SSB Final Group Task (FGT) — The Last Chance on the GTO Ground
What is the Final Group Task?
FGT is exactly what the name suggests — the last outdoor GTO task, held near the end of Day 4. The GTO gives the full group one obstacle to solve, similar in style to the PGT. Timings are shorter, helping material is standard, colour rules apply. The task itself is not the point.
What the FGT is really about
By the time FGT starts, you have already been through GD, GPE, PGT, HGT, Individual Obstacles, Command Task and Snake Race. Every candidate has had multiple chances to show or hide their qualities. Some candidates have shone in commander roles; others have been silently competitive throughout. FGT is the GTO's deliberate stress test: after all the individual scoring events, does the *group* still cooperate as a group?
The three ways candidates typically fail FGT
FGT rarely rewards new heroics — but it easily punishes lingering damage from earlier tasks:
- Cliques hardening — candidates who worked well with certain subordinates in Command Task now refuse to cooperate with the rest.
- Fatigue-induced disengagement — quiet candidates who have been fading through the day become passengers.
- Compensation attempts — candidates who feel they under-performed suddenly try to dominate one last time.
- Publicly criticising a peer's earlier performance during FGT ("You wasted 5 minutes in Command Task, don't do it again") — instant negative score.
The right FGT posture
FGT rewards steady, supportive behaviour more than brilliance:
- Contribute your one clear planning move (colour spotting, plank routing) early.
- Actively help peers you have not partnered with today.
- Physically help — carry, lift, guide — do not just direct.
- Praise a teammate's idea aloud when they solve a bottleneck.
- Do not try to "peak" here — FGT is not the place to make up for a weak Command Task.
Ending on a high note
When the FGT ends, most candidates immediately start scoring themselves silently. Do not do this on the ground. Congratulate the group aloud, thank the GTO, and walk off calmly. The GTO's final impression of you happens in the 60 seconds after the whistle, not during the task.
Do & Don't — Quick Reference
Step-by-step: how to attempt Final Group Task (FGT)
Enter FGT with fresh energy, not desperation
This is not a comeback shot. Steady, supportive behaviour scores higher than fresh heroics.
Break earlier cliques deliberately
Actively cooperate with the peers you did not partner with in Command Task or Snake Race.
Physically help through the obstacle
Carry, lift, guide, coordinate. Passive candidates get marked down for Cooperation.
Praise a peer's good idea aloud
One "Good point, let's do that" scores higher than three of your own ideas.
End calmly and thank the GTO
The final impression is what the GTO writes in the log. Walk off composed.
Frequently asked questions
How is the Final Group Task different from the PGT?
FGT is structurally similar — full group, one obstacle, same colour rules, same helping material — but scoring emphasis shifts. By Day 4 the GTO has already scored initiative and speed of decision through Command Task and IO; FGT specifically tests whether earlier scoring events broke the group's cooperation.
Can a strong FGT rescue a poor GTO Day 3?
Marginally. FGT is one of eleven GTO inputs, so a strong FGT can nudge a borderline candidate over the line but cannot overturn a clearly weak PGT / Command Task / GD. Do not walk into FGT desperate to peak — the GTO reads compensation attempts as a red flag.
Do candidates get eliminated after the Final Group Task?
No — the only elimination inside the SSB is at the end of Day 1 (screening). Day 5 Conference decides recommendation after the GTO, IO and Psychologist reconcile their independent scores. Every candidate who cleared Day 1 attends the Conference regardless of FGT performance.
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