Take a typing test to find out exactly what sort of keyboarding skills you currently possess. This test will give you a few sentences or paragraphs to type while being timed and having mistakes marked. The end result will give you your typing speed, also known as words per minute, along with the number of mistakes you made along the way.
Practice putting your hands in the correct position on the keyboard. A typing program can tell you exactly which fingers should be on which letters and which fingers should be used to reach other letters on the keyboard (see Resources).
Begin typing once you have learned where your hands go on the keyboard. You can practice using a variety of free online websites that offer various practice lessons, games and tests. If you wish not to learn via the Internet, there are numerous typing instruction software programs, such as Typing Instructor, that may be purchased via the Internet or in your local computer store. These typing instruction lessons can typically be used for both children and adults.
Retake the typing test once you feel that you have successfully learned basic typing skills. These tests will show you how much improvement you have made since you took the first typing test. Once you have mastered the basic skills of keyboard typing, you can begin to work on increasing your typing speed if you wish.