Ans 1.

Indian Army selection process-

The process of screening and enrolment is as follows-

1. Checking of documents
2. Physical fitness test
3. Physical measurement
4. Medical Exam
5. Written Exam
6. Preparation of merit list and allotment of arms and services
7. Enrolment & Despatch of selected candidates to Training Centres

Physical Fitness Test (PFT)

To determine the Physical Fitness Tests (PFT), the following tests carrying 100 marks are held-

1. 1 Mile Run
2. Pull Ups
3. Balance
4. 9 Feet Ditch

Medical Standards

 A candidate should have robust physique and good mental health.

 Chest should be well developed having minimum 5 cm expansion.
 Should have normal hearing with each ear and good binocular vision in both eyes.

Written Examination Common Entrance Examination (CEE) is conducted on last Sunday of each
month for recruitment of Soldiers. It comprises of following two papers-

1. Paper –I - Compulsory for all Soldier Categories.

2. Paper –II - For Soldier Technical, Soldier Clerk (General Duty/Store Keeper Technical) and
Soldier Nursing Assistant.

US army selection process-

 Meeting General Eligibility- Age criteria, Physical criteria, Educational criteria, Nationality
and Residency criteria, Criminal conviction criteria, Tattoos and Piercings criteria
 Meet with an Officer Selection Officer- Medical records, birth records etc are checked
 Decide on Mode of Entry- 4 options are available. Attend a senior military college or
academy, enrol at a traditional college or university with a reserve officer training corps
programme, attend senior candidate school after graduating from school or receive a direct
commission after earning a professional degree.

Differences in selection process-

1. In India, checking of documents is the first step, whereas in the US, meeting the criteria is
the first step.
2. In India, after the general tests, a merit list is prepared. In the US, the records are checked at
this stage by meeting with a Officer Selection Officer.
3. In India, after the allotment of arms and services, the selected candidates are sent to
training centres. In the US, after the checking of records, the candidates need to decide on
their mode of entry, among the 4 modes available.
Ans 2. Importance of each step is as follows-

Stage Importance
Checking of documents This step ensures that no person from a foreign
nation can join the army, and that there is no
identity theft by any candidate, and every
candidate is a citizen and resident of the
country.
Physical fitness test This step ensures that the candidates are
physically fit and can perform well in the field
during their duty.
Physical measurement This step ensures that the candidate meets the
requirements for joining the army, so that
there is no difficulty in operating the standard
equipment issued to them.
Medical Exam This step ensures that the candidate is healthy
and that there is no history of any chronological
ailments, which could affect the performance
of the candidate.
Written Exam This step ensures that the candidate has the
basic knowledge that is required to enrol in the
army, related to the equipment, structure of
the army etc.
Preparation of merit list and allotment of arms This step ensures that the candidates who are
and services eligible for enrolment are chosen and their
services are allotted to them based on their
skills.
Enrolment & Despatch of selected candidates This step ensures that the selected candidates
to Training Centres are properly trained and made ready for the
challenges that they may face in the future as
an army officer.