Punjab govt typing test: rules, scoring and tips
Many Punjab government posts, such as clerk, typist and data entry operator, have a typing test after the written exam. Here is how the Punjabi test is usually run and scored, based on published typing-test notices, and how to prepare for it.
Rules differ between recruitments and can change. Always read the official notice for your post. The figures below come from published notices and are used as Akhar's defaults.
The format
- Font and keyboard: Punjabi is typed in the Unicode Raavi font on the INSCRIPT keyboard.
- Duration: 10 minutes for Punjabi, usually followed by an English test of the same length after a short break.
- Qualifying standard: at least 30 words per minute with at least 92% accuracy (no more than 8% mistakes).
- The passage is shown on screen and you type it in a box below. There is no on-screen help.
How mistakes are counted
Full mistakes
- Leaving out a word.
- Typing a wrong word (substitution).
- Adding a word that is not in the passage.
- Leaving out punctuation.
- A missing or extra matra, addak or half letter. In Punjabi this makes the whole word wrong.
Half mistakes
- Spacing errors: two words joined together, or one word split in two.
- Wrong spacing around punctuation.
The formula
error characters = mistakes × 5
net characters = gross characters − error characters
gross speed (WPM) = gross characters ÷ 5 ÷ minutes
net speed (WPM) = net characters ÷ 5 ÷ minutes
accuracy = net characters ÷ gross characters × 100
Backspace, Shift and other function keys do not count as characters, and extra spaces are not counted either.
Worked example
In a 10-minute test you type 1,650 characters with 6 full mistakes and 2 half mistakes.
- Mistakes = 6 + (2 × ½) = 7
- Error characters = 7 × 5 = 35
- Net characters = 1,650 − 35 = 1,615
- Gross speed = 1,650 ÷ 5 ÷ 10 = 33 WPM
- Net speed = 1,615 ÷ 5 ÷ 10 = 32.3 WPM
- Accuracy = 1,615 ÷ 1,650 × 100 = 97.9%
This candidate qualifies: the speed is above 30 WPM and accuracy is above 92%. With 20 full mistakes instead, accuracy would fall to about 94% and still pass, but 35 full mistakes would push it below 92% and fail, even at the same speed. Accuracy matters as much as speed.
A 30-day plan
- Days 1 to 7: Akhar lessons 1 to 23 (home, top and bottom rows). 30 minutes a day. Do not look at the keys.
- Days 8 to 14: lessons 24 to 42 (Shift letters, addak, pair bindi, half letters, numerals). Repeat any lesson below 95% accuracy.
- Days 15 to 21: word and sentence lessons, then practice passages. Take a 5-minute test every second day.
- Days 22 to 30: a full 10-minute test every day with Backspace allowed, then once with Backspace turned off. Study the word-by-word result and drill your weak keys.
Tips for the exam day
- Check that the keyboard is set to Punjabi before the timer starts. Type one letter to confirm.
- Read a few words ahead, not one letter at a time.
- Do not stop to fix every small error. A wrong word costs one mistake, but stopping costs speed. Fix errors only in the word you are typing.
- Press Space once between words and never put a space before the danda ।.
- Finish the word you are on when time is nearly up. A half-typed word counts as a mistake.
Chunks on the exam screen
In the mock software many candidates practise on, the passage is shown a chunk at a time, about 40 words at once, in a Reference Text box with a Typing Box below it. You move to the next chunk with Enter or the down arrow once you have typed most of the current one, and Page Up and Page Down move between chunks. Akhar's PSSSB mock test works the same way, so the real screen will not surprise you.
Frequently asked questions
Does submitting early help my speed?
No. Speed is worked out over the full test time, so submitting early only lowers your gross characters. Use the whole time.
Are typing marks added to my merit?
For most posts the typing test is qualifying only: you need to pass, but your speed above the standard does not change your rank. Check your notice.
How many attempts do I get?
Usually one. That is why it is worth taking several full mock tests in exam conditions before the day.
Can I use the Shift key with either hand?
You can, but it is faster to press Shift with the little finger of the hand that is not typing the letter. Akhar's lessons teach this from the start.