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How to break through a plateau in your typing speed

Last updated on August 29th, 2022 typingcom

Why Does Typing Speed Matter?

Let’s face it – we live in a world that highly values efficiency.

We are constantly on the hunt for everything from the fastest line at the grocery store to the fastest internet provider.

We’re willing to pay extra for two-day shipping or the option to skip the line when boarding a plane.

There is perhaps nowhere that efficiency matters more than in the workplace.

Employers want workers who can produce high-quality work and do it quickly.

So, when we think about how we are preparing today’s students to be successful in college and beyond, speed matters.

And typing is no exception to this rule!

When it comes to typing, most professions seek employees who can type at least 45 words per minute.

Regardless of what profession you choose, mastering touch typing, and increasing your WPM will make you a more desirable candidate for a job, and will help you increase your efficiency in the workplace.

How to break through a plateau in your typing speed

While brand new typists are likely to make quick strides in their typing speed, eventually, they are bound to hit the dreaded plateau.

When this happens, students get stuck at a given WPM rate, regardless of how much they keep practicing.

Students who hit a plateau in their typing speed are more likely to become frustrated or lose interest in the skill altogether.

In order to avoid this scenario, it’s important to help students identify what is preventing them from increasing their speed and make sure they are practicing in a way to combat these barriers.

By practicing smarter, students will soon close the skill gaps that are preventing them from increasing their words per minute and be back on track to becoming master typists!

Typing.com has an array of research-based tools to help students become faster typists while maintaining accuracy.

The following are three free typing.com activities that will help students break through their typing speed plateau.

Custom Practice Lessons

Even though we measure typing speed in words per minute, there are some words that take an individual longer to type than others depending on the letter sequence. Every learner has a different combination of problem keys that will slow him or her down every time.

Students can do a custom practice lesson that focuses on his or her problem keys. Doing this on a weekly basis will help reinforce the muscle memory that students need to master even the peskiest of problem keys so they can pick up the pace without sacrificing accuracy.

You’ll find custom practice lessons at the top of your lessons page, just click “Practice” below your Problem Keys:

Practice Keyboard Quadrants

While you don’t tend to notice it in the moment, most people are usually faster typing with their dominant hand. This means that one of your two hands might be slowing you down at the keyboard. To combat this issue, have students spend some time practicing a keyboard quadrant lesson on their weaker hand. Eventually, the less dominant hand will catch up and they’ll be on their way to a faster typing speed.

Nitro Type

Sometimes what students most need to push their practice to the next level is a little bit of friendly competition. With Nitro Type, students compete against their peers in real time for speed and accuracy. The incentive of seeing their name on the class leaderboard will inspire students to focus on maintaining speed under pressure.

Encourage students to be thoughtful about how they are spending their practice time so that they’re getting the most out of every minute.

With the help of these activities, students will break through their typing speed plateau and continue to see their WPM rate soar!

11 Tips to Keep Your Classroom Concentrated at their Computers [UPDATED]

Last updated on August 29th, 2022 typingcom

Teachers

When a classroom full of students gets their hands on tech, whether it’s laptops or tablet computers, this can either creative productive harmony or chaos. It all depends on how you manage it.

So, how do you keep kids who have the Internet at their fingertips on task? How can you ensure they use the tech appropriately and take proper care of it as they’re learning computer skills?

With a lot of personal experience and some great feedback from our followers, we came up with this concise checklist to help you maintain order and focus in your classroom during computer activities.

Set computer rules together

Before breaking out any new technology, have a class discussion about rules and best practices to follow. Reinforce that the computers are there to reinforce learning, not distract from it. Then, create a poster with the rules and display it prominently. Click here for 10 classroom rules for using computers that we recommend in any classroom.

Set up classroom seating for a better view

Consider arranging seating in a circle with the kids facing outward. This way you can stand in the middle and see every student’s screen. If that’s not practical, be sure to regularly circle the room so you can keep an eye on each student’s screens.

For those using our Typing.com platform, we make this even easier for you with a realtime student monitor enabling you to keep tabs on student activity right from your own desk.

Eliminate distractions

From my own experience, one of the most distracting things was a student clicking their mouse when I was trying to give instructions. Distracting for them and for me. So, to stop them from playing around while I spoke, I would say “mice up!” and all the students had to turn their computer mice over. I would have them turn their monitors off as well to help eliminate the visual distractions.

Use triggers to help them listen to instructions

One teacher I know had a tactic using red cups. Each student had a red cup, and when she was giving instructions they were to put their cup behind them. Then, when it was time for them to work on their computers they would put the cup in front of them. This simple trigger did wonders for keeping students focused on the task at hand.

Consider allowing concentration music

Concentration music is a fantastic way to help students focus on their computer tasks, and it also helps to reduce talking and other noise as the students work.

Mrs. Matheny from Alma Intermediate school reports:

We like to listen to concentration music from youtube and we use a 15 minute timer. I also use Symbaloo to embed the music from youtube so students do not just have “access” to any song and do not have ads.

Mrs. Wood, of Trending Tech in TN shares:

I play instrumental jazz via class speakers for [students] w/o earbuds & for [students] that parents didn’t give consent.

Teach kids to troubleshoot

Explain what to do if they encounter certain problems, such as their device running out of battery power or headphones not working. Post a “troubleshooting tips” chart within easy view. For younger kids, work through the solution with them. For older students, implement the “ask 3 before me” procedure, encouraging them to independently find their own solutions.

Set daily goals

Simply telling students “go work on this” isn’t sufficient. Students should have specific goals to accomplish. Have students write them down at the beginning of class. At the end of class, they can check off what they actually completed and turn the form into you.

Have a procedure for when they’re done with an assignment

When they’re finished with an assignment, have the students close the laptop lid or turn the tablet face down. This not only helps you to quickly assess how many of the students are finished, it also keeps students from wandering around on the Internet. As students may work at very different paces, we recommend that you always have something for students to do when they finish early.

One great way to reward early finishers is to allow them to play one of our typing games. This enables them to have fun and be productive at the same time. Check out our teachers’ guide to typing games to help you choose the right game for your class.

Reward achievements

Post a wall chart or keep a logbook where students can indicate when they’ve reached a goal or mastered specific computer skills. Utilize reward programs you have in place for other activities for computer work too. This will give students something to work toward, and thus keep them more focused during the activities.

Teach respect for devices

Have students use the same device each time so they know they are responsible for it. Have a procedure for properly wrapping up and putting away accessories like headphones and power cords. Explain proper handling and along with the impact a broken computer can have on the entire class.

Give students responsibility for maintenance

Instead of handing out the computers yourself, have two students do it. Rather than taking on the chore of making sure everything’s charged up, assign a tech monitor to that job. This frees you up for other things and gives kids a sense of ownership in the process.

Kids plus tech is a powerful learning combination, but it does come with challenges. By following these tips, you can make the most of tech in your classroom – and keep that door to distraction closed.

Techniques of professional pianists that will help you type faster

Last updated on August 29th, 2022 typingcom

Typing Tips

Lubomyr Melnyk can play the piano faster than anyone else in the world.

This 67-year-old Ukrainian composer plays 19.5 notes per second on each hand!

But just how did Melnyk learn to play the piano faster than anyone else?

First and foremost: practice. And lots of it.

Apart from spending hours poring over a keyboard, there are some tips and tricks that typing students can borrow from concert pianists in order to increase typing speed.

Check out the list below for some ideas of how to channel the techniques of great composers to improve your typing:

Know the keyboard

Master pianists don’t need to look at the keys to know where a B-flat is. Through practice, they have built up muscle memory to know where they keys are by touch and sound. When practicing isolated keys or full sentences, challenge yourself to keep your eyes on the screen to help your fingers learn the keyboard.

Practice slowly

Just like when musicians are initially learning a new song, when you are first learning new letters or sequences, accuracy is more important than speed. You want to train your hands to accurately find the right letter. At first, that takes time, so slow down! Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, gradually pick up the pace until your confidence and accuracy are solid.

Minimize changes of hand position

Expert pianists know that keeping hands and arms as still as possible will allow them to play at the highest speed. As with piano, in typing you want your fingers to be doing most of the work. Try to keep the heels of your hands entirely stationary as you type, moving only the fingers to reach for the keys.

Cut your nails

It might sound silly, but imagine trying to play the piano with inch-long nails. Sounds tricky, huh? The same goes for typing. Keeping nails short will make it easier for you to be quick and precise with your keystrokes, avoiding careless errors.

Practice awkward letter combinations

When learning a new piece of music, pianists will need to repeat challenging strings of notes over and over again until the movements come naturally to their hands. The same goes for typing. There are plenty of letter sequences that don’t come naturally at first – and those are the ones you should force yourself to practice more.

Get into the habit of practicing your problem letters every few times you sit down at the keyboard, and soon they won’t be a problem anymore. From your student dashboard you can choose to take a custom test based on your problem keys.

Think about just touching the keys instead of pushing down on them

When concert pianists are playing quickly, they know that they only need to hit a key hard enough for it to produce sound. Likewise, when you are typing, you only need to strike a key hard enough for the letter to register on the screen. Any harder than that and you are wasting time and energy, so focus on striking the keys as lightly as possible.

Relax

If your hands are stiff or strained, you are more likely to make mistakes while typing that will slow you down. Before you begin, stretch your fingers and shake out your hands. Make sure your fingers are comfortably situated on the home row and that your hands are in the proper position. Get into the habit of going through this routine every time you sit down to practice.

Practice practice practice

When it comes to mastering a new skill, there are no shortcuts. Concert pianists practice hours a day to become experts in their field. If you want to become an expert typist, you will need to put in the time to hone your skills. Stick with it, and you will soon enough see your typing speed climbing.

Bonus: Actually play the piano (or another musical instrument)

You would be surprised how much the skills you use while playing an instrument can transfer to typing. From piano to guitar, the finger strength, coordination, and muscle memory that you build while jamming out will also help you become a better typist!

Streamlining your movement on the keyboard

Last updated on August 29th, 2022 typingcom

Typing Tips

In the animal kingdom, every physical detail serves a purpose and helps to make an animal more efficient.

The smooth overlapping scales of a fish help him to propel through water with minimal resistance. The sleek muscle and skeletal structure of a cheetah help her to race powerfully across the savannah.

The key to efficiency for these animals is streamlined movement, thanks to the special features of their own bodies.

Can you think of another activity that requires streamlined movement for efficiency?

You bet: typing!

Just like animals use their own unique features to move efficiently, you can apply this concept to typing by using the natural dexterity of your fingers.

The basic idea is to only use the necessary finger to reach for and strike each key.

Believe us, it’s much more efficient than moving your entire hand away from the home row and then fumbling around trying to rediscover the proper hand placement.

How to put this into practice

When typing a letter above or below the Home Row, only move that one finger, and always return to the Home Row.

Always keep your fingers resting on the Home Row! One finger moves but always comes right back. Do not let the other fingers wander.

Like with learning any skill or technique, this can feel a bit confusing or awkward at first. But, with practice you’ll see how much faster you can type this way, rather than moving your entire hand for a single key.

Typing may not be as wild as the activities we see in the animal kingdom, but it sure is a valuable way to use our own human design features. Thank goodness for fingers!

If you keep practicing this technique, you’re sure to improve your speed and efficiency, and that leaves more time for fun stuff, like watching videos of animals using their own awesome physical features.

National Geographic, anyone?

Exploring keyboards around the world

Last updated on August 29th, 2022 typingcom

Fun Facts

There are somewhere around 7,099 known living languages in the world.

Chances are you only encounter at most 2 or 3 of these languages on a day-to-day basis, but you probably have some things in common with the people who communicate in other languages.

You might enjoy similar games or sports or have the same favorite flavor of ice cream. And just like you, people speaking various languages all over the world have had to practice typing for school, work, or leisure.

But wait a second, don’t those language differences affect typing?

Of course, they do!

Aside from the standard QWERTY keyboard used in the U.S., there are actually many different keyboard layouts available to accommodate different languages.

The keys on these international keyboards are located in different places based on the letters and accents that are used most frequently.

How keyboards differ in different countries

For example, the French language contains a variety of accented letters which don’t exist on the U.S. keyboard, so the numbers row on the French keyboard is used primarily for accented letters.

A few other keys are also moved around on the French keyboard (instead of QWERTY, the first row reads AZERTY).

learn french keyboard — French keyboard layout (AZERTY)

Another slight modification to the QWERTY keyboard is the QWERTZ keyboard, used mainly in central Europe. There are even multiple versions of this format to suit the various languages and dialects used in this region of the world.

learn german typing — Germany keyboard layout (QWERTZ)

There are several other international keyboards as well, such as the Russian keyboard which features an entirely different set of letters from the Cyrillic alphabet (vs. the Latin-based English alphabet).

Aside from changes to accommodate language differences, there are a few keyboards featuring different layouts based on efficiency in typing English.

The most notable is called the Dvorak keyboard, named after its inventor August Dvorak, who discovered a more efficient and comfortable configuration of keys to improve typing speed and user experience.

Using this layout, users can type more words without moving their fingers away from the home row, although the widespread use of the QWERTY design means this layout is rarely seen or taught.

How to change your keyboard settings

Most students will only need to learn typing on a single keyboard format. Nonetheless, it’s useful and interesting to know about the differences in layouts.

Even better, most computers allow users to change the keyboard format in the settings. So, even if you’re far from home in another country you can always find the “home row.”

There’s just one problem. Even if the computer registers the QWERTY layout, the keys at your fingertips still have the same markings. That means that when traveling, touch typing (typing without looking at your fingers) is more important than ever.

Our typing lessons work not only for students with the standard American QWERTY keyboard. From the Student Portal, users can go into their account settings and select the keyboard layout they want to use.

Now that you know about the many different keyboard layouts, you may find it a relief that you only have to learn how to use one of them!

The Underrated Skill You Really Need in all Top Professions

Last updated on August 29th, 2022 typingcom

Fun Facts Typing Jobs

In today’s technologically advanced world, basic computer skills like typing are becoming necessary in most professions.

Many employers now seek a minimum typing speed of 50 words per minute simply for the sake of productivity, and around 30% of managers say they wouldn’t hire someone who can’t touch type.

Whatever career path you choose, typing could be the skill that sets you apart!

Top Keyboard-Intensive Professions

You might be surprised at how much time people in major professions spend hitting the keys, even when their job technically has nothing to do with computers:

Physician

According to a study recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, nearly half of a doctor’s day is now spent typing information into electronic medical records or doing other administrative work. They spend more time documenting what they find than examining patients.

Writer or Journalist

Most journalists and writers spend the majority of their day (long days…) typing up stories, researching online, and using their computers to find, process, and generate information. For them, touch typing ability and speed are especially critical.

Computer Programmer

Figuring out how to solve problems is a key part of this position. The solution always involves pounding out hundreds or thousands of lines of code. Then debug those and repeat. Programmers are especially notorious for marathon keyboard sessions, spending 6-8 hours a day or longer at the keyboard.

Web Developer

Whether manipulating graphics with design software, coding the HTML and JavaScript that run things behind the scenes, or moving everything over 3 pixels (for the third time), a web dev’s hands are always on the keyboard. If typing speed leaves something to be desired, fewer websites are completed (and paid for).

Police Officer

For every incident or arrest police officers type up a report. Statistics show they spend about 40% of their time on such work. That’s 4 hours out of every 10-hour shift. Some officers’ primary work is “desk duty,” rather than patrolling, where they spend even more time typing.

Manager/CEO

Communicating with others is at the core of this job. Whether interacting with employees or building up personal networks, there’s a lot of email and typing involved.

Lawyer

For attorneys, who typically bill by the hour, the phrase time = money is especially true. Meeting with clients or going to court are the meat and potatoes of legal work, but a lot more time goes to recording client meeting notes, typing up legal briefs, and following up on email correspondence. Learn to type efficiently and cut time spent on every one of these by one third to one half.

Scientist

For scientists, it’s all about the data. That data has to be recorded, organized, analyzed, and written up for publication. Where does all of that happen? At the keyboard, of course.

Writing at the Speed of Thought

The bottom line is that touch typing allows you to type without thinking about it. You won’t be slowed down by figuring out where the next key is located. Even if you’ve developed a pretty speedy two-finger technique and don’t have to look at the keyboard much, learning the touch typing, home keys method will make you much faster.

It’s also not very hard to master. If you practice just 15 minutes a day for several weeks, your typing speed will dramatically increase. Learn to type the right way, for free, at Typing.com. Weak typing ability isn’t something to be embarrassed about; it’s something to fix!

Should I switch to a Dvorak keyboard?

Last updated on August 29th, 2022 typingcom

Fun Facts Keyboards

Where did the QWERTY keyboard come from?

Christopher Latham Sholes loved making things in his free time. One of the best things he and his friends came up with was a little metal machine that could type letters.

Pleased with themselves for coming up with this little contraption, the team was about to break open the champagne, but… there was a glitch.

If people became too proficient with the machine, and typed on it too quickly, the levers inside would get jammed.

Since no one wanted to buy a machine that broke down like that all the time, they had to come up with a solution.

It was a strange conundrum… they actually had to make it HARDER to use their machine in order to make more people buy it. But how?

That’s when they got an idea.

What if they put the letters randomly around the keyboard and separated letters that are frequently typed together?

With this, they created what we know now as the QWERTY keyboard. Finally, it was time for them to pop that champagne.

So if you’ve ever wondered why keyboards are laid out the way they are, now you know. It was literally designed to make your life harder.

But that’s the thing. Even though the need for this keyboard layout has long passed, QWERTY remains.

People got used to it.

Muscle memory, which enables us to learn touch typing in the first place, also makes it harder to adjust to another layout.

Once you’ve trained your fingers to know where all the keys are, it can be a real hassle to start all over.

Some, however, are ready for change.

Dvorak: The quest for an easier, more efficient keyboard

One man, Dr. Dvorak, pledged to come up with a more efficient layout for the keyboard.

After over a decade of studying the English language and the physiologies of our hands, he designed a whole new keyboard.

One, he believed, which would enable people to type MUCH more quickly.

As one example, by putting more commonly used letters on the home row, you can type almost 5,000 words literally without lifting a finger.

For some, the Dvorak keyboard is clearly superior.

In 1985, Barbara Blackburn, broke the Guinness Book of World Records for typing with a speed of 170 words per minute using a Dvorak keyboard.

However, in the time since there have been a number of much faster typers since who have come out from the cracks on various online competitions.

Using a QWERTY keyboard, Sean Wrona blew Barbara’s record out of the water with an astounding 256 wpm on one online test.

He even scored 199 wpm on our own NitroType racing game.

Which keyboard layout should I learn?

Despite its drawbacks, we focus on teaching the QWERTY keyboard layout in our lessons simply because it is the most common system.

Unless you want to carry around your own keyboard when you go places, you pretty much have to learn it.

That said, we’re all for progress.

So if you are interested in learning the Dvorak system, we have created three lessons completely dedicated to learning the basics. You will find these in our Practice section.

Experts in the field suggest that it should take you about one month to retrain your fingers to Dvorak, which doesn’t seem too bad.

First, go into your Account Settings and select the Dvorak keyboard. You will then be able to use that for practice in all of our typing lessons.

There you’ll find that Dvorak isn’t even your only alternative. On our platform you are able to select from pretty much every keyboard system out there. From the French AZERTY keyboard to the Colemak, just take your pick, and train in a way that suits you.

How to improve your typing accuracy

Last updated on August 29th, 2022 typingcom

Teachers Typing Speed Typing Tips

Typing Faster is Better – Except When it’s Not!

Imagine going to see a performance by the World’s Fastest Pianist.

He sits down at the piano, flexes his fingers, and starts to play the fastest song in the world.

The audience is stunned by how fast his fingers fly across the keyboard… except for the fact that every few notes he misses a key.

Pretty quickly the audience’s expressions of awe and amazement turn to complete disappointment. Sure, the speed of his fingers is still impressive, but the song just sounds horrible.

While you may cringe more when mistakes are made on a piano keyboard than a computer keyboard, the same logic applies.

It’s great to be fast, but speed only matters if it’s partnered with accuracy.

Typing accurately makes a difference.

It makes you look smarter, when you can produce reports, assignments, and emails without typos.

It also helps you type faster, without being slowed down by fixing errors.

So, what can you do to improve your typing accuracy?

How to improve your typing accuracy

We value typing accuracy so much here at Typing.com, that accuracy is incentivized in every part of the site.

To help students train for accuracy as well as speed, whenever you mistype a letter, you hear a thunk and the letter becomes red.

Then, with each completed lesson we show students not only their speed, but also accuracy scores to give them motivation in both categories.

Stars are also awarded for accuracy at the end of each lesson. So while it’s fun to unlock badges as you go through lessons, the number of stars collected is actually what matters more.

Getting more stars means that you’re getting better, not just completing lessons.

While all of our lessons train and reward accuracy, here are three excellent exercises for intermediate/advanced typists to specifically hone in these accuracy skills.

Accuracy Drills

In this lesson, you will improve your accuracy by typing simple paragraphs containing all the letters of the alphabet, numbers, and special symbols. All screens in this lesson require at least 90% accuracy!

Keyboard Climber

In this game, with each key you press, you help the monkey climb up. Miss even one letter though, and he tumbles all the way down. Starting from scratch is frustrating enough that you’ll be sure to shape up your accuracy in no time.

NitroType

In this game you must type quickly and accurately in a race against other real-time players online. Not only does typing accurately help your car go faster, but at the end of each race accuracy rates above 95% earn you game cash to purchase cooler cars, etc.

By making use of these tips and tools, you’ll hone accuracy while also building speed.

For Teachers: Setting typing accuracy targets

Motor skills and dexterity develop with age, so there are different expectations for different ages of typists.

With a free Teacher Account on Typing.com, you can set the accuracy thresholds yourself, defining minimum accuracy thresholds for 2 and 3 stars that suit your students.

Click “Account” in the Teacher Portal menu to access this setting.

How to determine the right accuracy threshold for your class

As millions of students have gone through our typing lessons, we have developed a basic set of accuracy thresholds based on a student’s grade in school:

K-2: 80-85%
3-5: 85-90%
6-12: 90-95%

While these are the targets we recommend, they’re not set in stone.

If you’re a teacher, you can set the standards yourself by giving your students a few practice lessons and then tracking their average accuracy through the portal. Then you may use the results to determine standards for the class.

We really appreciate your help in reinforcing the importance of typing accuracy, not just speed, with your students.

And now you can make improving accuracy fun with the help of Accuracy Drills, Keyboard Climber, and NitroType!

The teacher’s guide to the best typing games

Last updated on August 29th, 2022 typingcom

Games Teachers

Friday. Officially the hardest day of the week to get students to concentrate on anything.

But don’t worry, we’ve got your back.

That’s why we’ve come up with a whole host of typing games to help students practice their typing skills.

These typing games are so fun and addicting that students won’t want to stop practicing!

The only trouble is, as students get caught up in the games and feel the time pressure they’re likely to forget all about the finger placements they’ve been taught.

So, when introducing a typing game to your students, make sure to remind them to keep their fingers on the home row, and to use the fingers they’ve learned to use for each key.

Two-finger typing may seem easier, but it is much slower! Imagine using just one foot to pedal a bicycle, switching back and forth between the left and right pedal… it’d be so inefficient!

To help enforce correct finger placement, one option is to tell the class that their scores will be recorded, offering recognition or a prize for the highest three scores. Anyone who is found to be using two-finger typing or another incorrect form will be disqualified from the competition.

Below, we’ve laid out a list of our top keyboarding games, noting which levels of students these are best suited for. We also highlight games that focus on particular skills, which will help you pick games that match what students have just learned.

Keyboard Ninja

Good for: BEGINNERS

In this typing game, you type letters to slash fruit as the fly across the screen. This is a great exercise for beginner learners to drill in the layout of the keyboard, as you type just one character at a time.

Ninja Cat and Zombie Dinosaurs

Good for: BEGINNERS

Another great typing game for beginners, as you start with one letter at a time, in this game you press keys to zap the dinosaurs that are chasing you.

Tommy Q: Zombie Defender

Good for: ALL LEVELS

There’s something about battling zombies that kids (and adults) just love! The typing challenges correspond to the lessons, so if you’ve just finished covering Home Row basics in class, you can let students play with just those letters.

Baron von Typesfast

Good for: ALL LEVELS

In this vintage-styled typing game, students can type to pop blimps that are flying towards them. From random letter combinations from the home, upper, or lower rows to easy words. Students can work their ways up in both curriculum and speed!

Keyboard Climber

Good for: ACCURACY

Type a letter to help the monkey climb up. This game helps students practice uppercase vs. lowercase letters. Accuracy is EXTRA important in this one because missing just one letter knocks the monkey all the way down… meaning you have to start ALL over again!

Type-a-Balloon

Good for: INTERMEDIATE

In this typing game, you have to type fast to pop the balloons as they rise. Though this focuses on typing one letter at a time, we like this one for intermediate students to give them practice with typing punctuation marks and numbers.

Type Toss

Good for: INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED

Just like an ol’ fashioned carnival game, type to knock out the targets as they move. Though this can be played at any level, this one is great for advanced students because it is a real speed challenge.

Fire Typer

Good for: ALL LEVELS

Have students save the day by typing to put out a fire spreading across a building. This is a good one for all levels, but particularly for those ready to work on speed. Wait too long and the fire spreads, giving you more and more words to type!

Z-Type

Good for: ADVANCED

In this adrenaline-packed game students have to use their typing skills to shoot down incoming enemy spaceships. Take too long to shoot down the motherships, and they’ll send out more!

Nitro Type

Good for: ADVANCED

Here you’re pitted against other live players in a competitively paced race. The faster you type, the faster your car goes. High accuracy and speeds win you cool cars, titles, and other prizes. This game is so good, we host it on its own site. It’s a great one for students who already know how to type and are now focusing on their speed.

With all these games to choose from, you can easily keep the students’ learning fresh and fun!

And as they become engrossed in slashing fruits and bashing zombies, feel free to sit back and relax. Like I said earlier, we’ve got you covered.

Note: We have ads on the games to help support our website. To get rid of them, all it takes is a snap of your fingers… I mean, click of your mouse. A one-time, lifetime upgrade of just $29.95 per student and your students can play to their hearts’ content without interruptions.

5 tips for boosting your typing speed for a timed test [INFOGRAPHIC]

Last updated on August 29th, 2022 typingcom

Typing Tips

To hype himself up before every race, Michael Phelps listens to a special track of music to get himself into the zone.

In fact, he doesn’t take off his headphones until the last second before diving into the pool.

Of course, the music isn’t what makes Phelps win. He’s been training his entire life for these races, but this little routine that he goes through before each race helps him to unleash his full potential at the time it’s being tested.

For students who are facing down the prospect of a timed test, there’s a lot to learn from Phelps’ experience.

Just the same, typing speed is built up with practice over time, it doesn’t come overnight. You develop it naturally as you build up muscle memory in your fingers.

That said, before an important timed test, there are a few things you can help yourself to get an extra jolt of speed.

Here are some tricks you can use to help speed up your touch typing on the spot:

(Scroll down for a shareable infographic that will help you remember these tips!)

Flex Your Hands – Before you begin, flex and move your hands and fingers to warm them up.

Warm Up – Before you start, warm up your fingers by keying a few practice sentences. “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” makes a good warm up because it contains all the letters of the alphabet.

Take a Few Deep Breaths – Just before the timed test begins, take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Repeat several times. The extra air in your lungs will help calm your nerves.

Keep Your Eyes Focused – During the timed test, keep your eyes on the text you are typing. This will help you keep a steady pace and increase speed and accuracy.

Relax, Mistakes Are Okay – If you make a mistake, don’t worry. Mistakes are part of learning how to type. Just move on so you can keep a steady typing pace until the timed test is over.

Once again, typing speed doesn’t come overnight, it comes from practicing regularly. But, be sure to follow these 5 steps before a timed test and you’ll be sure to capture your best time yet!

See what this does for your typing speed by taking a timed typing test here.

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