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
Scale: 1 cm = 1 km
Sample GPE Story
You are a party of 10 students from a medical college of city K engaged in tsunami relief operations in village A. After completion of job in that village at 1400 hours while you are moving to other villages you are informed by a villager from village C that his village is in a very precarious condition and has been infected by hardcore criminals and they do not allow outsiders to enter their village and earlier even the police who dared to enter the village was brutally murdered. Simultaneously a boy fell on your feet and became unconscious after telling that his village B has a mass epidemic due to post-tsunami waves and all relief assistance people have withdrawn from their task fearing their own lives. While you were discussing what to do you found that two girls were missing. On inquiry it is learned that the girls have been molested and kidnapped by three gundas of that village. A boy also cries to save his pet dog trapped in his completely damaged house. You also learn that the school building in which 1000 ladies and children of tsunami victims were accommodated caught fire due to an LPG cylinder burst while you see a helicopter carrying relief materials crash landed in a nearby paddy field. You have a jeep that has been fully submerged in the tsunami mud during the relief operation. The police station has got plenty of police personnel arms and ammunition. You have been ordered by the principal to return to the hostel latest by 1800 hours. As young men/women what will you do?
Sample GPE Priority-wise Problems
| PRIORITIES | REASONS | PROBLEMS |
| 1 | Threat to human life | Kidnapping and molestation of 2 girl students |
| 2 | Mass disaster | Fire in school building housing 1000 women and children |
| 3 | Mass disaster | Mass epidemic in Village B |
| 4 | Urgent | Helicopter crash |
| 5 | Important | Presence of hardcore criminals in Village C |
| 6 | Minor | Trapped pet dog in Village B |
Sample GPE Group Division
| GROUPS | MEMBERS | ASSIGNED TASKS |
| 1 | 2 | Rescue the kidnapped girls |
| 2 | 2 | Control fire at school building |
| 3 | 2 | Address mass epidemic in Village B |
| 4 | 2 | Inform and bring police for criminals in Village C |
| 5 | 2 | Check helicopter crash site for survivors/supplies |
Sample GPE Solution Timeline
| GROUPS | TASKS | Distance | START | END | TIME TAKEN |
| 1 | Rescue girls & inform police | 4 + 4 km | 2:00 PM | 4:30 PM | 2 hrs 30 mins |
| 2 | Control fire | 1 km | 2:00 PM | 2:45 PM | 45 mins |
| 3 | Treat epidemic | 2.5 km | 2:00 PM | 3:30 PM | 1 hr 30 mins |
| 4 | Reinforce police | 8 km (total with police) | 2:00 PM | 4:30 PM | 2 hrs 30 mins |
| 5 | Helicopter rescue | 1 km | 2:00 PM | 2:45 PM | 45 mins |
| 3 | Dog rescue | 0.5 km | 3:30 PM | 3:50 PM | 20 mins |
All groups will return to Village A by 1645 hrs, move to City K (20 km) using assistance from Police vehicle, leave by 1650 hrs and reach hostel by 1800 hrs.
