Typing Speed Test

Each test uses prose passages written for this site, with capital letters, punctuation and the occasional number, because that is what employers and exam boards put in front of you. Choose 1, 3, 5 or 10 minutes. The clock starts on your first key. Words you finish are coloured as you go, the word you are on is outlined, and it turns red the moment your letters stop matching. When time runs out, or you press Submit, the passage is replaced by your result with the working shown.

How words per minute are worked out

A "word" in typing speed is a fixed five keystrokes, spaces included, so that a passage full of long words and one full of short words give comparable results. Two figures come out of that:

Gross WPM = characters typed / 5 / minutes
Net WPM   = gross WPM - errors / minutes
Accuracy  = correct words / words typed x 100

For example, 1,500 characters in 5 minutes is a gross speed of 60 WPM. With 4 errors the net speed is 60 minus 4 / 5, which is 59.2 WPM. An error here is any word typed wrongly, left out or added. The page lines your words up with the passage before judging them, so a skipped word counts as one error instead of shifting every word after it.

The US federal standard: 40 WPM, 5 minutes, 3 errors

The Office of Personnel Management's qualification standard for clerical and administrative support positions sets a typing speed of 40 words per minute for Clerk-Typist (GS-2 to GS-4), Office Automation Clerk or Assistant, and any position with "(Typing)" or "(Office Automation)" in its title. In OPM's words, "Words per minute are based on a 5 minute sample with three or fewer errors." Data Transcriber positions need 20 WPM for GS-2 duties and 25 WPM for GS-3 and GS-4.

The same standard lets applicants show proficiency by passing the agency's performance test, by a certificate from a school or organisation authorised by OPM's local office, or by self-certifying. Performance test results and certificates are accepted for 3 years, and agencies may test self-certified applicants to check. The 5 minute test on this page checks your attempt against the 40 WPM, three-error bar so you know where you stand before an agency tests you.

How mistakes are classified

The review after each test labels every slip. Full mistakes are a wrong word, a word left out, an extra or repeated word, an unfinished word, and typing in capitals. Half mistakes are a spelling slip, singular for plural, a missing or misplaced full stop, and a capital letter missing at the start of a sentence or a name. These categories come from the Staff Selection Commission of India's published guidelines for evaluating typed scripts. Those guidelines say nothing about spacing, so this page adds one rule of its own: two words run together, or one word split in two, is a single half mistake. For the net WPM figure every mistake counts as one error, full or half.

Choosing a test length

• 1 minute shows burst speed. One stumble moves the number a lot, so take a few and look at the middle one.
• 3 minutes is closer to sustained typing and a good daily check.
• 5 minutes matches the federal sample and many job tests. Expect a few WPM less than over 1 minute.
• 10 minutes matches Indian government skill tests. Fatigue and focus start to show here.

Your recent results for each length are kept in this browser, so you can see your progress. Nothing is sent to a server.

Practice that raises the number

Accuracy comes first. Every correction costs several keystrokes, so a typist at 95 percent accuracy or better is usually faster in practice than one who types quickly and fixes a lot. Learn to touch type if you have not: fingers resting on the home row (A S D F and J K L ;), each finger responsible for its own keys, eyes on the screen. Ten minutes a day helps more than an hour once a week. Watch the review for the same slips coming back, such as capitals after a full stop or a particular letter pair, and practise those on purpose.

Where to verify

• OPM General Schedule Qualification Standards (Clerical and Administrative Support Positions: typing proficiency, the 5 minute sample, self-certification).
• SSC, Revised Guidelines for Evaluation of Stenography Skill Test Scripts (the full and half mistake categories).

1. Pick a test length. The choice locks once the clock starts.
2. Click the typing box below the passage and start typing. The clock starts on your first key.
3. Type the passage word by word. The outlined word is the one to type next and turns red if your letters stop matching.
4. Backspace fixes a slip in the word you are on. You cannot click back into earlier text, just as in most test software.
5. When time runs out, or when you press Submit, read your gross and net WPM, accuracy and the marked passage.
6. Print the result if you want a record, or start a new passage.

• Checking that you meet a job posting's typing requirement before you apply.
• Preparing for a US federal clerk-typist or office automation position with the 5 minute, three-error standard.
• Practising for an employer's pre-employment typing test.
• Tracking progress while learning to touch type, with the same test length every day.
• Comparing two keyboards under the same conditions.