Author: learntotouchtype

Test – Train – Certify

KAZ software is designed to ensure ‘your’ employees are trained to type quickly and correctly and if they can already type, to correct bad habits, which tend to ‘develop’ over time. 

Step 1 – Request each employee to take a KAZ typing test

This is free on our website. Alternatively, request 10 free typing tests from the KAZ office.

(As a guide, 35wpm is the ‘tipping point’ where all fingers and thumbs are being used to type correctly. However, many of our clients do not test but put all employees through the training, as the course also corrects bad habits and takes just 90 minutes.)

Step 2 – Train all staff with scores less than 35wpm

Simply ask them to start at the top and work through each module in order, ending with the ‘Final Assessment’.

Step 3 – Monitor progress

All staff that successfully pass the ‘final assessment’ will be typing at 35wpm or more. This is your confirmation that the training has been successful and typing speed will only increase with practice. All successful candidates will automatically receive a CPD certificate, a copy of which will be recorded in your admin panel.

(If you have a low take up, we suggest offering an Amazon voucher or similar to the most improved typist. KAZ will forward a £250 Amazon voucher for all purchases of 500+ licences.)

‘Your Success is Our Success’

 Recommended in Which? magazine Feb 2020

With so many of us now working from home, there is a constant need and expectation to work harder, faster and smarter, coupled with the anxiety to justify our productivity.

Had you ever looked around the office, watched your colleagues and thought that you really needed to type faster, or at least type as fast as some of your peers? Surprisingly, in these days of IT, computer and office-based working, 70% of office workers still do not type efficiently.* 

So what’s the simplest and easiest way to work faster? Well, if you spend a lot of time at the computer, you need to work out approximately how many hours a day you spend there and aim to reduce that time, with the proviso you get the same amount of work done. An easy and free way to check your typing proficiency is to follow the flowchart above. 

Take a free typing test on our site. Check your typing wpm score and find out if you are typing efficiently.

What do we mean by efficiently?

We mean quick, accurate typing, using all fingers and thumbs, whilst looking ahead at the screen and not constantly glancing down at the keyboard… back up to the screen… back down to the keyboard etc.  

Why is this so important? Because when you touch type properly, the skill is automatised, enabling you to multi-task and think as you type. Productivity goes through the roof because there is little or no time spent searching for keys or correcting errors. Emphasis and focus are on creating and writing content quickly and efficiently. 

Think of it as learning to drive a car. At first, we all need instruction, followed by practice, then finally, a test. Driving is a skill which is learned. Similarly, with typing, how are we expected to type efficiently, if we are not taught? One main reason is that we are generally too busy and have little time to set aside to learn this skill. Alternatively, it could be due to a mental block from poor typing courses taken in our past, filled with painful thoughts of boredom, repeatedly typing the same phrases and exercises over and over again. Or it could simply be that we never realised just how much time learning to type could save us throughout our daily and working lives. 

Free up to 30% of your day!

Did you know that by learning to type you could free up to 30% of your day? If you don’t believe this statement, use our free ROI calculator and find out just how much time you could save annually. Click the link and scroll down the page.

Additionally, if you enter your hourly rate, you’ll find out how much money you could save your employer by learning to type efficiently. If you’re self-employed, that’s either wasted time or more billing time – you decide!

This is possibly a wake-up call and will help you understand why many employers and recruitment agencies now insist on candidates sitting a typing testbefore being considered or recommended for a position. The crazy thing is, typing as a skill is so easy to learn if taught correctly.

Set aside just 90 minutes to learn to type using KAZ’s © ‘Accelerated Learning’ teaching method and then practice on emails, essays etc. It is essential to maintain discipline and if you do, within a few hours you’ll be typing at least as fast as you were with 2 fingers but with the added benefit of knowing you will get much, much faster and also feel more relaxed whilst working at your computer. Sitting correctly and typing using good typing technique, rather than continually searching or thumping keys will also minimise the risk of you developing Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).

There is a reason why our course is used by both the UK and US governments, the MOD, the NHS, the police, businesses and schools worldwide.

We are still the only typing course available on the UK’s Learndirect and the US’s OpenSesame learning portals.

We don’t want to train you if you’re not going to benefit from our course. Why? We have a reputation to protect. Millions of people around the world have used, benefitted from and recommend KAZ. Our ethos is clear and our testimonials and partners are proof of our method working. 

Yes, we charge for our course but this is for a reason. Our research has proven that pop-ups, advertising, gaming, videos and extensive modules all simply delay or extend the learning process. These are just methods used to monetise training or to harvest data. We don’t do that. We are governed by ico.org.uk rules and fiercely protect our client’s data. 

Our course and trademarked teaching method were designed to teach you to type quickly and with minimal fuss. Few of us have the time to waste trailing alternatives and wasting precious time. Our course costs just £/$24.99 – that’s all. No recurring fees, just a fair price for a ‘skill for life’. 

How much time will you save by learning to type? 

The average person will save $/£3000 per annum X 30 years = $/£90,000 or more importantly, 300 hours per annum = 340 days over 30 years, which is almost one year of your life!

Tried, tested and proven!

No games or videos but a method that works and promises to get you going in just 90 minutes** 

No hard-sell tactics, just a proven method that was tried, tested and proven by the Open University, who were so impressed, that they wrote a white paper on its effectiveness and deployed the course to all their 90,000+ students for over 14 years.***

* KAZ’s free typing test – from over 3000 tests taken, 70% show an average score of just 17.2wpm.

** Our tests and surveys have shown that the majority of users complete the a-z keys in just 90 minutes. However, this is not guaranteed and some individuals may take longer. KAZ is structured so that the individuals can work at their own pace. Allow an average of 4 hours plus practice time to complete the entire course covering the rest of the keyboard. 

*** Open University – white paper available on our website.

Learn to type faster and increase your employability

In today’s high tech world, it is hard to find an education, business or commercial environment without a computer or laptop. Typing ‘machines’ are everywhere and many now consider the skill of typing is as important as writing!

Being able to type fast and efficiently gives you positive advantages at school, in further education and the workplace. However, if you want to become an expert typist, increase your productivity, be able to multi-task, stand out from your peers/colleagues and increase your career prospects in a competitive workplace, learning to type will not be enough. You need to learn to touch type.

What’s the difference? 

Well, when you type with just two or a few fingers, although you may be fairly fast, you use your conscious mind. You think as you do. This adds additional mental load, does not allow you to type to your full capacity and makes it harder to multi-task.

However, when you touch type with all your fingers and thumbs, the process becomes automated and transfers to your subconscious, freeing your conscious mind to concentrate on the task at hand. It also increases productivity and enables you to multitask. With practice, muscle memory is built and your fingers instinctively reach for the right keys. This automatic response is what allows you to type faster.

What is the fastest typing speed? 

Using the English language, the world’s fastest typist, Barbara Blackburn, typed at 216WPM at her peak in 2005. She typed on a Dvorak keyboard, a keyboard specially designed to reduce finger movement.

What is the average accuracy and WPM? 

The average typing speed can vary dramatically from one course provider to another. This is because there is no authoritative industry standard. However, the Royal Signals, a division of the Royal Army and our research findings, whilst testing our teaching method on over 18,000 individuals per year for three years, suggest that 35WPM is the point when automaticity takes over, when typing with all fingers and thumbs. If you would like to improve your typing speed and achieve 35WPM, or if you want to exceed it and become an expert typist, try following the guidelines below.

 Why are you a slow typist?

There are several reasons why you may be a slow typist:

You may be typing with incorrect ergonomics

You may be using the wrong typing technique

You may not be practising enough  

How to improve a slow typing speed

Ergonomics is a science concerned with the design or arrangement of your workplace, equipment, furniture and systems. Good ergonomics will enhance your comfort, safety, efficiency and productivity. So, ensuring a good workplace setup and correct posture whilst sitting at the keyboard will help with your speed and efficiency when typing

Familiarising yourself with your keyboard structure and layout will also help your typing speed. There is no need to rush. With regular practice, muscle memory will build and you will quickly get acquainted with the layout

The starting position for your fingers when getting ready to touch type or when they are at rest and not typing is called the ‘home position’. The keys you place your fingers on are called the ‘home keys’. The ‘home position’ is situated on the middle row of your keyboard, as highlighted below. Using the home position when you are typing will allow your fingers to move to the correct keys more easily, hence increasing your typing speed

You must correct any bad habits you may have developed. When teaching ourselves to type, we often develop our own style of typing, normally using just our index fingers. This is known as the ‘hunt and peck’ method, where we look for keys one at a time and then press each key individually. This constant searching and pressing of individual keys, looking up at the screen and then back down at the keyboard is what slows our typing speed. In order to increase your typing speed, you need to stop ‘hunt and pecking’ and learn how to touch type (the ability to type subconsciously, using all your fingers and thumbs and without looking down at the keyboard)

How to turn a good typing speed into a fast typing speed  

Different typing software use different teaching methods and all have different opinions on what a fast or very fast typing speed is. At KAZ Type, we deem 50WPM, using all your fingers and thumbs as fast

However, to elevate yourself from an average typist to a fast typist you need to master the skill of touch typing. As mentioned above, touch typing is the method where you use muscle memory and not the sense of sight to find the keys. Certain fingers are responsible for pressing certain keys and with practice, muscle memory is built and fingers instinctively and automatically reach for the correct keys. This automaticity is what elevates your typing speed, as the need to look from keyboard to screen is completely eliminated. You simply think the word and it appears on the screen. A phrase known as ‘think type’. 

KAZ’s proven Accelerated Learning teaching method will teach you the position of the a-z keys in just 90 minutes. Incorporating ‘brain balance’ the method will train your fingers to work symmetrically and simultaneously, a direct result of both hemispheres of the brain working at the same time. No other typing software works in this way. With additional typing exercises, muscle memory and automaticity are also build and you will notice a distinct increase in your typing speed   

From ‘fast’ to ‘exceptional’

If you’ve followed all the guidelines above, transitioning from a fast to an exceptionally fast typist is down to one simple thing – practice. As the saying goes, ‘practice makes perfect’. However, to become an exceptionally fast typist, accuracy is key. There’s no point typing exceptionally fast if your text is littered with mistakes. KAZ’s SpeedBuilder module will allow you to build both your speed and accuracy simultaneously. Regular practice will increase your WPM with minimal errors and excel your typing to the next level.

City & Guilds Assured Typing Test 

Once you have achieved the WPM you want, take KAZ’s City & Guilds Assured typing test. On successful completion, you will be awarded a digital certificate and badge to showcase on you social media profiles, CVs and job applications by a globally recognised body.