10 Tips on How to Increase Your Typing Speed and Accuracy

How many words per minute can you type? How accurate are you? Learning to type accurately is an in-demand skill if you’re working in any industry that requires the use of a computer. If you’re interested to learn how to increase your typing speed and accuracy, taking a few typing tests online can help you get started.

If you’re working from home, improving your typing skills will be a massive boon to your productivity levels. You need to pass a typing test to successfully take CanScribe’s Medical Transcription program, Virtual Assistant course, and our MTHDS refresher course! Your accurate and fast typing skills will help you stay on top of your work, take more precise notes, and stay ahead of the game if you’re learning online. If you want to learn how to increase your typing speed and accuracy, check out our nine tips below!

First and foremost, be comfortable.

You should be comfortable where you’re sitting. If you’re not satisfied when you sit down to practice, you won’t be as effective. Make sure your chair is comfortable, your back is well supported, and you’re sitting up with proper posture.

Use the correct positioning.

Make sure you’re sitting upright in your chair and have your laptop or keyboard at a comfortable height. Place your feet on the floor, and the computer screen should be about 15 to 25 inches away from you. Keep your elbows at a 90-degree angle. Your wrists and palms should not be resting on the desk. Your fingers on your right hand should each rest on keys A, S, D, and F, while your left-hand fingers should be resting on J, K, L, and ;.

Both thumbs should rest on the spacebar. Each finger is responsible for each key above and below it, while the right pinky is responsible for enter, shift, and backspace, and the left pinky is responsible for shift, caps lock, and tab keys. It sounds like a lot, but your muscle memory will kick in with time, and you won’t even think about it anymore.

Focus on accuracy over speed.

Shift into focus mode, slow down and make sure you’re focusing on your accuracy. Slowing down is essential to building your foundational skills. Speed will come later once you have the basics down. If you are asking, “how to increase your typing speed”, this tip will do wonders for you.

Stretch your hands, neck, and shoulders often.

Your hands, neck, and shoulders might get stiff after practicing for a while. Remember to take breaks, and stretch when you can, to avoid unnecessary discomfort.

Don’t look at the keyboard or your hands.

Your instinct may be to look down at the keyboard or your hands, but every time you look to the keyboard, you’re taking away your focus and slowing down your speed. Try placing a dishtowel or something else over your hands if you find yourself tempted to look at the keyboard.

Look away from the computer screen.

The nature of improving your typing speed and accuracy means you’re going to be staring at a computer screen intently. Give your eyes a break. Look away after each practice test or walk away and do something for a few minutes before returning. Eye fatigue will only hinder your progress, so practice mindfully!

Go slow.

Take your time. If you need to, type one word at a time, but make sure you type it correctly and type it correctly a few times more before moving on. Your muscle memory will improve if you do things slowly, and your brain also learns better slowly over time and with repetition.

Use online resources and games.

The internet is your friend! There are tons of games and practice tests online to help you with your typing accuracy and speed. You can use Typing Academy to practice typing tests, get free typing lessons, and track your progress, all for free! You could also try Typing Test (they have games to help you with your speed!), 10 Fast Fingers, Typing.com, Speed Typing Online, or Key Hero.

Set goals.

As with anything, if you want to learn how to increase your typing speed and accuracy, you need to set yourself some goals. How many words a minute do you want to be able to type? How many words do you want to be able to type in a row without making any mistakes, with proper hand positioning? Set your goals, break them down into an action plan, and you got this!

Keep practicing.

This tip on how to increase your typing speed is pretty simple; keep going! If you have your goals in mind, keep proper posture and proper hand positioning, continue practicing and you’ll complete your goals in no time!

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How comprehensive are our tips on how to increase your typing speed? Are there any tips you think we may have missed? Follow CanScribe on Facebook and contribute to the conversation! Good luck with your typing journey!