It is inevitable that most school exams will soon be computer based. It might not happen next year or even the year afterwards, but it is going to happen, because the advantages are clear and significant.

Computer-based exams will mean less marking, faster results, less paper and none of the hugely expensive logistics required to move millions of exam papers around the country. And where certain exams still have to be manually assessed, if they are typed then their legibility is always guaranteed.

But will pupils be prepared? For pupils to be able to perform well they won’t just need to know their subject. They will need the skills to be able to get it down in the time allowed. So their keyboard skills will have to be more than adequate with the ability to type fast and accurately, preferably at around 40 words per minute. The problem is, in a recent survey conducted by Type&Test Ltd – a company that specialises in online typing training for schools – whilst 80% of schools think it’s a good idea to provide typing training for pupils, only around 15% do so, and many of those are using woefully inadequate free online programs.

So the majority of pupils are typing at less than 20 words per minute, which is slower than handwriting speed, and their accuracy is poor.

Now is the time to address pupils’ typing skills. Even if computer-based exams don’t arrive in the next five years, pupils are using computers regularly today. So it makes sense to give them the skills now that will benefit them so much in the years ahead, not just for those school exams but beyond when they go on to further or higher education and enter the world of work.

The problem is that most schools don’t have the budget or the time to deliver typing training in class. So Type&Test has come up with a solution called ‘Practise at Home’. You can find out more about this exciting and innovative scheme by clicking here. Rather than dig a hole in your budget, it will earn your school extra income.

If your school does have a budget for typing training and the Practise at Home scheme is not for you, then Type&Test has a range of options, using the highest quality online courseware, outlined on its web site at www.typeandtest.com . Simply complete their online enquiry form and you will be emailed more information without obligation. Or you can telephone them on 01480 861867 if you want to chat through the options.