How fast do you type?

[Najdorf]

(woops, it's type :P)

Just did a test, 33 words per minute :-(

[blobbo]

Around 90-100 WPM. Depends what I'm typing. Anyone type using Dvorak layout?

[Cochrane]

I can do 110 words per minute. I took a course once and even have a certificate. No idea why I would need it, but it doesn't hurt.

[funkboy]

Another resolution: I resolve to finally learn the DVORAK keyboard layout and increase my typing speed by at least 50%. I currently type around 100WPM using QWERTY.

I did that last summer. I was a 100WPM typer with QWERTY, and I just did a typing test (on my laptop keyboard, however) and clocked in at 89WPM with Dvorak. I've been using it for six months.

I changed to Dvorak to stop the wrist pain I was experiencing. The main things that helped my wrist pain were:

* slowing down. Typing over 100 WPM is, in my mind, fairly unnecessary. You can get all your thoughts onto the computer at that speed (at least, I certainly can), so going faster is not a priority. In fact, doing the typing test just now made my wrists tense up a little and actually feel a little tight. BE CAREFUL with your wrists - they are your gold mine, don't screw them up!
* using the computer less, or typing less. I would often type out a URL just because it seemed faster to type it out than use autocomplete - but no, no, don't do that. Use the mouse and click around.
* slowing down. I cannot stress it enough, because it's not something that makes sense. But forcing myself to learn Dvorak *made* me slow down. Before learning Dvorak (and even since, sometimes) many people would make the comment, "wow, you ... um... sure do type fast." It would be a comment of oddity, being almost weirded out by my typing speed.

Okay, I'm way off topic again... but do learn Dvorak, I think it helped save my wrists.


(from the new year's thread)

[kodex]

100-120WPM but its been a very long time since ive been tested, that sounds right though.

EDIT: Anyone have a link for a test so I can measure myself?

[OneSadCookie]

I used to do 90, but I don't think I go anywhere near that fast any more. I'm still a lot faster than any of my coworkers, though... I think I'm the only one of them that can touch-type, which makes a massive difference.

[PowerMacX]

About 50 wpm :D
When programming, I'd go as far as copy-paste 5 letters long variable/function names :)

I don't like to type, in fact at work we use XP (the methodology, not the OS), specifically pair programming. I'm not the one doing the typing 80% of the time. I'm good at dictation though... ;)

[Skorche]

Anyone type using Dvorak layout?

Yes, but I find it didn't really seem to improve my typing speed. It's far more comfortable to type with though. Enough so that it haven't switched back to qwerty due to annoyances like game controls or command keys.

I typed at 50-60wpm back in middle school, but that was almost 10 years ago. Can't say I've ever clocked myself since then. I tend to make a lot of mistakes so I would be surprised if I've improved any since then.

[Nick]

I was doing about 70 wpm about 3 years ago. I still type rather fast (in fact, people hear the clicking of my laptop keyboard and often compliment me on my speed :)). I rarely go that fast while coding unless it's simple struct writing (when writing up a set of structures for my game, a lot of them I had to override the operators resulting in a lot of similar code. This let me fly right through it without copy/past).

[kodex]

Found this online:

http://www.careerstep.com/typetest1.html

little slower then i remember, I do about 90-100 depending on errors

[akb825]

I'm a lot faster than I thought I would be. I got about 80 WPM on that online test. The only mistake was a word that I didn't finish.

[OneSadCookie]

I got 83 on that test... guess I haven't fallen back as far as I thought I had.

[BeyondCloister]

I guess it depends on the actual test you do.

Years ago I was tested by an agency. I was told not to worry about correcting minor mistakes as they get picked up and highlighted by the word processor later on.
In their test I got a much higher score than the expected for a professional typist. The woman was stunned at this from someone who had no training.

The keyboard also plays a factor. I got a a higher score using my IMB keyboard which has slightly textured keys than I did on my iMac keyboard with its smooth keys.

[Fenris]

80-ish.
[Expand my trés cool, minimalist message to 10 chars]

[Corun]

About 80.

But, it really depends what I'm typing. I mean I can type

for(int i = 0; i < Keith; i++)

A hell of a lot faster than I can type:
Keith is made of small balls of dough

Because I type the former a hell of a lot more often.

[BeyondCloister]

When typing my own stuff, such as coding or writing, I type much quicker than I do if I'm copying something else.

[blobbo]

Years ago I was tested by an agency. I was told not to worry about correcting minor mistakes as they get picked up and highlighted by the word processor later on. In their test I got a much higher score than the expected for a professional typist. The woman was stunned at this from someone who had no training.

I got that last summer when applying for a bank job (that I ended up taking and working at for the summer). They tested my numerical pad typing as well and I placed into their highest category for numerical typing. The recruiter told me that I could get a higher-tier job with that kind of speed...

[funkboy]

I got that last summer when applying for a bank job (that I ended up taking and working at for the summer). They tested my numerical pad typing as well and I placed into their highest category for numerical typing. The recruiter told me that I could get a higher-tier job with that kind of speed...

That's very interesting - I wonder what higher-tier job means? And what it would pay? I bet a lot of us fast typers could get there somehow, if the whole games/college degree/entrepreneurship thing doesn't work out...

[Leisure Suit Lurie]

No idea. I code very slowly. A lot of staring at the blinking cursor.

Last time I tried, I think I was about 35 or so. Considering I type like I only have 3 fingers on each hand, its okay. ;)

[ferum]

I average about 20 WPM, which is pretty good, considering I just gave upsearch and peck this last fall.

[blobbo]

I wonder what higher-tier job means? And what it would pay?

Basically a professional data entry job. It wouldn't pay well at all as there's really virtually no skill set. Most people can learn to type that fast.

I attribute some of my tactile speed to my violin work. I notice that my left hand is far more relaxed and lucid while typing, not only that but the taps are more precise and measured.

[Dan Potter]

Interesting, blobbo. I used to play violin in school and I was clocking around 100-120 around that time. It was actually kind of amusing because I was going from a middle school to a magnet high school (a sort of specialized high school, this one focused around sci/tech) and onto their computer programming competition team. One of the things we'd do is half hour stints of a typing tutor. I was quite a bit faster on the first day than most of the seniors there.

I've realized these days that fast typing is just bad for you. Sure it can be fun and if you are really in a hurry it can be useful, but it tears my fingers up. I purposefully slow down most of the time now, probably closer to 70-80. (I'm too lazy to do the test to check :D) This goal is helped quite a bit by the fact that my buggy MS Pro keyboard inserts tabs after a word ending in 'e' if you type a space after it too fast. :D Also it adds '!' after anything ending in 'i', but that's not so bad because it doesn't result in accidental forum posts... ('e<tab><space'... DOH!)

[funkboy]

I used to play violin in school and I was clocking around 100-120 around that time.
I've played piano since I was five years old, and that has undoubtedly helped my typing skills. I think my hands have also aged a little faster than some, too - at least, they look a little "older" and seem to have more lines on them than some of my peers.

I've realized these days that fast typing is just bad for you. Sure it can be fun and if you are really in a hurry it can be useful, but it tears my fingers up. I purposefully slow down most of the time now, probably closer to 70-80.
Good job Dan. I think a lot of computer people should learn to slow down in order to keep their health - my generation (early 20-somethings and late teenagers) is the first to have grown up with computers since little on. I wonder what the RSI rate for us will be...

[ferum]

computer programming competition team.
:shock: that sounds like fun, what do you do?

sorry, very off topic

[Chris Burkhardt]

Without too many numbers or symbols, for a short period of time, if I concentrate, I can type ~100 WPM on a QWERTY keyboard. Probably about ~80 on Dvorak (which I've been using for a few months).

In June, the same month I switched to Dvorak, I enrolled in a court reporting school where I am being trained to use a stenotype keyboard. So for a while my typing on every layout was pretty messed up. I'm finally comfortabld on a Dvorak, and got the speed back on QWERTY, but my error rate is higher than ever. Especially when switching back and forth (I use QWERTY at school and Dvorak at homd :-S ). I am at about 100 with a stenotype machine (and need to get to 225 to graduate).

Unfortunately, regardless of keyboard layout, I'm pretty sure I only think at about 40 words per minute, so I hardly ever type as fast as I could. But at least I could, if it came to it ;)

[funkboy]

In June, the same month I switched to Dvorak, I enrolled in a court reporting school where I am being trained to use a stenotype keyboard. So for a while my typing on every layout was pretty messed up.
I had the same thing, and switched in June. Are a lot of people, especially coder and heavy computer users, finally giving Dvorak a real chance?

I'm finally comfortabld on a Dvorak, and got the speed back on QWERTY, but my error rate is higher than ever. Especially when switching back and forth (I use QWERTY at school and Dvorak at homd :-S ).
Too bad it's not easier to use Dvorak in the real world... we should organize a posse and make most public computers (including at schools) be switchable.

I am at about 100 with a stenotype machine (and need to get to 225 to graduate).

How is it different? Any links?
I imagine we could not use that to code... but what about a special coding stenographer machine?

[Danlab]

im typing really fast, but also really wrong :-)

[Chris Burkhardt]

Too bad it's not easier to use Dvorak in the real world... we should organize a posse and make most public computers (including at schools) be switchable.Yes. Well maybe they already are, I just don't know how to do it in Windows 98. Should figure that out.

How is it different? Any links?
I imagine we could not use that to code... but what about a special coding stenographer machine?
Wikipedia has a good article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenotype

The idea is to spell things phonetically a syllable at a time (in one stroke you hit multiple keys representing an initial consonant sound, a vowel sound, and a final consonant sound). It is very weak at numbers, symbols, letters, and even non-standard words, so using one for coding doesn't seem practical. Besides, in programming I find my mind is the limiting factor as far as speed goes, not my fingers.

[akb825]

:shock: that sounds like fun, what do you do?

sorry, very off topic
I'm not sure about high school, but in college we have a programming competition. We have a set of problems that we need to code, generally taking some input, processing it, and outputting the results. If we place high enough in the school-wide competition (individual), we get to go to the regional competition (teems). If we place high enough in that we get to go to the world finals. This year, my roommate and I went to the regional competition (we were the only 2nd years for our school there), and we had quite a bit of fun. You can see the problem set we had here (http://www.socalcontest.org/prev_probs/2005/index.html), and you can see more sample problems here (http://www.socalcontest.org/sample.html).

[Marjock]

One of my brother's friends got into the world finals in praque, a few years back :)

WPM: 83

-Mark

[kelvin]

Laid back kelvin: 45WPM @ 99%
Angry kelvin: 80WPM @ 95%
Term paper kelvin: 60WPM @ 100%
MUD kelvin: 90WPM @ 90%
Typing test kelvin: 135WPM @ 91%
IM kelvin: 100WPM @ 85%

[LongJumper]

I got 110 on that test.

I don't put much into those tests though, reading the text messes with my typing. If someone is saying something out loud, or I'm programming or when I MUD or when I'm talking on AIM, I type much faster.

It helps that I learned to type from MUDding when I was 13 :)

[Dan Potter]

You can see the problem set we had here (http://www.socalcontest.org/prev_probs/2005/index.html), and you can see more sample problems here (http://www.socalcontest.org/sample.html).

That's very much like what we used to do. It was a Texas thing, I think. There was an actual sort of league of high schools with standardized rules, regular competitions, etc. The problem set was broken up into (IIRC) 5 2-point problems, 5 5-point problems, and 4 9-point problems, or something like that. The 2's were silly things like "detect palindromes in input strings". The 5-point problems were things like "sort the input". 9 pointers were considerably harder than both of those. We had a coach and regular practices at his house and all that.

This topic is actually relevant to the thread, believe it or not. :) Because of my typing speed we developed a new strategy for our team. They'd hand me all the 2 point problems and put me on the computer first (it was three people to a team, one computer, one printer for solutions to send in). I could type them up as fast as I came up with the solutions, so we'd bang out all the 2-pointers and get an instant 10 points or so up on our competition, who were all busy trying to solve the 5's and 9's first. The other two people would take the 5's and start writing out solutions in shorthand on paper, which I would then type up. That strategy made us one of the most feared and hated teams in the state :lol: <- insert evil manical laughter

I tried Dvorak for a while and thought it was kinda cool, but not super useful for coding, which is most of what I do. *shrug* It seemed focused a lot more on writing English than all the symbols and such.

[Sensiblu]

well if you're all soo good I would like to see you typing here
http://urikor.net/cup/EN/
it's an on-line typing championship.. this would clarify who types 80-100 wpms ..
I don't believe it until I see :) I don't type that fast.. 75-80 wpm on average 110 wpm is my best
I would like to see you typing on the championship if you're sooooo good :) It's hard for me to believe because I don't know many people typing that fast and I know how hard it is to type that fast. So go ahead :) Surprise me :P