The Group Planning Exercise (GPE) is a key component of the Group Task (GT) series at the SSB, designed to evaluate a candidate’s planning, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. In a typical GPE, you will be presented with a map, a situation, and several problems to tackle within a limited timeframe. You and your group must come up with a detailed, logical plan to address all issues effectively.
Below, you will find a situation. Read it carefully, analyse the information, and then propose a step-by-step plan in the comments section.
Sample GPE Map
Sample GPE Story
You are a group of students, as many as you are, from Government Engineering College, Dagari. Your group had gone for a picnic to Kali Lake by the college van. While you were planning to return to your college for inter-college musical night, scheduled at 7.30 pm, one forest guard approached your group for help. You observed that he was bleeding and limping badly. On inquiry, he informed that he was beaten by a group of dacoits, who were planning to steal the precious idol from Siva Temple around 4 pm, and hand it over to smugglers hiding in Kasori Forest Reserve. The guard also informed that another group had decided to loot the passenger train between Dagari and Kanwal near the Kasori Forest Reserve Rail Bridge on Betwa River. The Dagari-Kanwal passenger train crosses the Betwa Bridge at about 4.30 pm. As you were contemplating, you observed that a young couple, who had also come for the picnic, were shouting for assistance. You turned and saw that the boat in which the young couple was sitting was drowning, and they were desperately screaming for help. You were still in shock and trying to keep your cool, when a fisherman came running for help as his boat had broken and was drifting in the Kali Lake. The time now is 3 pm. You as a group of dynamic young students, how will you handle the situation?
Sample GPE Priority-wise Problems
| PRIORITIES | REASONS | PROBLEMS |
| 1 | Threat to human life | Couple drowning in Kali Lake |
| 2 | Threat to human life | Forest guard injured |
| 3 | Urgent | Dacoits planning to steal idol from Siva Temple at 4:00 PM |
| 4 | Mass Disaster | Dacoits planning to loot a train on the River Bridge at 4:30 PM |
| 5 | Minor | Fisherman’s broken boat drifting in Kali Lake |
Sample GPE Group Division (Assuming 10 Members)
| GROUPS | MEMBERS | ASSIGNED TASKS |
| A | 2 | Rescue drowning couple |
| B | 2 | Assist fisherman |
| C | 2 | Escort injured forest guard to PHC |
| D | 2 | Prevent idol theft at Siva Temple |
| E | 2 | Prevent train robbery on Betwa River bridge |
Sample GPE Solution Timeline
| GROUPS | TASKS | START | END | TIME TAKEN |
| A | Rescue couple | 3:00 PM | 3:20 PM | 20 mins |
| B | Help Fisherman | 3:00 PM | 3:20 PM | 20 mins |
| C | Escort guard to PHC | 3:00 PM | 3:40 PM | 40 mins |
| D | Prevent idol theft | 3:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 1 hour |
| E | Stop train robbery | 3:40 PM | 5:00 PM | 1 hour 20 mins |
