Typing test exam-day tips

Many well-prepared candidates lose their typing test to nerves, an unfamiliar keyboard or a single bad decision during the test. These tips come from the way typing tests are actually conducted.

The week before

• Practise only in your exam’s interface and duration – open your exam from the simulator list.
• Turn off live speed and word highlighting if your exam does not show them (SSC, RRB, courts).
• Read your admit card and notice again: language, Hindi layout, duration, backspace rules, permitted errors.
• Practise at the same time of day as your exam slot.

The day before

• One light practice session only – rest your hands.
• Keep your admit card, photo ID and required documents ready.
• Trim your nails. Sleep at least seven hours.

At the exam centre

• Arrive early. Check your seat: adjust the chair height and keyboard position before the test begins.
• Test the keyboard during the trial or instruction time: every letter, Shift, Backspace, space bar and, for Hindi, the layout.
• Report any faulty key, mouse or screen problem immediately.
• Warm up your fingers: open and close your hands, press each fingertip against the thumb.

During the test

• Start calm: the first 30 seconds set your rhythm. Begin at about 90% of your practice speed and settle in.
• Keep your eyes on the passage. Use your finger or the mouse pointer on the passage only if the rules allow it.
• Do not stop at mistakes. Fix a wrong letter in the current word; otherwise keep going.
• Never skip lines. Omitting a line costs one full mistake per word. If you lose your place, re-read the last few words you typed and find them in the passage.
• Type punctuation and capitals exactly – they are half mistakes each.
• Watch the clock once or twice only. Constant glances break your rhythm.
• If you finish early, read your typed text once from the start and fix obvious errors, unless your exam forbids editing.
• Do not press Enter at line ends unless the passage has a paragraph break – the text wraps automatically.

Extra tips for Hindi typing

• Confirm the layout (Inscript or Remington Gail) on the system before you start.
• Check the purna viram (।), nukta and conjunct keys during the trial time.
• If a conjunct does not form as expected, type it the long way with halant rather than stopping.

Printable checklist

1. ☐ Admit card, ID and documents
2. ☐ Know: language, layout, duration, speed, error limit
3. ☐ Chair and keyboard adjusted
4. ☐ Keyboard and layout tested in trial time
5. ☐ Faulty equipment reported (if any)
6. ☐ Calm start at 90% speed
7. ☐ Eyes on passage, no skipped lines
8. ☐ Capitals and punctuation exact

Print this checklist