Typing diagnostic

Typing diagnostic · English · Form A

Three conditions, 45 seconds each

The same fixed text for everyone. Each part changes exactly one thing about what you are typing, so the difference between them shows which condition costs you speed — not just how fast you are overall.

  • 1FlowCommon lowercase words. Your ceiling with nothing in the way.
  • 2Natural textReal prose: capitals, commas, apostrophes.
  • 3PrecisionDigits, symbols, brackets, dates and identifiers.

A valid run needs uninterrupted keyboard input. Pasting, leaving the field, or switching tabs makes the run practice-only. Results stay in this browser.

Three timed conditions, 45 seconds each. The same fixed text for everyone, and one sentence at the end telling you which condition costs you the most speed.

Before you start

Set aside about three minutes without interruption. The protocol is built for an English physical keyboard with typing assistance switched off, and a run has to reach all three deadlines to count. Pasting, switching tabs, leaving the typing field or an input-method composition makes the run practice-only — not because those are cheating, but because the timing they produce cannot be interpreted.

The clock on each stage starts at your first keystroke, not when you press the button, so there is no penalty for settling in.

What each stage is for

Flow is lowercase common words with no punctuation or digits: it establishes the ceiling the other two are measured against. Natural text adds capitals, commas and apostrophes. Precision adds digits, currency, brackets, dates and identifiers. Only one thing changes at each step, which is what makes the drop from one to the next attributable to something specific.

What the result means, and what it does not

The report describes copying performance on these passages under this protocol. It is not a population rank, a credential, or a measure of writing ability, and repetition will make fixed text familiar enough to flatter a later run.

Every metric states the evidence it needs, and withholds itself below that. If nothing crosses a reporting threshold, the report says no single condition stands out instead of promoting the least-good number to a diagnosis.

Method and privacy

The methodology page publishes every formula, threshold and validity rule used here — read it before drawing conclusions from a result. Keystroke traces are processed in your browser and never uploaded; only bounded summaries are saved to local storage so a later run has something to compare against.

Keep going

Frequently asked questions

Why did my run end early?

A stage was interrupted — usually a click outside the typing field, a tab switch, or a paste. The three conditions are only interpretable against each other, so a partial set is discarded rather than reported as a diagnosis.

Can I take it more than once?

Yes, and a second valid run is what unlocks the before-and-after comparison. Be aware that the passages are fixed, so familiarity will raise a repeated score by itself.

Why 45 seconds rather than a minute?

Three stages have to fit into a sitting people will actually finish. 45 seconds is long enough to clear the evidence thresholds for pace and correction cost while keeping the whole diagnostic near three minutes.