Data Entry Typing Test

What is a good KPH for data entry?

Keystrokes per hour counts every key you press in an hour. Entry-level data jobs commonly ask for around 8,000 KPH, experienced operators often work at 10,000 to 12,000, and 15,000 or more is excellent. For alphanumeric text, 10,000 KPH is roughly 33 WPM. Use our WPM and KPH calculator to convert between the two.

Numbers and 10-key

If your job is mostly numbers, switch to the number typing test, which uses prices, dates, account numbers and percentages.

Accuracy matters most

A wrong digit in an invoice costs far more than a slow one, so many data entry tests require 98% accuracy or higher. Practice slowly enough to hit that first, then build speed.

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.

More typing tests

• Typing Test for JobsPractice for a pre-employment typing test
• Number Typing TestNumber typing test for 10-key and data entry practice
• Typing Test for KidsA friendly typing test for kids with short, simple words
• Medical Typing TestMedical typing test with real clinical vocabulary
• Legal Typing TestLegal typing test with real legal vocabulary for legal secretaries, paralegals and transcriptionists
• Coding Typing Test for ProgrammersTyping test for programmers with real JavaScript, Python and SQL snippets
• Customer Service Typing TestTyping test for customer service and live chat agents
• Mobile Typing Test for PhonesTest your typing speed on your phone or tablet

Frequently asked questions