Are you curious to know how efficient you are as a communicator? Words per minute (ppm for short) is a measure that defines how quickly you can form and recognize words in your communication with others. If you want to find out how fast you type, speak or read, the basic formula to find your ppm is the same: (# words) / (# minutes).
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Find the words you type per minute
Step 1. For faster results, use an online typing test
Currently, the easiest way to find out how many words you can type is generally by using an online program that is specifically made to test this. It's easy to find dozens of these programs by typing in a search engine term like "words per minute typing test." While there are many of these programs available, most work the same way: you type in a list of words within a certain time limit, and the program uses your performance to calculate your bpm.
- A good program for this is available at 10fastfingers.com. The test on this page is simple: just type each word on the screen, put a space between each one until the timer finishes counting down.
- In addition to learning your bpm, this typing test also tells you the number of mistakes you made and it will tell you the percentage of people who took the test that you beat.
Step 2. Another alternative is to open a word processor and set a timer
You can also determine the ppm you type manually; For this, you will need a computer program that you can write in (such as a word processor or notepad program), a timer or stopwatch, and a text font that you can copy.
- Set a timer for a certain amount of time (in general, the longer you test yourself, the less vulnerable you will be to random results).
- Your text should be long enough so that you don't reach the end before the timer expires.
- If you don't have a word processor installed on your computer, you can access a free one with a Google account at drive.google.com.
Step 3. Start the timer and start typing
When you're ready to start, start the timer, then start copying the text. Try to be as precise as possible; If you notice an error while typing a word, correct it. However, you don't need to correct mistakes in words that you have already finished. Keep copying the text until the timer expires, then stop immediately.
Step 4. Divide the number of words by the number of minutes
At that point, finding your ppm is easy. Divide the number of words you typed by the number of minutes you originally set your timer for. The final answer you get is your ppm number.
- Note that almost all modern processors have a "word counter" option, so you don't need to manually count the words.
- For example, let's say you type 102 words in 1 minute and 30 seconds. To find our wpm, we would divide 102 words by 1.5 minutes to get 68 ppm.
Method 2 of 3: Find the words you read per minute
Step 1. Use an online test
If you are trying to figure out how many words you can read per minute, once again, it is generally most appropriate to use a program for a speed reading test on the Internet. These are not as common as typing speed tests, but many good ones can still be found with search engine queries such as "read words per minute."
A great program is available at readingsoft.com. In this program, you calculate your time while reading a text of a predetermined length. Once you're done, the program calculates your bpm based on how fast you get to the end
Step 2. Another alternative is to take a stopwatch and copy a large part of a text into the word processor
As already mentioned, it is also possible to find the ppm that you read manually. To do this, you'll have to open a word processor, paste a page or two of text into it (preferably something you haven't read before), and then get ready to start the timer.
- Before you start, use your word processor's "word counter" option to determine the number of words that are in your text selection. Write this number down, as you will need it last.
- A good place to find long selections of text that you haven't read before is on your favorite news website. Since the news is constantly updated, you won't have to wait that long to find something you haven't read.
Step 3. Start your stopwatch and start reading
When you're ready, start timing your time and reading the text at your normal reading speed. Unless you are specifically trying to find out your maximum reading speed, you shouldn't rush; this will not give you an accurate picture of how fast you read in your daily life.
Step 4. Divide the number of words by the time it took you to read the text
Stop the timer as soon as you read the last word of the text. At that point, just use the same formula above to find your ppm: # words / # minutes.
- For example, if it takes us three minutes to read a 1100 word news article, we will find our wpm by dividing 1100/3 = 366.7 ppm.
Method 3 of 3: Find spoken words per minute
Step 1. Take a stopwatch and find a speech with a known number of words
Finding out your wpm while talking is a bit more difficult than the previous two methods. It should be noted that there is no good online program that can do the math for you. However, with a little effort, you can still find your spoken bpm manually. Start copying a speech (preferably a fairly short one that you haven't read before) into your word processor, then find the number of words it has with the "word counter" option of your processor. You will also need a stopwatch for this test.
A list of very important historical speeches is available at historyplace.com. Many of these speeches (such as George Graham Vest's "Praise the Dog") are not well known to the general public, which makes them excellent for this test
Step 2. Calculate your time as you deliver the speech
Start the stopwatch and start reading the text aloud. Read it in your normal speaking rhythm; Again, unless you're trying to figure out your maximum speaking rate, rushing is pointless. Speak at a conversational and moderate pace, pausing whenever it feels natural.
Step 3. Divide the number of words in the speech by the minutes it took you to deliver
When you finish the speech, stop the timer. Again, you will get your wpm by dividing the number of words in the speech by the number of minutes it took you to speak it.
- For example, if it takes us five minutes to give a 1000 word speech, we will find our wpm by dividing 1000/5 = 200 ppm.
Step 4. Use a natural conversation recording to get your bpm more accurately
The above test is fine for determining your bpm, but it is not entirely accurate. The way we speak when we give a speech is a little different from the way we actually do it in everyday life; for example, many people intentionally speak slowly and clearly when reading aloud. Also, since you read a written text, the test is also partly a test of your reading speed and not of your natural speed of speech.
- To get the most accurate results, you will need to record yourself speaking to another person in an almost casual setting for a long, uninterrupted period of time, manually count the words, and divide the number of words by the number of minutes. This is quite laborious, but it is the most accurate measure of your actual speaking speed.
- A good way to talk for a long period of time is to gather a group of friends and tell them a long, detailed story that you know well and have told before. This way, you won't have to pause to remember how the story continues; you will only be limited by your natural speed of speech.
Advice
- Once you know your words per minute, multiply by 60 to find your words per hour (pph).
- Keep in mind that the text you use for the test can affect your results. Texts with several long and complicated words will be time consuming and give you a lower WPM average, while texts with many shorter and easier words will give you a higher WPM average.