Speed and time SSC asks for
From the SSC CHSL 2026 notice, paras 13.9.13.6–13.9.13.7 (checked 22 Oct 2026):
| Post | Test | Speed | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| LDC / JSA | Typing test, English | 35 words per minute (about 10,500 key depressions per hour) | 10 minutes |
| LDC / JSA | Typing test, Hindi | 30 words per minute (about 9,000 key depressions per hour) | 10 minutes |
| DEO | Data entry skill test | 8,000 or 15,000 key depressions per hour (by post) | 15 minutes |
Candidates eligible for a scribe get 5 extra minutes. Other SSC exams set their own speed in their own notice — read yours.
Full mistakes
From SSC’s Revised guidelines for evaluation of Typing Test/DEST scripts (English/Hindi) — on ssc.gov.in → For Candidates → Script Evaluation (checked 23 Oct 2026). Each of these is one full mistake:
- A word or figure left out.
- A wrong word or figure typed in place of the right one (word order swaps are counted as half — below).
- An extra word or figure that is not in the passage.
- A spelling error — a letter repeated, added, left out or changed (“spelling” typed as “speling” or “seplling”).
- A word repeated (“I shall shall be grateful”).
- An incomplete, half-typed word.
Half mistakes
- Spacing: no space between two words (“Ihope”), or a space inside a word (“I h ave”).
- Capital letters: a capital typed for a small letter or the other way round. Not applied to Hindi scripts.
- Punctuation: a punctuation mark left out, added, or changed to another one.
- Transposition: words swapped — “I hope” typed as “hope I”.
- Paragraphs: a paragraph started with spaces instead of the Tab key — half a mistake for each such paragraph.
What the guidelines do not say
They do not give how many mistakes are allowed or an error percentage. That is set in each exam’s notice — read the skill test part of your notice before the test.
Instructions to candidates (Annexure-I of the same guidelines)
- Type words, figures and years exactly as they are in the passage.
- Type in the medium you chose (English or Hindi) — no credit for the other language.
- Use the Tab key to start every paragraph.
- One space after each punctuation mark — but follow the passage.
- You need not type the passage again after finishing it; you may use the time left to correct mistakes.
- Anything typed that is not in the passage counts as a mistake.
How to practise on ToolNinja
Choose 10 or 15 minutes
10 minutes for the LDC/JSA typing test, 15 for DEO data entry.
Type a passage — or paste your own
“My own passage” lets you practise with a passage from a previous paper. For Hindi, use the Hindi typing test with Remington Gail or Inscript.
Read the SSC-style count
The result shows full mistakes, half mistakes and each one by type, plus key depressions per hour. It is practice, not SSC’s score; paragraph (Tab) errors are not counted because the box has no Tab.
Questions people ask
Is a missing comma a full or a half mistake?
Half. SSC’s guidelines count a punctuation mark left out, added or changed as half a mistake.
Does a wrong capital letter count in the Hindi typing test?
No. The guidelines say the capitalisation rule does not apply to Hindi scripts.
Is a spelling mistake full or half?
Full. Any spelling error — a letter added, left out, repeated or changed — is one full mistake.
How many mistakes are allowed in the SSC typing test?
SSC’s evaluation guidelines do not give a number. Check the skill test section of your exam’s notice.
What speed is needed for SSC CHSL LDC/JSA?
35 words per minute in English or 30 in Hindi, in 10 minutes (SSC CHSL 2026 notice, paras 13.9.13.6–13.9.13.7).