Group discussion and personal interview
Practise exchanging ideas with a group and explaining your own experiences in a personal conversation.
The short answer
SRT asks you to write how you would respond to short everyday situations. Preparation involves reading the situation carefully and expressing a practical course of action clearly.
01
What to expect in SRT
The Army’s public SSB film describes a booklet of everyday situations and written reactions. Follow the instructions given at your board, including the allotted time and response requirements. Treat online format summaries as orientation; the instructions in the assessment room take precedence.
02
Turn a reaction into an actionable response
For practice, distinguish the immediate problem from the background detail. Consider who is affected, what resources are available and what you can realistically do. A useful response makes your next action understandable. This is a writing and reasoning exercise, not an official scoring formula.
- Identify the immediate need before adding a long explanation.
- Choose actions within your ability and responsibility.
- For dangerous situations, consider appropriate help and avoid creating further danger.
- Explain follow-through where it matters, rather than ending with “I managed it.”
03
Five original SRT practice situations
Write your own brief response to each situation before reviewing it. These scenarios were created by March Ahead Academy for preparation.
- Your group presentation starts in twenty minutes. One member is absent and has the only copy of a key chart. What do you do?
- You realise you entered an incorrect figure in a report that your team has already submitted. What do you do?
- Two teammates disagree about the plan and the group is running out of time. What do you do?
- On the way to an important appointment, your usual transport is cancelled. You have limited money and your phone battery is low. What do you do?
- A younger student tells you they are being repeatedly excluded from a group activity you help organise. What do you do?
04
Review decisions, not impressive wording
Read your responses after a short break. Can someone else understand what you would actually do? Have you assumed money, authority, equipment or skills you do not have? Compare alternatives and their consequences. Keep your first draft so you can track clearer reasoning over time.
05
How March Ahead Academy can help
Bring a small set of your own responses for a discussion about clarity, realistic priorities and communication. Guidance can help you notice vague actions and build a regular practice habit. It cannot turn a practice response into a prediction of an SSB result.
March Ahead Academy illustrative practice
Try a short practice session
Use the prompts in this article. Review your work for clarity and realistic detail; these review questions are learning aids, not an SSB marking scheme.
- • Choose three scenarios above and write your first responses independently.
- • Underline the action verbs. Replace vague claims with concrete steps.
- • Ask a peer what they understood your first action to be.
- • Repeat with unfamiliar situations on another day.
Created by March Ahead Academy. This is not an official, recalled or predictive SSB/AFSB question and is not a model answer.
Common mistakes
What gets in the way of useful preparation
- Writing a heroic rescue into every scenario.
- Ignoring facts given in the situation.
- Copying a memorised response that does not fit.
- Treating the number attempted as a selection guarantee.
Candidate questions
Frequently asked questions
What does SRT stand for in SSB?
SRT stands for Situation Reaction Test. It uses short situations to which candidates write their reactions.
Are these official SRT questions?
No. The five scenarios on this page are original March Ahead Academy practice exercises.
Should I memorise SRT answers?
Practise understanding situations and explaining your actions. Memorised answers can distract you from the actual details.
Is there a guaranteed number of responses needed to pass?
This guide makes no such claim. Follow board instructions; a practice completion count does not establish an SSB outcome.
Official sources used
Official sources describe the process. They do not provide a public bank of live assessment material or a formula for recommendation.