ITI/NCVT Stenographer Secretarial Assistant (AITT Theory) common mistakes
ITI/NCVT Stenographer Secretarial Assistant (AITT Theory) · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Writing shorthand outlines from memory of the shape rather than applying the stated rule (e.g., using the 'r' stroke for a medial 'r' that should follow the r-rule after a straight stroke), so outlines are inconsistent and unreadable when transcribed later.
Candidates learn outlines as pictures and skip the rule logic, so under exam pressure they default to whatever looks familiar; without rule anchoring, similar-sounding words get different outlines and transcription collapses.
What to do instead
For each outline you write in practice, say the rule aloud (stroke, position, vowel sign, joining rule) before writing it, and keep a one-page rule checklist you consult after-not during-dictation. Re-transcribe your own shorthand after 24 hours; every outline you cannot read is a rule you have not internalised.
Transcribing shorthand at the same speed as writing it, then losing the thread of the passage and leaving gaps in the transcript.
Candidates transcribe stroke-by-stroke looking back at the notebook constantly, which breaks sentence context; shorthand allows ambiguous outlines that only context resolves, so word-by-word reading produces wrong expansions.
What to do instead
Transcribe in phrase chunks: read a full phrase of shorthand, hold it, then write the English sentence. Practise with 30-second passages first, and use a light pencil mark at every pause so you can resume without re-reading the whole page.
Typing at top speed from the first line with no accuracy check, producing a high gross speed but a net speed below the pass mark after error deductions.
Candidates chase gross words per minute because that is the number they see on typing tests, ignoring that the exam scores net speed (gross minus penalties); errors cluster on unfamiliar words and punctuation.
What to do instead
Train at 90% of your target speed with a hard accuracy floor (e.g., no more than 2 errors per minute), and only raise speed when the floor holds. In the exam, type at the speed you can sustain for the full duration, not the speed of your best 30-second burst.
Ignoring the layout rules of a business letter-date position, inside address, salutation, complimentary close, signature block, and consistent punctuation style-so the letter is typed accurately but marked down on format.
Candidates practise typing passages, not letters, and never fix a house style; they mix full-block and modified-block conventions or use inconsistent punctuation after the salutation and close.
What to do instead
Memorise one standard layout (full block with open punctuation is simplest) and type ten complete letters to it, checking each element against a written checklist. In the exam, set the margins and tab stops before typing the first word.
Filing and indexing documents under the first word only, so 'The National Bank' and 'National Bank' land in different places and cross-references fail.
Candidates apply everyday alphabetical order rather than the indexing rules that ignore articles, prepositions, and conjunctions at the start of a name, and they do not distinguish personal from organisation names.
What to do instead
Learn and drill the indexing order: ignore initial articles, index surnames before initials, treat each word separately, and file 'nothing before something'. Build a 20-card practice set of mixed names and file them, then check against the rule sheet.
Drafting business correspondence in conversational, first-person narrative ('I just wanted to check whether...') instead of a direct, structured message with a clear subject line, purpose in the opening, and a specific action request.
Candidates transfer spoken or messaging habits into formal writing and have never been shown the difference between informing, requesting, and complaining; they bury the purpose in the third paragraph.
What to do instead
Use a fixed skeleton for every letter or email: subject line stating the topic, opening sentence stating purpose, one paragraph per point, closing stating the action and deadline. Rewrite five of your own drafts to that skeleton and compare word counts before and after.
Treating spreadsheet formulas as text-typing numbers with currency symbols or spaces, or entering '=' formulas into cells pre-formatted as text-so totals show zero or errors.
Candidates learn menus by clicking rather than understanding cell data types; they paste formatted values from documents and do not notice the green error triangle or left-aligned numbers.
What to do instead
Practise entering raw numbers, then applying number formats afterwards; check alignment (numbers right-align by default) and use SUM and AVERAGE on a small table. Learn to read #VALUE!, #DIV/0!, and #REF! and state the cause of each.
Confusing debit and credit when recording a transaction, or posting a payment to the wrong side of the account, so the trial balance still agrees but the ledger is wrong.
Candidates memorise 'debit the receiver, credit the giver' without linking it to the accounting equation and the type of account (asset, liability, income, expense); compensating errors hide the mistake.
What to do instead
For every entry, state the two accounts, their type, and the effect on the equation before writing it. Drill 30 transactions classifying each account first, and learn which errors a trial balance cannot detect (omission, commission, principle, compensating).
Answering safety questions from general common sense-e.g., saying a fire extinguisher should be used on any fire, or that a first-aider should move an injured person-rather than from the prescribed procedure.
Candidates treat occupational safety as general knowledge and have not learned the classification of fires, the meaning of safety signs, or the priority of raising the alarm and evacuating over fighting a fire.
What to do instead
Learn the fire classes and matching extinguisher types, the colour codes of safety signs, and the emergency sequence (raise alarm, evacuate, call for help, do not move casualties unless in immediate danger). Test yourself with scenario questions, not definitions.
Leaving objective or multiple-choice questions blank when unsure, and spending equal time on every question instead of banking the easy marks first.
Candidates fear negative marking that does not exist, or they get stuck on one calculation and run out of time; they also misread 'not' and 'except' in question stems.
What to do instead
Adopt a two-pass strategy: answer every question you know in the first pass, mark the rest, then return. Never leave a blank-eliminate options and choose. Underline the qualifier in each stem before answering, and practise full papers under timed conditions.