What is your copy-typing speed?

[icebreakerpenguin]

My most recent typing test I did 90 words per minutes with 1 error.  And I apologize here if I offend anyone because it is not my intention, but why are there so many responses to questions like this - what's your typing speed as opposed to questions by someone who needs advice on an concern they have, for example, interviewing?  I sure would like to get more responses and support when I pose or have posed a question.

[bohorquez]

I'm not that fast anymore!  I'm really typing at 45 wpm but that's going to change because I also bought Mavis Beacon to improve.

[andrea843]

You know Pengy, I thought about your post and I think I most often DON'T respond to a post when I feel someone's already covered my "take" on a subject in one of their posts.  If you have something specific you'd like to discuss you can ALWAYS email me at Andrea@administrative-assistants.com!

[craftygirl]

Andrea--last time I had my reading speed tested it was off the charts and I have to counter that too when I'm typing.  But I still manage 90 - 100 wpm with few errors.



What a useless skill huh?  ;-)  The reading thing kicks butt though.  I read North and South in one day.  (800 pages methinks)  That's the only way I have time to read LOL



Shannon

[daisylee]

Me..well, I'm probably a negative three after you factor in the errors.(Do errors count if they're not typos, but real spelling and grammar errors? If so, then call my speed negative 12!)  I took typing in high school, and because I only took a semister, we learned on manual typewriters.  I could never build up speed, because almost as soon as the bell would go off, my fingers would get stuck between the keys! (Small enough to get in, harder to pry them out!)  But with the advent of the word processing system, and light touch keyboards, I would venture a guess of about 50 WPM.  I've always admired anyone that could type more than 75 WPM.  Especially with no errors!



Daisylee...(I HATE spell check...takes three days to run after one of my letters!!)

[tlc2559]

My typing speed is about 75 wpm, at least on the last test I took....which could be inaccurate because, I'm not sure why, but as soon as I know I'm being timed? I forget how to type, it seems!



I like to type also, and sometimes do quite a bit of it.  Other times, it's a few days before I really have to type anything.



My mother was a secretary for 30+ years, first on manual typewriters, then the new selectrics.....she was AWESOME!  She's retired now, but I bet she could still do it...I've never had the nerve to challenge her to a typing test!



My son learned typing in school...he was learning on computers in kindergarten (knows a LOT of stuff I don't know!)  He types pretty fast, but only uses about 4 fingers!  I've never clocked him but he's probably in the 50 wpm range!  My ex-husband was a "hunt and peck" typist....used to drive me CRAZY!



I don't have the ability you were talking about Andrea, but I when I'm typing a letter or something, I can continue to type (and type correctly) while talking to someone who has asked me a question.  Course, they think I'm just typing, and don't realize that I'm actually trying to finish what I'm doing while being so rudely interupted!  



tlc  

[icebreakerpenguin]

Thanks, Andy.  I'll take your offer into consideration, but I did send an e-mail in the past and did not receive a response.

 

[bethalize]

What a response! C'mon, everyone, vote. I look far too bad now. You don't have to post to vote, but let's make sure the figures are representative.



I have never heard of such typing speeds! There must be some more admins out there who do less than 60!



I am humble in the face of such greatness.



Liz

 



 

[ozbound]

Funny thing, someone started a rumor around the office that I type 100 wpm, and it's stuck in everyone's head now, but I know I'm only somewhere between 70-80 tops. Oh well..!   I'm a bit envious of your reading speed, Andrea. I read fast but have to slow down in order to comprehend and remember what I'm reading--my memory lousy at tiems. My sweetie gets frustrated because he reads "slowly" but his retention rate seems phenomenal to me.  It bugs me when I'm conversing with friends and straining my brain to remember something from a book, and they can remember what they read almost down to the letter!  

[bethanial]

I never took typing in high school (another thank you, Mavis Beacon), and I think I manage well enough for what I need.  One of my friend's moms could get over 120 WPM on the old manual typewriters.



I have a thought -- since Liz is amazed at these high speeds, is it possible that a US WPM is different from a British WPM.  Isn't it like 4-5 characters or something?  (I skipped over that part when my mom tried to teach me to type.)



And a bit of trivia -- Did you know that the QWERTY keyboard is statistically one of the slowest to learn/type?  When typewriters were first invented, the little gizmo's attached from the keys on the keyboard to the faceplates the letters were on were constantly getting jammed.  This was with the keyboard done in alphabetical order.  To solve this problem, the typewriter manufacturers decided they needed a keyboard that didn't have letters used commonly together in typing right beside each other.  We now have the QWERTY everbody knows and loves.  And it's since been proven to be one of the hardest arrangements to learn.

[whitesatin]

Hi Craftygirl,



Maybe I misunderstood what you were saying, but it sounds like you are saying that typing is a useless skill.      



I think typing is the best skill a person can have.  It has been my bread and butter for more than 25 years. I thank God that I took typing in High School.  It is a skill that has enabled me to work, live, pay bills, eat and have a roof over my head.



I have been able to help other people using my typing skills. I find it very relaxing and I get a feeling of accomplishment when a document turns out just right.



If someone asks me what the most important skill I ever learned was, I would have to say, "To type".



 

[andrea843]

Well Girl Email me again, cause I SURE don't recall getting anything from you, but I suppose it's possible, if that Happened, please accept my sincere apologies, sometimes the dearest people get lost in the sheer volume of email I manage to acquire in the course of a day !

[jahdra]

I have to say that I came it at 60 wpm on an agency test, and they said, in spite of the fact that I got high 90s on their MS Office tests and in spite of all of my other qualifications, I wasn't qualified to be an executive assistant, because I didn't type fast enough. Needless to say, I never called them back.



I spent many years doing data entry on a 10 key and my 10 key speed is 20,000 keystrokes an hour with 0 errors. Now, if I could just type that fast!  



I know that our senior word processors type well over 100 wpm, and I am totally in awe of them!

[craftygirl]

I dunno, typing is cool but no sense in doing it this fast.  The really neat thing is that I can type one thing and look in a different direction and have an unrelated conversation and still get most of the typing correct.  Pretty neat stuff huh?  *grin*  High on the freak-out scale if nothing else.



:-)  But I still think typing faster than 60 wpm is only helpful if you're chatting with someone else who types that fast.  LOL



~shannon

[mcbethers]

I know that the people who do the closed-caption typing for the news are incredibly fast.  You may not know this, but the news is on about a 6-10 second delay, and that's all the time they have to type.  So having a fast typing speed is still important.