Which is better for typing tests, Inscript or Remington?

Neither is better in itself. Inscript is easier for beginners and available everywhere; Remington suits typists trained on typewriters or Kruti Dev. Choose what your exam allows.

Is Remington Gail the same as Kruti Dev?

They share the same typewriter-style layout. Kruti Dev is a legacy font that produces non-Unicode text, while Remington Gail is a keyboard layout that produces Unicode.

Is Inscript keyboard available in Windows?

Yes. Add Hindi in Windows language settings and choose the Hindi Traditional (Inscript) keyboard. No extra software is needed.

Which keyboard does SSC use for Hindi typing?

SSC skill tests are conducted on computers and the notice describes the available options. Read the skill test section of your current SSC notice.

Can I switch from Remington to Inscript?

Yes, but it usually takes several weeks of daily practice to reach your old speed. Avoid switching close to an exam.

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Inscript vs Remington Gail: which Hindi keyboard should you learn?

Updated 11 October 2026

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If you are preparing for a Hindi typing test, the first decision is the keyboard layout. The two you will meet in Indian recruitment are Inscript and Remington (often called Remington Gail). They put Hindi letters on completely different keys, and switching later costs weeks of practice, so it is worth choosing deliberately.

Inscript: the official standard

Inscript is the standard keyboard layout for Indian scripts promoted by the Government of India. It comes from the ISCII standard (IS 13194:1991) published by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Inscript is built into Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, so you can use it on almost any computer without installing anything.

Its design is logical: vowels and matras are on the left side of the keyboard, consonants on the right, and many related consonants share a key (normal on the plain key, aspirated with Shift). The same layout works for other Indian scripts too, so a Hindi Inscript typist can type Marathi, and with practice Gujarati or Bengali, using the same finger positions.

Remington Gail: the typewriter heritage

Remington-style layouts come from the mechanical Hindi typewriters used in government offices for decades. The Kruti Dev font family follows this layout, which is why many experienced typists and DTP operators type "Kruti Dev" and "Remington" as if they were the same thing. Remington Gail is a version of this layout that types into Unicode text, so you get typewriter muscle memory with modern, searchable output.

Remington's key placement is historical rather than logical, and some matras are typed in visual order. For example, the ि matra is typed before the consonant, as on a typewriter.

A few keys compared

Here are some common letters and the English key you press for each on a standard keyboard:

Hindi character	Inscript key	Remington (Kruti Dev) key
क	k	d
र	j	j
त	l	r
न	v	u
म	c	e
ा (aa matra)	e	k
ि (choti i matra)	f (after the consonant)	f (before the consonant)

Worked example: typing "कि" and "नाम"

कि: Inscript is k then f (consonant, then matra). Remington is f then d (matra first, then consonant).
नाम: Inscript is v e c. Remington is u k e.

Notice that the same physical keys produce different letters. That is why mixing the two is so confusing, and why you should pick one.

Pros and cons

	Inscript	Remington Gail / Kruti Dev
Availability	Built into every major OS	Needs a Remington keyboard driver or the Kruti Dev font setup
Learning curve	Logical layout, easier for beginners	Harder for beginners; familiar for typewriter-trained typists
Output	Unicode, works everywhere	Remington Gail gives Unicode; Kruti Dev gives legacy text
Other Indian languages	Same layout for many scripts	Hindi-focused
Typing order	Phonetic order (as pronounced)	Visual order for some matras
Coaching material	Growing	Huge amount from typewriter era

Which exams allow which?

This is decided by each recruiting body, and it can change between years. Broadly:

Central recruitment (for example SSC skill tests) has generally been conducted on computers with Unicode Hindi, and notices have described the layout and font options available. Read the skill test section of your notice carefully.
Many state recruitment boards and High Courts in Hindi-speaking states have historically allowed or required Remington or Kruti Dev; some allow either Inscript or Remington.

We are deliberately not listing exam-by-exam rules, because they change. Check the current notice before you start practising, and if both layouts are allowed, choose based on the pros and cons above.

Our recommendation

Starting from zero and your exam allows Inscript? Learn Inscript. It is available everywhere, logical, and future-proof.
Your exam requires Remington, or you already type Remington? Stay with Remington. Retraining is not worth it close to an exam.
Not sure yet? Find two or three target exams, read their notices, and go with the layout they share.

Practise on our Hindi typing test, and see how to type Hindi on a computer to set up Inscript on your system. If you need to convert old Kruti Dev text, use Kruti Dev to Unicode.

Questions people ask

Which is better for typing tests, Inscript or Remington?: Neither is better in itself. Inscript is easier for beginners and available everywhere; Remington suits typists trained on typewriters or Kruti Dev. Choose what your exam allows.
Is Remington Gail the same as Kruti Dev?: They share the same typewriter-style layout. Kruti Dev is a legacy font that produces non-Unicode text, while Remington Gail is a keyboard layout that produces Unicode.
Is Inscript keyboard available in Windows?: Yes. Add Hindi in Windows language settings and choose the Hindi Traditional (Inscript) keyboard. No extra software is needed.
Which keyboard does SSC use for Hindi typing?: SSC skill tests are conducted on computers and the notice describes the available options. Read the skill test section of your current SSC notice.
Can I switch from Remington to Inscript?: Yes, but it usually takes several weeks of daily practice to reach your old speed. Avoid switching close to an exam.