Built like a real job test
Hiring tests usually report net words per minute: your gross speed with a penalty for each uncorrected error. TypingCheck shows gross WPM, net WPM and accuracy side by side, so you can see exactly what an employer would see. Switch to Sentences to practice with real paragraphs, like most assessments use.
Typical requirements
Administrative and receptionist roles often ask for 40 to 50 WPM. Legal and medical secretaries are often asked for 60 or more, and transcriptionists for 65 to 80. See the typing test for jobs page for more.
How we score your test
Every serious typing test uses the same unit: one "word" equals five keystrokes, spaces included. That keeps a test fair whether the text is full of short words or long ones. Here is exactly what each number on your results means:
- WPM counts only the characters in words you typed correctly (plus the spaces after them), divided by 5, divided by minutes. This is the headline number and the hardest one to inflate.
- Gross WPM counts every character you typed, right or wrong. The gap between gross and WPM shows how much speed your mistakes cost you.
- Net WPM is gross WPM minus uncorrected errors per minute, the formula many employers and older typing tests use.
- Accuracy is the share of keystrokes that were correct, including ones you later fixed with backspace.
- CPM is correct characters per minute, and keystrokes per hour (KPH) is the figure data entry employers ask for.
- Consistency shows how steady your pace was from second to second. Higher is smoother.
- Errors are wrong, missing and extra letters left in words when you pressed space. A space that skips unfinished letters counts as a wrong keystroke.
Fair on phones: curly quotes and dashes inserted by iPhone and Android keyboards count the same as the plain keys, the test ignores where you tap inside the text, and leaving the page stops the clock instead of ruining your score. Swipe typing and word suggestions are allowed but labeled, because whole words arriving at once is not comparable with typing key by key. Pasted text is ignored.
Other test lengths
- 30 Second Typing Test30 seconds
- 1 Minute Typing Test1 minute
- 2 Minute Typing Test2 minutes
- 5 Minute Typing Test5 minutes
- 10 Minute Typing Test10 minutes
Frequently asked questions
Why do employers use 3 minute typing tests?
Three minutes is long enough to measure sustained speed and accuracy, but short enough to fit into an application or interview.
Should I correct mistakes in a job typing test?
Usually yes. Net WPM subtracts uncorrected errors, so fixing a mistake right away often scores better than leaving it.
Does this test work on mobile?
Yes. It works with on-screen keyboards on iPhone, iPad and Android phones and tablets.