Pen : Write :: Sword : ? (a) Fight   (b) Steel   (c) Soldier   (d) Kill	(a) Fight
9	Odd one out: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon, Mars	Moon (not a planet)
10	A, C, F, J, O, ?	U (gaps: +2, +3, +4, +5, +6)
11	Clock : Time :: Thermometer : ? (a) Doctor   (b) Temperature   (c) Mercury   (d) Heat	(b) Temperature
12	Odd one out: January, March, June, July, August	June (only month with 30 days in the list)
13	1, 4, 9, 16, 25, ?	36 (squares of 1,2,3,4,5,6)
14	If ZIP = 26-9-16, what is MAP?	13-1-16
15	Odd one out: Cricket, Hockey, Football, Chess, Volleyball	Chess (not a physical sport with a ball / not played on a field)
16	[Non-Verbal] In a 3×3 figure matrix, the first row has: circle, circle-with-dot, circle-with-cross. The second row has: square, square-with-dot, square-with-cross. The third row starts with: triangle, triangle-with-dot, ? (a) triangle-with-cross   (b) triangle   (c) square-with-cross   (d) circle-with-cross	(a) triangle-with-cross
17	Doctor : Patient :: Lawyer : ? (a) Judge   (b) Court   (c) Client   (d) Case	(c) Client
18	144, 121, 100, 81, 64, ?	49 (squares: 12², 11², 10², 9², 8², 7²)
19	Odd one out: Iron, Gold, Silver, Steel, Copper	Steel (alloy, not a pure element)
20	If DOG is coded as 26-12-20 (reverse alphabetical), what is CAT?	24-26-7
21	Mountain : Valley :: Peak : ? (a) Hill   (b) Gorge   (c) Cliff   (d) Summit	(b) Gorge
22	2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, ?	34 (Fibonacci: each = sum of previous two)
23	Odd one out: Wheat, Rice, Maize, Barley, Potato	Potato (root vegetable, not a cereal grain)
24	Ship : Sea :: Aeroplane : ? (a) Sky   (b) Cloud   (c) Air   (d) Airport	(c) Air
25	6, 11, 21, 41, 81, ?	161 (each term approximately double previous minus 1: 6→11→21→41→81→161)

Sample OIR Questions — Verbal and Non-Verbal

These questions illustrate the format and difficulty level of OIR questions. Actual questions are not publicly released — practice with similar material from standard reasoning books (R.S. Aggarwal's Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning is widely used). OIR Grade 1 is the highest; a grade of 3 or better is generally considered comfortable for screening purposes — but the board uses OIR in combination with PPDT, not in isolation.

Verbal Reasoning — 10 Sample Questions

#	Type	Question
V1	Odd-one-out	Which is the odd one?   (a) Copper   (b) Iron   (c) Zinc   (d) Brass Brass is an alloy; the others are pure metals.
V2	Odd-one-out	Which is the odd one?   (a) Flute   (b) Sitar   (c) Tabla   (d) Violin Tabla is a percussion instrument; the others are string or wind instruments.
V3	Analogy	Pen : Author :: Scalpel : ? (a) Hospital   (b) Nurse   (c) Surgeon   (d) Patient (c) Surgeon — a pen is the tool of an author; a scalpel is the tool of a surgeon.
V4	Analogy	Court : Judge :: Cockpit : ? (a) Passenger   (b) Pilot   (c) Engineer   (d) Steward (b) Pilot — the court is where the judge works; the cockpit is where the pilot works.
V5	Classification	Find the pair that does NOT belong: (a) Dog–Kennel, (b) Bird–Nest, (c) Horse–Stable, (d) Fish–Pond, (e) Bear–Den (d) Fish–Pond — a pond is a natural body of water, not a purpose-built home like the others.
V6	Classification	Identify the class: NDA, CDS, AFCAT, CAPF, UPSC Which does not fit the pattern of defence officer entry examinations? (a) NDA   (b) CDS   (c) AFCAT   (d) CAPF (d) CAPF — the others lead to Armed Forces commissions; CAPF leads to Central Armed Police Forces.
V7	Number series	5, 12, 26, 54, 110, ? 222 — each term = previous × 2 + 2.
V8	Number series	1, 8, 27, 64, 125, ? 216 — cubes: 1³, 2³, 3³, 4³, 5³, 6³.
V9	Direction sense	Rohan walks 5 km North, then turns right and walks 3 km, then turns right again and walks 5 km. How far is he from his starting point, and in which direction? 3 km East — he is 3 km east of the start point.
V10	Coding-Decoding	If CADET is coded as ECFGV (each letter shifted +2), what is the code for CORPS? EQTRU — C+2=E, O+2=Q, R+2=T, P+2=R, S+2=U.

Non-Verbal Reasoning — Question Types and Text-Based Examples

Non-verbal OIR questions use printed figures — shapes, grids, and patterns. Since figures cannot be reproduced here as images, the following describes each question type with a text-based equivalent to develop the underlying skill. Practise the actual figure-based versions from a standard reasoning book.

Type	Description	Text-Based Practice Example
Matrix Completion	A 3×3 grid with 8 shapes following a rule. Find the 9th cell. The rule can apply across rows, down columns, or diagonally.	Grid: Row 1 — A, B, C. Row 2 — D, E, F. Row 3 — G, H, ? If each row has letters in ascending order, the answer is I. What if each row adds 3 (A=1, D=4, G=7)? Then the 9th cell is the 10th letter: J. Identify the rule before answering.
Figure Series	A sequence of figures that changes by a consistent rule each step. Identify what comes next.	Letter series equivalent: A, C, F, J, O, ? — gaps of +2, +3, +4, +5, +6 — next gap is +7 → answer: V. In figure series, the rule applies to a shape's rotation, size, or number of sides.
Figure Analogy	First figure is to second figure as third figure is to ? — the same transformation applied to the third figure produces the answer.	Number analogy equivalent: 4 is to 16 as 5 is to 25 (squaring). In figure form: a shape with 3 sides is to a shape with 6 sides (doubled), as a shape with 4 sides is to a shape with 8 sides.
Figure Classification (Odd-one-out)	Five figures are shown. Four share a common property. Identify the one that does not.	Equivalent: {4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 50} — all except 50 are perfect squares. In figure form, four shapes might all have an even number of sides and one has an odd number.
Mirror Image	A figure is shown. Choose which option is its correct mirror image (reflection about a vertical axis).	Text equivalent: The mirror of the letter "b" is "d". The mirror of "p" is "q". For a right-pointing arrow →, the mirror image is ←. Practice by writing asymmetric letters and identifying their mirrors.
Paper Folding	A square paper is folded once or twice and a hole is punched. Identify how the holes appear when unfolded.	Fold the paper in half vertically. Punch one hole on the right half. When unfolded, two holes appear symmetrically — one on each half. The position of the second hole mirrors the first about the fold line.
Hidden Figures	A simple shape is hidden within a more complex figure. Identify which of five options contains the given shape.	Practice with this exercise: draw a simple right-angled triangle. Then look for it embedded within a star, a square, a hexagon, or a cross. Train your eye to isolate a specific shape from visual noise.
Dot Situation	A dot is placed in a specific position relative to two overlapping shapes. Find which option places the dot in the same relative position using different shapes.	If a dot is inside a triangle but outside a circle, the answer must show a dot inside one shape but outside the other — regardless of the shapes' sizes or orientations in the options.

Preparation Strategy

• 8 weeks before SSB: Begin with untimed practice to understand the question types. Identify which types you are weakest at (for most candidates: figure matrices and coding-decoding).
• 6 weeks before: Shift to timed practice. Set 20 minutes per 40-question set. Track accuracy and attempted count. At this stage, accuracy matters more than speed.
• 4 weeks before: Increase pace. Aim for 45 questions in 17 minutes. You should be attempting near-full sets at reasonable accuracy.
• 2 weeks before: Run full two-booklet simulations at a time. After the session, review wrong answers immediately. Understand the error — was it a concept gap or a rushed mistake?
• Final week: Maintain pace with one practice set daily. Do not start new question types. Consolidate what you know.
• On the day: Skip and come back — if a question is taking more than 45 seconds, mark a best-guess answer and move on. Return only if time permits. An unanswered question is a guaranteed zero; a best-guess has positive expected value when there is no negative marking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the OIR result communicated to the candidate?

No. The OIR grade is not shared with candidates at any point — not at screening, not after recommendation, and not in the feedback session. Only the final screen-in or screen-out decision is communicated.

Can I prepare for the OIR in two weeks?

Two weeks of focused practice can meaningfully improve your score, especially on section types you have previously under-practised. However, the OIR tests reasoning speed — an underlying cognitive habit. Building speed takes sustained practice over 6–8 weeks. Two-week intensive preparation is better than nothing but is not as effective as sustained preparation.

Are there separate OIR standards for NDA vs CDS candidates?

The OIR test is the same type of test for all entry types. The grade cut-offs are batch-relative, not entry-specific. However, NDA batches typically include younger candidates (17–19 years) while CDS batches include older graduates. The relative comparison is always within the batch you are part of.

Is there negative marking in the OIR test?

Most OIR formats do not have negative marking — but this should be confirmed for your specific batch by the invigilator before the test begins. If there is no negative marking, attempt all questions even if you are uncertain — a blank answer always scores zero, a guess has a 25% probability of being correct.

What is the difference between OIR and the PPDT in terms of how they contribute to screening?

OIR measures cognitive speed and reasoning ability — it is a quantitative, objective measure. PPDT measures narrative leadership behaviour — it is a qualitative, judgement-based measure. The screening board uses both together. OIR is typically weighted more heavily in batches where PPDT performance is uniformly average; PPDT carries more weight when OIR scores cluster around OIR 3 for most candidates.

Should I read the question carefully or trust my first instinct?

For OIR, a single careful read is correct. The time pressure means you cannot re-read multiple times. Train yourself to read once, process the question type, and commit. Candidates who re-read excessively run out of time by question 30. First-instinct guessing without reading is equally bad — you miss the logic of the question type.

Procedural details on this page reflect official Indian Army briefings shown on the Join Indian Army selection-centre videos. For the live and authoritative source, candidates should consult joinindianarmy.nic.in before reporting.

Related SSB Topics

SSBSSB Interview — Complete Guide SSB Stage 1Screening Test — Day 1 SSB Stage 1PPDT — Picture Perception and Discussion SSB Stage 2Psychology Tests SSBOfficer Like Qualities (OLQ)