[ Section 04 ]
Before the board: application and preliminary tests
[ The short answer ]
ISSB is not the first test. Candidates first apply online to their target service, sit a preliminary health check, viva, and written exam at a regional selection centre, and only then receive the ISSB call-up letter for the four-day board.
The four days at ISSB are the centrepiece, but the road to them starts weeks earlier. The exact steps and marks differ by service and batch, so the sequence below follows the Army BMA Long Course as the common example; always confirm against the current circular of the branch you are applying to.
The pipeline in order
- Online application:apply through the official service portal (join.army.mil.bd for the Army, joinnavy.navy.mil.bd for the Navy, and joinairforce.baf.mil.bd for the Air Force) within the circular's deadline.
- Preliminary medical: held at regional cantonments or designated centres. The health check covers height, weight, chest, vision, and conditions such as flat foot or knock knee.
- Preliminary viva: a short closed-door conversation: introduction, motivation for joining, hobbies, and basic awareness.
- Preliminary written exam: a computer-based MCQ test. In recent Army cycles it carries 100 marks in total: English 30, General Math 30, Bangla 20, and General Knowledge 20, over roughly two hours.
- Call-up to ISSB: qualifying candidates are notified by post, SMS, and the ISSB website (issb-bd.org) in phases, and must complete the online bio-data form through the candidate portal before reporting.
Candidates who pass all the preliminary stages but fail academically to meet their branch's published GPA threshold are advised not to report, even with a call-up letter in hand.