If you’re preparing for defense or police-related competitive exams like NDA, CDS, AFCAT, CAPF, or SSC CPO, it’s essential to be familiar with the commonly used abbreviations and full forms. These terms frequently appear in written exams, interviews, and general awareness sections. IAS Full Form , IPS Full Form, IFS Full Form
Here’s a comprehensive list of important short forms grouped under relevant defense and paramilitary branches:
Contents
- 0.1 🪖 Indian Army – Important Abbreviations – Important Short Forms
- 0.2 ✈️ Indian Air Force – Important Abbreviations
- 0.3 ⚓ Indian Navy – Important Abbreviations
- 0.4 🛡️ Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) – Paramilitary Forces
- 0.5 👮 Police Services – Important Abbreviations
- 1 Teaching Related full form
- 2 Computer-related full forms
- 3 Full forms of major Indian intelligence, investigative, and enforcement agencies:
🪖 Indian Army – Important Abbreviations – Important Short Forms
| Short Form | Full Form |
|---|---|
| NDA | National Defence Academy |
| CDS | Combined Defence Services |
| JCO | Junior Commissioned Officer |
| NCO | Non-Commissioned Officer |
| RR | Rashtriya Rifles |
| EME | Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers |
| ASC | Army Service Corps |
| AMC | Army Medical Corps |
| AOC | Army Ordnance Corps |
| JAT | Jat Regiment (Infantry Unit) |
| SIKH LI | Sikh Light Infantry |
| GORKHA | Gorkha Rifles |
✈️ Indian Air Force – Important Abbreviations
| Short Form | Full Form |
|---|---|
| IAF | Indian Air Force |
| AFCAT | Air Force Common Admission Test |
| CAS | Chief of Air Staff |
| HAL | Hindustan Aeronautics Limited |
| DRDO | Defence Research and Development Organisation |
| Short Form | Full Form |
|---|---|
| INA | Indian Naval Academy |
| IN | Indian Navy |
| CNS | Chief of Naval Staff |
| MARCOS | Marine Commandos |
| INS | Indian Naval Ship |
| NDA | National Defence Academy (also shared with Army & Air Force) |
🛡️ Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) – Paramilitary Forces
| Short Form | Full Form |
|---|---|
| CAPF | Central Armed Police Forces |
| CRPF | Central Reserve Police Force |
| BSF | Border Security Force |
| ITBP | Indo-Tibetan Border Police |
| CISF | Central Industrial Security Force |
| SSB | Sashastra Seema Bal |
| CPO | Central Police Organization (used in exams like SSC CPO) |
| NSG | National Security Guard |
| AR | Assam Rifles |
👮 Police Services – Important Abbreviations
| Short Form | Full Form |
|---|---|
| IPS | Indian Police Service |
| SI | Sub-Inspector |
| ASI | Assistant Sub-Inspector |
| SHO | Station House Officer |
| DGP | Director General of Police |
| IG | Inspector General |
| SP | Superintendent of Police |
| DSP | Deputy Superintendent of Police |
| CID | Criminal Investigation Department |
| ATS | Anti-Terrorism Squad |
| STF | Special Task Force |
Teaching Related full form
Here is a table listing the full forms of common educational abbreviations used in India, particularly for teaching positions and government exams:
| Short Form | Full Form |
|---|---|
| TGT | Trained Graduate Teacher |
| PGT | Post Graduate Teacher |
| LT Teacher | Licentiates Teacher |
| DSSSB | Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board |
| PRT | Primary Teacher |
| CTET | Central Teacher Eligibility Test |
| UPTET | Uttar Pradesh Teacher Eligibility Test |
| KVS | Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan |
| NVS | Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti |
| B.Ed | Bachelor of Education |
| D.El.Ed | Diploma in Elementary Education |
| BTC | Basic Training Certificate (now equivalent to D.El.Ed) |
| NTT | Nursery Teacher Training |
| STET | State Teacher Eligibility Test |
| REET | Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers |
| HTET | Haryana Teacher Eligibility Test |
Here is a table of commonly used computer-related full forms:
Short Form | Full Form |
|---|---|
| CPU | Central Processing Unit |
| RAM | Random Access Memory |
| ROM | Read Only Memory |
| USB | Universal Serial Bus |
| HTTP | HyperText Transfer Protocol |
| HTTPS | HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure |
| IP | Internet Protocol |
| URL | Uniform Resource Locator |
| HTML | HyperText Markup Language |
| CSS | Cascading Style Sheets |
| WWW | World Wide Web |
| LAN | Local Area Network |
| WAN | Wide Area Network |
| Wi-Fi | Wireless Fidelity |
| VPN | Virtual Private Network |
| OS | Operating System |
| GUI | Graphical User Interface |
| HDD | Hard Disk Drive |
| SSD | Solid State Drive |
| PC | Personal Computer |
| Portable Document Format | |
| PNG | Portable Network Graphics |
| JPEG/JPG | Joint Photographic Experts Group |
| CD | Compact Disc |
| DVD | Digital Versatile Disc / Digital Video Disc |
| AI | Artificial Intelligence |
| ML | Machine Learning |
| IOT | Internet of Things |
Full forms of major Indian intelligence, investigative, and enforcement agencies:
| Short Form | Full Form |
|---|---|
| CBI | Central Bureau of Investigation |
| RAW | Research and Analysis Wing |
| IB | Intelligence Bureau |
| NIA | National Investigation Agency |
| SPG | Special Protection Group |
| ED | Enforcement Directorate |
| IT | Income Tax (commonly refers to the Income Tax Department) |
Here is a table of important Finance and Tax related full forms commonly used in India:
| Short Form | Full Form |
|---|---|
| GST | Goods and Services Tax |
| PAN | Permanent Account Number |
| TAN | Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number |
| TDS | Tax Deducted at Source |
| ITR | Income Tax Return |
| CST | Central Sales Tax |
| CGST | Central Goods and Services Tax |
| SGST | State Goods and Services Tax |
| IGST | Integrated Goods and Services Tax |
| UTGST | Union Territory Goods and Services Tax |
| VAT | Value Added Tax |
| HSN | Harmonized System of Nomenclature |
| SAC | Services Accounting Code |
| CBDT | Central Board of Direct Taxes |
| CBIC | Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs |
| ROC | Registrar of Companies |
| SEBI | Securities and Exchange Board of India |
| RBI | Reserve Bank of India |
| NBFC | Non-Banking Financial Company |
| FDI | Foreign Direct Investment |
| FII | Foreign Institutional Investor |
| IPO | Initial Public Offering |
| NABARD | National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development |
| SIDBI | Small Industries Development Bank of India |
| NPS | National Pension System |
| PF | Provident Fund |
| ESI | Employees’ State Insurance |
✅ Why These Abbreviations Matter?
Understanding these short forms not only helps in exam preparation but also enhances your general knowledge about the Indian defense and security framework. They are frequently asked in:
- Competitive exams like CDS, NDA, AFCAT, CAPF, SSC CPO, State Police Exams
- Interviews for defense and paramilitary services
- Group discussions and personal interviews (GD/PI) in SSB
🇮🇳 Major Indian Government Organizations
| Short Name | Full Name | Domain |
|---|---|---|
| ISRO | Indian Space Research Organisation | Space research and satellite technology |
| DRDO | Defence Research and Development Organisation | Military R&D and defense technologies |
| BEL | Bharat Electronics Limited | Defense electronics and systems |
| BHEL | Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited | Power generation and industrial systems |
| HAL | Hindustan Aeronautics Limited | Aircraft and aerospace manufacturing |
| NAL | National Aerospace Laboratories | Civil aviation R&D |
| ITI | Indian Telephone Industries Limited | Telecom and defense communication |
| IISc | Indian Institute of Science | Advanced scientific and engineering research |
| NCBS | National Centre for Biological Sciences | Biological and life sciences research |
| UAS | University of Agricultural Sciences | Agricultural education and research |
🔹 List of Civil Services Offered Through UPSC CSE:
Candidates selected through UPSC CSE can be appointed to the following All India Services, Group A, and Group B services:
✅ All India Services
- IAS – Indian Administrative Service
- IPS – Indian Police Service
- IFoS – Indian Forest Service (separate prelims exam)
✅ Group A Services
- IFS – Indian Foreign Service
- IRS (IT) – Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax)
- IRS (C&CE) – Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise)
- IAAS – Indian Audit and Accounts Service
- ICAS – Indian Civil Accounts Service
- IDAS – Indian Defence Accounts Service
- IES – Indian Economic Service
- IIS – Indian Information Service
- IRTS – Indian Railway Traffic Service
- IRAS – Indian Railway Accounts Service
- IRPS – Indian Railway Personnel Service
- IPoS – Indian Postal Service
- DANICS – Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service
- DANIPS – Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Service
- CAPF – Central Armed Police Forces (through a separate UPSC exam)
✅ Group B Services
- Pondicherry Civil Service
- Pondicherry Police Service
- Various other state-level and union territory-level services
Summary Table
| Term | Full Form | Description |
|---|---|---|
| UPSC | Union Public Service Commission | Conducts various exams including Civil Services |
| IAS | Indian Administrative Service | Top-ranked civil service in India |
| CSE | Civil Services Examination | The exam to recruit for IAS, IPS, IFS, and other services |
📚 Final Thoughts
Being well-versed with these abbreviations is a key part of your preparation for a career in defense or police services. Bookmark this list and revise regularly to stay ahead in your journey to serve the nation.
