Keyboard Fundamentals
Familiarize yourself with the keyboard. While most keyboards have a fairly standard set-up, some may have different features, layouts, and shortcuts. Once you understand what all of the keys do, try to create a visual layout of the keyboard in your mind that you can call upon when you’re typing.
Many keyboards are equipped with time-saving keys that provide shortcuts for common commands or keystrokes. Be sure to read up on your keyboard’s shortcuts to help increase your speed.
Typing Basics
- Arrange your fingers properly.
The most important step to improving your typing speed is ensuring that you place your fingers correctly on the keyboard. Rest the index finger of your left hand on the “F” key and the index finger of your right hand on the “J” key. These two keys usually have slight bumps on their surface, so you can feel for them without actually looking at the keyboard. The other three fingers on your left hand should rest on the “A,” “S,” and “D” keys, while the other three fingers on your right hand should rest on the “K,” “L,” and “;” keys. Place your thumbs on the space bar.
The row with the “A,” “S,” “D,” “F,” “J,” “K,” “L,” and “;” keys is known as the home run because it’s the row that your fingers always start at and return to while you’re typing.
When you arrange your fingers on the keyboard, curve them slightly, but keep your hands relaxed.
Make sure that your keyboard is centered directly in front of your body.
- Use the proper fingers to strike the other keys.
When you’re typing, you will hit all of the keys on your keyboard from the home position. That means certain fingers are designated to strike certain keys for the most efficient typing. In most cases, you’ll use the same fingers from the home row to hit the keys that line up in the rows above and below.
Strike the “1,” “2,” “Q,” and “Z” keys, in addition to the “A” key, with your left pinky.
Strike the “3,” “W”, and “X” keys, in addition to the “S” key, with your left ring finger.
Strike the “4,” “E”, and “C” keys, in addition to the “D” key, with your left middle finger.
Strike the “5,” “6,” “R,” “T,” “G,” “V,” and “B” keys, in addition to the “F” key, with your left index finger.
Strike the “7,” “Y,” “U,” “H,” “N,” and “M” keys, in addition to the “J” key, with your right index finger.
Strike the “8,” “I,” and “,” keys, in addition to the “K” with your right middle finger.
Strike the “9,” “O,” and “.” keys, in addition to the “L” key, with your right ring finger.
Strike the “0,” “-,” “=,” “P,” “[,” “],” “‘,” and “/” keys, in addition to the “;” key, with your right pinky.
Hit the “Shift” key with the pinky on the opposite hand from the finger that you’re using to strike the other key.
Hit the spacebar with whichever thumb feels most comfortable to you.
4. Touch Typing
Keep your eyes on the screen. Your natural instinct may be to look down at the keyboard as you’re typing. However, looking at the keys actually slows down your typing and increases the chance of errors. As you type, keep your eyes on the screen instead to use the technique known as touch typing. You may see a slight increase in errors when your first start using this method, but you’ll quickly learn the layout of the keyboard and the position of the keys, which will improve your typing speed.
When learning how to type without looking at the keyboard, consider covering your hands with a cloth, piece of paper, or cardboard, so you’re unable to see the keys even if you peek.
While you should try to keep your gaze on the computer screen as much as possible, it’s okay to cheat occasionally and glance down at the keyboard to ensure that you know where the keys are.
Read our article on learning to type extremely fast for additional tips on increasing speed.
5. Practice Typing
Practice regularly. As with most skills, the only way to truly improve your typing speed is to practice on a regular basis. The more that you type, the more comfortable you’ll become with the layout of the keyboard and the proper positioning of your fingers. You’ll also develop muscle memory when you’re typing common letter combinations, so your typing will become faster and more accurate.
One of the best ways to practice is to repeatedly type sample passages over and over again. You can find plenty of passages online that are geared toward improving your typing accuracy and speed.
When you’re practicing, focus on accuracy first. Make sure that you’re typing each word correctly and achieving proper spacing and punctuation. Once you feel like your typing has become accurate, you can work on improving your speed.
Practice doesn’t just mean taking online typing tests. Writing emails to friends and family and posting on online forums can help sharpen your typing skills and increase your speed.
6. Typing Tests
Take online typing tests. If you want to see how efficient your typing is, you can use a variety of online typing tests to see how you rate. In most cases, you’ll be asked to type a certain passage of text, and the website will time you to determine how many words per minute (wpm) you type and how accurate your typing is. These programs are an effective way to track your progress as you work to improve your typing speed. Within Jobin & Jismi we recommend you use https://www.typingtest.com/ and update your typing test result to your TL/Reporting Manager once a week (perferably by Friday).