Typing speed is a mandatory requirement for dozens of government jobs in India — SSC, Railway, IBPS, state PSC exams, and more. Lakhs of candidates appear for these typing tests every year, and many fail not because they are slow, but because they never practiced the right way. This guide covers everything you need to know to clear the typing test in your government exam.
TypingBIRDS gives you a free WPM test with live accuracy tracking — exactly like the format used in SSC, Railway, and other government exams. Practice daily, track your improvement.
▶ START PRACTICE TEST FREEWHICH GOVERNMENT EXAMS REQUIRE A TYPING TEST?
The following major government recruitment exams include a mandatory typing test as part of the selection process:
SSC (Staff Selection Commission)
- SSC CHSL (10+2): Lower Division Clerk (LDC) — 35 WPM in English or 30 WPM in Hindi
- SSC CGL: Tax Assistant, Court Clerk — 35 WPM in English or 30 WPM in Hindi
- SSC Stenographer: Grade C — 100 WPM shorthand + transcription; Grade D — 80 WPM
- SSC MTS (Skill Test): Data Entry Operator — 8,000 key depressions per hour
Railway Recruitment Board (RRB)
- RRB NTPC: Junior Clerk cum Typist, Account Clerk — 30 WPM in English or 25 WPM in Hindi
- RRB Junior Stenographer: 80 WPM shorthand, transcription on computer
Banking (IBPS / SBI)
- IBPS Clerk: No separate typing test — but fast typing is critical for the computer-based exam
- SBI Clerk / PO: Typing speed assessed indirectly through computer aptitude test
State Government Exams
- Most state PSC LDC / DEO posts require 30–40 WPM in English or regional language
- UP, MP, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana — all have annual typing test recruitment drives
💡 Key point: Government typing tests measure net speed — errors are penalized. A candidate typing 40 WPM with 5 errors per minute scores lower than one typing 35 WPM with zero errors. Accuracy is as important as speed.
HOW GOVERNMENT TYPING TESTS WORK
Most government typing tests follow this format:
- Duration: 10–15 minutes (SSC CHSL is 15 minutes)
- Format: A passage is displayed on screen — you type it as accurately and quickly as possible
- Scoring: Net WPM = Gross WPM minus error penalty
- Platform: Computer-based, usually using government-specified software (like SSC's own typing software)
- Languages: English or Hindi (your choice in most exams — choose whichever you are faster in)
SSC CHSL TYPING TEST — SPECIFIC RULES
- Duration: 15 minutes
- Required speed: 35 WPM in English (2025 words in 15 minutes) or 30 WPM in Hindi
- It is a qualifying test — you pass or fail, it does not affect your merit score
- Backspace is allowed but costs you time
- The passage is visible on screen — you do not need to memorise it
HOW TO CALCULATE IF YOU WILL PASS
For SSC CHSL English typing:
- Required: 35 WPM × 15 minutes = 525 words in 15 minutes
- One word = 5 characters, so you need to type 2,625 characters net in 15 minutes
- That is 175 characters per minute net of errors
If you are currently at 30 WPM, you are short by 5 WPM — about 75 characters per minute gap. That is very achievable with 3–4 weeks of daily practice.
Use Timed 60s mode to simulate exam conditions. Ghost Racing shows your personal best — beat it every session until you consistently clear your target.
▶ PRACTICE FOR YOUR EXAM FREEHOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO REACH 35 WPM?
If you practice 15–20 minutes every day:
- Starting from 20 WPM: 4–6 weeks to reach 35 WPM
- Starting from 25 WPM: 2–3 weeks to reach 35 WPM
- Starting from 30 WPM: 1–2 weeks to reach 35 WPM consistently
- Already at 35 WPM: Focus on accuracy — practice until you hit 35 WPM with 95%+ accuracy
💡 Do not just practice until you reach the target — practice until you can consistently exceed it by 5 WPM. Exam nerves typically drop your speed by 3–5 WPM on the day.
COMMON MISTAKES CANDIDATES MAKE
- Practicing at full speed from day one — builds inaccurate muscle memory that is hard to fix later
- Only practicing in the last week — typing speed needs consistent daily repetition over weeks, not cramming
- Ignoring accuracy — many candidates practice speed but fail the exam because their net WPM after error penalties falls below the threshold
- Using a different keyboard layout than the exam — if the exam uses a specific font or layout (like Krutidev for Hindi), practice on that specifically
- Not timing yourself — always practice with a timer to simulate exam pressure
THE BEST DAILY PRACTICE ROUTINE
15–20 minutes per day, structured like this:
- 5 minutes: Warm up — type common English words at comfortable speed
- 10 minutes: Timed test at exam speed — target your required WPM
- 5 minutes: Review errors — identify which keys or words slowed you down
Do this every day for 4 weeks before your exam. Track your WPM daily — seeing steady improvement is highly motivating and will keep you consistent.
ENGLISH VS HINDI — WHICH TO CHOOSE?
Most exams give you the choice. Choose based on which language you can type faster in right now, not which you are more comfortable reading. If you have never typed Hindi on a computer, the learning curve for the keyboard layout adds significant time. Stick with English unless you already type Hindi regularly.