UPSC EPFO PA Stenography Skill Test

About This Exam

The UPSC EPFO Personal Assistant recruitment is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to recruit Personal Assistants for the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation. After qualifying the written examination (where applicable), eligible candidates are required to appear in the Stenography Skill Test, which is qualifying in nature as per the recruitment rules applicable to the notification.

The test assesses a candidate's shorthand proficiency, transcription accuracy, and ability to complete office-related documentation efficiently.

Typing Test Pattern

Candidates generally perform the following tasks during the skill test:

Language: English
Dictation Speed: As prescribed in the official notification
Shorthand Dictation
Computer-Based Transcription
Time-Bound Test
Accuracy-Based Evaluation
Standard Keyboard (QWERTY)

Candidates should always refer to the latest UPSC EPFO notification for the exact shorthand speed and transcription time applicable to their recruitment cycle.

Speed Requirement

The official requirement — 120 wpm dictation — refers to shorthand speed, not keyboard typing speed, so it isn't something a typing test can build on its own. But here's the practical typing math that matters for the transcription stage:


A 10-minute, 120 wpm dictation produces roughly 1,200 words.
Transcribing 1,200 words in 50 minutes (English) works out to a bare minimum of about 24 WPM just to finish — with zero time left for proofreading or fixing errors.
Transcribing the same content in 65 minutes (Hindi) works out to roughly 18–19 WPM as an absolute floor.


In practice, you should aim well above these bare minimums — 35–40+ WPM with high accuracy — so you have a comfortable buffer to review your transcript, fix shorthand-reading errors, and avoid running out of time. Candidates who type at or near the bare minimum almost always run into trouble when a word is unclear or a line needs correction.

Result & Scoring

Each practice session on aitypingguru.com gives you an instant scorecard covering:


Words typed and time remaining when you finish (or if you ran out of time)
Gross and Net WPM
Accuracy percentage
Error count, so you can see exactly where transcription mistakes are creeping in


Note that in the actual EPFO PA Skill Test, there's no separate "WPM score" reported to you — it's assessed as qualify/disqualify based on completing an accurate transcript within the time limit. Our scorecard is a preparation tool to help you get comfortably above that bar, not a replica of the official result format.

Preparation Tips

Final selection for EPFO PA is based entirely on Recruitment Test marks (300) — the Skill Test does not add to your score. However, it is mandatory, and candidates who fail to qualify it are not considered for final selection, regardless of RT rank. UPSC does retain discretion to relax the qualifying standard for otherwise well-qualified candidates, with reasons recorded in writing, but this shouldn't be relied on as a preparation strategy. Always verify current speed, timing, and format requirements against the latest official notification, since figures can be revised between recruitment cycles.

Selection Process Note

Final selection for EPFO PA is based entirely on Recruitment Test marks (300) — the Skill Test does not add to your score. However, it is mandatory, and candidates who fail to qualify it are not considered for final selection, regardless of RT rank. UPSC does retain discretion to relax the qualifying standard for otherwise well-qualified candidates, with reasons recorded in writing, but this shouldn't be relied on as a preparation strategy. Always verify current speed, timing, and format requirements against the latest official notification, since figures can be revised between recruitment cycles.

FAQs