Typing Speed Test: English and Hindi

How this typing test works

Pick a language, a passage and a time, then start typing in the box under the passage. The clock starts with your first key, so you can read the first line before you begin. Each letter turns green when it matches and red when it does not, and the current letter is underlined so you never lose your place. The test ends when the time runs out or when you finish the passage, and you get a result card with your net speed, gross speed, accuracy and key depressions per hour. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

Pasting and dropping text into the typing box are turned off, because a speed test only means something when it is typed. You can still paste your own practice passage into the "My own text" box, which is handy for practising with passages from past SSC, court or state exam papers.

Net WPM, gross WPM and accuracy explained

Typing speed is counted in words per minute (WPM), where one word is taken as five characters including spaces. This is the same way most government typing tests count it, because real words differ so much in length.

• Gross WPM is every character you typed divided by five, divided by the minutes taken. It ignores mistakes.
• Net WPM takes away one word for each wrong word: (characters / 5 − wrong words) / minutes. Mistakes are counted word by word, so a missed letter does not spoil the rest of the line. This is the number that decides a pass in most exams.
• Accuracy is the share of typed characters that match the passage.
• Key depressions per hour (KDPH) is used by some data entry posts. SSC asks for 8,000 key depressions per hour for the DEO post, for example. The tool works it out from the characters you typed.

Mistakes you fix with Backspace do not count against your net speed, but they slow you down. The result card shows how many corrections you made so you can see the habit.

Speeds asked in common exams

Most central and state government typing tests ask for 35 WPM in English or 30 WPM in Hindi on a computer. This includes posts such as LDC and JSA in SSC CHSL, many court clerk posts and many state staff selection posts. Steno and data entry posts have their own rules, and some states ask for a different speed or a different keyboard. Always read the typing rules in your own exam notice, since the passage length, the time and the way mistakes are counted can change from one exam to another.

Typing in Hindi on a computer

The Hindi passages are plain Unicode text, the same kind used in most computer-based exams today. To type it, turn on a Hindi keyboard in your system. On Windows, open Settings, then Time and language, then Language, add Hindi and choose a layout. Inscript is the standard Indian layout. The Remington (GAIL) layout matches the old typewriter, and you can get it by installing the free Google Input Tools or the Indic keyboard from the Government of India language technology site. Check which layout your exam allows. Some still use Krutidev style fonts, which this test does not use.

Tips to get faster

• Learn the home row (ASDF and JKL;) and let each finger own its keys. Do not look at the keyboard.
• Aim for accuracy above 95% first. Speed comes naturally once you stop correcting.
• Practise a little every day. Fifteen minutes daily beats two hours once a week.
• Use the 10 and 15 minute tests in the last weeks before your exam, because stamina matters as much as speed.
• Sit straight, keep your wrists level and keep the screen at eye height.

Frequently asked questions