Fact · Typing and writing speed
A 2013 survey says user-defined typing is closer to a real-world scenario than fixed text.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“user defined input resembles closer to real world scenario than fixed text”
A Survey of Keystroke Dynamics Biometrics, Pin Shen Teh et al., PubMed Central, 2013, Section on experimental protocols (fixed text versus free text).
Open the original (DOI 10.1155/2013/408280)- What it measures
- The survey compares experiments that use a fixed text, such as one password typed repeatedly, with experiments where users type what they choose. It treats the second as the closer match to everyday use.
- What it does not show
- The same passage notes that free text makes it harder to collect comparable samples, so free-text experiments need more data. The survey does not report an error rate for free text.