HOW TO TYPE FAST

How to Type

Do you look at the keyboard and type each letter at unbearably slow speeds? Impress your friends and family by learning how to type at faster rates! The following steps will increase your ability to touch type and also teach you tricks that will get your typing speed up. If you follow all the steps in this article over time, you will be able to successfully type and correct errors while looking at the monitor rather than the keyboard, all for free.

[edit]Steps

1. Decide on what kind of keyboard you want to use. Most of the time, you'll come across a traditional QWERTY keyboard, but there's also the option of switching to a Dvorak keyboard. The standard QWERTY keyboard layout was designed to prevent typewriter jams (which is no longer necessary with computers), whereas the Dvorak layout was designed specifically to be easy on the hands. However, if you share your computer with others or if you frequently switch computers, the changed layout will be confusing. The remainder of the steps will focus on the QWERTY layout; more information on typing on Dvorak keyboard can be found here.
2. Get in position. How you sit can affect your typing efficiency. A bad position can result in more errors and slower typing.
   
   
   • Make sure that your keyboard is at a comfortable height for your fingers.
   • Sit up straight.
   • Put your feet flat on the ground.
   • Set up an ergonomically correct workstation
3. Put your fingers in the home position. Place your right index finger on the "J" key and let the other 3 fingers fall naturally onto the "K", "L" and ";" keys. Place your left index finger on the "F" key and let the other 3 finger fall naturally onto the "D", "S", and "A" keys.
   
   
   
4. Type each key from left to right: a s d f j k l ;. You shouldn't have to move your fingers from their positions, just press the keys that they are resting on.
5. Repeat, but this time capitalize: A S D F J K L :. Use the shift key. Push it by moving only your pinkie and pressing and holding it while pushing the desired letter with your other hand. I.e.: When the letter you would like capitalized is typed with your left hand, you press the right shift key with your right pinkie. When the letter you would like capitalized is typed with your right hand, you press the left shift key with your left pinkie.
6. Become familiar with the rest of the alphabet and where it is positioned on the keyboard.
   
   
   • "q" "a" and "z" are typed with the pinkie of your left hand, and your pinkie also presses the tab, caps lock, and shift button.
   • "w" "s" and "x" are typed with the ring finger of your left hand.
   • "e" "d" and "c" are typed with the middle finger of your left hand.
   • "r" "f" "v" "b" "g" and "t" are typed with the index finger of your left hand.
   • Your thumb should never leave the space bar.
   • "u" "j" "n" "m" "h" and "y" are typed with your index finger of your right hand.
   • "i" "k" and the button the has a "," and a "<" on it are typed with the middle finger of your right hand.
   • "o" "l" and the button that reads ">" and "." will be typed with your ring finger of the right hand.
   • Your pinkie of your right hand is used for typing: "p", ";", ":", "'", """ (a quotation mark), "/", "?", "[", "{", "]", "}", "\", "|", and is used for pressing the shift, enter, and backspace keys.
7. 

   
   Get into home position and type, "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog". This sentence contains every letter in the alphabet. At first, watch your fingers to make sure they go to the right keys and return to home position. Start off slow, then speed up gradually. Start looking away and at your monitor to make sure you're typing the sentence correctly. Correct any mistakes you make, eventually without looking. If you have a hard time not glancing at the keyboard, buy a typing cover if this is hard for you. They are thin rubber skins that stretch over your keyboard.
8. Practice as much as you can. You can try typing the alphabet over and over, or you can make up things to type. You can try typing the first word you think of. The more you practice, the better you'll type! Take typing courses, use typing programs, and play typing games. You can even practice by chatting on IM and chat rooms!

[edit]Tips

• Type with quick and defined motions. Don't keyboard smash, that is, don't just hit keys without aiming first, which usually results in pressing multiple keys.
• To increase your speed and accuracy, make sure your wrist are elevated. You'll move quicker and have fewer errors.
• If you're trying to receive a typing certificate, try (if possible) practicing on a regular keyboard and not a laptop keyboard. The letters on the laptop keyboard are closer together than the ones you'll be using to take the typing test.
• Use a special typing accelerator software to reduce a number of keystrokes and typos.

[edit]Warnings

• Using acronyms will make you type faster, but will also make the quality of your typing go way down and is a bad habit that is hard to break! Avoid practicing with Internet and mobile slang such as "lol", "bff", etc. If you practice without using real or pseudo words (i.e. consonants and vowels together), as it may hinder your future typing speed.