01About this test
PSSSB Clerk typing test. Punjabi and English are both compulsory, 10 minutes each, and you must clear 30 WPM gross with 92% accuracy in both.
02Rules
- 1Duration: 10 minutes per language, with a 5-minute gap between Punjabi and English.
- 2Pass: gross speed of at least 30 WPM and accuracy of at least 92% (no more than 8% mistakes).
- 3A word is 5 characters. Each mistake costs 5 characters; a spacing error costs half of that.
- 4Full mistakes: a missing, wrong or extra word, or a missing punctuation mark. Half mistakes: spacing errors.
- 5Punjabi is typed in Raavi on the InScript keyboard. Type each vowel with its own key (Shift+E for the vowel aa), never as a carrier plus a vowel sign.
- 6In the exam the passage comes in 10 chunks of about 33 words; all 10 must be typed. Editing is allowed.
03How you are scored
Gross speed = characters typed / 5 / 10 minutes. Accuracy = (characters typed - mistakes x 5) / characters typed x 100. Pass = 30 WPM and 92%.
04Important notes
- The typing test is qualifying - its marks are not added to the merit list.
- This practice shows the whole passage at once; the real screen moves chunk by chunk.
About the PSSSB Clerk typing test
Two languages, 30 WPM gross in each, and 92% accuracy - miss either and you are out.
The Subordinate Services Selection Board, Punjab (PSSSB) recruits Clerks, Clerks (Legal), Clerk-cum-Data Entry Operators and similar posts for Punjab government departments. After the written exam, shortlisted candidates take a typing test on computer in Punjabi and English.
The Punjabi test is typed in the Raavi font on the InScript keyboard - the Unicode Gurmukhi layout, not Asees or Anmol Lipi. The test is qualifying, but both the speed and the accuracy bar must be cleared in both languages.
Exam at a glance
The official PSSSB typing-test rules in one table.
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Organisation | Subordinate Services Selection Board, Punjab (PSSSB) |
| Posts | Clerk, Clerk (Legal), Clerk-cum-DEO and similar |
| Languages | Punjabi and English - both compulsory |
| Duration | 10 minutes each, 5-minute gap between them |
| Speed | 30 WPM gross - 1,500 characters in 10 minutes |
| Accuracy | 92% or more - at most 8% mistakes |
| A word | 5 characters, spaces and punctuation included |
| Punjabi font | Raavi (Unicode) on the InScript keyboard |
| Screen | 10 chunks of about 32-34 words; type all 10 |
| Test type | Qualifying - no marks added to the merit |
From the PSSSB typing-test instructions for Clerks (Legal), Advt. No. 3/2021. Check the instructions issued with your own admit card.
Where typing fits in the selection
Your rank comes from the written exam. The typing test decides whether you keep it.
- Written examMeritObjective exam. Your merit comes from here.
- Punjabi typingQualifying10 minutes in Raavi InScript: 30 WPM gross, 92% accuracy.
- English typingQualifyingAfter a 5-minute gap: the same 30 WPM / 92% bar. Fail either language and you are out.
- Document verificationFinalCertificates checked before appointment.
What the exam screen looks like
The passage arrives three lines at a time, and you decide when to move on.
| Screen rule | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Chunks | 10 chunks of about 32-34 words, 3 lines each |
| Moving on | After typing 80% of a chunk, press Enter or the down arrow |
| Going back | Up arrow for the previous line, PgUp / PgDn for chunks |
| Editing | Allowed - fix mistakes with backspace |
| Finished early | Use the remaining time to correct mistakes |
| Not counted | Extra spaces, extra Enter keys, Shift, Alt, Backspace |
| Result | Shown instantly after the test, with all errors |
Chunks, Enter / arrow keys and editing are from the official instructions. Highlighting is not described there - practise without it.
Set up this practice test like the exam
This practice uses Raavi InScript for Punjabi, No highlighter and full backspace, and trims every passage to 330 words - the length of 10 chunks. Use Exam Mode to type Punjabi and then English with the 5-minute gap. Our screen shows the passage in one piece rather than chunk by chunk, so practise pacing yourself to about 33 words a minute and finish the whole passage.
Practise the 10-minute tests
Take the Punjabi and English tests and see your gross speed, accuracy and every full and half mistake, marked the PSSSB way.
How speed and accuracy are worked out
The official PSSSB formula. Every mistake costs 5 characters.
| Quantity | Formula |
|---|---|
| Gross characters | All characters typed (extra spaces, Enter, Shift, Backspace not counted) |
| Error characters | Mistakes x 5 (a spacing error counts as half a mistake) |
| Net characters | Gross characters - error characters |
| Gross speed | Gross characters / (5 x 10 minutes) |
| Accuracy | Net characters / gross characters x 100 |
Gross speed is always a whole number - the decimals are dropped, so 298 characters in 10 minutes is 29 WPM, not 29.8.
Which mistakes count
Your typing is compared word by word with the passage.
| Mistake | Example | Counts as |
|---|---|---|
| Omitted word | Leaving out a word | Full (5 characters) |
| Wrong word | Typing "son" for "daughter" | Full |
| Extra word | Typing a word that is not in the passage | Full |
| Missing punctuation | Dropping a comma or a danda | Full |
| Spacing | Joining two words, or splitting one | Half (2.5 characters) |
For Punjabi, a missing or extra lagaan-maatraa, addak, bindi or tippi makes the whole word wrong.
Type each Punjabi vowel with one key
The official rule most candidates have never heard of: a vowel built from a carrier and a vowel sign is wrong.
| Vowel | Correct key | Not acceptable |
|---|---|---|
| ਆ | Shift + E | ਅ + ਾ |
| ਐ | Shift + W | ਅ + ੈ |
| ਔ | Shift + Q | ਅ + ੌ |
| ਇ | Shift + F | ੲ + ਿ |
| ਈ | Shift + R | ੲ + ੀ |
| ਏ | Shift + S | ੲ + ੇ |
| ਉ | Shift + G | ੳ + ੁ |
| ਊ | Shift + T | ੳ + ੂ |
| ਓ | Shift + A | ੳ + ੋ |
From the PSSSB instructions. The two forms look the same on screen but are different Unicode text, so the software marks the built form as a mistake.
Worked example: an English test that clears
Gross speed = gross characters / (5 x 10)
Error characters = mistakes x 5
Accuracy = (gross - error characters) / gross x 100
- Test length
- 10 minutes
- Characters typed
- 1,650
- Mistakes
- 8 full, 2 spacing (half)
- Gross speed1,650 / 50= 33 WPM
- Mistakes8 + 2 x 0.5= 9
- Error characters9 x 5= 45
- Accuracy(1,650 - 45) / 1,650 x 100= 97.27%
- Checks33 vs 30, 97.27% vs 92%= both clear
TipAt 1,650 characters you could make up to 26 mistakes and still stay at 92%.
Worked example: a Punjabi test that fails on accuracy
Gross speed = gross characters / (5 x 10)
Error characters = mistakes x 5
Accuracy = (gross - error characters) / gross x 100
- Test length
- 10 minutes
- Characters typed
- 1,580
- Mistakes
- 26 full, 4 spacing (half)
- Gross speed1,580 / 50 = 31.6= 31 WPM
- Mistakes26 + 4 x 0.5= 28
- Error characters28 x 5= 140
- Accuracy(1,580 - 140) / 1,580 x 100= 91.14%
- Checks31 vs 30, 91.14% vs 92%= accuracy short
TipWith 1,580 characters the limit is 25 mistakes. Three fewer would have passed.
The mistake that fails most candidates
Racing the Punjabi test. 92% accuracy allows only about one mistake in every 12 words, and in Gurmukhi a single missing tippi, bindi or addak makes the whole word wrong. Type at a steady 33-35 WPM, check each word before the space, and spend any time left at the end correcting mistakes - the instructions say you may.
A four-week preparation plan
Four weeks from the InScript keyboard to a clean 30 WPM in both languages.
| Week | Focus | Punjabi | English | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Punjabi lessons: home, top and bottom rows, then the lagaan-maatraan. | 15 WPM | 30 WPM | Any |
| Week 2 | Tippi, bindi, addak, the vowel keys and subjoined letters. 5-minute tests. | 22 WPM | 32 WPM | 90% |
| Week 3 | Full 10-minute tests, no highlighter. Correct mistakes in the last minute. | 28 WPM | 34 WPM | 93% |
| Week 4 | Daily Exam Mode: Punjabi, 5-minute break, English. | 32+ WPM | 36+ WPM | 95% |
What to practise, and what to avoid
Habits that protect a 92% accuracy score.
Do this
- Practise Punjabi on Raavi InScript - the only layout the board accepts.
- Type every vowel with its own key, for example Shift+E for the vowel aa.
- Type all 10 chunks - finishing the passage is a condition of passing.
- Use leftover time to correct mistakes.
- Watch the space after commas and the danda - wrong spacing is a mistake.
Avoid this
- Practising on Asees or Anmol Lipi - their keys are different.
- Building a vowel from a carrier and a vowel sign.
- Skipping a hard word - an omission is a full mistake.
- Typing faster than you can keep 92% accuracy.
Frequently asked questions
What typing speed is required for PSSSB Clerk?
A gross speed of 30 WPM in both Punjabi and English, with at least 92% accuracy, in a 10-minute test for each language.
Which Punjabi font and keyboard does PSSSB use?
Unicode Raavi font on the InScript keyboard. Asees, Anmol Lipi and phonetic keyboards are not what the test uses.
How does PSSSB calculate accuracy?
Each mistake costs 5 characters (a spacing error 2.5). Accuracy = (characters typed - error characters) / characters typed x 100. Example: 1,650 characters with 9 mistakes = (1,650 - 45) / 1,650 = 97.27%.
How is gross speed calculated?
Characters typed divided by 5, divided by 10 minutes, with the decimals dropped. 1,500 characters = 30 WPM; 1,498 characters = 29 WPM.
What counts as a mistake?
Full: a missing, wrong or extra word, and a missing punctuation mark. Half: a spacing error. In Punjabi, a missing or extra vowel sign, addak, bindi or tippi makes the whole word wrong.
What are the chunks in the PSSSB typing test?
The passage is shown in 10 chunks of about 32-34 words, three lines each. After typing 80% of a chunk you press Enter to move on, and you must type all 10 chunks to be eligible.
Can I correct mistakes in the PSSSB typing test?
Yes. Editing is allowed, you can move back with the arrow and Page Up / Page Down keys, and you may use any time left after the last chunk to correct mistakes.
Why is my Punjabi vowel marked wrong when it looks right?
PSSSB requires each vowel to be typed with its own key - for example ਆ with Shift+E. A vowel built from a carrier and a vowel sign (ਅ + ਾ) looks the same but is different text, and is marked wrong.
Is the typing test qualifying?
Yes. Its marks are not added to the merit list, but you must clear it in both languages.
Is there a break between the Punjabi and English tests?
Yes, a 5-minute gap. Exam Mode on this page runs the two tests with the same break.
How do I learn Punjabi typing on the InScript keyboard?
Start with the Punjabi typing lessons on 91Typing: nine tracks from the home row through the vowel signs, tippi / bindi / addak and subjoined letters, all on Raavi InScript.
Is this the official PSSSB typing software?
No. 91Typing is an independent practice platform. It follows the published rules - 10 minutes, 30 WPM gross, 92% accuracy, 5 characters per mistake - so your practice reads the way the real test will. The chunk-by-chunk screen is not reproduced.
Official source: Subordinate Services Selection Board, Punjab (PSSSB), Mohali
Ready to practise?
Your speed, accuracy and mistakes are scored the moment you finish.