Maharashtra HSC Stenography (Occupational) cheat sheet

Pitman consonants are classified by stroke direction and thickness: straight downstrokes are p, b, t, d, ch, j; light strokes are voiceless, heavy strokes voiced, so p/b, t/d, ch/j differ only by pressure.

Curve strokes: f, v, th, dh, s, z, sh, zh, m, n, ng, l, r, w, y; 'r' has two forms - upward r used after most consonants, downward r after t, d, ch, j, and n.

Vowels are written as dots and dashes at three positions relative to the consonant outline: first position (above), second (on the line), third (below), determined by the vowel's sound class.

The six simple long vowels: ah, a, e, aw, o, oo; short vowels are written as lighter, smaller marks - short i, e, a, o, u.

Diphthongs: i (as in 'my') is a stroke combination, oi (as in 'boy') is a downward-curve sign, ow (as in 'now') is a stroke combination; ou/ow follows the third-position rule.

Phraseography joins outlines without lifting the pen: 'I am', 'you are', 'we have' are written as single joined forms; phrasing is limited to common, short words to preserve legibility.

Halving principle: adding a light halved stroke adds 't' or 'd' to a consonant (e.g., 'it', 'did'); doubling lengthens for 'ter', 'der', 'ther'.

Prefixes and suffixes: con-/com-/cog- written as a light dot or joined stroke; -tion/-sion as a shun hook; -ing and -ings as a joined stroke or dot; -ment as a joined m-n-t.

Grammalogues are single-sign words (e.g., 'be', 'the', 'of', 'to', 'and', 'that'); logograms are abbreviated common words; both must be memorised as fixed outlines.

Standard HSC dictation speeds: 80 wpm for transcription practice, 100 wpm for the higher grade; the pass standard is typically 90%+ accuracy on a 5-minute passage.

Transcription time allowance is usually 30 minutes for the dictated passage; candidates should allocate roughly 5 minutes to read-back and 25 minutes to typed/dictated transcription.

Word count for dictation is calculated by dividing total characters (including spaces) by 5; a 5-minute passage at 100 wpm is 500 words.

Accuracy is scored as (correct words ÷ total dictated words) × 100; errors include misspellings, omissions, and words changed from the dictated text.

Dictation should be read at a steady pace with pauses at phrase boundaries; candidates must not stop to correct outlines - leave a gap and continue.

Transcription must reproduce punctuation, capitalisation, and paragraphing as dictated; omissions of full stops and commas count as errors.

Common pitfalls: confusing light/heavy strokes (p/b, t/d), misplacing vowel positions, and failing to join phraseograms correctly - each creates a wrong word.

Practice protocol: dictate from a prepared passage, transcribe, then compare against the source and log every error by category (outline, vowel, phrasing, spelling).

Gross speed (wpm) = (total keystrokes ÷ 5) ÷ minutes; net speed = gross speed − (errors × penalty). Standard penalty is 10 words per error in many typing tests.

Accuracy % = (correct characters ÷ total characters typed) × 100; a 95% accuracy is generally the minimum for a pass in computer typing tests.

Touch typing requires home-row placement: left hand on A S D F, right hand on J K L ; - the F and J keys have raised tactile bumps.

Standard keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+C copy, Ctrl+V paste, Ctrl+X cut, Ctrl+Z undo, Ctrl+Y redo, Ctrl+S save, Ctrl+P print, Ctrl+A select all.

Ergonomics for speed: wrists level, elbows at ~90°, monitor top at eye level, feet flat; keep fingers curved and return to home row after each keystroke.

Timed test structure: typically 5 minutes of typing from a printed passage; errors are counted at the end and net speed is computed.

Common accuracy errors: transposition (teh/the), doubled letters, missed spaces, and capitalisation; proofread before submitting.

Speed-building method: practise 1-minute drills at 95% accuracy, then increase to 3- and 5-minute passages; accuracy precedes speed.

Inward mail register records: serial number, date received, sender, subject, and action taken; outward mail register records date dispatched, addressee, and dispatch mode.

Filing systems: alphabetical (by name), numerical (by number), chronological (by date), and subject-wise; a good filing system must be simple, economical, accessible, and safe.

The secretary's duties include receiving visitors, screening calls, arranging appointments, maintaining diaries, and handling confidential correspondence.

Meeting documentation: notice (usually 21 days for statutory meetings), agenda, quorum, minutes, and resolutions; minutes must be recorded and signed by the chairperson.

Office equipment and stationery inventory should be maintained with a stock register showing receipts, issues, and balances.

Confidentiality: classified documents are kept in a locked cabinet; the secretary must not disclose information without the employer's authority.

Travel and appointment management: prepare itineraries, book tickets and accommodation, and confirm appointments in writing.

Records retention: financial and statutory records are retained per applicable law; routine correspondence is typically retained for a defined period before disposal.

A business letter has seven parts: heading/letterhead, date, inside address, salutation, body, complimentary close, and signature block.

Standard salutations: 'Dear Sir/Madam' (unknown recipient), 'Dear Mr Sharma' (known), 'Dear Sirs' (firm, older style); complimentary close matches - 'Yours faithfully' with Dear Sir/Madam, 'Yours sincerely' with a named recipient.

Full block format: all lines flush left, no indentation, blank line between paragraphs; modified block indents the date and closing.

A memo has four headings: To, From, Date, Subject; it is internal, concise, and has no salutation or complimentary close.

Notices and circulars: a notice announces an event; a circular is sent to many recipients with identical content; both carry a date and issuing authority.

E-mail etiquette: a clear subject line, one topic per message, professional greeting and sign-off, and attachments referenced in the body.

Enquiry and reply letters follow a four-part structure: purpose, details/requirements, request for action, and courteous close.

Drafting rules: use active voice, short sentences, one idea per paragraph, and avoid jargon; proofread for spelling, grammar, and consistency of names and dates.

Parts of speech: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, interjection - identify by function in the sentence, not by word alone.

Subject-verb agreement: singular subject takes singular verb; collective nouns take a singular verb when acting as one unit, plural when members act individually.

Tenses: simple present (habit/fact), present continuous (ongoing), present perfect (completed with present relevance), past simple (finished action), future (will/going to).

Active vs passive: active = subject performs action; passive = subject receives action, formed with be + past participle.

Punctuation: comma for lists and clauses, semicolon between related independent clauses, colon before a list or explanation, apostrophe for possession and contractions.

Common error pairs: its/it's, your/you're, their/there/they're, affect/effect, principal/principle, stationary/stationery.

Communication model: sender → encoding → message → channel → receiver → decoding → feedback; noise is any interference in the channel.

Formal vs informal register: formal uses complete sentences, no contractions, and polite forms; informal allows contractions and colloquialisms.

Marathi and Hindi both use the Devanagari script with 12 vowels (स्वर), 36 consonants (व्यंजन), and two symbols: anusvara (ं) and visarga (ः).

Devanagari vowel signs (matras): ा ि ी ु ू े ै ो ौ - position matters; ि is written before the consonant it follows in pronunciation.

Marathi has three genders (पुल्लिंग, स्त्रीलिंग, नपुंसकलिंग); Hindi has two (पुल्लिंग, स्त्रीलिंग) - gender agreement affects verb and adjective endings.

Translation principle: translate meaning, not words; preserve register, idiom, and technical terms (which may be transliterated or retained in English).

Official correspondence terms: 'प्रति' (copy to), 'विषय' (subject), 'महोदय/महोदया' (salutation), 'भवदीय' (yours faithfully), 'सादर' (respectfully).

Numbers and dates: Devanagari numerals ० १ २ ३ ४ ५ ६ ७ ८ ९; dates are written as day-month-year in official Marathi/Hindi documents.

Common translation traps: literal rendering of English passive voice, wrong honorifics, and inconsistent transliteration of names and designations.

Proofreading translated text: check gender agreement, postpositions (ने, को, से, में), verb tense consistency, and that all source content is present.

Computer components: input (keyboard, mouse, scanner), processing (CPU - ALU + control unit), storage (RAM volatile, ROM/HDD/SSD non-volatile), and output (monitor, printer).

Memory units: 1 byte = 8 bits; 1 KB = 1024 bytes; 1 MB = 1024 KB; 1 GB = 1024 MB; 1 TB = 1024 GB.

Word processor essentials: font formatting, paragraph alignment (left, centre, right, justify), line spacing, page margins, headers/footers, and spell check.

Spreadsheet essentials: cell reference (A1), formula starting with '=', functions SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, IF, and relative vs absolute references ($A$1).

Presentation software: slide layouts, transitions vs animations (transition = between slides; animation = within a slide), and slide master for consistent design.

File management: extensions indicate type (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx, .pdf); Save vs Save As; backup copies protect against data loss.

Internet and e-mail: URL structure (protocol://domain/path), CC vs BCC (BCC hides recipients), and attachments limited by server size.

Security basics: strong passwords, antivirus updates, avoiding suspicious links (phishing), and logging off shared computers to protect confidentiality.