Glossary — the words adults use
Every abbreviation in this book, explained without assuming you already know. If a word in a chapter loses you, it is here.
School
SSLC — Secondary School Leaving Certificate. The Class 10 board exam and certificate in Karnataka, conducted by KSEAB. Passing it is what lets you choose a stream.
PUC — Pre-University Course. Classes 11 and 12 in Karnataka, called 1st PUC and 2nd PUC, run by the Department of Pre-University Education. Elsewhere in India this is simply called "Class 11 and 12" or "Intermediate".
Stream. The subject group you pick after Class 10 — Science, Commerce or Arts. It decides which degrees you can apply for later, though many doors stay open.
PCMB — Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Biology. A Science combination that keeps BOTH medical and engineering open, because Biology lets you sit NEET and Maths lets you sit JEE or KCET.
PCMC — Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Computer Science. A Science combination aimed at engineering, IT, AI and data science. Without Biology you cannot sit NEET, so medical is closed off.
Exams
Entrance exam. A separate test taken after Class 12 to win a seat in a professional course. Your board marks alone are usually not enough.
KCET — Karnataka Common Entrance Test. The Karnataka state entrance test, run by KEA. Used for engineering, farm science, nursing and other courses in Karnataka colleges. Needs Karnataka domicile for state-quota seats.
NEET UG — National Eligibility cum Entrance Test. The single national medical entrance exam, run by NTA.
JEE Main — Joint Entrance Examination. The national engineering entrance exam run by NTA, held in two sessions. It opens NITs and IIITs, and qualifies you for JEE Advanced, which is the route to the IITs.
COMEDK UGET. A separate entrance test for private and deemed engineering colleges in Karnataka, run by a consortium of those colleges. Open to students from any state.
CUET UG — Common University Entrance Test. A national test run by NTA used by central and many other universities for BA, B.Sc and B.Com admissions.
DCET — Diploma Common Entrance Test. Karnataka test that lets a diploma holder join the SECOND year of an engineering degree directly. This is called lateral entry.
Cut-off. The lowest rank or mark that actually got a seat in a college last year. It changes every year and differs by category, so treat old cut-offs as a rough guide only.
Courses
Diploma. A 3-year practical engineering course taken straight after Class 10 at a polytechnic. You can work after it, or use DCET to join a degree in the 2nd year.
Lateral entry. Joining a degree course directly in its second year because you already hold a diploma. The whole route then takes the same total time as the PUC route, with practical experience gained first.
Integrated course. A single course that combines two degrees, such as the 5-year LLB taken straight after Class 12 instead of doing a degree first.
Internship. A period of supervised practical work built into a course. In medicine, dentistry and several health courses it is compulsory before you can practise.
Honours degree. Under NEP 2020 a bachelor degree can run 4 years instead of 3. The extra year adds research and is called an Honours or Honours-with-Research degree.
PG / Postgraduate. A degree taken after your bachelor degree — M.Tech, M.Sc, MA, MBA, MD and so on. Usually 2 years.
PhD — Doctor of Philosophy. The highest research degree, usually 3 to 5 years after a masters. It is the normal route to becoming a professor or a research scientist.
D.El.Ed — Diploma in Elementary Education. A 2-year teacher-training diploma taken after Class 12, the usual route to teaching Classes 1 to 5 in a government school once you also clear the TET.
Skills & Training
ITI — Industrial Training Institute. A trade school you can join right after Class 10 (some trades after Class 8). Courses run 1 to 2 years in trades like electrician, fitter, welder or plumber.
NCVT — National Council for Vocational Training. The body whose certificate makes an ITI trade qualification nationally recognised by employers.
Apprenticeship. Paid on-the-job training with a real employer under the Apprentices Act, 1961. Under the NAPS scheme the government shares part of the stipend with the employer.
NSQF — National Skills Qualifications Framework. A national ladder that grades skill qualifications by what a person can actually do.
Vocational education. Short, job-focused training after Class 10 — from 3 months to 2 years — in fields like healthcare support, IT, retail or agriculture. Designed to get you employed quickly.
Work
Government job. A post in a state or central government body, usually filled through a competitive exam such as UPSC, KPSC or SSC. Valued for security and pension.
PSU — Public Sector Undertaking. A government-owned company such as BHEL, BEL or NTPC. Many recruit engineers through GATE scores.
Regulator / Council. The body that decides how long a course runs and whether a college may offer it — for example NMC for medicine, DCI for dentistry, INC for nursing, AICTE for engineering.
GATE — Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering. A national exam mainly used to get into an M.Tech, but a good score is also the standard route into engineering jobs at government-owned companies (PSUs).
CDS — Combined Defence Services Examination. The exam for graduates, run twice a year by UPSC, that leads to officer training in the Army, Navy or Air Force.
AFCAT — Air Force Common Admission Test. The Indian Air Force's own entrance exam for flying and ground-duty officer posts, separate from the NDA and CDS routes.
UPSC — Union Public Service Commission. The central body that conducts India's top recruitment exams, including the Civil Services Examination, NDA and CDS.
SSC — Staff Selection Commission. The central body that recruits staff for most non-gazetted central government posts, through exams such as CGL and CHSL.
CGL — Combined Graduate Level. The SSC exam for graduate-level central government posts such as Inspector or Auditor.
CHSL — Combined Higher Secondary Level. The SSC exam for central government posts that only need a Class 12 pass, such as Lower Division Clerk.
KPSC — Karnataka Public Service Commission. Karnataka's state-level equivalent of UPSC — it recruits state government officers, engineers, doctors and teachers through its own exams.
KAS — Karnataka Administrative Service. Karnataka's own administrative service, recruited by KPSC — the state-level equivalent of joining the IAS.
IAS — Indian Administrative Service. The senior administrative service recruited nationally through UPSC CSE, whose officers run districts and government departments.
IPS — Indian Police Service. The senior police service recruited nationally through UPSC CSE, whose officers lead police forces across the states.
IFS — Indian Forest Service. The senior forestry and wildlife service recruited nationally through UPSC, alongside its own separate exam.
IBPS — Institute of Banking Personnel Selection. The body whose common exam most public-sector banks use to hire clerks and probationary officers.
RBI — Reserve Bank of India. India's central bank, which also recruits its own officers and assistants through a separate exam from IBPS.
NABARD — National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. A government development bank that recruits agriculture and rural-development officers through its own exam.
ICAR — Indian Council of Agricultural Research. India's apex agricultural research body, which runs research institutes and recruits agricultural scientists.
ARS — Agricultural Research Service. The exam, conducted for ICAR, that recruits agricultural scientists into its research institutes.
CSIR — Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. India's largest network of government science research laboratories, which recruits scientists directly and through the joint CSIR-UGC NET exam.
ISRO — Indian Space Research Organisation. India's national space agency, which recruits engineers and scientists through its own entrance exam, separate from GATE.
DRDO — Defence Research and Development Organisation. India's defence research agency, which recruits engineers and scientists to design military technology.
AIIMS — All India Institute of Medical Sciences. A network of premier government medical institutes that also recruit doctors, nurses and other health staff directly.
ESIC — Employees' State Insurance Corporation. A government body providing health insurance to workers, which also runs its own hospitals and recruits doctors and nurses.
NHM — National Health Mission. A government programme that hires doctors, nurses and health officers, often on contract, to strengthen public healthcare.
CAPF — Central Armed Police Forces. Forces such as the CRPF and BSF, which recruit doctors, engineers and other specialists as well as combat officers.
PWD — Public Works Department. The state department that builds and maintains roads and buildings, and is a major recruiter of civil engineers.
AYUSH — Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy. The government ministry and colleges covering India's traditional medicine systems — an alternative route into a health career for students who don't clear NEET for MBBS.
CDSCO — Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation. India's national drug regulator, which approves new medicines and recruits pharmacy graduates as drug inspectors.
FSSAI — Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. India's food safety regulator, which recruits food-science and nutrition graduates as food safety officers.
KVS — Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan. The central government school network for central-government-employee families, which recruits its teachers separately from state governments.
NVS — Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti. The central government network of residential schools for rural talent, which recruits its own teachers separately from state governments.
TGT — Trained Graduate Teacher. A school teaching post for Classes 6 to 10, one grade below a PGT.
PGT — Post Graduate Teacher. A senior school teaching post for Classes 11 and 12, needing a postgraduate degree in the subject taught.
SEBI — Securities and Exchange Board of India. India's stock market regulator, which also recruits officers through its own entrance exam for finance and law graduates.