The Inter-Services Selection Board (colloquially known as ISSB) () is a committee for the selection of
commissioned officers
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...
in the
Pakistan Armed Forces
The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consists of three uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are backe ...
: the
Army
An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
, the
Navy
A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
, and the
Air Force
An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...
.
Procedure
The selection through board is made on the basis of five days of psychological screening to test the ability, aptitude and personality of a candidate.The tests are held in any one of the four centers, namely
Kohat
Kohat (; ) is a city that serves as the capital of the Kohat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is regarded as a centre of the Bangash tribe of Pashtuns, who have lived in the region since the late 15th century. With a population o ...
,
Gujranwala
Gujranwala is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fourth most-populous city in the Pakistani province of Punjab. Located in northern-central Punjab's Rachna Doab, it serves as the headquarters of its Gujranwala District, epony ...
,
Quetta
Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...
and
Malir
Malir Town () is the Constituent Town of Karachi Malir District and lies in the northern part of the city that was named after the Malir River.
History
Administrative status
2000
The federal government introduced local government re ...
.
Candidates have to go through a thorough procedure of five days. They are tested by the psychologist, Group Testing Officer (GTO) and the Deputy president.
Candidates who pass the selection procedure qualify, provided that they pass a physical test, medical test and general knowledge test
to undergo officer training at military academies, primarily the
Pakistan Military Academy
Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) is a military academy located nearby Kakul village in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Established in October 1947, it is the only service academy in Pakistan that trains cadets to serve as army of ...
in
Kakul
Kakul (Kakol) is a village situated in the Tehsil and District Abbottabad, at an elevation of 1300 metres, 5 km northeast of center of Abbottabad city near the Thandiani Hills. Abbottabad is a District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pa ...
, the
Pakistan Naval Academy
The Pakistan Naval Academy (PNA), PNS Rahbar, Manora is a federal military academy located in Manora, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Established in Manora, Karachi, under Vice-Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan in 1970, it is one of the technologicall ...
in
Manora Manora may refer to:
* Manora, Karachi, in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
* Manora, Washim, a taluka in Washim district of Maharashtra, India
* Manora Cantonment, in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
* Manora Fort, Karachi, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
* Manora Fort, ...
the
Pakistan Air Force Academy
The Pakistan Air Force Academy Asghar Khan (PAFAA) is an accredited four-year military academy which provides undergraduate education to officer candidates of the Pakistan Armed Forces, primarily the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).Shaheen Foundati ...
in
Risalpur
Risalpur (Pashto/) is a city in Nowshera District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on the Nowshera-Mardan Road. It is nearly 45 km from Peshawar and 18 km from Mardan and is located at 34°4'52N 71°58'21E. In a basin some 316 meters abo ...
and the SPD's Center of Excellence for Nuclear Security in Chakri.
Coaching
Coaching for the tests is not officially allowed but nevertheless many academies do exist for this purpose, often run by retired military and board officers.
Trivia
The first
Sikh
Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...
passed the board's selection procedure in 2005, the first
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
in 2006 and the first women also in 2006.
See also
*
Recruitment in the British Army
The British Army came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland. The Army has t ...
*
Recruitment in the United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
*
Recruitment in the United States Air Force
The Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Trai ...
*
Recruitment in the United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...
References
External links
ISSB official website
Military of Pakistan
1952 establishments in Pakistan
Government agencies established in 1952
Military education and training in Pakistan
Selection of military officers
Standardised tests in Pakistan
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