TAT is the Thematic Apperception Test, a part of the battery of psychological tests conducted in the SSB Interview. It is test of imagination where 11+1 pictures are displayed on the screen. The pictures are 11+1 because there are 11 pictures and one blank slide. The candidates have to write a Story based on the picture in a span of 3-4 minutes (In some SSB’s 3 minutes and in some 4 minutes). Each slide appears for a period of 30 seconds and after that 3 or 4 minutes are given for the story writing.

Given below are few tips which you may find useful while tackling TAT:

1. It is a test of you imagination and you have to imagine and write a story. Remember it is a story writing and not describing the picture.
2. You story should clearly have a hero. Now this Hero is very important. This is so because this Hero represents you.
3. The thing a person writes or says or in other words the kind of reaction a person gives depicts his/her personality in a great deal. Hence the kind of story you make depict your personality to a certain extent.
4. Thus the Hero represents you. So make the Hero a positive character.
5. You story must be a positive story.
6. The story should have a past, a present and a future. The picture which is shown according to which you frame the story must appear somewhere in the story, most likely in the present part of the story.
7. Observe the picture very carefully and note down the minutest detail in your mind, they will help you in framing the story nicely.
8. Never write a pre-conceived story. Also do not try to forcefully fit something in the picture. Write only around what is shown.
9. Now some pictures may appear totally negative. A gloomy face, a dead body, an accident scene etc. What to do then? In these cases don’t overlook and avoid what is very evidently visible, instead try to make a positive ending.
10. Don’t unnecessarily put negativity in your story. A sad face doesn’t imply death all the time, so do not make negative stories. You have to make it positive.
11. Generally the structure of the story is that there is a hero. There is some information related to how things led to the present scenario (The picture), then the Hero solves the problem thus giving a positive ending.
12. Give realistic aim, and practical problems and their solutions. Do not give impractical views or childish imagination.
13. An ideal story lies between 80-100 words. A shorter story is not better, so practice writing fast. There is ample sample material present on our website.
14. Choose the age and profession of the main lead of your story very carefully. The age should be exactly what is evident from the picture. And choose the profession according to the age.
15. In case of many characters in the clip, choose the one closest to your age as your hero. In case of pictures in which it is very difficult to determine the age, there also choose the age nearest to yours. But do not forcefully give the age of very evident characters near to your age. For eg. If in the picture only one child of 5 years is shown then do not write his age as 21 years in the story.
16. A good story has a motto, however small it may be, but it should be practical, mature and realistic motto.