SSC CHSL Typing Test — pick your language
Every CHSL applicant takes the typing test in exactly one of three formats — English, Hindi Mangal Unicode, or Hindi Kruti Dev. The language is locked at the application stage. Pick the wrong one and you may clear Tier 1 only to stumble at the keyboard. This page walks you through the choice, then routes you to the practice page that fits your application.
- Test duration
- 10 minutes
- English cutoff
- 35 WPM Net
- Hindi cutoff
- 30 WPM Net
- Backspace
- Allowed (2022+)
Choose your typing test
Each card below links to a practice page with that exact language and font preloaded. Start with the one matching your application form.
English Typing
- QWERTY keyboard, standard Unicode font
- ~70% of CHSL applicants choose this
- Transfers to banking, RRB, DSSSB, KVS exam practice
- 10-minute test, ~2,000 keystrokes target
- Backspace allowed since 2022 clarification
हिंदी टाइपिंग
- मंगल (इनस्क्रिप्ट) और कृति देव (रेमिंगटन) — दोनों लेआउट एक ही पेज पर
- अपना लेआउट चुनें और उसी फॉन्ट में सीधे टेस्ट शुरू करें
- इ-मात्रा का क्रम — मंगल में व्यंजन के बाद, कृति देव में पहले
- 30 WPM नेट, 10-मिनट पैसेज — दोनों लेआउट के लिए समान
- DSSSB, KVS, स्टेनोग्राफर, कोर्ट-क्लर्क सहित हिंदी एग्ज़ाम में उपयोगी
Which one fits you
If you are still deciding at the application stage, run through this checklist before submitting. Once submitted, your language cannot be changed.
The honest decision tree
Aspirants overthink this choice. The right answer comes from one question: which language do you type faster in, today? Not which you understand better — typing speed is the bottleneck for clearing Tier 2, not literary skill. Below are the patterns we have seen across thousands of practice sessions.
Rules that apply across all three languages
The language changes the keyboard layout and the cutoff. Everything below stays identical regardless of which version you picked.
10 minutes, single passage
The test runs in one block of 10 minutes with a single passage of ~2,000 keystrokes. The clock starts when the candidate begins typing. There is no pause, no second attempt, no extended time for late starters.
Backspace is allowed
Per the 2022 SSC clarification, backspace is permitted. But every keystroke including corrections counts toward Gross WPM. Use it only for obvious typos. Word-level errors are faster to leave and accept the penalty.
Net WPM scoring
Final score is Net WPM, not Gross. Net WPM = Gross − (full-mistake errors ÷ minutes). Every wrong character and every omitted character counts as a full mistake. Two errors per minute drops you 2 Net WPM.
Qualifying only
The typing test is qualifying. Final CHSL merit is decided on Tier 1 + Tier 2 marks. Missing the typing cutoff removes you from the cycle, but exceeding it adds nothing to your final rank. Aim safely above the cutoff to absorb exam-day jitters.
5 keystrokes = 1 word
SSC uses the fixed convention of 5 keystrokes per word for WPM scoring. This is independent of real word boundaries. Type 1,750 correct characters in 10 minutes → 350 words → 35 WPM. The same rule applies in English and Hindi.
No custom keyboard
The exam centre provides the keyboard. You cannot bring your own. Practise on a full-size desktop keyboard, not a laptop chiclet keyboard, for the last 2 weeks before Tier 2 — the muscle-memory transfer matters.
What this typing test actually feels like
Aspirants prepare for SSC CHSL Tier 2 typing as if it were a sprint. It is not. It is a 10-minute paragraph of formal administrative or economic prose, written in long sentences with standard punctuation, and your job is to type it accurately while a clock runs.
The hardest minute is the eighth. By then, your initial adrenaline has flattened, your fingers are warm but tired, and the passage is still going. Most candidates who fail clear Tier 2 typing fail in minutes 7-10 — not because they are slow, but because their accuracy drops as fatigue sets in. The countermeasure is straightforward: practise daily 10-minute sessions for the four weeks before the test. Sprint drills of three minutes feel productive but do not build the stamina that decides exam day.
The second pattern we see across thousands of practice runs is the error cascade. A candidate makes one typo, panics, tries to backspace, fumbles three characters, then loses position in the passage. Suddenly they have 8 errors in 30 seconds. The fix: when you mistype, do not look back. Continue. Accept the error. The 1-word penalty is smaller than the 5-second recovery from disorientation.
Language-specific notes
If you picked English: passages are formal prose at roughly 8th-grade reading level. Sentences run 15-25 words. Punctuation is conservative — commas, periods, the occasional semicolon. Em-dashes, quotation marks, and parenthetical asides almost never appear in CHSL passages.
If you picked Hindi Mangal: passages use Devanagari Unicode with InScript layout. The most common stumbling point is the i-matra (ि), which is typed after the consonant — counter-intuitive only if you came from Kruti Dev. Practise conjunct consonants (क्ष, ज्ञ, श्र) specifically, because every CHSL Hindi passage has 8-12 of them and they are where novice typists hesitate.
If you picked Hindi Kruti Dev: passages render via the Kruti Dev font. The keyboard is Remington-style — i-matra is typed before the consonant (the "pre-base" trap that catches every new typist). Focus drills on the top-row matras (Q, W, E, R, T positions) and the home-row consonants (F, G, H, J).
Common mistakes that fail qualifiers
About 40% of candidates who fail the typing test cleared Tier 1 comfortably. Their failure is almost always one of three things: backspace overuse (they correct every typo and burn time), language mismatch (they applied in Hindi but practised in English or vice versa), or shorter practice sessions (3-min drills do not build the stamina to clear minute 8 of a 10-minute test). Avoid all three and the cutoff is reachable in 4-6 weeks even from a 20 WPM starting point.
Frequently asked questions
If your question is not answered below, email contact@typeforexam.com. We update this section based on what aspirants ask us.
Which language should I take the SSC CHSL typing test in?
You choose at the application stage and cannot switch after submitting. Pick the language you can type fastest in — accuracy and speed are scored, not familiarity. Hindi-medium aspirants who type slowly in English should pick Hindi. Aspirants with daily English keyboarding experience should pick English. Around 70% of CHSL applicants pick English; the rest pick Hindi.
What is the difference between Hindi Mangal and Hindi Kruti Dev?
Mangal is Unicode-based, uses the InScript keyboard layout, and is the standard for all modern systems. Kruti Dev is a legacy Remington-style font that maps ASCII characters to Devanagari glyphs. Both are accepted at the SSC CHSL application stage. Practise on Mangal if you do not already know Kruti Dev — it transfers to other government exams. Practise on Kruti Dev only if you have prior typewriter or coaching-centre training in it.
What is the SSC CHSL Tier 2 typing test cutoff?
35 WPM Net for English, 30 WPM Net for Hindi (whichever language you chose at application). Net WPM is Gross WPM minus errors per minute, where every wrong or omitted character counts as a full mistake. Test runs for 10 minutes. The cutoff has not changed since the 2018 notification onwards.
Is backspace allowed in the SSC CHSL typing test?
Yes, the 2022 SSC clarification permits backspace. But every keystroke including corrections still costs time and contributes to Gross WPM calculation. Use backspace only for obvious typos; for word-level errors it is faster to leave the mistake and continue.
Which SSC CHSL posts have the typing test?
Lower Division Clerk (LDC), Junior Secretariat Assistant (JSA), Postal Assistant/Sorting Assistant (PA/SA), and Court Clerk posts take the typing test as Tier 2 skill assessment. Data Entry Operator posts take a separate DEST instead. India Post recruits through this same SSC CHSL cycle.
How is SSC CHSL typing speed calculated?
Gross WPM = (total characters typed ÷ 5) ÷ minutes. Net WPM = Gross − (full-mistake errors ÷ minutes). For example, 1,875 characters in 10 minutes is 37.5 Gross WPM. With 20 errors, that becomes 35.5 Net WPM — just above the English cutoff. The 5-keystrokes-per-word convention is fixed by SSC notification.
Is the SSC CHSL typing test qualifying or counted in merit?
Qualifying only. Final CHSL merit is decided on Tier 1 + Tier 2 marks. But missing the typing cutoff removes the candidate from selection for that cycle. That asymmetry is why experienced aspirants aim for 40 WPM in English or 35 WPM in Hindi — a bad exam day still clears the cutoff.
Can I take Hindi typing test if I applied in English?
No. The language is locked to your application. SSC does not allow switching at the test centre. Decide carefully at the application stage and practise that language exclusively.