Fact · Dictation for work and study
0.5seconds per word
At 120 words per minute, a candidate has half a second for each word.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
- What it measures
- Half a second per word is the pace the Supreme Court test asks a candidate to keep up with in shorthand.
- How it is calculated
- 60 seconds / 120 words per minute = 0.5 seconds per word
- What it does not show
- This is an average. Dictation is not evenly paced, so some words get less time than others.