Are you more pro than a program?

So you’ve got the chops for typing. Your friends compliment you a lot for how fast you type. When you have a laptop or desktop computer in hand, it’s basically your time to shine. Some compare you to Mozart when you type as your fingers dance over the keys.

But are you sure you’re that good?

Do you know how many words you can type per minute? How about your maintained speed in 50 minutes? How many fingers do you use to type? Do you know all the keys in the keyboard from memory?

The answer to all these questions can all be found in a typing program! Typing programs aren’t just for beginners or people learning a brand-new technique. They can be for anyone, even professionals like you think you are. Some programs are, indeed, meant for children, while others have packages for schools and universities. However, most of them can be used at home to practice your skills and test yourself to make sure you aren’t missing out ona an important element of excellent typing.

Typing programs can help you improve a few key elements of your practice, like those described below.

Speed

Speed, the number one thing that people who type well gloat about. Keyboarding speed is measured in words per minute, but professionals also measure how many words they can type in 50 minutes. The average typing speed is usually 40 wpm, but the Guinness Book of World Records recorded Barbara Blackburn as the fastest typist in the world with 212 wpm with maintained speed of 150 wpm in 50 minutes. You may be able to beat that record if you use typing programs that test you constantly, and push you to beat your own records. Someone needs to win back that World Record title!

Accuracy

Speed may be impressive, but anyone can type gibberish quickly. Professionally, words containing errors aren’t counted towards your score. Thus, it is important to type fast and be accurate at the same time. Blackburn and her competitor Wrona scored more than 200 correct words each. Websites online are creative in identifying errors in typing. Some usually coat it with red. Others won’t register it unless it’s the correct letter. Some won’t register the word at all once an error has been committed.

There are many free typing websites, but, if you really want to be the best in your field, you can buy the packages installed in certain websites. Some websites are purely for free use, like SpeedTypingOnline and Ratatype, but they only provide one test or limited number of courses. What most websites do is make their tests and courses free, but reserve some features for sale only. These features are usually the most effective way to learn as they offer difficult courses or additional, more entertaining features like games. They also provide instructional videos or audio guides to help you learn keyboarding.

Now, it’s time to put your skills to the test, so that the next time your friends compliment your skill, it won’t be a bunch of gibberish.