1 AFSB Dehradun: Reporting, Stay & Tips

If your call letter names 1 AFSB Dehradun, you will be reporting to the Air Force Selection Board at Clement Town, Dehradun. This guide covers the practical side of that trip: how to report, what to carry, where to stay, how the days are structured and how to prepare for the tasks. It is written from official Indian Air Force and UPSC pages, which are listed under “Sources” in each section.

A note on independence: GS India Defence Academy is a private coaching academy in Dehradun. It is not part of the Indian Air Force, and it has no affiliation with 1 AFSB or any other selection board. Nothing here is an official instruction. Your advertisement and call letter are binding, and they override anything written in a guide.

What 1 AFSB is and who is called there

Air Force Selection Boards (AFSBs) test candidates for officer entries into the Indian Air Force. The IAF’s AFCAT guidelines list five boards: 1 AFSB at Dehradun, 2 AFSB at Mysuru, 3 AFSB at Gandhinagar, 4 AFSB at Varanasi and 5 AFSB at Guwahati. Candidates who clear the written AFCAT choose their AFSB date and venue themselves on the AFCAT or careerindianairforce portal, which generates the call-up letter. If you are searching for an “AFCAT SSB centre in Dehradun”, this is it.

AFCAT is not the only route to an AFSB. The UPSC notice for the National Defence Academy examination says that candidates who place the Air Force as their first choice must also register on the Army recruiting website for AFSB selection and date choice. The guidelines also cover the NCC Special Entry route, which has its own certificate conditions.

Reporting at Clement Town: the rules

The IAF guidelines are firm about reporting. A few points matter most:

• Your call letter and admit card are your authority. You hand both over to the board on arrival.
• Be on time. You must report on the date and time stated in the call letter. Latecomers are not admitted for the tests, even when the delay is caused by a late-running train.
• Look for the representative. An Air Force representative in uniform meets candidates at the reporting point named in the call letter.
• Early arrivals are on their own. Boarding and lodging are free during the testing period. Candidates who arrive before the date and time on the call letter have to make their own arrangements.
• Date changes are rare. Postponement is considered only on genuine grounds and only if administratively convenient. Requests go by email to the AFSB that issued the call, and Air Headquarters decides.

Plan to reach Dehradun a day before your reporting date, then travel to the reporting point on the day with a buffer of at least two hours. Hill roads can slow down after rain, and trains often run late in winter fog. Candidates from far away should book tickets early and keep the e-ticket for the travel allowance claim.

Where to stay

During testing you do not need a hotel. The board provides free boarding and lodging for the period of testing, which is one of the reasons candidates are asked to arrive exactly as instructed. The question of where to stay arises only for the night before reporting or for any gap if your arrival date differs from the call letter.

A few practical options for that night:

• A budget hotel or guest house near the place where you arrive, booked in advance with free cancellation if possible.
• A paying-guest room or a hostel bed, if you are travelling with family and plan a short stay.
• A relative or friend in Dehradun, which is the simplest arrangement.

Avoid last-minute booking on weekends and holidays, when Dehradun fills up with tourists. If you are travelling alone, especially as a girl candidate, reach in daylight, share your address and phone numbers with your family, and keep the hotel booking confirmation handy.

If you would like to spend a few days practising before the board, short SSB courses are available at our academy. Our boys’ and girls’ hostels are separate, and our fee structure page lists the options with and without hostel.

What to carry

The AFCAT guidelines list the documents that candidates must bring for verification. Check them against your own advertisement, because requirements vary by entry.

• Call letter and admit card. Print both.
• Date of birth proof. The original Matriculation or Secondary School certificate and mark sheet issued by CBSE, ICSE or a state board. The guidelines say no other certificate is accepted for date of birth.
• Class 12. The original mark sheet and pass certificate.
• Graduation documents. The original or provisional degree and the mark sheet of each year or semester, used to verify the qualification that makes you eligible.
• Photocopies. Two attested photocopies of each certificate.
• Entry-specific papers. The original NCC certificate if you hold one and apply under that entry, a No Objection Certificate if you are in government service, and the original DGCA commercial pilot licence if you are claiming age relaxation.
• Forms from the portal. Bonafide certificate for graduate candidates or for NDA candidates, character certificate, indemnity bond and percentage conversion certificate, as applicable.
• Travel tickets. For the travel allowance claim.
• Final-year students. The guidelines allow final-year candidates who have no current backlog and who hold a minimum of passing marks up to the last semester or year at the time of testing, and they must produce the provisional or original degree.

Also pack sports kit (white T-shirt, shorts, sports shoes), a formal set for the interview, a few passport-size photographs as the call letter states, writing material, a lock, and minimal cash. Phone and valuables rules are in your call letter. Army boards, for example, ask candidates to deposit mobile phones on arrival.

How the days run at an AFSB

The IAF guidelines describe the AFSB process in stages. A typical schedule runs about five to six days.

• Day 1: Stage I. The Officer Intelligence Rating test and the Picture Perception and Discussion Test. Only candidates who clear this stage continue. They then go through a document check against the eligibility for the branch they have chosen. Candidates who fail Stage I or the eligibility check are sent home the same day. The psychological test is held later that day.
• Days 2 to 4: Stage II. Interviews and group tests, in an order decided by the board.
• Day 5: Conference. The board meets and decides who is recommended.
• Day 6: Pilot aptitude and final reports. The Computerised Pilot Selection System (CPSS) is given to recommended candidates who opt for the flying branch.

CPSS is a once-in-a-lifetime test. The guidelines say that a candidate who failed CPSS or the earlier Pilot Aptitude Battery Test, or a flight cadet who was suspended from flying training at the Air Force Academy, is not eligible for the flying branch. Candidates recommended by the board are then called for a medical examination.

Preparing for the GTO tasks and lecturette

Candidates searching for “1 AFSB Dehradun lecturette topics” or “individual obstacles” are usually looking for a list that does not exist officially. The board does not publish topics. What you can do is prepare in a way that works for any topic.

Lecturette. In the usual format you speak for a few minutes on a topic you pick from a few offered to you. Keep a topic bank across four areas: current affairs, defence and aviation, social issues and personal experience. For each topic, prepare an opening line, three clear points and a closing line, then practise speaking aloud with a timer. Speak slowly, make eye contact and finish on time.

Individual obstacles. You attempt a set of obstacles one by one, with each carrying points. Listen to the instructions, follow the rules exactly and choose a pace that you can sustain. Do not take risks that endanger you or others. Build your strength with regular running, push-ups and pull-ups for a few weeks before you travel.

Group tasks. Practise group discussion and planning exercises with friends. Listen well, offer practical ideas, and support the group’s decision.

Interview. Read through your Personal Information Questionnaire and be ready to talk about every line. Our SSB interview process guide explains the Army and Navy format that is close to this one.

A simple checklist for the last week

1. Confirm your date, reporting point and time from the call letter. Read the AFCAT advertisement again for any special instructions.
2. Sort originals and photocopies in a transparent folder, in the order the guidelines list them.
3. Book your journey and the night before, with a buffer.
4. Do two timed practice sets of OIR-type questions and one mock lecturette each day.
5. Sleep well on the nights before. You will be active for several days.

Contacting the board

The IAF’s AFCAT contact page lists AFSB Dehradun at Clement Town, Dehradun 248002, with a telefax of 0135-2642269 at the time of writing. Queries about the interview, including a change of date, go to the board that issued your call. Numbers can change, so confirm them on the official page before you call.

Frequently asked questions

Want to rehearse the tasks before you report in Dehradun? Our classroom SSB training in Dehradun covers group tasks, lecturettes and mock boards, with separate hostels for boys and girls. Call +91 70170 31757 or message us on WhatsApp for current batch dates.