Net Speed After Eight Errors
You are taking the computer typing speed test for the stenographer post. The test is five minutes long. The passage is a 300-word office circular. In the first five minutes you type 240 words, but the software shows 8 uncorrected errors. The rules displayed on the screen say: gross speed = words typed divided by minutes; each uncorrected error deducts two words; corrected errors are not penalised but each correction costs about 15 seconds. Your target is a net speed of 40 words per minute. With two minutes left, you can see four of the errors: two are in figures (2019 typed as 2016, 15,000 typed as 1500) and two are in ordinary words. You must decide whether to stop and correct, keep typing, or correct only some errors. The machine next to you has a sticky space bar. You must also decide whether to ask for a different machine.
1. Calculate the gross speed and the net speed under the displayed rule. Does the candidate meet the target of 40 words per minute?
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Gross speed is 240 words divided by 5 minutes, which is 48 words per minute. The rule deducts two words for each of the 8 uncorrected errors, a penalty of 16 words. Net speed is therefore 240 minus 16, divided by 5, or 224 divided by 5, which equals 44.8 words per minute. The target of 40 is met with about 4.8 words per minute to spare. This calculation matters because a candidate who sees 48 on the screen may think the errors are harmless; the penalty has already reduced the score by 3.2 words per minute. I would write the working on the rough sheet, not only the final figure, so that a dispute about the software's word count can be checked.
2. With two minutes left, should the candidate correct the four visible errors, only the two figure errors, or none? Show the trade-off.
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Correcting one error takes about 15 seconds, so four corrections take about one minute. During that minute the candidate would otherwise type roughly 48 words. If the four errors stay, the penalty is 8 words. Correcting all four removes 8 words of penalty but costs up to 48 words of output, so it lowers the expected net score. Correcting none is better for pure speed. The exception is the two figure errors: 2019 for 2016 and 15,000 for 1500 change data, and a typing test for a stenographer post may treat a figure error more seriously than an ordinary spelling error, even if the displayed rule does not. My choice would be to correct the two figures if they can be fixed quickly, leave the ordinary words, and keep typing. If the rules say every error is equal, then even the figures should be left and the two minutes used for output; the candidate must follow the printed rule, not an assumption.
3. The next machine has a sticky space bar. Should the candidate switch? What is the practical decision before and after the clock starts?
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Before the clock starts, I would test the space bar, the Enter key and the shift keys, and ask the invigilator for a different machine if the space bar sticks. A sticky space bar produces merged words, which the software may count as errors, and the candidate cannot see every merge while typing at speed. After the clock starts, switching machines is risky: the test may reset, the candidate loses time, and the invigilator may not allow a restart. In that case I would adapt by striking the space bar deliberately, slightly harder and at a steady rhythm, and I would not stop to repair every merged word. The decision turns on when the defect is discovered: fix it before the test, manage it during the test.