UPMSP Hindi and English Typing flashcards

31 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Five-character word convention

A standard method of counting typing speed in which every five characters typed, including spaces, counts as one word, so speed is comparable across passages of different word lengths.

Net speed formula

Net words per minute equals total characters typed minus penalty characters, divided by five, then divided by the minutes elapsed. Only correct characters should count toward the final score.

Accuracy percentage formula

Accuracy equals correct characters divided by total characters typed, multiplied by one hundred. A one percent accuracy gain at thirty words per minute adds roughly 0.3 net words per minute.

Inscript layout

The standard Indian keyboard layout for Devanagari, used in most government Hindi typing tests. Matras and consonants occupy fixed positions, so speed on Remington or phonetic layouts does not transfer directly.

Short i matra keystroke order

In Devanagari the short i matra is written before the consonant it follows in pronunciation, so on Inscript the matra key is struck before the consonant key, reversing visual reading order.

Reph and halant errors

Two frequent Hindi typing faults: omitting the reph mark that represents a preceding r sound, and dropping the halant that suppresses the inherent vowel in a conjunct consonant cluster.

Gross versus net wpm

Gross speed counts every character typed, including wrong ones. Net speed subtracts error penalties first, so net speed is always lower and is the figure used for exam qualifying decisions.

English typing benchmark

For most Indian government recruitment typing tests, the usual minimum is around thirty net words per minute with accuracy above ninety percent, but the exact figure appears in each recruitment advertisement.

Error penalty convention

In most Indian government typing tests each fully incorrect word counts as one error regardless of its length, and the error total is deducted from the gross word count before net speed is calculated.

Punctuation and capitalization counting

Capital letters and punctuation marks each occupy a character position in English typing tests. Omitting a comma or a capital can turn an otherwise correct word into a scored error.

Timer start rule

The clock in a standard typing test begins on the first keystroke and stops when the allotted time expires, not when the last character is typed, so unused seconds are lost speed.

Backspace correction rule

Correct an error only if it is noticed within one or two characters of typing it. Older errors cost more time to fix than the penalty they incur, so continue typing instead.

Home row position

The resting position for touch typing: left fingers on A, S, D, F and right fingers on J, K, L, semicolon. The raised bumps on F and J allow blind repositioning without looking.

Index finger reach keys

The left index finger covers R, F, V, T, G and B; the right index finger covers Y, H, N, U, J and M. These are the widest reaches and the most common source of miskeys.

Pinky finger assignments

The left pinky operates Q, A, Z and left Shift; the right pinky operates P, semicolon, slash, Enter and right Shift. Both pinkies are the weakest and slowest fingers.

Opposite-hand shift rule

Use the Shift key on the hand opposite the letter being capitalized. This keeps one hand anchored on the home row and prevents the whole hand from drifting off position.

Inscript home row output

On the Inscript Devanagari layout the physical home row keys produce frequent matras and the halant rather than English letters, so finger positions stay identical while output characters change.

Remington versus Inscript

Remington Gail and Inscript are different Devanagari layouts with different matra and conjunct key positions. Candidates must confirm which layout the test centre provides before the examination.

Thumb spacebar rule

The spacebar is struck with a thumb, conventionally the right thumb, while all other fingers remain on the home row. Lifting the whole hand to press space breaks typing rhythm.

Word-by-word proofreading

Comparing the typed text with the source one word at a time rather than line by line, because the eye automatically fills omitted words when reading whole lines for meaning.

Common Hindi matra errors

Frequent Devanagari typing faults include omitted matras, confusion between short and long i, missing halant in conjuncts, and reph placed on the wrong syllable of a word.

Transposition error

A typing mistake in which two adjacent letters are swapped, such as teh for the. It is the most common English typing error and is invisible to spell-checkers when both forms are real words.

Homophone slip

Substituting a word that sounds identical but is spelled differently, such as their for there. Spell-checkers do not flag it, so only a meaning-aware proofreading pass catches it.

Anusvara versus chandrabindu

Two distinct Devanagari nasalization marks that are not interchangeable. Proofreaders must verify which mark appears in the source rather than choosing one by pronunciation alone.

Final-pass checklist

The last proofreading pass should target four categories most often missed: numbers, proper nouns, paired punctuation such as quotes and brackets, and sentence-initial capital letters.

Standard page margins

Official documents conventionally use A4 paper with margins of about one inch, or 2.54 centimetres, on all four sides, with body text at twelve point and headings at fourteen point.

Table tool rule

Tabular content must be built with the word processor's table feature, never with spaces or tabs, because space-built columns collapse whenever font size, margins or page width change.

UTF-8 Devanagari saving

Hindi Unicode text should be saved in UTF-8 encoding. Saving Devanagari as ANSI or in a legacy non-Unicode font causes matras and conjuncts to break when the file opens elsewhere.

Footer page numbering

Page numbers are placed in the footer, centered or right-aligned. A title page is normally excluded by enabling the different-first-page setting in the page setup dialog.

Print preview check

Reviewing the document in print preview before submission reveals overflow lines, headings stranded at page bottoms, and margin violations that are invisible in the normal editing view.

Typing tutor speed metrics

Typing tutor software reports gross speed, net speed and accuracy separately. Only net speed paired with its accuracy figure is comparable to the scoring used in official examinations.