Program description

   This program is designed to test your typing speed and error rate while copying a text. The rules of assessment in this program are those used by the National Institute of Technical Education. When developing this program we also worked with the State Shorthand Institute. Assessment of the text copied has been work out in such as way so as to conform to the existing educational norms.

   The program acts like a perfect testing tool. Prior to the actual copying, you have to set a number of optional parameters.

• Backspace and Delete
• cursor arrows, Home and End (under cursor movement)
• Enter
• F5 ("Pause", which is used to interrupt the timer).

   The editor also provides an elaborate way of presenting the sample text. The scrolling of the sample text is arranged to be continual and so the user will not waste time browsing the pages. When the continual scrolling of text is started, the program highlights the next word to be copied and the scrolling proceeds automatically.

• the text file containing the sample text
• time limit for copying
• rules for the calculation of net speed
• definition of scores for individual characters
• data on the user doing the test

   Throughout the test, the status bar at the bottom of the main window will keep displaying the basic data set on the editor as well as the running time.

• font type
• font size
• text color
• background color
• marking color

   The marking color is used to highlight the cursor and the individual errors.

• Part 1 (the upper window) contains the sample text
• Part 2 (the lower window) contains the text either as it is being written by the user or as the final result after assessment.

   The final result after assessment is shown every time the test is over. It highlights all the errors made. The upper figure on each line tells you the error count on the respective line, the lower figure gives the number of gross strokes. These statistics are cumulative, that is, they add up with each new line.

• Text in excess - is underlined twice (characters "mm").
• Text missing - is marked by right bracket (character "h").
• Text altered - is underlined only once (character "v").

   The Text in excess is not counted among the gross strokes. Therefore, the text in our example has been awarded thirteen strokes. Letter "L" is worth two point, the others are worth one point only. (The grading of individual characters has to be defined before the start of each test in the "Characters" section.) Consequently, the line contains characters worth the total of 13 points and 3 errors, as indicated at the beginning of the line.

   The differences between words can easily be checked by means of a special function, whereby the upper window will automatically scroll to that word on which you have clicked in the lower window.

   As soon as the copying has finished, you can review the course of the whole test. It is enough to click on Re-Play , where there are commands facilitating the re-play of the entire text written. The text gradually moves through the lower window. In the course of test, the program recorded data on every stroke made including the time needed. As a result, the re-play is able to replicate the original pattern of typing speed quite faithfully.

   All the above data can be saved in the Results file with the extension of ".2tst" so that you can always check the results already achieved. It can be done using a command in the menu of "Load Results".

   The "File" menu offers a lot of possibilities. The program is able to save the text copied in a text file so you may compare two text files of a similar content.

Test Files

   You may wish to create your own test. If you do, the file will be coded, assigned an unambiguous identification number and will bear the extension of "ttst". The test may then be tried by a number of users and their respective results may be compared. During the test, the editor will be set in a particular way in order to give equal conditions to all those taking part, which guarantees that the comparison will indeed be just.

   The test you have prepared can be activated by means of the command "Load Typing Test" (the F4 key).

   Before you start copying, you can read the description of the test, information about its author, limits set on the editor, the method of calculating net strokes, the league table of the best users on the Internet, etc. The only data you are allowed to edit are those about yourself in the "User" section. You will be given enough time to see the whole text, choose the colors and font sizes in the editor. And as soon as you have closed the "Start" dialogue, the time will get counted.

Internet

   The Internet lists all the tests that have been made public. A table of the best results is attached to each test. Every test file comes complete with information on its level of difficulty and its popularity with the users. You can compare the best results over a chosen period of time.

   After a successful completion of a test, you may register your result on the Internet in the corresponding table of the best results. The assessment may also be sent out. If the test is not popular, it will appear at the bottom of the list of publicly available tests.