Calculating Your Keystroke Per Hour (KPH)

Keystroke per hour (KPH) can be just as important as words per minute (wpm). Because words vary in length, your typing speed calculated in words per minute might not be accurate enough. Your WPM will be the most accurate the longer you type. A five-minute typing test will be more accurate than a one minute typing test. A ten-minute typing test will be more accurate than a five-minute typing test. Because of this fact there will always be WPM variations no matter how long you type. So KPH can offer you a raw score of your typing speed.

To calculate your KPH from WPM there are a few considerations to make sure your KPH is accurate. You can either take a long typing test (like 5 minutes or 10 minutes). Or you can take several shorter typing tests and then average the WPM. Once you have a good WPM from either the long typing test or averaged out from multiple shorter ones, you’re ready to convert your WPM into KPH.

You will need a couple of things. We’ll use the average number of keystrokes in a word, five. Typically, data entry typists take a ten-minute break per hour. So, we will use 50 minutes instead of 60 for our calculation. To calculate KPH, use the formula below.

WPM * 5 * 50 = KPH

What is a data entry test?

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A data entry test allows you to calculate your words per minute typing speed. Some can calculate your raw keystroke per hour as well. The biggest benefit of data entry test is not only to know your typing speed, but also to improve your typing speed too.

Keep track of your historic typing speed by recording it in a journal. Take regular breaks in between typing tests. If you’re not a professional typist you can easily injure yourself by typing too long. A beginner should start with short typing tests. As you gain accuracy, speed, and stamina then move on to longer sessions of typing practice.

Your chair and desk can also affect your typing speed. Make sure you’re typing on an office desk, not a dinner table or coffee table. Low tables can cause you to have bad posture and strain your neck and back. The right chair should be an office chair with arm rests. Adjust your arm rest and chair height to a comfortable position before starting your typing practice.