Improving my typing speed

I have just finished University and have decided to take a year out before my LPC (Sept 2008) I'm currently at a temping agency, but the offers are hardly flooding in.

I think it would help if I were able to improve my typing speed. A little online test I just did said I was 35wpm with 2 mistakes. Problem is, I still pretty much type with 2 fingers :redface:

and think I'd be faster if I could type, you know, properly.

So basically, can anyone recommend a good program (with UK keyboard layout), and what speed should I be aiming for ideally?

Reply 1

generalebriety

16

Mavis Beacon is meant to be quite good. But really there's no substitute for just keeping your wrists in the same place and letting the rest of your fingers do the work and progressing naturally a little bit first.

Reply 2

sequence123

10

Don't bother with temping agencies, go out and find a job yourself.

Reply 3

mountainmetman

14

I've heard that there are quite a few people using old style RPG games - the sort where you type commands like "pick up the lantern" to get people used to typing. And this is older people (above the age of 16 :smile:

) as well.
Personally I just spent alot of time in the first couple of years of uni sla66ing off Americans on various chat rooms. The ability to type three sarcastic replies with decent grammer and usually acceptable spelling before they can type one txt speak insult is a wonderful incentive.
Basically force yourself to leave your thumbs over the space bar and use as many of your fingers as you can and it'll come with practice. Lots of practice.

Reply 4

carltona

4

Im on a 100 WPM,

but thats cause im a geek, just go on a computer for several hours a day, and it will happen

Reply 5

Vohamanah

OP

16

Heh heh I've been frequenting internet chat rooms and message boards like this for years and I'm still using about 3 fingers :s-smilie:

I still type badly, no matter how long I spend handing out random insults.

I though that Mavis Beacon was American? I don't want one teaching me a different keyboard layout you see.

Reply 6

carltona

4

I can't remember what software I used, but i didn't really use it to learn touch typing- I just developed it naturally through hours spent typing rubbish on the comp.

Also get typing of the dead, its like house of the dead, but you kill zombies by typing heh

Reply 7

Prince Rhyus

15

A temping job doing data input does wonders.

I did this during my year out and am around 60wpm.

Reply 8

carltona

4

I just downloaded "Typing of the Dead", which is house of the dead, but shooting monsters by typing words that come up... I dominated it

Reply 9

mark1234567890

5

just downloaded "Typing of the Dead"

There is also a spongebob sqaurepants typing game which is absolutly excellant. Good graphics and gameplay with the typical spongebob humour.

I took nightclases whilst I was at college and obtained word and text processing levels 1 and 2 to learn to type. However I am still averaging only 30WPM :s-smilie:

Reply 10

bep

What sort of jobs can you get with good typing skills? Interested to know....

Reply 11

campbell87

8

Open up microsoft word or notepad or any program you have and type

'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog'

type it a zillion times a day until you get it picture perfect without looking at the keyboard. According to my mum its how they use to learn to touch type on ye old typewriters back in the day.
Try getting yourself use to the ASDF - JKL; i.e put your fingers on them and your thumbs on the space bar then type.

Reply 12

Prince Rhyus

15

bep

What sort of jobs can you get with good typing skills? Interested to know....

It's not so much typing skills alone. However they are a sign of competency with a computer. This is especially the case for any of you who find yourselves at assessment centres.

You will find yourself against the clock in terms of writing a report or a recommendation based on the information in front of you - which might be on a computer screen or which might be in a paper file. Can you extract the information, plan, type and print out everything in...ooh 45 minutes?

If you're a slow typist then the extra time spent typing is time not spent assessing, processing and planning.

Reply 13

Mathemagician. Funny?

Use MSN messenger or I should say Windows Live Messenger where you talk to all your friends. After a while you become aware of where all the keys are and so you no longer have to look at the keyboard and you just type naturally.

Reply 14

sequence123

10

campbell87

Open up microsoft word or notepad or any program you have and type

'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog'

type it a zillion times a day until you get it picture perfect without looking at the keyboard.

You'll get very fast at typing that particular sentence, but your overall typing speed won't really improve much.

You need to type out something that uses all of the commonly used keys on the keyboard.

Reply 15

Vohamanah

OP

16

Meh its not really that I type slowly, its that my fingers aren't in the correct positions. I type relatively quickly for someone who doesn't type 'properly', but I'm not going to get much faster unless I learn where to put my fingers to be as efficient as possible. Of course I know where all the keys are. :s-smilie:

Reply 16

StarMeKitten

sequence123

You'll get very fast at typing that particular sentence, but your overall typing speed won't really improve much.

You need to type out something that uses all of the commonly used keys on the keyboard.

That sentence does use all the letters of the alphabet.

But other sentences would be good too.

Reply 17

Toucan22

5

Hey, thought i'd jump on the bandwagon!

Google "Typefaster", it's a free typing tutor that gets you to use the home keys (ASDF JKL) and there's lessons increasing in difficulty and you can add your own lessons too, so you can get used to typing anything you fancy. I thought it was pretty good, but any experience is bound to improve your skills.

Good luck with the job hunting!

Reply 18

Multiplexed

18

I dont believe typing speed will help you majorly in getting a job. My typing speed averages between 70-80wpm and i've applied for Data Input jobs but no replies.

Just tried this:

http://www.typeonline.co.uk/typingspeed.php

The results were:

Your speed was: 99wpm.

You made 5 mistakes, your mistakes are shown in bold text:

Reply 19

ThePants999

14

Hmm, 87 w/ 1 mistake. "Precipitous" killed me, took me ages :biggrin:

Improving my typing speed

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