Punctuation typing test

Where punctuation costs time

Most punctuation sits on the edges of the keyboard and is typed by the little fingers, which are the weakest. Many symbols also need Shift, so two fingers have to work together. After the test, look at "Accuracy by type of character" in your results: if punctuation and symbols are clearly below letters, that is where your practice time should go.

Technique

• Hold Shift with the hand that is not pressing the key. A question mark is typed by the right little finger, so hold the left Shift; a capital A uses the right Shift.
• Keep your little fingers close to the home row. A long reach for the quote key is faster from a relaxed finger than from a hand that has drifted.
• Type the space after a full stop as part of the same movement, not as a separate thought.

The lessons include a unit on capitals and punctuation if you want to learn the reaches step by step.

How the score is calculated

A "word" is five characters, spaces and punctuation included. Net WPM is your gross speed minus one word per minute for every error you leave uncorrected, and accuracy is the share of all your keystrokes that were right, including mistakes you fixed. The timer starts on your first key. Read the full formulas.