What determines how fast a person can type?

There is a maximum amount of words per minute a person will be able to reach after learning touch typing. This maximum depends on four factors.

Age.

A child has shorter fingers than an adult, which makes it more difficult to type at a high speed. Don’t let this upset you if you are still a kid. Being young also has a big plus: you will learn to touch type a lot faster than most adults!

Practice.

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect and touch typing is no exception to this. The more time spent typing, the higher the ease with which each letter is found, and the fewer the amount of mistakes that are made.

Being relaxed.

This might seem simple, but can be very challenging. Just being in the moment and letting your fingers find the right keys without thinking will increase typing speed. The opposite is also the case. Psychological factors that affect concentration, such as being worried or stressed, can have a negative impact on the speed with which texts are typed.

Every person is different.

Some people are naturally talented to develop this skill and with just a little practice they will reach a typing speed that takes others much longer.

However, no matter if you are young or old, naturally talented or not, you are sure to benefit from the speed increase you can achieve by learning touch typing.