Note: This test is designed for adults, including high school students. Download this test in printable PDF format here.
What will you need for this test?
- A notebook or lined paper, one that is large enough to have room for the passage below, if you are not printing the PDF given above.
- A pen of your choice.
- A phone or any device with a stopwatch, apart from the one which will be used to read the passage below, if you are not printing the PDF given above.
The extract is given below, which has 135 words. Set the stopwatch on your phone and start it when you start writing the passage. Remember to stop the timer when you finish writing the last word.
“Around noon, I walked out of the conference room to my cubicle and saw huge flakes of snow floating onto the downtown Boise landscape. In my mind, I could imagine the squeals of delight from my two little boys at home as they dreamed of their presents and candy and played from sunrise to sunset. Rather than feeling sad, something in me snapped. There were two boxes of papers between me and my family. Suddenly, I realized I was missing one of the most important moments of my life—Christmas Eve with my wife and two boys. From that instant on, I promised myself I was going to be in the driver’s seat when it came to my career. There was no way I would allow work or poverty to control my family any longer.” – from the book Work Energy by Jim Harmer.
Some rules for a fair test
- Rules are important if you want a fair outcome in your result. Neatness and speed are both important for good handwriting. Write how you write normally. Relax your hand for a couple of seconds in between if you really need to. The condition is that it has to be at least legible by others; otherwise, scribbling out would be the fastest. Handwriting should be legible is the foremost requirement for a valid test score.
- Now, coming back to the test, get someone to help you with timing the test. It’s not a must, but I feel our minds just keep diverting to the stopwatch instead of concentrating solely on writing.
- If you’re doing it yourself, start the timer and start writing only when the time hits 10 seconds. After finishing the passage, reduce the first 10 seconds from whatever timing you’ve got on the stopwatch.
- Get on your table and chair, or something feasible to write on. If you feel that your hand can perform more if you warm it up by writing something before the test, then do it.
Result
Your handwriting in this test should be legible for a fair speed result. To calculate your handwriting speed in wpm, divide 135 (there are 135 words in the passage) by the time needed to write the passage.
For example, if you got 5 minutes and 20 seconds on your stopwatch, divide 20 seconds by 60, which converts it into 0.3 minutes, so in total you needed 3.3 minutes to complete the passage. Divide 135 by 5.3, which is around 25. This means that your speed is 25 words per minute (wpm).
Want to improve your handwriting as an adult. I’ve a free workshop for you.
My free, three-day workshop is a great starting place for any adult looking to improve handwriting. You’ll receive three simple emails, one per day for three days. Each email includes three things. What to do (a fundamental component of good penmanship), why to do (the reason the component is crucial) and how to do (your homework for that day). The best part of the workshop is that I’ll be checking your homework and replying to any of your emails looking for feedback over the course of three days.
