Exam-hall procedure, machine handling and time discipline
This domain tests exam-hall conduct, machine handling and time discipline. The typing itself is only part of the assessment: you must start legally, keep the machine working and stop at the signal.
Before the signal
- Report with the admit card and permitted items; locate your seat and machine without disturbing others.
- Fill roll number and paper details exactly as instructed; do not type the passage before the start signal.
- Use the setting time to insert paper squarely, set margins and line spacing, check the ribbon and test that the carriage moves freely.
During the test
- Start only at the signal. If the ribbon jams or paper slips, raise your hand for the invigilator; do not dismantle the machine.
- Use the clock at fixed checkpoints: by one-third of the time you should have typed about one-third of the passage.
- At the final bell, stop immediately; do not add a closing line or correction after time.
Worked example
In a 30-minute test with 5 minutes of setting time, a candidate who has typed 100 of 300 words at the 10-minute mark is on schedule. At 25 minutes the candidate should be near the end; the last few minutes are for a quick check of line ends and margins, not for retyping a paragraph. If the ribbon jams at 12 minutes, the candidate raises a hand and continues only when the machine is usable. The reasoning: time lost to an unhandled machine fault cannot be recovered by racing later, and typing after the bell can invalidate the work.
Traps
- Typing during setting time.
- Ignoring margin settings until the first line is already typed.
- Continuing after the stop signal to finish a word.