Data Entry
What this domain tests
Speed plus accuracy in keying data from a source document, and the checking routines that stop errors reaching the client's system.
Core concepts
- Inputs: source document (paper or scanned image), on-screen form, or an OCR/ICR capture followed by manual correction.
- Speed is measured in words per minute (wpm) or keystrokes per hour (kph); accuracy is the percentage of characters keyed correctly.
- Touch typing: fingers rest on the home row (ASDF for the left hand, JKL; for the right), with F and J carrying raised bumps. The numeric keypad is keyed with the right hand, 4-5-6 as the home row, 5 marked.
- Verification techniques: double entry (key twice and compare), batch totals, field-level range checks, visual proofreading against the source.
- Common errors: transposition (54 for 45), omission, duplication, wrong field, misread characters (0/O, 1/l, 5/S).
Worked example
An operator keys 3,000 keystrokes in 10 minutes with 18 errors. Reasoning: speed = 3000 ÷ 10 = 300 keystrokes per minute. Accuracy = (3000 − 18) ÷ 3000 × 100 = 99.4%. Note the mark scheme wants the error count subtracted before dividing - using 18 ÷ 3000 as 'accuracy' would give an error rate, not accuracy.
Traps that cost marks
- Reporting error rate when the question asks for accuracy.
- Claiming higher speed without mentioning accuracy; quality and speed are scored together.
- Ignoring the instruction to preserve leading zeros, which turns a PIN 007 into 7.
- Not stating the source document as proof during verification.