On Typing Speed, Law School Grades, and Passing the Bar
By Carson King
Updated: March 3, 2021
If you can type this sentence in less than 18 seconds, you have an edge over your classmates.
Did you know? The average person can type the above sentence in 30 seconds. If you can type it faster, you have been blessed by the gods.
Why?
Because life will be easier. For example: the average student will write a five-page essay in 62.5 minutes, at 40 wpm. If you type at 60 wpm (20 above average) you will finish the essay in 41 minutes . . . 20 minutes faster. That’s an entire episode of The Office.
The price of victory
Netflix, Candy Crush, eating Ramen—whatever you call “leisure time” has never been more valuable. Especially now—like, are you kidding me? Life has never a land of rainbows and sunshine. Balancing work, school, and social life is like juggling bowling balls that are simultaneously on fire. In such desperate cases, we must refine our typing skills to a point where we can quickly bring down any English essay, blog post, journal entry, or resume that’s standing between us and victory.
Increasing your typing speed is a simple and powerful method of saving time.
The pain is 100% worth it.
Now obviously, we have a wide variety of readers. Whether you trudge through your homework at 20 wpm or speed-run it at 120 wpm, even the slightest increase has an exponential effect. The correlated research between fast typing and productivity is substantial. Need proof? Click here, here, here, here, or here.
Seriously—wpm is important.
General tips
As with all skillsets, it requires time and energy. But remember, you’re not alone! There are thousands of people like you, trying to find their way in this desolate wilderness. The amount of people struggling globally to improve their typing speed is colossal. As a result, there are hundreds of tools to help.
Get (free) Online Training. There are hundreds of websites, 100% dedicated to helping you type faster. A simple google search can pull up a list of such miracles. Try a few of them out, and see what tickles your fancy.
(and) Here’s some typing communities to get yourself familiar with:
- Reddit. Has anyone managed to actually increase their typing speed . . .
- Quora. How do I increase my typing speed . . .
Advanced techniques
For the exceptional or curious readers, there are a few unorthodox ways to increase your typing speed.
The Dvorak Keyboard. Most of us use the Qwerty keyboard—a keyboard designed in the 1800’s to force us to type slower—you read that right—so the typewriters wouldn’t jam from over-speeding. The Dvorak keyboard, on the other hand, was designed to be the exact opposite:
Pure. Speed.
The most commonly used keys are placed directly beneath your fingers—meaning less movement between strokes, and less error. Mastering the Dvorak Keyboard is the crowning achievement for any typist.
Typewise Keyboard. For some of us, we type more on our phones than actual computers. If so, there’s an alternative keyboard for you too!
The Typewise app comes with a large, hexagonal keyboard. While it comes with a bit of a learning curve, it allows users to type faster and more accurately . . . and don’t worry! You can always switch back to your original keyboard anytime.
The next step
Typing is a crowning skill of the 21st century. A good wpm stands out on resumes, makes English essays a breeze, and increases the quality of life. What’s not to love? So get out there, set a wpm goal, and make it happen.
Good luck!
P.S. It took this man only 59 hours to go from 50 wpm to 100 wpm, using the Dvorak keyboard.
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About the author
Carson King is a content writer, author, and globetrotter. He’s volunteered internationally through various organizations and written for numerous corporations. When he’s not writing or reading, you can find him with a cup of Mexican hot chocolate.