English Typewriting and Keyboarding
What the exam tests
English typewriting and keyboarding tests touch typing technique, keyboard layout, correct fingering, speed and accuracy calculation, formatting of letters and tables, and proofreading. Questions often ask for gross or net words per minute and the standard that five characters, including spaces, equal one word.
Core rules
- Home row: left hand A S D F, right hand J K L ;. F and J carry raised guides; thumbs operate the space bar.
- Each finger has a fixed column; do not look at the keyboard. Return fingers to home row after each reach.
- Posture: feet flat, back straight, wrists not resting on the desk, screen at eye level, light even keystrokes.
- Speed is calculated from characters typed, not from dictionary words. Gross WPM = (characters ÷ 5) ÷ minutes.
- Accuracy is checked against the copy; errors include wrong characters, omitted words, wrong spacing and uncorrected punctuation.
Worked example
A candidate types 1,250 characters in 5 minutes with 8 uncorrected errors. Gross words = 1,250 ÷ 5 = 250. Gross speed = 250 ÷ 5 = 50 wpm. Net words = 250 − 8 = 242; net speed = 242 ÷ 5 = 48.4 wpm. If the exam deducts one word per error, show both figures and state the method. The reasoning matters: spaces count as characters, and errors are subtracted before dividing by time.
Traps
Counting only visible letters and ignoring spaces, dividing by minutes before converting characters to words, and treating corrected errors as automatically free are common. Also check line spacing, margins, paragraph indentation and capitalisation in practical formatting. A fast but badly formatted letter loses marks; accuracy and presentation are examined together.