RSA II typing?

[Kenzo]

when applying for a clerical/admin job and they request that you have RSA II typing what is this?

[Goodsoulette]

its a qualification. I presume it stands for royal secretarial association or summit like it. You do it at college, it doesnt take long to do if you are proficient enough.

[Buenchico]

It's the Royal Society of Arts (Level II) qualification in typing. Your local FE college will have a suitable course or, if you're already a proficient typist, can accept you as an external candidate for the examination.

Chris

[funnywebsite]

I've had a few secretarial jobs and they don't usually insist on this. I have seen this advertised as a requirement before but if you apply for the job and explain you do not have this qualification but are efficient and can type then they might waver this requirement. They usually give you a test to proof you can type in a lot of circumstances.

[beaniedog]

hi, i had to do RSA typing as an exam at school in 1979. I really did not think anyone these days would even know what is was - let alone request it! just offer to do a speed/accuracy test on keyboard skills instead.

[Bravo Girl]

Another little point - it's far far better to be accurate and slightly slow than to be fast but end up with lots of typos (the RSA typing test used to record your speed and then deduct time for every mistake).

Another useful practice hint - look at the "f" and "j" keys on your keyboard. You'll notice they have little bars on them that you can feel with your index fingers. (I believe it was an aid for blind people.) Always start to type by putting your left hand index finger on the "f" key and your right index finger on the "j" key. The rest of your fingers should then sit naturally along the "asdf line" of keys. Use your left hand for the left hand side of the keyboard and your right hand for the right hand side. You will soon build up accuracy and speed then. Good luck with the job application.

[lady_p_gold]

The bumps on the 'f' and 'j' keys (called the home keys) are for people who have learned to touch type as I did as part of the RSA II exam (although mine was a way back when you had to learn to count spaces to centre headings!!!) If you did not have them you would have to look down every now and then to make sure your index fingers were resting on them - as Bravo girl says the fingers all splay out from there and sometimes you have to leave the home keys and return to them and this way you can always be sure you are right. I still see RSA II asked for in lots of job advertisements.

[lady_p_gold]

Also there is a lot more to it than just typing, you have to learn how to set things out and justifying margins, tables, and all the many joys of Word, as if you get into inserting of excel charts and bullets and page numbering and all those things there is quite a lot to learn.

[Pherstun]

Hi, it's not RSA who administer the exams any more, it's OCR.

Just contact your local college and I'm sure they'll be able to help you.