KDPH ↔ WPM Conversion — The Complete Chart for Indian Typing Exams
Railway Board notifications and SSC DEST notifications use KDPH (Key Depressions Per Hour) instead of WPM. Here's the exact formula, conversion chart, and how to interpret your practice scores against both units.
Why two units exist
WPM (Words Per Minute) is the candidate-facing unit — how most typing tools and coaching institutes report speed. KDPH (Key Depressions Per Hour) is the administration-facing unit used by Railway Board and older SSC rulebooks because it avoids the fuzzy definition of a "word" (is a 6-letter word the same as a 3-letter word? By keystrokes, no).
The convention: 1 "standard word" = 5 characters (including spaces and punctuation). So 30 WPM = 30 × 5 = 150 characters per minute = 150 × 60 = 9,000 key depressions per hour.
The conversion chart
| WPM | KDPH (English) | KDPH (Hindi approx.) | Typical exam it matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 6,000 | 5,700 | Informatics Assistant (Rajasthan) |
| 25 | 7,500 | 7,125 | UPSSSC JA / UPPRPB SI / RRB NTPC Hindi |
| 30 | 9,000 | 8,550 | UPPRPB CO / RRB NTPC English / SSC CHSL Hindi |
| 35 | 10,500 | 9,975 | SSC CHSL English |
| 40 | 12,000 | 11,400 | Above average typist |
| 45 | 13,500 | 12,825 | Fast typist |
| 50 | 15,000 | 14,250 | SSC CGL DEST (C&AG) / DEO |
| 55 | 16,500 | 15,675 | Expert |
| 60 | 18,000 | 17,100 | Professional transcriptionist |
| 65 | 19,500 | 18,525 | Competitive typist |
| 70 | 21,000 | 19,950 | Court stenographer level |
The Hindi correction — 5% less KDPH at the same WPM
Hindi passages use conjunct characters (क्ष, त्र, ज्ञ, श्र) which count as 1 "character" in WPM arithmetic but take 2–3 keystrokes in Kruti Dev and 2 keystrokes in Inscript. Averaged over a normal passage, Hindi typing generates ~95% of the KDPH that English does at the same WPM.
This is why 30 WPM Hindi is notified as ~8,550 KDPH (not 9,000) in many RRB / UPPRPB rulebooks — the 5% correction is baked into the conversion.
Practical targets by exam
- Informatics Assistant (Rajasthan) — 20 WPM: Practise to 6,500 KDPH English or 6,250 KDPH Hindi for comfortable margin.
- UPSSSC JA / UPPRPB SI — 25 WPM: Practise to 8,000 KDPH Hindi.
- UPPRPB CO — 30 WPM bilingual: Practise to 9,500 KDPH in both languages.
- SSC CHSL Hindi — 30 WPM: Practise to 9,500 KDPH Hindi.
- SSC CHSL English — 35 WPM: Practise to 11,000 KDPH English.
- SSC CGL DEST (C&AG) — 15,000 KDPH: Practise to 16,500 KDPH (≈ 55 WPM).
- SSC CGL DEST (non-C&AG) — 8,000 KDPH: Practise to 9,000 KDPH (≈ 30 WPM).
Do errors count in KDPH?
It varies. Two patterns:
- Gross KDPH: All key depressions counted, errors included. Used by some older RRB notifications.
- Net KDPH: Key depressions minus penalty for errors (typically 5 keystrokes penalty per error). Used by 2024+ RRB and SSC DEST notifications.
Check your specific notification PDF for the definition. Default assumption in 2026 for new notifications: Net KDPH with 5-keystroke penalty per full error, 2.5 keystrokes per half-error.
Quick mental math
- Divide KDPH by 1,000 then multiply by 3.33 → gets you WPM approximately. e.g., 8,000 KDPH ≈ 26.7 WPM.
- Multiply WPM by 300 → gets you English KDPH exactly. e.g., 35 WPM × 300 = 10,500.
- For Hindi: multiply WPM by 285 → gets Hindi-adjusted KDPH. e.g., 30 WPM × 285 = 8,550.
Check your KDPH on a live test → Hindi Kruti Dev test
Frequently asked questions
What is KDPH in typing test?
Key Depressions Per Hour — the total number of keystrokes (including spaces and punctuation) divided by the time in hours. Used by Railway Board and some SSC notifications as the speed metric instead of WPM.
How do you convert KDPH to WPM?
WPM = KDPH ÷ 300, because 1 word = 5 characters × 60 minutes/hour = 300 key depressions per hour. 8,000 KDPH = ~26.7 WPM.
Is 8000 KDPH same as 30 WPM?
No. 8,000 KDPH = 26.67 WPM. 30 WPM = 9,000 KDPH exactly for English.
Does 10500 KDPH mean 35 WPM?
Yes. 35 WPM × 300 = 10,500 KDPH. This is the SSC CHSL English typing target.
Why is Hindi KDPH lower than English at the same WPM?
Hindi conjunct characters (क्ष, त्र, ज्ञ) take more keystrokes per rendered character in both Kruti Dev and Mangal, so a 30 WPM Hindi typist generates ~5% fewer KDPH than a 30 WPM English typist.
What is the KDPH target for SSC CGL DEST?
8,000 KDPH for non-C&AG DEO posts and 15,000 KDPH for C&AG posts. Both measured in English on numeric + text passages.
Do errors reduce KDPH?
In 2024+ SSC and RRB notifications, yes — Net KDPH subtracts a 5-keystroke penalty per full error and 2.5 per half error. Older Gross KDPH counted all keystrokes regardless.