Choosing streams
What each stream keeps open
You are about to make the decision that closes the most doors, at the age when you have the least information. This is not advice about what to pick — it is the list of what each choice still allows.
PCMB
Physics · Chemistry · Maths · Biology
exams stay open
PCM
Physics · Chemistry · Maths
exams stay open
PCB
Physics · Chemistry · Biology
exams stay open
Commerce
Accountancy · Business · Economics
exams stay open
Arts
History · Political Science · Sociology
exams stay open
This is a count of doors, not a recommendation. An exam being open to you does not make it right for you, and a stream that keeps every door open is worth nothing if you do not want to walk through any of them. What this page can tell you is which choices are reversible and which are not.
Every field, against every stream
Computed from the eligibility rules on the exam pages — nothing here is authored. Fields open to fewest streams come first, so the choices that close something are at the top.
| Field | PCMB | PCM | PCB | Commerce | Arts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Design
2 exams
|
✓ | ✓ | part | part | part |
|
Engineering
4 exams
|
✓ | ✓ | · | · | · |
|
Medical
1 exam
|
✓ | · | ✓ | · | · |
|
Sciences
4 exams
|
✓ | ✓ | part | part | part |
|
Commerce
2 exams
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
Computing
1 exam
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
Defence
1 exam
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
Education
1 exam
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
Government Services
3 exams
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
Hospitality
2 exams
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
Law
1 exam
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
Management
1 exam
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
Media
1 exam
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
13 fields, and the row worth noticing is how many of them are open to every stream. A subject choice at fifteen closes less than it is usually made to sound.
Every exam, against every stream
Read across a row to see who may sit that exam; read down a column to see what a stream costs you. Exams open to fewest streams come first.
| Exam | PCMB | PCM | PCB | Commerce | Arts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
BITSAT
Engineering
|
✓ | ✓ | · | · | · |
|
ISI Admission Test
Sciences
|
✓ | ✓ | · | · | · |
|
JEE Advanced
Engineering
|
✓ | ✓ | · | · | · |
|
JEE Main
Engineering
|
✓ | ✓ | · | · | · |
|
MHT-CET (PCM group)
Engineering
|
✓ | ✓ | · | · | · |
|
NATA
Design
|
✓ | ✓ | · | · | · |
|
NEET UG
Medical
|
✓ | · | ✓ | · | · |
|
IISER IAT
Sciences
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · |
|
NEST
Sciences
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · |
|
CA Foundation
Commerce
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
CLAT
Law
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
CMI Entrance Examination
Sciences
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
CUET UG
Commerce
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
IPMAT (IIM Indore)
Management
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
IPU CET (BJMC)
Media
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
NCET
Education
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
NCHM JEE
Hospitality
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
NDA (Written + SSB)
Defence
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
NIFT Entrance
Design
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
Oberoi STEP
Hospitality
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
SET (Symbiosis)
Computing
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
SSC CHSL
Government Services
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
SSC GD Constable
Government Services
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
SSC MTS
Government Services
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Eligibility comes from each exam's own information brochure and is cited on its page. NDA's maths requirement applies to the Air Force and Navy branches rather than to sitting the paper — its exam page says so.