View Poll Results: How fast can you type?

Voters
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  • below 15wpm

    1 2.78%
  • 15-35wpm

    2 5.56%
  • 35-55wpm

    12 33.33%
  • above 55wpm!

    21 58.33%

Thread: Speed in Touch Typing

  1. #1
    and the hat of copycat stevesmithx's Avatar
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    Speed in Touch Typing

    Hi all,

    I have been learning touch typing for past few months.
    My speed has slowly improved and it is currently 37wpm.
    I just wanted to know how fast you guys can type.
    What could be the maximum speed one can attain in touch typing?

    How fast can you type?
    Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted
    - Albert Einstein.


    No programming language is perfect. There is not even a single best language; there are only languages well suited or perhaps poorly suited for particular purposes.
    - Herbert Mayer

  2. #2
    Its hard... But im here swgh's Avatar
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    35 - 55 for me. The general speed of a really good touch typist can do up to 80 words per minute. Without having four hands thats pretty impressive.
    Double Helix STL

  3. #3
    Guest Sebastiani's Avatar
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    35 - 55 wpm. Not bad for a two-finger typist.
    Code:
    #include <cmath>
    #include <complex>
    bool euler_flip(bool value)
    {
        return std::pow
        (
            std::complex<float>(std::exp(1.0)), 
            std::complex<float>(0, 1) 
            * std::complex<float>(std::atan(1.0)
            *(1 << (value + 2)))
        ).real() < 0;
    }

  4. #4
    Registered User
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    I can usually get around 60wpm - but my accuracy goes up and down. Sometimes it's perfect, other days I seem to be back-spacing every other word.

  5. #5
    Kernel hacker
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    Quote Originally Posted by sean View Post
    I can usually get around 60wpm - but my accuracy goes up and down. Sometimes it's perfect, other days I seem to be back-spacing every other word.
    That sounds familiar. I have no idea what my actual typing rate is.

    --
    Mats
    Compilers can produce warnings - make the compiler programmers happy: Use them!
    Please don't PM me for help - and no, I don't do help over instant messengers.

  6. #6
    Devil's Advocate SlyMaelstrom's Avatar
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    I generally get around 70-80WPM with ~98&#37; accuracy on two minute typing tests, but on the full ten minute test I got 57WPM with 93% accuracy. You'd be surprised how tired your fingers get after trying to go all out for 10 minutes.


    EDIT: Heh, I took a quick three minute test and got 60WPM with 90% accuracy. I guess it's not a good idea to take a typing test first thing after you wake up.
    Last edited by SlyMaelstrom; 11-14-2008 at 10:10 AM.
    Sent from my iPadŽ

  7. #7
    Cat without Hat CornedBee's Avatar
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    Never done a test, and my writing limit is usually limited more by my thoughts than by my fingers, but my guess from posting at forums such as this one would be that I type about a word per second. So, 60WPM.
    All the buzzt!
    CornedBee

    "There is not now, nor has there ever been, nor will there ever be, any programming language in which it is the least bit difficult to write bad code."
    - Flon's Law

  8. #8
    Lurking whiteflags's Avatar
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    I am officially a member of the slow poster's club, clocking in at 19 wpm - 73&#37; accuracy. I am not a two finger typist, but I do horribly on typing tests. I guess I would benefit from some practice.

  9. #9
    & the hat of GPL slaying Thantos's Avatar
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    I usually average 65 wpm with 100&#37; accuracy (I know when I make mistakes and correct them). A big part of doing well on the tests is knowing the words in the test. Doing a test for a general office clerk is much different then typing up something involving full chemical names.

    Of course in computer programming the speed generally means jack and you are hardly ever just doing flat our typing.

  10. #10
    and the hat of copycat stevesmithx's Avatar
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    Thanks all for voting.

    35 - 55 wpm. Not bad for a two-finger typist.

    I am bit surprised there are actually programmers who are two finger typists.
    I can type fast with two fingers but usually the speed would average around 25wpm.
    Also it is harder for me to think if I "hunt and peck" the keys.This is what forced me to
    learn touch typing.
    Anyway that's a great speed for two finger typist.

    I am officially a member of the slow poster's club, clocking in at 19 wpm - 73% accuracy. I am not a two finger typist, but I do horribly on typing tests. I guess I would benefit from some practice.
    Initially my speed was below than that with horrible accuracy.Then after some persistent efforts with typing software it improved to the current 37wpm with 97% accuracy.

    Of course in computer programming the speed generally means jack and you are hardly ever just doing flat our typing.
    I agree speed would be reduced while programming than when typing ordinary text.
    Nevertheless touch typing can take the burden of looking the screen and keyboard back and forth.
    Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted
    - Albert Einstein.


    No programming language is perfect. There is not even a single best language; there are only languages well suited or perhaps poorly suited for particular purposes.
    - Herbert Mayer

  11. #11
    Woof, woof! zacs7's Avatar
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    Yes, but how many of you type properly? I mean the proper hand-layout and everything. If you do that, your hands should not get tired after 10 minutes of typing .

    Otherwise, I get 50-65WPM. But it depends on the day and the keyboard. If I count backspace as a "word" then I'd probably get 2500WPM .

    When my Mum was a bit younger she had a job that required 90WPM, which she can do :-). Hey I brag? It's what I do.

    Interestingly enough
    As of 2005, Barbara Blackburn is the fastest typist in the world, according to The Guinness Book of World Records. Using the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard, she has maintained 150 wpm for 50 minutes, 170 wpm for shorter periods of time, and has been clocked at a peak speed of 212 wpm.
    Last edited by zacs7; 11-18-2008 at 06:17 AM.

  12. #12

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    sometimes I just sit there and yell at my computer to see if the words turn into text. Unfortunately this rarely works.
    I'm not immature, I'm refined in the opposite direction.

  13. #13
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    Touch typing is pretty nice and IMHO, every programmer should put in some effort and learn it. Generally I clock around 90-95 WPM with about 97 &#37; accuracy on small pieces of text, the 2 minute kind. On larger texts, I average around 85 WPM. I use all my fingers by the way
    Code:
    >+++++++++[<++++++++>-]<.>+++++++[<++++>-]<+.+++++++..+++.[-]>++++++++[<++++>-] <.>+++++++++++[<++++++++>-]<-.--------.+++.------.--------.[-]>++++++++[<++++>- ]<+.[-]++++++++++.

  14. #14
    Reverse Engineer maxorator's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PING View Post
    Touch typing is pretty nice and IMHO, every programmer should put in some effort and learn it. Generally I clock around 90-95 WPM with about 97 % accuracy on small pieces of text, the 2 minute kind. On larger texts, I average around 85 WPM. I use all my fingers by the way
    I'm around 90-95 too. But I don't use my right thumb.
    "The Internet treats censorship as damage and routes around it." - John Gilmore

  15. #15
    Lurking whiteflags's Avatar
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    As of 2005, Barbara Blackburn is the fastest typist in the world, according to The Guinness Book of World Records. Using the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard, she has maintained 150 wpm for 50 minutes, 170 wpm for shorter periods of time, and has been clocked at a peak speed of 212 wpm.
    I'd be curious to know if she writes her essays this fast.

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