TypingTestExamThe SSC Stenographer Skill Test is held after the computer-based test for Stenographer Grade C and Grade D posts. Unlike SSC CGL or CHSL, this is a dictation plus transcription test: a passage is dictated as audio, you record it in shorthand, and then you type your notes back on a computer.
Dictation speed and time
| Grade | Dictation speed | Dictation length |
|---|---|---|
| Grade C | 100 words per minute | ~1000 words in 10 minutes |
| Grade D | 80 words per minute | ~800 words in 10 minutes |
After the 10-minute dictation, you transcribe on a computer within a fixed window that depends on grade and language. English transcription windows are shorter than Hindi.
Error limits
Transcripts are evaluated strictly. The permissible error margin is about 7% for Grade C and 10% for Grade D (and Hindi dictation typically allows a slightly wider margin than English). Errors follow the full/half mistake convention, with omitted words, wrong words and additions counted carefully.
The typing speed nobody mentions
The headline numbers are shorthand speeds, but to transcribe a 10-minute dictation inside the allotted time you need a comfortable typing speed of roughly 35–50 WPM. This is exactly where copy-typing practice helps a stenography candidate. Use the practice tool above to build that transcription typing speed and accuracy.
How to prepare
- Daily dictation at slightly above your target speed (e.g. 110 WPM if you need 100).
- Read-back drills — transcribe your own shorthand under a timer.
- Typing speed — get your computer typing to 40+ WPM so transcription never runs out of time.
- Accuracy — practise formal, official-style passages to handle vocabulary and punctuation.
