Many clerical government jobs add a typing or skill test after the written exam. For SSC CGL's DEST the bar is 2,000 key depressions in 15 minutes (about 8,000 per hour); for SSC CHSL typing it is 35 WPM in English or 30 WPM in Hindi. These tests are almost always qualifying — pass or fail, not added to merit. The conversion to remember: 1 word = 5 key depressions, so WPM × 300 = key depressions per hour. This guide covers DEST, CPT, stenographer speeds, the KD-to-WPM math, and the Mangal vs Krutidev Hindi layouts.
By Hiteshi Thakur, Senior Editor — Skill Test & Eligibility. Published 25 June 2026. Last verified 25 June 2026.
In short
- Many clerical government jobs add a typing or skill test after the written exam. For SSC CGL's DEST, the bar is 2,000 key depressions in 15 minutes (about 8,000 per hour); for SSC CHSL typing, it is 35 WPM in English or 30 WPM in Hindi.
- These tests are almost always qualifying — pass or fail. They are not added to your merit score; the written marks decide your rank.
- The conversion to remember: 1 word = 5 key depressions, so WPM × 300 = key depressions per hour (35 WPM ≈ 10,500 KD/hr).
- For Hindi, the font and layout depend on the exam: Mangal + Inscript for SSC and most central exams, Krutidev + Remington for many state exams and courts.
If your target government job is a clerk, data entry operator, assistant or stenographer post, clearing the written exam is only part of the battle — you will likely face a typing or skill test too. Candidates underestimate it every year and lose an otherwise-secured seat at the final stage. The good news: the standards are fixed, well-published, and very achievable with a few weeks of practice. This guide explains what DEST and CPT are, the exact speed each major exam demands, and how key depressions translate into words per minute.
What a skill test is — and why it is usually only qualifying
A skill test checks whether you can actually do the clerical work the post requires — type at a usable speed and accuracy, or take and transcribe dictation. The crucial thing to understand is its weight: in almost every major exam (SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, SSC Stenographer, DSSSB), the skill test is qualifying only. You must pass it to be eligible, but your typing speed is not added to your merit. Your rank is decided by the written/computer-based exam; the skill test is a gate, not a scoring round. (A few state or court recruitments may treat it differently, so check the specific notice.)
SSC CGL — Data Entry Skill Test (DEST)
The DEST is required for the Tax Assistant post under SSC CGL. The standard:
- 2,000 key depressions in 15 minutes, which works out to roughly 8,000 key depressions per hour.
- A short practice passage precedes the actual test so you can settle into the keyboard.
- It is qualifying — you pass or you do not; it does not add to your merit.
In plain speed terms, 8,000 KD/hour is about 26–27 words per minute of accurate English typing — a comfortable target with regular practice.
SSC CHSL — typing test
SSC CHSL recruits the office posts — LDC, JSA, PA, SA and DEO — and its skill test is a typing test:
- 35 WPM in English or 30 WPM in Hindi, taken over 10 minutes (15 minutes for scribe-eligible candidates).
- Expressed in key depressions, 35 WPM ≈ 10,500 KD/hour and 30 WPM ≈ 9,000 KD/hour.
- For DEO posts, the requirement is typically the 8,000 KD/hour data-entry standard — with one notable exception: DEO Grade 'A' in the office of the C&AG demands a much higher 15,000 KD/hour. That high-speed benchmark is the outlier, not the norm.
- Again, qualifying only.
SSC Stenographer — shorthand skill test
Stenographer posts test a different skill: shorthand dictation and transcription.
- Grade C: 100 WPM dictation; Grade D: 80 WPM dictation, taken over 10 minutes.
- You then transcribe the dictated passage on a computer within a set time.
- A small margin of error is permitted (around 7% for English and 10% for Hindi); the exact transcription times and error rules are set out in SSC's stenography evaluation guidelines, so refer to the current notice for precise figures.
DSSSB and state/court typing tests
- DSSSB LDC/JSA: 35 WPM English (10,500 KD/hr) or 30 WPM Hindi (9,000 KD/hr) over 10 minutes, with Hindi posts using the Mangal font on a Unicode layout. Qualifying.
- High Court / District Court posts: there is no single national standard — each High Court sets its own WPM and font (Hindi-belt courts often use Krutidev/Remington). Common patterns are around 35 WPM English and 25–30 WPM Hindi, but you must check the specific court's notification rather than assume.
Key depressions vs WPM — the conversion
Notifications mix two units — words per minute (WPM) and key depressions (KD). The bridge between them is a simple convention:
1 "word" = 5 key depressions (including spaces). So WPM × 5 = KD per minute, and WPM × 300 = KD per hour.
That gives you:
- 35 WPM = 10,500 KD/hour
- 30 WPM = 9,000 KD/hour
- 8,000 KD/hour ≈ 26–27 WPM
Knowing this lets you read any notification's standard in whichever unit you practise in.
English vs Hindi — fonts and layouts
If your post involves Hindi typing, the font and keyboard layout matter as much as speed, and they differ by exam:
- Mangal font + Inscript layout — the Unicode standard, used by SSC and most central exams. Inscript is a standardised layout you learn fresh.
- Krutidev font + Remington (Gail) layout — the legacy typewriter mapping, still common in state exams (UP, Rajasthan, MP) and several High Courts. Remington relies on memorised typewriter key positions.
Practising on the wrong layout is a common, avoidable mistake — find out which one your exam uses before you start. Note too that the Hindi speed floors are set lower (30 WPM vs 35 in English) because Hindi has more conjunct characters per word, making each keystroke heavier.
How to prepare
The skill test rewards steady daily practice more than cramming:
- Confirm your exam's exact standard and, for Hindi, the font/layout.
- Practise on typing software that mimics the test interface (many exams use a "blind" mode where errors appear only after you submit).
- Build accuracy first, then speed — errors above the permitted margin fail you even at high speed.
- Take timed mock passages until you comfortably clear the target with a margin.
Because the skill test is the final gate before selection, treating it as an afterthought is how secured candidates fall at the last hurdle. The same end-stage diligence applies to document verification, the other step that quietly eliminates candidates late in the process.
Why this matters
A typing or skill test is one of the most controllable parts of a government selection — the standard is fixed, public, and reachable with a few weeks of focused practice. Know your exam's exact requirement, practise on the right font and layout, and build accuracy before speed. To understand the posts these tests lead to, see our guides to Group A/B/C/D classification and SSC CGL salary by post. To browse current clerical and DEO openings, start at the jobs board.
Typing and Skill Test: हिंदी सारांश
कई क्लर्क/डाटा-एंट्री सरकारी नौकरियों में लिखित परीक्षा के बाद टाइपिंग/स्किल टेस्ट होता है। SSC CGL DEST: 15 मिनट में 2000 की-डिप्रेशन (≈8000 प्रति घंटा); SSC CHSL टाइपिंग: 35 WPM अंग्रेज़ी या 30 WPM हिंदी। ये टेस्ट लगभग हमेशा क्वालिफाइंग होते हैं — मेरिट में नहीं जुड़ते, सिर्फ पास/फेल। रूपांतरण: 1 शब्द = 5 की-डिप्रेशन, इसलिए WPM × 300 = KD/घंटा (35 WPM ≈ 10,500)। हिंदी के लिए फॉन्ट/लेआउट परीक्षा पर निर्भर — SSC व अधिकांश केंद्रीय परीक्षाओं में Mangal + Inscript, कई राज्य परीक्षाओं/कोर्ट में Krutidev + Remington। स्टेनोग्राफर Grade C = 100 WPM, Grade D = 80 WPM श्रुतलेख। सही लेआउट पर अभ्यास करें और गति से पहले सटीकता बनाएँ।