60 seconds

Home row typing test

Nothing but a, s, d, f, g, h, j, k and l. Your fingers never have to leave the row they rest on, which makes this the best first step in touch typing and a good warm-up for anyone.

What the test is

The home row is the middle row of letters, where your fingers rest when you touch type. This test uses those nine keys and nothing else, so every word can be typed without lifting a finger off the row: glass, flask, salad, flash, shall, half. Choose 15, 30, 60 or 120 seconds above, and the clock starts on your first key.

Where your fingers go

Left hand	Right hand
Little finger on A	Index finger on J (and H)
Ring finger on S	Middle finger on K
Middle finger on D	Ring finger on L
Index finger on F (and G)	Little finger on the semicolon

Your thumbs rest on the space bar. Feel for the small bumps on F and J: they are there so you can find home without looking. Each index finger also reaches one key inwards, to G and H, and comes straight back.

Why start here

Touch typing works because each finger has its own keys and always returns to the same place. The home row is that place. If your fingers do not know it without looking, every other key is a guess, because you are reaching from somewhere slightly different each time.

A home row test strips everything else away. With no reaching up or down, all your attention goes on keeping each finger on its own key and your eyes on the screen. Ten minutes of this a day for a week does more for a new touch typist than an hour of ordinary tests, and experienced typists use it as a quick warm-up.

How to practise it

Put your fingers in place before you start. Do not look down once the clock is running.
Run 30 seconds and aim for 98% accuracy. Speed comes later.
Once that feels easy, try 60 seconds, then turn on the on-screen keyboard in Settings to check each finger is using the right key.
When you can do a minute cleanly without looking, move on. The typing lessons add the top row next, then the bottom row, and letter by letter unlocks new keys as you master the old ones.

Where to go next

The touch typing guide sets out a four-week plan that starts on this row. If you want a game instead, Balloon Pop starts with home row letters and builds up to whole words, and the left hand and right hand tests are the natural next challenge once the home row is solid.

Questions people ask

What is the home row?

The middle row of letter keys: A, S, D, F, G, H, J, K and L, plus the semicolon. In touch typing your fingers rest there between keystrokes, with your index fingers on F and J. Most keyboards put a small bump on those two keys so you can find them without looking.

Is the home row test good for beginners?

Yes. It is the easiest place to start touch typing, because every word can be typed without your fingers moving away from where they rest. Once these words feel easy without looking down, the typing lessons add the rows above and below a few keys at a time.

Why are the words so strange?

With only one vowel (a) on the home row, there are not many real words to use: glass, flask, salad, half, dash, hall, alaska. The test repeats them, which suits the purpose. The aim is to make the movements automatic, not to read something new.