Typewriting Test: RBE No.113/2005 – Procedure for Conduction of

No.E(NG)I-2004/CFP/8, dated 04.07.2005

Sub: Procedure for conducting typewriting test on computers.                           

1. As the Railways are aware, in terms of extant procedure, in case of promotion from Group ‘D’ to Group ‘C’ in the Ministerial cadre and promotion of Clerks as Sr. Clerks against LDCE/ Graduate quota, the employees are required to pass the typewriting test at the speed of 30 words per minute in English or 25 words per minute in Hindi within a period of two years of their promotion on provisional basis.     

2. AIRF have raised a demand in the PNM with the Board that instead of requiring the employees to pass the typewriting test, computer training should be imparted to them within one year of selection. The matter has been considered carefully by the Ministry of Railways. While it has not been found feasible to accept the demand regarding imparting of training, it has been decided that instead of testing the typewriting skill an typewriters, the same may be tested on Personal Computers (PCs) at the speed of 40 words per minute in English or 35 words per minute in Hindi.

3. The procedure for taking the test on PCs and its evaluation as detailed in the Annexure, may be followed.

4. In case of difficulty in conducting the Test on computers, the existing procedure regarding conducting the typewriting test on typewriters will remain in force. 

ANNEXURE

Conducting of Typing Proficiency Test on Computers (PC) – Evaluation etc. – Procedure for

(1)  Candidates will be issued with a printed passage containing a minimum of 400 words or 2000 strokes in English or 350 words or 1750 stokes in Hindi. The passage may preferably be the one being regularly used in the day-to-day office working like a D.O. letter, proposal for creation of a post, etc. The passage should indicate the number of strokes at the end of each line, each para and at the end of the passage.    

(2)  The duration of the lest will be 10 minutes subject to para (3) below. Candidates will be required to type the given passage on the computer in a word-processing software within 10 minutes at the speed of 40 words per minute for English or 35 words per minute for Hindi. To arrive at the number of words typed by a candidate, 5 strokes which include spacing between words, shifting for capital letter, should be treated as one word.

(3)  Candidates will be given additional time to the extent of 5 minutes to format the typed passage in the same way as it is in the supplied hand-out and to print the passage in the printer. The following formatting features used in routine should be tested:- 

(i) indenting of paragraphs;

(ii) selected text in Bold;

(iii) underline;    

(iv) italics;     

(v) using different font type;    

(vi) using different font size;   

(vii) inserting of paragraph numbers;   

(viii) centre, left, right, justification;    

(ix) setting of left/ right margin;    

(x) line spacing of the passage, viz., single, double.    

(4)  The test should carry 50 marks out of which 10 marks should be given to quality of the formatting of final out-put and remaining 40 marks should be given to error-free printed matter/ passage.    

(5)    10 features of formatting, as listed at Para (3) above, should be tested with 1 mark each for every feature of formatting. 

(6)  There is no bar to candidates:

(i) correcting the mistakes by use of editing tools while typing the passage; and 

(ii) repeating the passage within the allotted 10 minutes time if he has finished typing the passage before time.

(7)   The speed, accuracy and mistakes should be evaluated as under:- 

(i) for one omission/ addition of word, one mark will be deducted;

(ii) for each spelling mistake, one mark will be deducted.

Note:  Mistakes to the extent of 3% of the total number of words typed in the passage will only be allowed. In case the mistakes exceed 3%, the matter should not be evaluated;

(iii)  in case of formatting features, if the candidate carries out the formatting as per the specimen, one mark each should be given. Otherwise, no marks should be given. Out of the 10 marks for the formatting features, a candidate should secure at least 6 marks to qualify;

(iv) in order to qualify the Tests the candidate should secure at least 6 out of 10 marks for formatting features and a speed of 40 words per minute in English or 35 words per minute of Hindi.

Download Railway Board Circular RBE No.113/2005

Forward reference ⇒ RBE No.19/2011,