Faster is not always better. Accuracy is key.

My intro from Depoman.com:

"I featured a bit of this on my blog. My teacher lately has been mixing it up from what we had been learning. Instead of warming us up slower, and then gradually going faster, she's been doing the opposite. We'll start at an 80 wpm dictation when the real goal may be to only do an 70 WPM dictation later. She always warms us up at least 10 WPM faster than the highest speed level in the class.

While at first this was really irritating, I found once we slowed down to the actual take I was relieved. Less retention, I could keep up with the takes, and instead of elephant stomping around in the dark I was actually keeping up with really good accuracy. Just the other day I actually passed an 80. An 80! They'd really been kicking my kapooty up until she started doing this.

So what I've been doing now is I start my warm up just before homework at the higher speed first, and then work my way back down. Then after the first time around I work myself back up once again, and voila, I find I do a lot better. The extra speed push challenges me to do a bit better, and I fix all the mistakes I did the first time around.

I really hope she keeps doing this in class... Though I probably jinxed it by sharing. "

Everyone knows the big goal is to get to that 255 words-per-minute speed. However, pushing yourself way too quickly can really hurt you in the long run. Accuracy is key, not always speed. If you are going so fast you are misstroking words, or having to guess later what you meant to write down, then you need to stop and slow down. Faster is not the key.

Students should be gaining the accuracy first, and then the speed. Not the other way around. I have an 80 word-per-minute typing certificate myself, and I didn't gain it from madly stomping my fingers around. I used to play a game where it could mock you if you got it wrong. It infuriated me, so accuracy came first. Then I gained the speed like wildfire in my early teens. 80 wpm is the highest level professions using the QWERTY keyboard requires.

However, everyone needs a bit of a push or a challenge sometimes to warm up. So! Instead of starting on the lower speeds first and working your way up do the opposite. Its what we've been doing in our dictation classes at my college and its working. Start 20 words per minute higher than what you are on now. While it will frustrate you a little, it practices retention (holding something in your mind), works your fingers up, and you'll note mistakes. Now, go down to your level on that same dictation. Notice you're a bit more relieved that things have slowed down, better accuracy comes, and you're more relaxed. Then, after doing that do a practice that is 20 words-per minute-lower than where you are now. While its slow and a big agonizing, I know, you'll be able to catch all those errors from the higher speed while also being able to include proper punctuation.

After all that go back to the dictation that was 20 words-per-minute faster than your usual speed. You'll probably find you did a lot better than you did the first time. Viola! You got a speed push, learned from your mistakes from the first time around, and also learned better accuracy.

I really found it weird the first time my teacher did this to us, warming us up for 80 WPM when we were supposed to be doing 70 WPM takes, but that reverse physiology worked great. It really calmed us down for the 70 WPM take because we were relieved at not having to retain so much or stomp our fingers around in the dark. Warm up faster, then work down to the speed you're at.

Before my teacher started doing this the 80 WPM dictation in our class was kicking my kapooty. Yet, just the other day when she did a take I didn't realize it was an 80. When she told the speed to the class I practically jumped in my seat and asked "Are you serious?" ...Yes...I got a weird look from her and she told me she wouldn't lie to me, but I was really excited! I was actually doing better than before.