Taking Your First Typing Test

Taking a typing test on TODAY Type helps establish your baseline speed and accuracy. Here's everything you need to know to get started.

Before You Begin

For the most accurate results, make sure you:

• Are using a physical keyboard (not a touchscreen)
• Have your fingers positioned on the home row (A-S-D-F for left hand, J-K-L-; for right hand)
• Are in a comfortable, distraction-free environment
• Have your wrists straight and relaxed

Starting a Typing Test

1. Navigate to the typing test
   From the main dashboard, click "Take Test" or go to the typing test page. You can also access it from the navigation menu.
2. Choose your test mode
   Select "Test" mode for an official timed assessment, or "Practice" mode for casual training without recording to your stats.
3. Select difficulty (optional)
   Tests default to "Medium" difficulty. You can choose "Hard" if you want a greater challenge with more complex text.
4. Click to begin
   Click anywhere in the test area or press any key to begin. The timer starts as soon as you type your first character.
5. Type the displayed text
   Type the text shown on screen as quickly and accurately as possible. Correct characters turn green, mistakes turn red.

During the Test

What You'll See

• Text display - The text you need to type, with a cursor showing your current position
• Progress bar - Shows how far through the test you are
• Live WPM - Your current words-per-minute speed (updates in real-time)
• Accuracy indicator - Shows your current accuracy percentage

Handling Mistakes

If you make a mistake:

• The incorrect character will be highlighted in red
• Press Backspace to delete and retype the character
• Continue typing - don't panic! A few errors are normal

After the Test

When you complete the test, you'll see your results:

• Words Per Minute (WPM) - Your typing speed
• Accuracy - Percentage of characters typed correctly
• Characters typed - Total characters including spaces
• Errors - Number of mistakes made
• Time taken - How long the test lasted

Your results are automatically saved to your profile (in Test mode), and you can track your progress over time in the Statistics section.

Tips for Better Results

1. Focus on accuracy first - Speed naturally improves as you make fewer mistakes
2. Don't look at the keyboard - Train yourself to touch type by keeping eyes on the screen
3. Maintain steady rhythm - Consistent typing is faster than bursts of speed followed by pauses
4. Practice regularly - Short daily sessions (15-20 minutes) are more effective than occasional long sessions