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Dvorak vs QWERTY: should you switch before a typing test?

If you want to type faster, someone will eventually tell you to switch to Dvorak. The idea is attractive, but for anyone preparing for a job typing test the practical answer is simple: stay on QWERTY.

Where the layouts come from

QWERTY was designed for the first commercial typewriters in the 1870s. The Dvorak Simplified Keyboard was patented in 1936 by August Dvorak and William Dealey, with the aim of making typing faster, more accurate and less tiring by placing the most common letters on the home row.

What the research says

The best-known support for Dvorak is a United States Navy study from 1944, which reported large speed gains after retraining. The study was overseen by Dvorak himself, so it is not independent evidence. A controlled study by Earle Strong for the US General Services Administration in 1956 found that retrained Dvorak typists only matched their earlier QWERTY speed after many hours, and that extra QWERTY practice for QWERTY typists worked at least as well. Strong has been criticised for bias, and Dvorak supporters dispute his work, so the debate has never been fully settled. Later ergonomic studies have generally found no clear advantage of the large size that is often claimed.

In short, there is no strong, modern, independent evidence that Dvorak or any other layout makes people type much faster. Practice and technique matter far more than layout.

Why QWERTY is what you need for tests

• Typing tests, exam computers and office machines are set up with QWERTY.
• Your fingers learn a position for each key, so moving between layouts causes mistakes on both.
• Retraining takes weeks of slow, frustrating practice, which is the wrong trade-off if your test is close.

When switching might make sense

If you type many hours a day, already have your own computer and no test is coming, a different layout could suit comfort or hand strain, and operating systems such as Windows, macOS and Linux include Dvorak. Even then, expect a drop in speed for weeks and a lasting problem when you use someone else's computer.

What to do instead

• Learn proper touch typing finger placement on QWERTY.
• Follow a structured 30-day plan and focus on accuracy first.
• Use weak-word drills to target the words that cost you time.

A common myth about QWERTY

You may have heard that QWERTY was designed to slow typists down. The usual explanation is more modest: on early typewriters, keys were attached to metal levers that could jam if neighbouring keys were struck in quick succession, and the arrangement was meant to reduce that problem. How much this shaped the final layout is still argued about by historians, but the key point for you is that the jamming problem disappeared long ago, and modern typists type fast on QWERTY every day.

A fair way to test a new layout

If you are curious, do it safely. Pick a period with no test coming, practise the new layout for a few weeks at the same time each day, and record your net speed and accuracy each week against your old QWERTY score. Expect speed to drop sharply at first. If you must use a shared or exam computer in the meantime, you will have to switch back, which is why this experiment is a bad idea close to a test date.

Frequently asked questions

Is Dvorak faster than QWERTY?

There is no strong independent evidence that it is. Early claims came from a study supervised by Dvorak himself, and later controlled work found no clear speed advantage.

Which layout do typing tests use?

Typing tests and most office and exam computers use QWERTY, so practise on it.

Should I switch layouts before a job typing test?

No. Switching causes weeks of slower, error-prone typing, and the test will almost certainly use QWERTY.

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