RBSE SS Hindi Shorthand cheat sheet

Pitman system is written from left to right; light and heavy strokes of the same outline carry different consonant values, so stroke thickness is a phonemic feature, not a stylistic choice.

Consonants are classed by place of articulation in the Hindi varnamala order (क-वर्ग, च-वर्ग, ट-वर्ग, त-वर्ग, प-वर्ग); the same position in the mouth yields the paired light/heavy stroke (क/ग, च/ज, ट/ड, त/द, प/ब).

Aspirated consonants (ख, घ, छ, झ, ठ, ढ, थ, ध, फ, भ) are formed by adding a small dot or a hook to the base stroke; the aspirate mark must be written before the outline is read back.

Vowels are placed as dots and dashes on the consonant skeleton: first-place vowels at the beginning, second-place at the middle, third-place at the end of the stroke; the same dot in a different place changes the word entirely.

A vowel sign is written only for the vowel that is actually pronounced; inherent 'अ' is not marked, and medial vowels follow the preceding consonant stroke.

Halant (्) is shown by writing the two consonants close together without a vowel sign between them, or by the prescribed joining device; the reader must see the join to know no vowel intervenes.

Short forms are the most heavily tested memory item: a fixed list of high-frequency words (जो, है, को, में, के, नहीं, यह, वह, कि) is written with a single stroke or stroke-plus-sign, and each must be recalled exactly.

Phraseography joins short forms and adjacent words without lifting the pen; grammalogues inside a phrase keep their fixed shape, and phrasing is limited to combinations that remain legible on transcription.

Standard dictation speeds for the examination ladder are 80, 100 and 120 words per minute; transcription allowance is commonly 5 minutes per 80 wpm passage, scaled proportionally for higher speeds, so plan reading-back time before writing.

Word count is computed on the passage as dictated, not on the shorthand outlines; a Hindi 'word' for speed purposes is a whitespace-delimited unit, so punctuation and numerals are not counted separately.

Dictation should be taken in ink with a soft pencil or pen that gives visible light/heavy contrast; a hard nib that flattens thick strokes destroys the distinction between paired consonants.

Transcription accuracy is judged against the dictated passage: spelling, matra placement, and anusvara/chandrabindu errors are counted as mistakes even when the meaning survives.

Reading back shorthand is done in the same order as writing; where an outline is ambiguous, the sentence context and the verb ending decide the reading, so transcribe whole sentences rather than word by word.

Headings, dates, figures and proper nouns are dictated slowly or repeated; they are transcribed in full and are a common source of avoidable errors.

Transcription should be written in a clean hand with margins; corrections are struck through once, not overwritten, because overwriting is treated as an error in evaluation.

Practice passages should mix prose, official letters and reports; the vocabulary of office correspondence (प्रेषक, प्राप्तकर्ता, विषय, सन्दर्भ) recurs and should be drilled as fixed outlines.

Hindi keyboard layout follows the Remington/Inscript arrangement; the home row carries the highest-frequency consonants, and touch typing requires the fingers to return to the home row after every reach.

Speed is measured in words per minute where one word equals five keystrokes including spaces; a 30 wpm target therefore equals 150 keystrokes per minute, not 30 typed words.

Gross speed counts all keystrokes; net speed subtracts errors, commonly computed as (gross words − errors) per minute, so accuracy compounds speed.

Margins: standard A4 official letter uses a left margin of about 1 inch and a right margin of about 0.75 inch, with the date, reference number and subject line aligned to fixed positions.

A formal Hindi letter carries, in order: sender's address, date, receiver's designation and address, subject (विषय), salutation, body, subscription, signature block and enclosures.

The subject line is written below the reference number and above the salutation; 'विषय' is followed by a colon and the topic in a single line.

Numerals are typed in Devanagari (०–९) in Hindi text unless the office style sheet specifies Arabic numerals; mixing the two within one document is an error.

Proofreading covers matra placement, half-letter joins (क्ष, त्र, ज्ञ), anusvara versus chandrabindu, and consistent spacing after punctuation before the sheet is released.

A stenographer's core duties are taking dictation, transcribing it, maintaining the confidential letter file, and keeping a fair-copy register with date, subject and dispatch number.

Confidential dictation is transcribed personally and the shorthand notebook is destroyed or retained under lock according to office instruction; shorthand notes are not circulated.

Interpreting dictation requires flagging unclear words immediately: the standard practice is to read back the doubtful word or sentence before leaving the officer's room.

Dispatch procedure: fair copy is compared with the draft, entered in the dispatch register with number and date, then sent; the office copy is filed.

Incoming mail is opened, date-stamped, sorted into urgent and routine, and entered in the receipt register before being put up to the officer.

A 'put up' note records the officer's remarks and the action taken; the stenographer transcribes these remarks into the file and returns the file to the record room.

During meetings the stenographer records the proceeding in the third person, notes the resolution separately from the discussion, and gets the minutes approved before fair copying.

Tour and leave arrangements, appointment fixing, and reminder letters for pending references are standard stenographer duties in a government office.

Hindi nouns carry gender (पुल्लिंग/स्त्रीलिंग) and number; adjectives agree with the noun in gender, number and case, so 'अच्छा लड़का' becomes 'अच्छी लड़की' and 'अच्छे लड़के'.

Case is shown by postpositions (ने, को, से, में, पर, का/के/की); the postposition follows the noun, and 'का/के/की' changes with the gender and number of the possessed noun, not the possessor.

Verb agreement: with 'ने' (ergative) in the perfect tense, the verb agrees with the object if the object is unmarked; otherwise it stays masculine singular.

Tense forms to keep distinct: सामान्य वर्तमान (करता है), अपूर्ण (कर रहा है), पूर्ण (किया), and संदिग्ध/संभाव्य (करता होगा).

Sandhi of vowels follows the standard rules: दीर्घ (अ+अ=आ), गुण (अ+इ=ए), वृद्धि (अ+ए=ऐ), and यण (इ+अ=य्); each produces a predictable spelling change.

Samasa types are identified by the relation between members: तत्पुरुष (case relation), द्वंद्व (and), बहुव्रीहि (the compound denotes a third thing), कर्मधारय (apposition).

Synonyms and antonyms are tested in pairs; learn them in sets tied to office usage (आदेश/निर्देश, प्रार्थना/अनुरोध, स्वीकार/अस्वीकार) rather than as isolated lists.

One-word substitutions (अनेक शब्दों के लिए एक शब्द) recur in précis and letter writing, e.g. जो कहा न जा सके = अकथनीय, जिसका कोई शत्रु न हो = अजातशत्रु.

The standard file movement chain is receipt → put up → officer's order → draft → fair copy → dispatch → record; each stage leaves a dated entry.

A draft is marked 'DRAFT' and initialled by the officer before fair copying; the fair copy carries the officer's signature and the office seal.

Dispatch register columns: serial number, dispatch number, date, addressee, subject, and mode of dispatch; the number is quoted in all future correspondence.

The receipt register records date of receipt, sender, subject, and file number; acknowledgement is sent for registered and confidential letters.

Confidential and secret papers are handled in a separate sealed cover, entered in a confidential register, and not mixed with ordinary dak.

The right to information request is routed to the designated Public Information Officer; the office must respond within the statutory period and record the date of receipt.

Records are retained per the office retention schedule and then destroyed with a destruction certificate signed by the competent authority; destruction without entry is a procedural irregularity.

Meeting minutes record date, place, members present, agenda item, decision, and the officer authorised to act; the minutes are confirmed at the next meeting.