TYPING LESSONS FAQs

So, you’re thinking about taking typing lessons, or gifting lessons to someone you love. First, you have questions.

There are many frequently asked questions about taking typing lessons online. I’m going to do my best to answer them here.

Can you really learn how to type with an online tutor?

Hi! Mary Lou here. Yes! I have taught over 100 students in one-on-one sessions how to go from hunt-and-peck to touch-typing success!

Don’t just believe me, this is what one of my typing students wrote:

Sierra                            5 stars

Mary Lou has been an excellent typing teacher from day one. She has always been kind, patient and instructive, helping me hone my skills at each stage of the learning process. With her help, I went from having no knowledge of touch typing to knowing the full keyboard and being confident enough in my skills to use them in my job and other day-to-day tasks. I would highly recommend Mary Lou if you’re looking for an instructor for this skill.

You can go to the class page to read more testimonials.

What is touch-typing?

Touch-typing is a technique that relies on muscle memory to allow a person to type without looking at the keyboard. Bumps on the F and J keys serve as touchstones to keep you on the “home row.” From this home row position, you learn where the other keys are located.

A proficient typist has mastered this motor skill, so it becomes an automated cognitive process, pretty much like riding a bicycle. You don’t think about what you’re doing when you type, you just do it.

Why is typing important for students?

Typing quickly and accurately allows students to complete assignments and tasks more swiftly. This efficiency gives them more time to focus on understanding the content and refining their work.

Why are the letters all jumbled up?

The keys on a keyboard are arranged in a “QWERTY” layout because this design was originally created to prevent the type bars on old mechanical typewriters from jamming when typing common letter combinations quickly, by placing frequently used letters far apart from each other on the keyboard. Essentially, the layout was designed to avoid mechanical issues on early typewriters.

Despite newer technologies eliminating the jamming issue, the QWERTY layout has persisted because most people are already accustomed to it.

 

Do you teach younger children?

I respect you as the parents to know your child.

Ask yourself: Are they old enough to sit still for 30 minutes? Are they interested in learning how to touch-type? Are their hands big enough to reach the letters and numbers while maintaining home row? If you have 3 yes-es, then I’ll be glad to work with your child. I will also keep an open dialogue with you during their typing lessons so that you know at all times what their progress is.

 

Can you teach a group of people at once?

Online typing lessons are best if limited to only one student. This allows me to give my students the one-on-one experience they expect from this course. The most I am able to do is two.

What speed can I expect to be typing when I finish the course?

First, I want to remind you that it’s more important to concentrate on accuracy. As you increase your level of accuracy, your speed will increase. This is in part because you will not have to go back to correct those errors.

If you complete all of the lessons and practice faithfully, you can expect to be typing at an intermediate speed. Please refer to the chart below.

Age	Beginner	Intermediate	Expert	Accuracy
6 – 11 years	15 – 24 wpm	25 – 34 wpm	35 + wpm	85% +
12 – 16 years	30 – 39 wpm	40 – 49 wpm	50 + wpm	90%+
17 +	45 – 54 wpm	55 – 59 wpm	60 + wpm	95%+

wpm: words per minute

The overall average typing speed of everyone in the world is between 42wpm and 52wpm.

What is WPM?

WPM stands for “words per minute.” This is the abbreviation used as a unit of measurement for typing speed.

Can you teach me to type 120 wpm?

120wpm is considered to be a competitive speed and requires hours of dedicated practice (think of it as any high-level sport). Fewer than 5% of typists type over 100wpm.

So, can I teach you to type 120wpm? In theory, yes. I can teach you the skills and coach you, but it’s up to you to make the count!

 

What is your typing speed?

The last time that I was tested, I scored 86 wpm with 100% accuracy. For adults, 45wpm is Beginner, 55wpm is Intermediate, and 60wpm is Expert. I am an Expert.

How do you determine my typing speed?

Once you have learned all of the letters of the alphabet, then we can begin doing typing tests. A typing test is a practical test – a paragraph – to measure a person’s speed and accuracy when typing text. Since different words have a different number of letters, it was long ago determined that we would count the number of characters in the paragraph and divide by 5 to determine the number of “words” in the text.

I see that classes are scheduled for 30 minutes; can I take a longer class?

I do not at this time have an offering for a longer class available. If that changes in the future, I will update this answer.

Actually, I find that a 30-minute class works best for most students, especially when they are first learning, because their hands get tired from this new muscle usage.

It has been found that practicing regularly in short bursts is more effective than in a few longer training sessions. Over-training can result in more mistakes and decreased alertness.

Can I take more than one class per week?

Yes, but I recommend no more than twice per week and separate them by a few days. Plan your classes as Monday & Thursday, Tuesday & Friday, or Wednesday & Saturday.

Is there homework?

Ideally, you will practice daily for 10 – 20 minutes. By consistently practicing, you will see results in one to three months.

I email practice exercises after every class that include words and sentences with the letters you have learned so far.

I also ask each student to create a new sentence each week. Some of the best sentences on those practice pages have come from past students!

What will I learn in the first lesson?

In the first lesson, you will be taught the home row keys, space, return, and shift. After that, most lessons are 2-3 keys.

How do I begin?

Find home row. The first finger on your left hand goes on F and the first finger of your right hand goes on J. Feel the bumps on those keys? They help you to find those keys without looking.

Now, try typing: fff fff fff fff fff fff fff fff fff. Then jjj jjj jjj jjj jjj jjj jjj jjj jjj. Next exercise: fff jjj fff jjj (repeat). Now try: fj fj fj fj fj.

Ready for more? Sign up and let’s work together!

Do you have a question?

Do you have a question that I haven’t answered here? Please submit your question in the comments and I’d be glad to add your question and my answer to this post.