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Almost everyone in a clerical office position, administrative position or even governmental position has faced the often dreaded, typing speed test. Interestingly enough, most people express surprise and disappointment at the results of the test, no matter how well they do on the testing.

The unfortunate fact here is that although a person may be perfectly well qualified for a job in all other respects, not meeting the arbitrary typing speed standards for a job may result in them being disqualified. The results of the typing speed test can be that critical edge that lands one person a position over another equally qualified candidate.

The Benefits Of Faster Typing

While simply having a competitive edge is usually reason enough for people to want to improve their typing speed there are other benefits to increasing typing speed.  Communication on the job has become more commonly a matter of typing a quick email to a client rather than dictating a full letter to the secretary. Faster typing equals more time available for more pressing job related matters and that equates to increased productivity.

Many people either did not have typing classes in school or simply had no interest and may be getting along by the "hunt and peck" one or two finger method. While this may work, it certainly will bring down the words per minute in any formal typing speed test.  Fortunately, there is hope for those who use the touch typing method and need to improve their speed and those who want to get their typing speed up to par.

Using A Typing Speed Test

The standard duration of a typing speed test in a formal situation is normally about five minutes. This can vary with the test and the institution but five minutes most employers feel can give a good estimation of the real speed typing of the person being tested. While at one time the typing test was propped up on a stand beside the person taking the test, and they typed on an old manual or a simple electric typewriter. A test administrator was required to start the timing and ensure the typist stopped typing after the prescribed time.  Results of the typing speed test were calculated by hand.

Most people today take a typing speed test on a computer in the personnel or employment office. The text to be written is displayed on the screen or propped up on a stand to the side. The computer starts the timer and when the time is up the computer stops recording. Results are calculated by the program and sent to the test administrator. This makes it easier to standardize the typing speed test and ensure the typist has the exact time allotted for testing, no more or less.

There are a number of reasons for wanting to improve typing speed test results. Promotions at work can depend upon it, securing a job even if typing is not the main job duty can be made easier by improved performance and speed in typing.  Communication and productivity can be improved simply by typing more quickly even for individuals in mainly supervisory or administrative positions.

How To Improve Your Typing Speed

Once the decision is made to improve the results of the typing speed test then the individual is usually faced with a number of choices. What follows are some of the most obvious choices and their relative strengths and drawbacks when it comes to improving typing speed test performance.

Formal classes are an option for some although many people find that they are not comfortable with an instructor watching them and the inflexible schedule of formal typing class' conflicts with most adults' working lives. However, formal classes can catch poor typing habits that slow down speed and performance and correct them early on.

Simply typing more at home can help some people. The advantage is that the schedule is extremely flexible. However, everyone has different needs for improvement, some may already know how to touch type and simply need to improve speed and accuracy while others may need to start at the beginning and have no idea how to begin.

A typing program on the computer is a recent addition to options to improve typing speed on a test. The advantages are that people of all typing speeds and levels of mastery can use these programs. Typing can be practiced and improved at home on their schedule.

Whichever method of improving performance is chosen the key to improving speed and mastery is in consistent practice with a structured program and frequent testing to identify weaknesses and monitor improvements.