Computer & Office Skills
Computer basics for absolute beginners and seniors
A slow, patient start for anyone who has never used a computer or a smartphone: the mouse, the keyboard, video calls, photos, messages and staying safe.
Suits: Seniors and adults who have never used a computer or a smartphone
Duration, fees and batch timings are quoted by the head office or your centre.

2 study books in this course
- Computer Basics for Absolute Beginners and Seniors
- Typing
- Lessons
- 17
- Practice questions
- 60
- Free ebooks
- 0
About the course
What the computer basics course for beginners and seniors is about
This course moves at the pace of someone who has never touched a mouse or sent a message. Each lesson is one small, useful thing: switching on, moving the pointer, typing a name, opening a photo, making a video call to a grandchild, paying a bill on UPI without being cheated.
The study book is written to be read aloud with a family member, and the typing study book is included so the keyboard becomes familiar. Nothing is assumed, and every lesson ends with what to do when something goes wrong and whom to ask.
What you will practise
Drawn from the lessons of the study books below.
- 01
Switch a computer and a phone on and off safely, and use the mouse, touchpad and touchscreen
- 02
Type your name and a short message, and know the Hindi typing options
- 03
Open apps, find files and photos, and copy them to a pen drive
- 04
Search the internet, send an email and WhatsApp messages and voice notes
- 05
Make a video call to family, and adjust text size, volume and brightness for comfort
- 06
Pay with UPI, keep OTPs private and recognise a scam call or message
What you will learn
2 subjects, 17 lessons
Every lesson of the study books that come with this course in the student portal, with the key points of each lesson and exercises to try. Your centre gives you the syllabus, the duration and the fee.
Subject 1 of 2
Computer Basics for Absolute Beginners and Seniors
A slow, friendly start with computers and smartphones: switching on and off, the mouse and touchscreen, the keyboard and Hindi typing, windows and apps, files and photos, safe searching, email and WhatsApp, video calls, UPI and OTP safety, and comfortable settings.
1What a computer and a smartphone are, and switching on and off4 min read · 4 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- A computer follows instructions and shows the result on a screen; a smartphone is a small computer.
- Press the power button once to switch on and wait; type the PIN if asked.
- Switch off through the Start menu or Power off, never by pulling the plug.
- Restart cures many small problems, and you cannot break the machine by looking.
Try this
- Find the power button, the charger socket and the screen on your computer or phone and point to each.
- Switch the computer on, wait for the desktop, then shut it down properly using the Start menu.
- On a phone, lock the screen with the power button, then unlock it with your PIN.
2The mouse, the touchpad and the touchscreen4 min read · 4 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- The pointer is your finger on the screen; a single left click chooses most things.
- Double-click opens, right-click shows a menu, drag moves, the wheel scrolls.
- On a touchpad, tap to click and use two fingers to scroll or right-click.
- On a touchscreen, tap, long press, swipe and pinch with a light finger.
Try this
- Move the pointer to each corner of the screen, then rest it on three icons and read the labels that appear.
- Open a program with a double-click, then close it with the X at the top right; repeat five times.
- On a phone, open a photo and use pinch to make it bigger and smaller, then swipe to the next photo.
3The keyboard, typing your name and Hindi typing5 min read · 4 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- Letters, space bar, Enter, Backspace and Shift are the keys that matter first.
- Shift gives capitals and the symbols above the numbers; Caps Lock makes everything capital.
- Ctrl + Z undoes a mistake; Ctrl + S saves.
- Hindi can be typed phonetically (namaste becomes नमस्ते) or by voice on a phone.
Try this
- Open Notepad and type your full name, your town and today's date on three lines, using Shift for the capitals.
- Type a sentence, rub it out with Backspace, type it again, then press Ctrl + Z to see the undo.
- Add Hindi to your phone keyboard and type namaste and your name in Hindi using phonetic typing or the microphone.
4The desktop, windows and apps4 min read · 4 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- The desktop holds icons; the taskbar along the bottom holds Start, open apps, clock and Wi-Fi.
- An app is a tool for one job; open it with a double-click, from the taskbar or by typing its name after Start.
- Every app opens in a window with minimise, maximise and close buttons at the top right.
- On a phone the home screen, app drawer and recent apps do the same jobs.
Try this
- Open Calculator, Notepad and a browser, then bring each to the front in turn by clicking its taskbar icon.
- Minimise, maximise and close a window, and move another window by dragging its title bar.
- Pin your two most used apps to the taskbar, and on a phone move two app icons to the first home screen.
5Files, folders, photos and the pen drive4 min read · 4 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- A file is one saved thing and a folder is a container; the extension says what kind of file it is.
- Documents, Pictures and Downloads are the usual homes; look in Downloads for anything saved from the internet.
- Save with Ctrl + S, choosing the folder and a clear name; deleted files wait in the Recycle Bin.
- A pen drive carries files between computers and makes a backup; eject it before removing.
Try this
- Create a folder called Pension papers in Documents, save a Notepad file into it, then rename the file.
- Delete a test file, open the Recycle Bin, and restore it.
- Plug in a pen drive, copy two photos from Pictures to it, eject it safely and plug it in again to check they are there.
6The internet and searching safely4 min read · 4 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- The internet reaches you through Wi-Fi or mobile data, and a browser shows websites.
- Type an address or plain search words in the address bar and press Enter; open results in tabs.
- Skip results marked Ad, and prefer .gov.in sites for government matters.
- Pages shouting virus, prize or act now are tricks: close the tab and never type private details.
Try this
- Join your home Wi-Fi, open the browser and visit india.gov.in by typing the address, then press Back.
- Search for the opening hours of a nearby post office and for a bhajan on YouTube, using the microphone for one of them.
- Open three tabs, bookmark one page with the star, close the tabs, and open the bookmark again.
7Email, WhatsApp messages and voice notes5 min read · 4 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- Email is a letter from one address to another; the Inbox lists new mail and the paperclip attaches files.
- Compose needs To, Subject and a message; Reply answers, Forward passes on.
- No bank or office asks for a password or OTP by email or message; delete such mail.
- WhatsApp sends text, photos and voice notes; hold the microphone to record, and treat forwards with doubt.
Try this
- Send yourself an email with the subject Test and a photo attached, then open it from the Inbox.
- Send a WhatsApp message and a voice note to a family member, and check whether the ticks turn blue.
- Open WhatsApp Settings, Privacy, set Last seen to My contacts and switch on two-step verification.
8Video calls with family3 min read · 4 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- A video call shows faces and voices over the internet through WhatsApp, Meet, Zoom or FaceTime.
- Tap the camera icon in a chat to call, Accept to answer and the red button to end.
- Mute, camera off, flip and speaker are the buttons to know; face the light and use Wi-Fi.
- Join Meet or Zoom through a link; accept calls only from people you know.
Try this
- Make a WhatsApp video call to a family member, mute and unmute yourself, and flip the camera to show the room.
- Ask someone to send you a Google Meet link and join the call from your phone or computer.
- Set up a chair, a lamp and a stand for the phone so the next call has good light at eye level.
9Online payments, UPI, OTP safety and spotting scams5 min read · 4 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- UPI pays from your bank account by scanning a QR code or choosing a contact, confirmed with your UPI PIN.
- The PIN is typed only inside the app and only to send; receiving money never needs a PIN or an OTP.
- Never read an OTP to anyone, and treat urgency, secrecy and surprise prizes as the signs of a scam.
- If cheated, call the bank, the helpline 1930 and a family member at once.
Try this
- Send 1 rupee to a family member by UPI and have them send it back; note which step needed the PIN.
- Read five recent SMS messages and sort them into genuine and suspicious, saying why for each.
- Save the bank's helpline from the back of your card and the number 1930 in your phone contacts.
10Settings for comfort, and asking for help4 min read · 4 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- Text size, display scale and the magnifier make the screen readable; every change can be undone.
- Brightness, night light, volume sliders and mono audio tune the screen and sound to you.
- A bigger, slower pointer and slower double-click make the mouse easier; voice typing and read aloud help too.
- Ask family or the shop for help with a screenshot; never give the phone or screen to a stranger.
Try this
- Increase the text size and display scale on your computer or phone until you can read comfortably from arm's length.
- Make the mouse pointer larger and a different colour, and slow the double-click speed; test by opening a file.
- Take a screenshot of your home screen and send it to a family member on WhatsApp with a one-line message.
Glossary: 28 key terms of Computer Basics for Absolute Beginners and Seniors
- Computer
- A machine that follows instructions and shows the result on a screen.
- Smartphone
- A small computer that is also a phone, worked by touching its screen.
- Power button
- The button, marked with a circle and a line, that switches a device on.
- Shut down
- Telling the computer to switch off properly, through the Start menu.
- Restart
- Switching the computer off and on again, which fixes many small problems.
- Pointer
- The small arrow on the screen that the mouse or touchpad moves.
- Click
- Pressing and releasing the left mouse button once to choose something.
- Double-click
- Two quick left clicks, used to open a file or program.
- Right-click
- Pressing the right mouse button to show a small menu of choices.
- Touchpad
- The flat rectangle below a laptop keyboard that moves the pointer.
- Swipe
- Sliding a finger across a touchscreen to scroll or change page.
- Backspace
- The key that rubs out the letter before the text cursor.
- Shift
- The key held down to type a capital letter or the symbol above a number.
- Phonetic typing
- Typing a Hindi word in English letters and having it changed into Devanagari.
- Desktop
- The first screen of a computer, with a background picture and icons.
- Icon
- A small picture standing for a program, file or folder.
- App
- A program that does one kind of job, such as a browser or a calculator.
- Window
- The rectangle in which an open app appears, with minimise, maximise and close buttons.
- File
- One saved thing, such as a letter, photo or PDF.
- Folder
- A container that holds files and other folders.
- Recycle Bin
- Where deleted files wait and can be restored until the bin is emptied.
- Pen drive
- A small USB stick that stores files and carries them between computers.
- Browser
- The app, such as Chrome or Edge, used to look at websites.
- Wi-Fi
- A wireless connection to the internet from a router at home.
- A letter sent over the internet from one address to another.
- Voice note
- A recorded spoken message sent in WhatsApp by holding the microphone.
- UPI
- A way of paying from a bank account using a phone app and a secret PIN.
- OTP
- A one-time password sent by SMS to confirm a login or payment, never to be shared.
Subject 2 of 2
Typing
Learn touch typing the right way: posture, the home row, which finger presses which key, accuracy before speed, measuring WPM, a daily practice plan and the basics of Hindi typing.
1Touch Typing and Correct Posture3 min read · 4 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- Touch typing uses all ten fingers without looking at the keyboard.
- Sit upright with feet flat, elbows at about 90 degrees and wrists straight.
- Keep the monitor about an arm's length away, top of screen at or below eye level.
- Press keys lightly and take short breaks to protect your hands and eyes.
Try this
- Check your seat against the seven posture points in this lesson and adjust your chair, monitor and keyboard; then ask a classmate or family member to watch your feet, elbows and wrists while you type for five minutes.
- Write down your present typing habits honestly, such as how many fingers you use, how often you look down and whether your neck or wrists ache, so that you can compare them after one month of practice.
- During a 30-minute practice session, set a timer to remind you of the 20-20-20 rule every 20 minutes, and finish with one minute of finger, wrist and shoulder stretches.
2The Home Row3 min read · 4 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- The home row keys are A S D F for the left hand and J K L ; for the right.
- The bumps on F and J help you find the home row without looking.
- Every finger reaches, presses and returns to its home key.
- Use one thumb consistently for the space bar.
Try this
- Close your eyes, place your fingers on the home row by feeling the bumps on F and J, then open your eyes and check that every finger is on the right key; repeat this ten times.
- Type each home row drill line from this lesson three times in Notepad without looking at the keyboard, then type each home row word line three times as well and count your mistakes in the last round.
- Make up five words or short phrases of your own that use only the letters a, s, d, f, g, h, j, k and l, and type each one five times at a steady rhythm.
3The Finger-to-Key Map3 min read · 4 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- Each finger covers a slanting column of keys above and below its home key.
- The index fingers each cover two columns; the little fingers cover the edge keys.
- Use the Shift key on the opposite side from the letter you are typing.
- On the numeric keypad, rest on 4, 5 and 6; the 5 key has a bump.
Try this
- Draw the three letter rows of the keyboard in your notebook and colour each key according to the finger that presses it, using one colour per finger, then check your drawing against the table in this lesson.
- Type the reach drill lines from this lesson three times each, saying the name of the finger in your mind as it leaves its home key and comes back.
- Type the names of ten Indian cities with a capital first letter, using the Shift key on the opposite side every time; then, if your keyboard has a numeric keypad, turn on Num Lock and type a list of ten invoice amounts on it.
4Accuracy Before Speed3 min read · 4 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- Accuracy comes first; speed grows when correct movements become automatic.
- Never look at the keys; use the bumps on F and J to find your place.
- Type to a steady, even rhythm instead of in bursts.
- Practise your weak keys and letter pairs with short targeted drills.
Try this
- Type a short passage for five minutes at a slow, even pace; count your mistakes and the characters you typed (in Word, the Review tab, then Word Count, shows Characters (with spaces)), and work out your accuracy as correct characters divided by characters typed, times 100, to see whether it is 95 percent or higher.
- From your last practice passage, list the keys or letter pairs you got wrong most often, make a two-line drill of them, and type it slowly for ten minutes.
- Practise for one week with a light cloth or a cardboard cover over your hands, and note each day how many times you felt like looking down at the keys.
5Measuring Speed and Accuracy3 min read · 4 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- A standard word is 5 characters, including spaces and punctuation.
- Gross WPM is total characters divided by 5, divided by the minutes.
- Net WPM subtracts a penalty for uncorrected errors; accuracy is correct characters as a percentage.
- Different tests use different rules, so read the official instructions for yours.
Try this
- Work out on paper the gross WPM for 1,500 characters typed in 5 minutes, the net WPM if there were 10 uncorrected errors, and the accuracy if 1,440 of those characters were correct.
- Take a 5-minute test on a passage you have not practised, find the number of characters typed from the Characters (with spaces) figure in Word's Word Count box (Review tab, then Word Count), compare your text with the original to count the uncorrected errors, and calculate your gross WPM, net WPM and accuracy.
- Start a progress log in a notebook or an Excel sheet with columns for date, passage, gross WPM, net WPM and accuracy, and fill in one row after every practice session for two weeks.
6Building a Practice Plan3 min read · 4 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- Practise 20 to 30 minutes every day rather than in long, occasional sessions.
- Each session should include a warm-up, weak keys, word drills, passages and one timed test.
- Practise with real material that includes capitals, numbers and punctuation.
- Plateaus are normal; slow down, focus on accuracy and drill weak letter pairs.
Try this
- Follow the 30-minute daily session from this lesson for seven days in a row, ticking off each of its five parts in a notebook every day.
- Write your own four-week plan with a fixed daily practice time and one small goal for each week, and keep it beside your computer.
- For one week, type one piece of real material each day, such as a leave application, an address with a PIN code or the details of a short invoice, to practise capitals, numbers and punctuation.
7Hindi Typing Basics4 min read · 5 key points · 3 exercises
Key points
- Unicode Hindi works everywhere; legacy-font text needs that exact font installed.
- Inscript is the standard layout, with vowels mostly on the left and consonants on the right.
- Remington comes from Hindi typewriters; skill on one layout does not transfer to the other.
- Windows key + Space switches between English and Hindi keyboards.
- In Unicode, matras follow the consonant, and the halant joins consonants into conjuncts.
Try this
- Add Hindi and its keyboard in Windows Settings, switch to it with Windows key + Space, and type the words कमल, घर, नमक and सरल in Notepad, finding each letter with an Inscript key chart or the Windows On-Screen Keyboard (Windows key + Ctrl + O), which shows the Hindi letter on every key.
- Type the words पानी, किताब, दूध, मेला and गुलाब, remembering that every matra, including the short i matra, is typed after its consonant.
- Type the conjuncts क्ष, त्र and ज्ञ using the halant, then copy your Hindi words into an email or chat message to check that the Unicode text appears correctly on another device.
Glossary: 25 key terms of Typing
- Accuracy
- The share of characters typed correctly, written as a percentage of all the characters typed.
- Backspace
- The key, pressed with the right little finger, that deletes the character to the left of the cursor.
- CPM
- Characters per minute, a speed measure in which 5 CPM equals 1 WPM because a standard word is 5 characters.
- Devanagari
- The script in which Hindi is written, also used for Marathi, Sanskrit and Nepali, with its own letters, matras and conjuncts.
- Gross WPM
- Typing speed counting every character typed, right or wrong, divided by 5 and then by the number of minutes.
- Halant
- The Devanagari sign that removes a consonant's built-in vowel so it can join the next consonant, as in क्ष, त्र and ज्ञ.
- Home row
- The middle row of letter keys, A S D F for the left hand and J K L semicolon for the right, where the fingers rest and return after every key.
- Hunt and peck
- A slow way of typing in which you look down to find each key and press it with one or two fingers.
- Inscript
- The standard keyboard layout for Indian scripts, included in Windows, with vowels and matras mostly on the left and consonants mostly on the right.
- Key depressions per hour
- A speed measure used in some data-entry tests that counts how many keys are pressed in an hour instead of words per minute.
- Keyboard layout
- The computer setting that decides which character each physical key produces, such as English or Hindi Inscript.
- Legacy font
- An older Hindi font, such as Kruti Dev, that draws Hindi shapes over the codes of English letters, so the text turns into meaningless characters without that exact font.
- Matra
- A vowel sign joined to a Devanagari consonant, such as the sign that turns क into का, which in Unicode is typed after the consonant.
- Net WPM
- Typing speed after a penalty for uncorrected errors has been subtracted from the gross speed.
- Numeric keypad
- The block of number keys on the right of a full keyboard, with home keys 4, 5 and 6, used for typing figures quickly when Num Lock is on.
- Phonetic typing
- A way of typing Hindi by writing words in English letters, such as namaste, which the software turns into Devanagari.
- Plateau
- A stretch of days or weeks during learning when typing speed seems to stop rising, which is a normal stage of practice.
- Posture
- The way you sit while typing, ideally upright with feet flat on the floor, elbows at about 90 degrees and wrists straight.
- Remington
- A Hindi keyboard layout that comes from mechanical Hindi typewriters and was long used with legacy fonts such as Kruti Dev.
- Shift key
- A key held down with the little finger of the opposite hand to type a capital letter or the upper symbol on a key.
- Space bar
- The long key at the bottom of the keyboard, pressed with the side of a thumb, that types a space.
- Standard word
- A group of 5 characters, including spaces and punctuation, counted as one word when typing speed is measured.
- Touch typing
- Typing with all ten fingers without looking at the keyboard, each finger looking after a fixed group of keys.
- Unicode
- The international standard that gives every character of every major script its own code, so Hindi typed in it shows correctly on any modern device.
- WPM
- Words per minute, the usual measure of typing speed, in which one word is counted as 5 characters.
Practice and study material
Study books and timed practice tests in the student portal
Students sign in to read the study books lesson by lesson, print them, mark lessons as done and test themselves with timed practice tests, every answer explained.
- 2study books
- 17lessons
- 60practice questions
- 53glossary terms
How the practice tests work
- Fresh questions each time
Up to 20 questions are picked at random from the subject’s question bank.
- One minute per question
A timer counts down. When it reaches zero, your answers are sent automatically.
- Move around freely
Skip a question, flag it, and come back to change your answer before you submit.
- Learn from every answer
At the end you see the right answer and an explanation for each question.
- Read, print and keep track
Each study book has its lessons, key points, exercises and a glossary. Print a lesson, or mark it as done.
Your centre gives you your login when you enrol.
Try 3 practice questions
Real questions from this course’s question banks. Pick an answer to see the explanation.
When you press Delete on a file, it
Show the answer
Answer: B. moves to the Recycle Bin and can be restored
Deleted files wait in the Recycle Bin until it is emptied.
Which finger presses the M key in touch typing?
Show the answer
Answer: B. Right index finger
M is in the right index finger's area, which covers Y, H, N, U, J and M.
For a clear video call you should sit
Show the answer
Answer: B. facing the light
Light on your face makes you visible; light behind you makes a silhouette.
Typing speed test
The student portal has a typing test with live highlighting as you type. It works out your net words per minute and your accuracy, and saves each result so you can watch your speed improve.
- 6 English passages
- हिन्दी: 4 Hindi passages
- Results saved to your account
Careers
Careers this course leads towards
The kind of work these skills are used for. Each guide explains what the job involves, the skills it asks for and how to get started.
Data entry and office assistant
Typing records, letters and reports, keeping spreadsheets up to date, and handling email, files and printing in an office.
Free calculators
Useful calculators
Free tools that go with this course. They work in your browser, on a phone or a computer.
Typing speed test
Type a passage and see your speed in words per minute and your accuracy.
How admission works
From your first question to your certificate.
The usual steps, at the head office in Delhi or at an authorised member centre.
- Who can join
- Students above 12 years of age.
- Where
- The Delhi head office and authorised member centres.
- Fees and timings
- On WhatsApp at +91 97116 99511, or by phone on 011 2721 1512.
- 1
Ask about the course
Call or WhatsApp the head office, or visit your nearest member centre. Ask for the duration, the fee and the batch timings in writing.
- 2
Fill the admission form
Admission forms are supplied by the head office to every centre.
- 3
Learn in class
Attend your batch at the centre, with the course material and study notes, and sign in to the student portal for the study books and practice tests.
- 4
Take the exam
The institute prefers written exams, taken in front of a teacher.
- 5
Receive your certificate
Students who pass get a Gurukul Technicals Institute certificate and marksheet. Employers can verify it with the head office.
Questions
Questions about the computer basics course for beginners and seniors
Still have a question?
Chat on WhatsAppWho can join the computer basics course for beginners and seniors?
Students above 12 years of age can take admission, at the Delhi head office or at an authorised member centre. The course suits seniors and adults who have never used a computer or a smartphone. Tell the head office or your centre what you already know, and they will suggest where to start.
How is this different from the basic computer course?
The basic computer course assumes you can already handle a mouse and keyboard and moves through Windows, files, browsing and email at a normal pace. This course starts earlier and goes slower, with the phone as well as the computer, and with safety in every lesson. Many students go on to the basic computer course afterwards.
How long is the course and what is the fee?
Duration, fees and batch timings depend on the course and the centre. Ask the head office or your nearest member centre, and get the details in writing before you pay.
Where are the classes?
At the head office in Delhi (A-10, Chief Commissioner Colony, opposite Rana Pratap Bagh) and at authorised member centres. Call or WhatsApp the head office to find the nearest centre.
What do I need to use the study books and practice tests?
A phone or a computer with an internet connection, and the login your centre gives you at enrolment. The student portal opens in an ordinary web browser, so there is nothing to install. Student login.
How do the practice tests work?
Sign in to the student portal and choose a subject. Each test picks up to 20 questions at random from that subject’s question bank and gives you one minute per question, with a timer that sends your answers automatically when it reaches zero. You can skip a question, flag it and come back before you submit, and at the end you see the right answer and an explanation for every question. This course has 60 practice questions across 2 subjects, and you can take the tests as often as you like.
Is there an exam and a certificate?
Yes. The institute prefers written exams, taken in front of a teacher. Students who pass receive a Gurukul Technicals Institute certificate and marksheet.
How is a Gurukul Technicals Institute certificate verified?
On the verify certificate page, anyone can enter a certificate number and check it against the institute’s online register, which covers certificates issued through the portal. For older certificates, or if there is any doubt, send a copy to the head office by email or WhatsApp; the reply comes within 2 working days.
Ready to start the computer basics course for beginners and seniors?
Ask the head office for the duration, the fee, the batch timings and your nearest member centre.
