Typing knowledge is the demand of the hour. Now in every field, there is a huge demand for a good typist. As technology is changing, the mode of entry of data is also changing. Now we have cloud servers and computers, big storage devices are in the demand. Creating entries on paper with a pen is almost obscure now. This is the age of computers and the internet. People must have to adopt change. Tying knowledge is the basic knowledge in this near. Everyone must learn typing because it the basic and most commonly demanded efficiency in any job or work.
There is a lot of ways by which a user can calculate his/her typing speed. one can use computer software to know his/her speed in typing. The best way to learn typing is on computers. The age of typewriters has gone. Now it is the age of computers, a candidate must learn typing on the computer to work efficiently in any government or private workplace. There is a lot of conventional and unconventional way by which a candidate can calculate and procure his typing speed. Let’s get to know these methods to calculate typing speed.
ACCURACY
Accuracy is essential in fast typing, if a candidate has obtained fast typing speed and his/her accuracy is really poor then there is no value in having speed. One must possess good accuracy with fast typing speed to be an efficient typist. Practice and technique are the keys to earn accuracy and speed in typing. Typing accuracy is a representation of analysis. It is calculated by asserting wrong entries typed by a candidate in overall typed entries. It is a basic methodology to check the presence of the mind of a typist.
TYPING SPEED (GROSS WPM)
There are a lot of ways by which a candidate can calculate his/her typing speed. The most convenient way of calculating typing speed is by applying the WPM formula. It is also called gross WPM. Gross WPM also referred to as Raw WPM in which candidates calculate their typing speed by dividing gross entries with total time taken.
Suppose a candidate types 400 characters in two minutes. Now 400 entries are in total, we need to first convert it into gross, so divide 400 by 5 (by 5 because it takes probably 30-35 characters to complete a line). After dividing 400 by 5, we will get 80. This is the average number of words typed in two minutes but we know that WPM is calculated per minute, so we must divide obtained answer 80 by the time taken. i.e., 2 minutes. At last, we will get 40 as our answer. This is the resultant typing speed of the candidate.
The Formula to calculate typing speed is basic, it is “GROSS WPM = All typed entries/5 and the overall obtained answer will be divided by the time taken to type all the entries”. By applying this formula anyone can easily calculate their typing speed without any inconvenience. GROSS WPM is a conventional way to find out typing speed. although it is not a hundred percent accurate way to calculate typing speed. The reason is, we find gross based on assume number of words in a line, a line can have more than five words, or sometimes it can have fewer words too. Suppose in a line there is a word “decentralization”, there is no doubt that the word “decentralization” will take more space than short words. Eventually, word counts can vary according to the character used in a word.
TYPING SPEED (NET WPM)
Net WPM is a widely used method to calculate typing speed. this method doesn’t have any flaws. This method primarily derives the accuracy in typing. It is more like a fact-checker. A lot of proof-readers and error correctors apply this method to find out content accuracy. It is just the opposite of gross WPM. In NET WPM, a candidate who types rally fast but makes a lot of errors will score low in the calculation. While another candidate who doesn’t type fast but makes a very little mistake in typing will score higher than that of the candidate who types fast. That’s why NET WPM is a tool to obtain accuracy in content, not the typing speed.
It can easily be calculated, suppose a candidate has GROSS WPM 40 (GROSS WPM can be calculated by using the above method), now we need to divide uncorrected errors and time taken in those errors. For example, a candidate made 10 errors in a two-minute typing test, so we need to divide 10 by 2 and we will get 5. This is the average error made by that candidate in two minutes.
So, “NET WPM = GROSS WPM – UNCORRECTED ERROR”, by applying this formula in the above example, we will get, 40-5= 35, and 35 is the NET WPM of that candidate. So, NET WPM is a method to calculate the typing speed of a candidate without any errors. It is the widely preferred method to calculate WPM because it gives a resultant typing speed with a hundred percent accuracy.
These two methods are the best way to calculate typing speed. although candidates can use different software and online typing tests to get an accurate result of their typing speed.
CONCLUSION
Typing is all about practice, the more a person practices it, the more he/she will get efficient in it. There is no magic to learn and become a speed typist in a day. There are no shortcuts, if you want to be a good typist with optimum accuracy you will have to invest your time in practice. Typing practice must be done every day. Many students practice typing and become proficient in speed typing but after a while they stop practicing, this results in the drain of proficiency in the typing speed. A candidate shouldn’t stop practicing typing because it is an art that shines more with more practice.